Dharana 56 of 112 · verse 72

The Joy of Eating and Drinking

Let the pleasure of food and drink be the practice, not the food.

00:00Ready

8 minutes. At a table.

Beginner8 min

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The practice

Eat or drink something you genuinely enjoy, without a screen and without conversation. As the pleasure blossoms, put your attention on the pleasure rather than on the flavour producing it. Become filled with that state and stay in it after the mouthful is gone.

What it works on

The most domestic dharana in the text and one of the most reliable. Everybody eats, the joy is dependable, and the shift from flavour to the response to flavour is small enough that most people manage it on the first attempt.

Notes

  • The first mouthful carries the most. Slow down for it.
  • A cup of tea does as well as a feast.

Practise gently

Shoonyaka offers educational and contemplative material, not medical, psychological or religious authority. Nothing here diagnoses or treats any condition. Stop any practice that leaves you dizzy, frightened or unwell, and treat a strong reaction as a reason to rest rather than to push on.