Mindfully Eating A Raisin
The Practice of “Beginner’s Mind”
At the beginning of most MBSR classes, we introduce this formal practice to demystify meditation. If you don’t have a raisin, a nut or a berry will work perfectly.
Please turn off your phone and give yourself five minutes for this experiment.
The Script
1. Seeing
Place the raisin in your palm. Imagine you have just dropped in from Mars and have never seen such an object before. Scan it. Explore the folds where the light hits. Turn it over. What color is it really?
2. Feeling
Explore the texture. Is it soft? Hard? Coarse? If thoughts arise (“Why am I doing this?”, “This is silly”), simply acknowledge them and bring your attention back to the sensation in your fingers.
3. Smelling
Bring it beneath your nose. Inhale deeply. Does it have an aroma? Notice if your mouth or stomach reacts to the smell. This is your body preparing to receive.
4. Hearing
Bring it to your ear. Roll it between your fingers. Is there a sound? (It sounds strange, but just listen).
5. Tasting (The Process)
Slowly bring it to your mouth. Notice how your arm knows exactly where to go. Place it gently on your tongue, but do not bite yet. Explore the sensation of it sitting there.
When you are ready, bite down once. Notice the explosion of flavor. Chew slowly, noticing the change in consistency. Detect the intention to swallow before you actually do it.
Reflection Questions
Take a moment to ask yourself:
- Did the raisin taste more intense than usual?
- Did you notice any impulses to rush?
- How does this compare to eating lunch while watching TV?
This simple skill—bringing full attention to a routine activity—is the essence of mindfulness. It brings us back to the here and now.