Mindfulness – Raisin exercise

Try this exercise in mindful eating as a starter to meditation.  It will take about 10 minutes.

First, find something to eat – it should be quite small and firm, not something that will dissolve quickly in your mouth.  A raisin is a great choice – I’m going to assume that you are eating a raisin in the instructions below.

Find a quiet place to sit.  Follow each of the instructions below very slowly, trying to keep your breathing slow and even.

Hold your raisin in the palm of your hand.  What does it feel like?  Feel how it sits in your palm – how heavy is it?  How lumpy is it?

Look at your raisin.  What colour is it?  Is it the same colour all over?  How bumpy is it?  What shape is it?  Is it round or oval?  Is it pointier at one end?

Smell your raisin.  Does it have a smell?  How strong is the smell?  Do you like the smell?  How near do you have to get to be able to smell it?

Check your breathing.  Is it slow and even?

Now, close your eyes and slowly place your raisin on the middle of your tongue.  Just keep it there on the middle of your tongue.  Does it have any taste when it is just sitting there?  Can you feel that it is bumpy?

Move it to the side of your mouth, and bite it very carefully.  Feel how the taste of the raisin travels through your mouth.  How quickly does the taste travel through your mouth?

Carry on chewing your raisin very slowly.  With each chew, check how much you can taste the raisiny taste.  See how the texture of the raisin changes as you slowly chew it.

When you can’t chew it any longer, swallow your raisin.

Keep your eyes closed, and see how long the raisiny taste lingers in your mouth.  Are there any little bits of raisin left in your mouth?

Check your breathing.  Is it slow and even?

When you are ready, and there is no more taste of raisin in your mouth, open your eyes.

Hopefully, you will now feel more relaxed.