Feast Your Senses

(a selection from Meditation 24/7).

You can do this awareness practice at lunch or whenever you sit down for a meal. Even the simplest fare, a cup of soup and bread, seems like a feast when you engage all your senses.

<a href="http://radiance-sutras.bandcamp.com/track/feast-your-senses">Feast Your Senses by The Radiance Sutras</a>

The midday meal is a prime time to practice gratitude for nature's abundance. At high noon, the sun is high in the sky; the light is direct, shadows are few, and radiance surrounds our half of the world. The sounds of human and animal conversation resound in the air, and the dance of activity swirls around us everywhere. The fullness of life is evident, and when dining, we can make the most of that bounty.

Feasting in the evening has its own fullness, though it is more mellow, poignant, and nuanced. The sun is setting, or has already disappeared; colors are subtler, light and shadow tease and entwine. The sensuality of an evening meal, taken alone or shared, can send us into reverie and rapture.

When you employ several sensory modes at once, they tend to enhance and amplify each other, contributing to even greater enjoyment. Your body is infused with information from different channels of pleasure.

Just taking a few seconds to breathe with awareness can revolutionize your whole experience of eating. When you pay attention, you can discover new tastes even in familiar food, you can be more satisfied with less quantity, and your instincts can you guide to eat for strength and health.

The "meditative taste challenge" is to take any of your preferred or usual foods, and discover new ways to taste them. The adventure of eating is to actually taste and appreciate. Even if you’re eating your favorite food, you may only pay attention to the taste for a second or two, maybe less. If you watch people in restaurants, you'll observe that most seem to notice what they're eating for only a moment, if at all, then ignore it or focus on talking.

It's as if there is a taboo against pleasure, and embarrassment about relishing food. Few people close their eyes and savor the aroma, flavor, and texture. You may feel self-conscious at first, but the rewards of taking pleasure are great – deeper satisfaction, and better digestion and health. Soon you will be reveling in your senses with abandon.

Feast Your Senses Practice

When: On your way to lunch or any meal, waiting for your food, and during your meal.
Where: Anywhere you are eating.
Time: Half a minute here and there.
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