118 • PART II: MINDFULNESS IN EDUCATING FOR SELF-REGULATION AND ENGAGEMENT
students can explore a bin of textures with tree bark, granite, cotton balls, feathers, and so
on. For the sense of sight, there are many options, from artwork to a microscope to prisms
and crystals. As they move through each station, guide them to check into their sensations
and out of their thinking. Guide them to describe what they observe without evaluating or
judging. Remind them that their only job is to describe. As they finish, have them check in
on how they experienced their thoughts, the need to judge, distractions, and being present.
Ask them which sensations brought them most effectively to the here and now and which
sensations were not as effective. The sensory sloth practice integrates the following prin-
ciples of embodied learning and growth (see Chapter 3): principle 2, my breath is my most
powerful tool; principle 3, I am mindfully aware; principle 4, I work toward presence in
my physical body; principle 6, I ask questions about my physical experiences, feelings, and
thoughts; and principle 7, I choose my focus and actions.
Mindful Eating
Mindful eating can be both a formal and informal practice (Cook-Cottone, 2015). As a formal
mindfulness practice, the food is the object of attention in a focused-concentration medi-
tation (Cook-Cottone, 2015; David, 2009; Davis et al., 2008; Greenland, 2010; Kabat-Zinn,
2013; Rechtschaffen, 2014). Mindful eating is a long-standing mindfulness practice. It is
often done at the beginning of MBSR classes (see Chapter 12 for a full description of MBSR;
Kabat-Zinn, 2013; Stahl & Goldstein, 2010). I use this as the first introduction to mindfulness
in my course at the University at Buffalo, The Mindful Therapist. Typically, this activity is
done with raisins. I offer a choice between a raisin and a dark chocolate chip (Cook-Cottone,
2015). Mindful eating practice integrates the following principles of embodied learning and
growth (see Chapter 3): principle 3, I am mindfully aware; principle 4, I work toward pres-
ence in my physical body; principle 7, I choose my focus and actions; and principle 8, I do
the work.
PRACTICE SCRIPT 6.4: MINDFUL EATING
Approximate timing: 1 minute for introduction; 10 minutes for practice
Preparation: Bowl of raisins, bowl of dark chocolate chips, and napkins—enough for your class
Find a comfortable seat. Be sure your feet can rest on the floor or a stable surface. Hand out nap-
kins then place either raisins or chocolate chips on each napkin. Be sure to make accommodations for
students with allergies.
Now, settle into a steady even breath and relax. Breathe slowly in for one, two, three, and four.
Breathe slowly out for one, two, three, and four. Begin by simply looking at your raisin or chip.
Pretend that you are from another planet, and you have never seen a raisin or a chocolate chip
before. This is your first time here on Earth and your first time with this food. Notice the color,
the texture, the shape, ridges, contours, and how it is resting on your napkin. Pretend that you
have to tell the people on your planet what this raisin or chip is like. You must look at every detail.
See the raisin or chip exactly as it is right there on your napkin. Shift the raisin or chip on your
napkin. As a good investigator on this new planet, you must look at every detail. What do you see
now? Does the light fall in new ways on your raisin or chip? Do you see new contours or shades
(continued )