Introduction
Eating is something we often do mindlessly, out of habit, or while multitasking. When we slow down and bring mindfulness to our eating, we make space for insight to arise. Practice this chocolate meditation to learn more about your relationship with food, with your body, and with craving.
One of the most well-known mindful eating exercises is the raisin meditation, attributed to Jon Kabat-Zinn and the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program. This exercise helps us to bring mindful attention to something we typically don’t bother paying much attention to. The raisin, for most people, tends to be a neutral snack.
Chocolate, on the other hand, is something many of us link to craving or indulgence. Practicing chocolate mindfulness can help deepen awareness regarding the biases, habits, and judgments we bring to food and ourselves.
- Practice Time: <10 minutes
- Purpose: Mindfulness of Eating
- May Help With: Deepening Awareness, Broadening Perspective, Letting Go
- Practice Level: Beginner
Here’s a Sample of the “Deepen Awareness With A Chocolate Meditation” Guided Meditation Script:
Take a few deep breaths. Slowly let go of any tension you might be holding in your muscles. You might start your chocolate meditation as physically relaxed as you can. Open the chocolate. Inhale the scent. Let it wash over you, like a wave of smell. Notice if your mouth is responding to it as well. Look at the chocolate. See how that affects all of your senses. Break off a piece and look at it. Really let your eyes drink in what it looks like, examining every nook and cranny – the bubbles and the cracks, the individual grains of cocoa.
Now, if you’re comfortable, close your eyes. Finally!… take a small bite of your chocolate. Let it sit on your tongue and melt slowly in your mouth. Notice the flavors becoming completely absorbed in what you’re experiencing right now. Notice the sensations in your mouth. Notice your breathing. See if it’s possible to hold the chocolate on your tongue and let it melt. Notice any resistance to that, or any craving or desire… not judging, just noticing. Chocolate holds many different flavors. See if you can sense some of them. After the chocolate has completely melted, very slowly swallow it. Feel the sensations and your body’s response as it goes down your throat.
How to Use the Chocolate Meditation Script
For this chocolate meditation, you will need a piece of chocolate that you can easily break into pieces, such as a chocolate bar. If you are guiding this meditation in an in-person group setting, consider that some in the group may have food allergies, especially to the nuts that some chocolate contains. Ask the group ahead of time, or come prepared with different varieties of chocolate bars. You may also want to offer participants a means of washing their hands before and after the exercise.
That said, there are many ways to present chocolate mindfulness.
- Use this meditation script to work with individuals or groups in person.
- Record audio of yourself slowly reading through the script.
- Create a video of yourself guiding another, or narrating your own experience.
When guiding any mindfulness of eating practice, even with chocolate, it’s important to be aware that some participants may experience increased anxiety around food. Employ trauma-sensitive principles such as reminding people they have agency over their practice, that they can do the meditation at their own pace, and that they’re welcome not to participate at all.
Conclusion
Food can nurture the body and soul, and it can also be a source of suffering, especially if we carry self-judgment or shame around our relationship with food. This chocolate meditation can support a kinder relationship with food and with our own body and mind by bringing deep awareness to the experience of eating.
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