. Today,
I would like to discuss mindful eating. Sometimes, especially nowadays, people have
a lot of cravings for food. If we do not bring mindfulness awareness to how we eat, then sometimes our diet could be a big problem for our health and that might affect
our mind. I would like to discuss that a little bit. There are three important
aspects to this, which are called “view,” “meditation,”
and “application.” The view is basic knowledge from the intellectual aspect. Most people know what healthy food is and that if we eat
healthy food, it is good for our health. We should also study how much we should eat and at what time. How much, what time, and what kind of food — bring awareness to that. Nowadays,
you can look this up on Google. I do not have to teach you
about the view aspect. The problem sometimes is that if you have a habit
of eating junk food, there is a craving for it. Craving is the habit. Craving stays in the subconscious mind. Normally we are not
aware of that. It is hidden. When that craving comes,
we cannot control it. We will grab
and eat junk food. We will eat food that we should not eat. When a craving comes,
then what happens? That craving becomes a big problem. We do not know when the craving will come, and when the craving
becomes stronger we get out of control. Here, meditation
is very important. Bring awareness to your food. Bring the view into
everyday life. Especially when you feel this craving
to eat junk food, be with that craving. At first
you may have to learn basic meditation. Do breathing meditation
for at least 21 days to 1 month. Every day, do 5 min
of breathing meditation. Just be aware of the breath. Then you can be aware
of that craving. When you become aware
of the craving, at the beginning it seems like
it becomes bigger, but eventually
the craving will go away. Or it will become
a support for awareness, just like the breath, and then its power
will lessen, though you still feel
the craving. We will practice mindful eating together
for this meditation. Please keep your spine
loosely straight. Not too tight, like this, because then
you cannot eat normally. We are going to eat
something. I have some nuts here. How should we eat? You have to eat slowly and, especially,
you need to chew. Be aware of the nuts. Bring awareness to the food. Now you will notice
the taste. A little bit salty. Then you can chew. The taste becomes
a support for awareness. You can bring mindfulness to the taste. There are a lot
of different tastes now. Salt, butter, a little bit of sweetness. The tasting organ is on the tongue, on the tip of the tongue. You can move the food around inside the mouth. You will have saliva, so mix the food
with the saliva and chew well. Now there are
a lot of tastes. The taste at the front
of the tongue is different from the taste
at the middle. When you swallow,
it is a different taste. You can enjoy food, thoroughly. In a way, you will enjoy different tastes, and the taste becomes
support for meditation. If your mind and the taste
are together, the food becomes
quite healthy. It will actually
help the body. That is all. This is what we call “taste meditation.” Every day, there is “application,”
the third aspect. You can apply this
during breakfast, lunch,
and dinner every day. You will have at least
three good sessions of meditation, and at the same time the food will taste good. Buy one, get one free! Thank you.
