Ice Cream for the Soul - Ice Cream for the Soul by Joy Koenig, MD - Personal Growth, Wellness, Healthy Lifestyle, Meditation

ICE CREAM FOR THE SOUL
CATEGORY

        Mindful Meditation

DESCRIPTION

        Do a mindful meditation using ice cream.

INSTRUCTIONS

        Buy the most decadent brand of ice cream you can afford. Choose a flavor that has a lot of different textures and tastes such as chocolate chip cookie dough, banana nut fudge crunch, or cherry vanilla chocolate swirl. Your goal is to eat the smallest portion possible, yet get the greatest amount of enjoyment from it. Here's how you do it. First, create a meditative setting for your experience. Put on music that reminds you of an ice cream truck or a celebration. Find your favorite spoon and your favorite small cup. You might even want to buy or make one just for this activity, if you plan on making this one of your regular meditations.

        The goal is to eat it spoonful by spoonful, not the whole pint, and to really taste, smell, feel, and experience the ice cream. The key word is S-L-O-W. See how long you can make a spoonful of ice cream last. You can put the whole spoonful in your mouth at once, and slowly let it melt, poking and prodding it with your tongue to disentangle the interesting bits and pieces, or you can nibble off just a smidgen from the spoon and savor it completely, then nibble off another smidgen. Obviously, this will take most of us a great deal of concentration, self-discipline and mental focus -- and that's the point!

JOY'S JOURNEY

        On the advice of a friend, I sought mental health counseling during my first year of medical school. My alcoholic mother had been repeatedly calling me at two in the morning, just to tell me that she thought I was an awful daughter and a horrible person. There was always just enough truth in her distorted thinking to hit home and hurt. I started questioning whether I was smart enough or good enough to be a doctor, and my grades slowly began to drop. During my second session, the therapist asked me something that changed the direction of my life. "You can't save her, only she can save herself. Are you going to let her drown or are you going to drown with her?"

         I decided not to drown with her, and during our next session, I came clean about something else that worried me. "Since I'm here, can I ask you this? I don't really enjoy sex. Do you think I might be frigid?" Bless her, she didn't laugh. She explained that I'd learn this during my second year of medical school -- most women don't really come into their sexuality until their thirties and forties. She then asked me how I ate my food (fast and furious, often swallowing without tasting). She explained that learning how to enjoy anything in a sensual way was the first step to enjoying sex. She suggested eating ice cream very slowly and deliberately. I went home and tried it, first with laughter -- I felt so ridiculous taking food this seriously -- then with tears, when I realized I couldn't even thoroughly enjoy and experience a mouthful of ice cream. After many pints of ice cream, I'm happy to report that her method works -- I enjoy life much more, now that I've slowed down to notice, experience and appreciate the sensual details.

QUOTES

Life is uncertain -- eat dessert first.
Unknown

I doubt whether the world holds for anyone
a more soul-stirring surprise
than the first adventure with ice-cream.
Heywood C. Broun

Dr. Joy is available to present playful workshops (playshops) at your corporate training retreat, non profit organization gathering, or club membership meetings. She is located in Denver, Colorado, and travels throughout the US to deliver Serious Fun ™ Programs for personal growth, wellness, and inspiration. Please see the program pages for details and contact information.

This playful meditation activity is COPYRIGHTED. If you are a professional trainer, coach, human resources person, counselor, or therapist it is not ethical nor legal for you to use it or share it with your clients or those you supervise/train as part of your job. See the copyright notice on the front page of this e-book. Remember, character is what you do when no one is looking. Please take the high road, and pay me appropriately to use these materials professionally, even if you work for a church, school, non-profit or the government.