Practicing Spirituality in Everyday Activities

Eating mindfully                                                 

Kathy Carr recently led a couple of sessions on mindfulness in the sacred circle in the Sunday School of Sackville United Church. She explored mindful eating – the practice of slowing down and being aware of what we are eating.

Kathy writes:“ In the first gathering, the children were asked about the five senses we all have – these are some of the sacred gifts of our body, that help us be aware of what we see, hear, touch, smell and taste.”

“We then explored the sense of taste with samples of various foods: cucumber, salty pretzels, lemon and strawberries. The children were very enthusiastic about this and also perceptive in their comments. And they were very definite about what they liked and did not like!”

“In the second session, we offered morsels of several different foods. This time the children were invited into a discovery session like scientists exploring new foods. Even trying one with their eyes closed! Again, they were very attentive to the process of slowing down and observing the samples, smelling them, touching them and finally tasting each and listening for any sounds made in their mouths while chewing.”

We finished our session with prayers of gratitude: thanking God for the gifts we experienced in tasting the food and in the time spent with each other.

Thank you, Kathy for this creative exploration of spirituality in an everyday activity.