Chocolate and Meditation

You know those times in your life, when you encounter some new word or idea, and then you just can’t seem to escape it? Me too.

A couple of years ago, I added the book Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World, by Mark Williams and Danny Penman to my reading list. I don’t even remember how I encountered it initially. (It was probably NPR, but I don’t see any reference to the book on their website. Science Friday, perhaps? Anyway…)

So, the title has been sitting on my list for a couple of years, and I finally decided that it was time to check it out. There’s been a convergence of the subject of meditation popping up in my life, and this seemed like an appropriate book to use to help get myself more grounded.

I picked up the book a week ago, and have been slowly working my way through the introductory material. At the same time, fate has been conspiring to inundate me with the concept of mindfulness. I heard a report on NPR on the subject, and while wandering through the local Barnes and Noble this weekend, I looked up from the book in my hand to see an endcap featuring Mindful Magazine. Since then, everyone from my therapist/friend to a barista at Starbucks has been telling me about their positive experiences with mindfulness, and providing me with small exercises I can use to better grasp the idea.

The book is very promising. The first few chapters introduce the concept, with some simple, creative introductions to meditation. Today, I practiced the “Chocolate Meditation”, which walked me through the most thoughtful, attentive experience with chocolate that I’ve ever experienced. The practice involved really paying attention with all of the senses, and lingering over the experience of opening and eating a taste of chocolate.

The meditation reminded me of something I read about Eleanor Roosevelt, who apparently was so interested in conversation at mealtime that she paid little or no attention to the food itself. I used to pride myself on the same characteristic, feeling that too great an attention on the food was a mark of a simple mind. I could eat, and be so engrossed in conversation or my own thoughts that I wasn’t that conscious of the food. Now, what I used to take as a sign of my greater intellect and sensitivities I now see as a symptom of my inattention to the world around me, and my need for mindfulness training.

I have finished the introductory material, and am ready to begin the heart of the book, which is meant to be read and practiced over eight weeks. The book even comes with links to eight MP3 files, which can be downloaded to direct one through the different meditations each week. I’m looking forward to actually starting the practice of daily meditation. My goal is to commit to spending time in meditation every day over the next eight weeks, and to keep you posted on my response to the experience.