Popcorn in slow motion

Can one eat popcorn mindfully? Popcorn is designed to eat hot, and by the hand and mouthful, at least in my experience. But what would it be like to slow the process down, to eat one kernel at a time? If you chose to eat popcorn as a mindfulness exercise, you’d eat one kernel at a time and use all your senses to truly taste the popcorn.

Let’s try it – Start by seeing yourself with a bowl of hot, fresh popcorn. Visually take it in. What colors of white and yellow do you see? Many shades, I’m sure. What scents come wafting to you as you bring yourself close to the bowl to gather it in? Butter, salt, corn? What is the scent of popcorn? It seems it may be more a scent of butter? Hmmm! Learn something new every day! Pick up a kernel, what is the texture? Notice the flowered kernel and all the “petals” of the corn that have popped open for you. What colors do you see now as you look even closer?

Now that you have mindfully examined the popcorn visually, olfactorally (I know – quite the word, eh?) and texturally, let’s taste. Begin by biting a very small petal off a kernel of corn. What do you notice on your teeth and tongue as you invite the kernel in? At what point do you begin to taste the popcorn? (Parts of our tongue are more sensitive to taste than others) Bite another small petal, notice, textures and taste and finally, take the entire kernel into your teeth and chew. Notice how it feels as it goes down your throat. And notice what is going on in your mind. 

Are you able to stay focused on the small actions or are you off and running mentally performing a different task or impatiently thinking, when will this be over so I can EAT?

Now, if you have hung in there with me this long, you may be wondering, WHY? Would I eat popcorn so slowly? This kind of mindfulness activity helps increase our awareness of the sensual nature of food and the wide varieties of textures and tastes we enjoy each day. Well, that’s really the point here, do you enjoy your food or wolf it down as you drive to work or as you mindlessly eat in front of the TV or computer?

To truly enjoy food, we have to pay attention! At times, as you are aware that you could benefit from changing your eating habits, do you whine “But I like to eat! I enjoy it!”?  Well, I challenge you to assess if you truly enjoy your food or you appreciate the effects of food. If you are eating to squash down feelings or fill an emptiness, you do not enjoy your food, you enjoy the numbing action that food in quantities can bring.

So why not give it a try! Pop a big bowl of popcorn and choose to eat many of those full-petaled kernels mindfully. Savor the tastes and textures. And if you are enjoying it with a cold drink, savor that too! Notice the feel of the glass, the clink of the ice, the feel of the cool liquid on your lips and tongue and down your throat.

One thing for sure, in this kind of mindfulness activity, we have the sensual experience of being fully present in the moment. And we may also learn about thought patterns that lead us to binge and wolf down food as we hear our minds cry out with impatience. In this exercise, we get the opportunity to be “in charge” of these compulsive thoughts rather than being controlled by them. Quite empowering for a little kernel of corn!

JME Affirmation for the Day

Today I focus on eating with awareness. I am aware of the tastes, scents and textures of my food. Food, glorious food, is here for me to savor.