Mindful cooking: reflection and practice

Being mindful in the kitchen means being present and staying engaged with the process of cooking. What is often a process that we go through as quickly as possible can be an opportunity to slow down, be creative and be grateful. It starts with curiosity and reconnecting to food, its origins, where it comes from. Food is a part of our culture and can help us reconnect with our roots, with traditions, with memories of comfort and love. The expression “breaking bread with someone” also helps us understand that food is more than just what we eat, it also unites us and helps us have meaningful connections with others.

As a mindfulness practice, it starts with setting an intention. What type of foods do you want to have more of in your diet? What dish do you want to create? Is there something you want to recreate, that may bring up fond memories from your childhood? Where can you find inspiration to get out of your comfort zone, experiment with new ingredients? When we create the intention, it is the first step towards getting us there. Once we know what we’re making, we need to stock up on the ingredients we need and then find a time when we won’t be interrupted constantly to start cooking. Ensure you have a clean workspace, so you don’t get distracted by what’s around you.

In Mindful Urbanist’s “Simple Guide to Mindful cooking” [1] they explain that “The food we make is imbued with our energy. Stress or thoughtlessness will be reflected the quality of your food”. So don’t rush and try to calm your mind and find a positive space before you start cooking. For some cooking can be a great stress relieving activity. The trick is to lose yourself by staying deeply focused on what you’re making. When that happens, we become inspired, light, and extremely creative. It only feels like a chore if we make it feel that way. Mindful cooking is going into it with a whole new perspective. Maybe get yourself a drink, or some sparking water with lemon before you start, create a positive space, make it fun. Find your calm. This is your time after all.

A Cooking Meditation

Start by taking a moment to ground yourself in this moment

Take a seat, if you can, and close your eyes

Take a few deep breaths, breathing in through your nose and breathing out through your mouth

Let go of everything else

Thoughts will come up, acknowledge the thought, “That’s thinking”, and let it go

Come back to your breath, this is what helps you stay in the here and now

After a few minutes, slowly open your eyes

Think of what you’re about to make

Remember any special memories you may have about this dish

Savour that feeling

Slowly make your way to the counter and take out the ingredients, the pans or pots, the kitchen supplies you’ll need

As you begin to follow the steps to make this meal, be in the moment during each step

Feel the grip of your hand on the handle of the pan

Notice the movements, the smells, the temperature, the roughness of certain ingredients

Notice what happens when you melt butter in the pan for example

Or the smoothness of the eggplant you’re about to cut into

Be here and nowhere else

Just keep coming back everytime you’re about to wander

The trick isn’t always to be in the moment continuously, but to keep coming back to it everytime you’ve let it go

Add a little something extra to your dish if you want to spice it up

Follow your intuition on what feels right

Feel free to be creative as you plate your dish

Serve and enjoy

1. https://www.mindfulurbanist.com/blog/2016/12/14/a-simple-guide-to-mindful-cooking