Chocolate Meditation

Perhaps you have some chocolate laying around today, the day after Valentines day.  Enjoy it!  Perhaps you’ll want to add to the enjoyment and appreciation of it with this mindfulness meditation that teaches us the importance of savoring the small things in life as we learn to savor life itself.  A simple way to slow down, take a breath and practice not missing your life or taking it for granted.  As Ferris reminds us,

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”
FERRIS BUELLER

This chocolate meditation encourages you to find a few minutes in your hectic day to relax and take care of yourself. Read these instructions through, then sit comfortably and take a few deep breaths to relax.

  • Take a small piece of chocolate.
  • Consider the chocolate in it’s wrapper. What color is it? How big? How heavy? What shape?
  • Open the wrapper slowly. Does it make a sound? Is the smell stronger or weaker than you expected?
  • Close your eyes and think about what you’re feeling. A sense of anticipation? An urge to gobble up the chocolate? A little silly? Tense? Relaxed?
  • Finally, break off a small piece of the chocolate and place it on your tongue, but DO NOT CHEW OR SWALLOW IT yet. What different flavors can you sense? What texture do you feel?
  • Breathe deeply. Let yourself be completely absorbed in what you’re experiencing right now. If your mind wanders, bring your thoughts back to the sensations associated with the chocolate.
  • Hold the chocolate on your tongue for as long as possible, letting it melt completely as you continue to experience its taste and texture.
  • Swallow. Notice how the chocolate feels on your tongue and throat. Is there a lingering taste?
  • Finally, bring your attention back to your breathing and be aware of how you’re feeling. Is it different from how you felt at the beginning of the mediation?

Savor these minutes of relaxation and mindfulness. Revisit those feelings often as you resume your day.

“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.”
HENRY MILLER

“Mindfulness is about being fully awake in our lives. It is about perceiving the exquisite vividness of each moment. We also gain immediate access to our own powerful inner resources for insight, transformation, and healing.”
JON KABAT-ZINN

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
ALBERT EINSTEIN

“Dear God, Help me to remember to savor my life today.  To notice it, to cherish it, to enjoy it.”
BILL JOHNSON

Perhaps when we live this way, all of life becomes a feast, a church, a sacrament.

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