Mindful Tasting Exercise (Dharana)

For me, the holidays are about a warm beverage drank next to the fireplace at my parents’ house. It is about comfort, rest time, returning to the basics.

Let’s do a mindful tasting exercise with my cup of warm beverage. In yoga philosophy, I believe it is called Dharana (concentrating on an object), but you can call it what you want.

Look at the surface of the liquid. Is it moving? Is there steam coming out of it?

Inspire. Can you capture the aroma of the drink? How would you describe it? Is it intense, sweet, herbaceous, chocolatey?

Feel the contact of the cup between your hands. Does the handle feel different compared to the rest of the mug? Is it rough,smooth, warm, rounded? Can you hold the cup with less force?

Take a sip and close your eyes. Let the liquid run inside your cheeks, under your tongue, everywhere. What do you feel? Does the experience change from second to second? When you are ready, you can swallow.

Go back to the first step and repeat for each sip you take.

Being 100% mindful when you eat or drink transforms the experience. Imagine how much pleasure could be derived from your food if you practice this exercise for an entire holiday dinner. Instead of rushing through our meal, let’s fully savor each bite and stop when we are truly satisfied. And if your family is like mine, there will be leftovers for tomorrow anyway.

Julie Brousseau – @julie.e.brousseau