Taste and Mindfulness is our topic today. Hot weather and ice-cream

go hand in hand. Thinking about ice-cream takes me back to my childhood,

growing up on the farm when we got an ice-cream freezer. This ice-cream

making machine was great

because we already had fresh milk, fresh cream and fresh eggs. My mom

would make up the recipe and my dad would get ice to put in the machine

with some salt, which would lower the temperature of the ice.

My

four brothers and I would be watching and waiting impatiently, crowded

around the kitchen table watching this machine magically make homemade

ice-cream. We could barely wait until it was time to stop the machine and

look inside. Would it be ready? Or would we have to put the lid back on

and let it churn a little longer? By the time the ice-cream was ready

it felt like Christmas morning. We were all ready with bowls and spoons

each one of us wanted to be the first to 'dig in'.

Suddenly -

BRAIN FREEZE!!! You had to be really careful or you would experience

the powerful, painful sensation of brain freeze. The delicious flavour

combined with the exciting ice-cream making experience, then coupled

with brain freeze seemed to etch this experience into my mind forever.

This

was a mindful experience. Once that ice-cream hit my taste buds, I

didn't think about anything else. Except for the brain freeze of course.

Flavours can be a great way to experience mindfulness because we can

slow down, think about the flavour experienced when the food first

touches the tongue. Think about the sweetness, the creaminess and the

richness. By focusing on all these sensations, you are being mindful.

You are thinking of nothing else at that particular time.

Taste

is a powerful sensation and is linked to smell. Many times we enjoy the

smell of the food before we experience the taste. Take your time.

Savour the smells, savour the flavour. Savour the moment you first

experience the flavour.

This form of

mindfulness will open you up to a deeper understanding of what

mindfulness really is. You will then translate the mindfulness you

experience with taste, over to the mindfulness you experience with the

other senses.

That is the reason I

separated mindfulness experiences for children into the categories of

see, hear, smell, taste and touch in the book mentioned below. The book

includes specific mindfulness activities you can do with your children.

After doing the included exercises, you'll think of your own to do.

Making

the decision to be truly mindful and focusing on taste when you eat is

the first step to mindful eating. If you're anything like me, you'll

begin to eat less and enjoy food more.

Quotes:Mindfulness of the body is the awareness of the taste and smell of this moment. - Steve HagenTaste, smell and enjoy the present moment. - Bruce Langford

Books:

Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Lilian Cheung

Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think by Brian Wansink

Thank You Bonus:

Would

you like to help your children become more mindful? Most children are

naturally mindful already but they need to hear from adults that it's OK

to live in the moment.  You will experience laughs, serious moments and

enjoy new-found connections as you interact with your child using the

innovative, yet simple techniques found in this book.

Download it for free right here:

21 Ways To Practice Mindfulness With Your Child Every Day For 7 Minutes by Bruce Langford