The Whole World in Your Bowl

(air lightly whooshing) (clicking) (light chiming music) Headspace videos. (light plucking music) Hello, it's Eve here, welcome to Wednesday, and to Radio Headspace. So I often get asked, how can you practice mindfulness in everyday life? But a really lovely way to practice is with our food and eating; how often do you eat on the go or whilst doing something else without really paying attention to what it is that you're eating? Let alone tasting the food and enjoying it? So over this past weekend I really took some time to practice mindfulness while I cooked and ate, even though I had a list of other things I could do at the same time, I really allowed myself to be immersed in the process. The amazing thing about mindful cooking and eating is that it's a true exploration of the senses. I find a lot of the time that even our senses are dulled down; we look, but we don't see, we hear, but we don't listen, we eat, but we don't taste. What was really cool about doing this was that I was able to cultivate a deeper sense of appreciation and gratitude. As I was preparing the food I looked to the packaging and where the food had actually come from; oil from Italy, rice from India, beans from Mexico, truly the whole world was right in front of me. But more than that I took some time to acknowledge and appreciate how many people must have been involved in getting all of these ingredients into my home. The growers, and pickers, and packers, and transporters, to the staff in the grocery store, it is truly an interconnected network of logistics, and time, and people, all working together. I think we often forget that. So I really reminded myself that not everyone has access to clean and safe food. And I think it's important to call out that mindful eating is not about restricting food, instead it provides a framework from which we can notice our relationship with the food that we're eating. So perhaps try it for yourself. The next time you're cooking or eating a meal, spend some time being with the process, rather than just chopping the carrots, and at the same time going over a difficult email in your head that you received. Actually try to be with the process of chopping. Notice the colors, the textures, the shapes and sizes. And when the mind wonders, which it will, gently guide it back to what it is that you're doing. And as you sit down to eat, look at the colors and the shapes of the food. How does it smell? How do you feel looking at it? How does it taste? Even notice how you feel a few hours after eating. I encourage you to let your senses travel, even though you might be in your home or in a restaurant you might very well be eating the whole world in your...