I've been thinking on mindful eating again as I continue my personal Buddhism book club (earlier this week, I finished Salzberg's Real Happiness; more on that later), this week with Zen Roshi (wise or old teacher) and pediatrician Jan Chozen Bays's Mindful Eating. I've only just begun the book and corresponding CD, but have already had several a-ha moments, particularly participating in the basic mindful eating practice of experiencing a single raisin. Bays extends the classic practice of looking, touching, smelling, tasting, biting, chewing, swallowing, and savoring a raisin to new territory: the exploration of different kinds of hunger. These are eyes, nose, mouth, stomach, cellular, mind, and heart (and apparently thirst is a type of hunger; these are more theoretical than scientific, I believe). You are encouraged to consider each as you progress through the practice, noting if you are hungry, say, with your eyes or if you are satisfied in your heart. As I chewed on my craisin and then again on an almond, I became very aware of mouth hunger, that my mouth likes new input and sensations before my mind or heart, much less my stomach, does; that's probably food as entertainment and distraction. Curious. I'm really looking forward to more of the practices, including making myself a meal as if I were a guest (you know, pretty plates and such) and fasting (for more general information, visit The Center for Mindful Eating.)
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