CATEGORY
Mindful Meditation
DESCRIPTION
Do a mindful meditation using chocolate.
INSTRUCTIONS
Buy the most decadent piece of chocolate or chocolate dessert you can comfortably afford. Create a meditative atmosphere -- a comfortable place to sit, inspiring music, and no outside distractions. Wash your hands and rinse your mouth out with water several times, then sit down and do some QUICKIES.
Now we're ready for the fun part. Slowly and carefully unwrap your piece of chocolate or take it out of its container. Listen to the sounds made by the wrapper. Study the wrapping or the container. Look at the piece of chocolate. Does it have a design? What shape is it? What shade of brown or white? Does it have an obvious texture? Now close your eyes and smell it. Does it have a single smell, or is it really a mix of different smells? With your eyes still closed, gently draw your finger over its contours. You are now ready to take your first bite. If it's a bar, gently break off a small piece and listen to the sound it makes. Slowly bite into your piece and feel how your teeth cut into the chocolate. Is it firm or squishy, smooth or bumpy? Does it contain things other than chocolate, such as raisins, nuts, a cherry or some type of filling? Instead of chewing the chocolate, hold it against the roof of your mouth with your tongue and let it start to melt. Does it melt slowly or quickly? Now chew, and breathe through your mouth, then breathe through your nose. Does the chocolate smell differently now that it is in your mouth? Push the chocolate around your mouth with your tongue so that it completely melts before you swallow.
Now, get ready for your next bite ...
JOY'S JOURNEY
My sister's death had a blessing buried in it. It spurred me to closely examine my values, and forced me to make many difficult choices around my career, lifestyle and the choice I had made to wallow in the emotional debris of my childhood. I stopped my frantic daily pace, and faced the demons under my bed. It wasn't easy, and there were times I didn't think I would make it to the other side of it. I wasn't able to teach myself how to slow down and enjoy life, until I swept out the dust bunnies from my childhood. Slowing down became a self-rewarding accomplishment. I was surprised at how much lighter I felt, once I brought the things hidden in the dark corners into the bright light of adult understanding.
I smile sometimes when I hear people caught up in the question, "Are we human beings learning to be spiritual, or spiritual beings learning how to be human?" Either way, we are human and its fun to learn, explore and enjoy the healthy hedonistic sensory experiences that are an intricate part of being human.
QUOTES
Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar
into four pieces with your bare hands --
and then eat just one of the pieces.
Judith Viorst
Health food may be good for the conscience
but Oreos taste a hell of a lot better.
Robert Redford
If this was adulthood, the only improvement
she could detect in her situation
was that she could now eat dessert
without eating her vegetables.
Lisa Alther
The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it.
Richard Bach
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.
© Copyright 1999-2008 by Joy Koenig. All Rights Reserved.
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