Session 8: Awareness of Eating/Food

Time allocation:
1. a. Mindful check-in: 3-5 minutes
b. Discussion on Mindfulness:10 minutes
2. a. Awareness of Eating/Food: 5 minutes
b. Discussion on Awareness of Eating/Food: 15 minutes
3. Silent check out: 1-2 minutes

1. a. Mindful check-in: 3-5 minutes

Learning outcome: Through this activity, the teacher will prepare the students for the mindfulness class

The steps of the activity

Teachers should tell students that through this activity we will take our attention off the work we were doing before this and bring it to the present. This exercise can be done by the students anywhere and at any time.
Tell the students to sit comfortably and, if comfortable, they can straighten their backs and close their eyes. If someone is finding it difficult to close their eyes then they can lower their eyes and look downwards.
Tell the students to keep their hands on the desk or on their lap.
Tell the students that we will begin the class with the mindful check-in activity. We will do this for 3 minutes.
Tell the students to focus first on the sounds they can hear around them and then take their attention to their own breathing.
Tell the students that the outer sounds may reduce … or increase, they may be heard at intervals … or heard continuously.

(Wait for 20 seconds.)

Tell the students to become aware of these sounds, however they might sound. Ask them to listen to where they are coming from.

(Wait for 30 seconds.)

Tell the students that now they should focus on their breath. Focus on inhaling and exhaling.
Ask the students not to change the rhythm of their breath. Just be aware and focus on them.

(Wait for 10 seconds.)

Ask the students to focus on when they are inhaling and when they are exhaling. Is there a difference between the breath they are taking in and the one they are giving out? Are these breaths cool or warm … fast or slow … light or deep?
Tell the students to be aware of each breath.

(Wait for 20 seconds.)

Now ask the students to slowly focus on how they are sitting and whenever they are ready, they may open their eyes.

Dos and Don’ts:

Before beginning with check-in, give time to the students to sit comfortably.
During the activity, if you see a student getting distracted, without naming him/her, ask the whole class to pay attention.

1. b. Discussion on Mindfulness: 10 minutes

Learning outcome: To know the students’ experience on the process of mindfulness and its benefits.

Proposed points of discussion:

Ask the students to think about the changes they experienced within themselves during the process for 2-3 minutes. Ask them to think about the experience and the practice of the previous week’s activity. Ask them to think also about where and when they used this activity other than the happiness period.
After this, teachers can discuss with the students about the learnings and benefits of mindfulness and how it has improved their lives in ways like –

Reduction of stress within
More focus in the classroom
Realising what is going on within them (happiness, sadness, anger etc.)

Tell the students that they may write their thoughts in their notebook. After this, some of them can share their experiences.
In this period, a discussion can be held on the particular experiences, challenges or questions that arose during the mindfulness activity.
A discussion can be held on the articles on mindfulness brought by the students.

Dos and Don’ts

Every week, ask the students to bring a few articles on mindfulness to the class so that a discussion could be held on them.
Encourage all students to give answers.
The students who hesitate in speaking up, may write their thoughts somewhere.
Accept all answers given by students, don’t contest them.

2. a. Awareness of Eating/Food: 5 minutes

Learning outcome: Students should pay attention while eating.

Required material: Teachers can give something to eat to the students for this activity. Teachers should arrange one raisin/toffee per child beforehand.

The steps of the activity

Tell the students that the way we focus our attention on things around for Mindful Seeing and the sounds around us for Mindful Listening, similarly in this process, we will focus our attention on what we are eating.
Tell the students that we eat different kinds of things every day but often we are not able to focus fully on what we are eating.

Ask the students –

Has anyone of you given full attention to your food?
Have you ever been completely aware of its taste?
Have you thought about where does the food that you’re eating comes from and what all processes it has undergone before landing on your plate?

Tell the students through this activity we will be able to eat our food roperly and we would be more aware and conscious of what we are eating.
For this practice, the teacher should ask the students to sit quietly in a comfortable position.
Now the teacher may give one raisin/toffee to each student. Tell the students that they will focus their entire attention on it. They should look at it as if they are seeing it for the first time. Look at this with curiosity and a new perspective.
Ask the students to focus on the contribution of various people towards this food item reaching them. At this moment, we must feel grateful to all of them.
Ask the students to take that eatable item in their hand and know how it feels. Is this eatable item cold or hot, what is its temperature? Is it soft or sticky or hard?

(Teacher should wait for 30 seconds.)

Tell the student if their attention is wavering, with the next breath they inhale, they should take their attention back to the eatable.
Now, ask the students to bring this eatable close to their nose and focus on its fragrance. Is there any memory associated with this item? While focusing on this eatable, do they feel any kind of taste in their mouth?
Now ask the students to put this eatable in their mouth with complete awareness that it is in their mouth and they are chewing it slowly. Ask the students to focus on its taste and notice if the taste changed while chewing?
Now the students should focus on how the object is travelling from their mouth to the stomach and how they feel while eating it.
Now students should bring their attention to their breath. (Wait for 30 seconds.)

2. b. Discussion on Awareness of Eating: 15 minutes

How are you feeling after eating with awareness?
What is the advantage of eating mindfully?
By eating with awareness, what were the new things you learnt about that food item?
Do you do other activities too while eating? (Like watching T.V., talking, studying etc.)
Have you ever been able to focus this much on food like you have today?

3. Silent check out: 1-2 minutes

Learning outcome: The purpose of this activity is to get the students to reflect on the thoughts and feelings generated while doing the activities in the happiness class.

Steps of the activity

The mindfulness class should be ended sitting quietly.
During this, a reflection should be made by the students on the thoughts and feelings generated by today’s activities.
Do not give any other instructions to the students.
Whether the students want to close their eyes and reflect, or would want to lower them – this should be left on them.

Dos and Don’ts:

The teachers should not ask any questions after the silent check out.
If a student wants to share his/her experience, the teacher may give them a chance to do so.

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Session 8: Awareness of Eating/Food

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