Create a Restorative Mealtime Ritual

Recently I introduced a class, Cooking as Creative Meditation, in which I share ways that home cooking can be a meditative practice supportive of our well-being. We take a new look at the entire cooking process from meal planning to experiencing a beautiful meal. We also explore gratitude for the many hands that make it possible for us to access and prepare food, a practice to carry out throughout the year.

From the farmers who grew the baby potatoes we will roast in the oven to those who harvested them, there are many to thank for the dishes we make. There are those who laid out the vegetables at the market. Gratitude has a place in a mindful cooking practice, and it also belongs in a mealtime ritual.

I encourage you to enjoy restorative moments – and then to repeat them. Here are my tips on how to create a mealtime ritual for yourself and those with whom you share daily meals.

• Choose a Natural Moment

We all have a natural ebb and flow to our day, and this can guide us in choosing the ideal moment for a mealtime ritual. If morning tea or coffee is a time you already cherish, consider creating a morning ritual around it. For those of us who don’t rise early, dinner may be a preferable time. Even enjoying a cup of something delicious like this rich hot chocolate in the evening can become a restorative moment.

• Begin With a Place That is Free of Clutter

Since the places where we enjoy food tend to be the most heavily trafficked areas of our home, they tend to accumulate mail, electronic devices, and lists of all sorts. These items take us away from the present moment and remind us about things we have yet to accomplish today or tomorrow. Set the stage for a calming moment by clearing away everything that isn’t related to the meal at hand.

• Set the Table in an Inviting Way

Even the simplest table setting can be beautiful and inviting. Incorporate napkins and other linens you might otherwise have reserved for guests, treating yourself to their textures and tones. Use dishes that appeal to you. While the table setting doesn’t have to be elaborate, it can transform throughout the year with the inclusion of natural materials such as flowers and other seasonal elements.

• Incorporate Meaningful Words

Consider saying lines from a poem or incorporating a favorite phrase before eating and drinking. You might choose to do this out loud or to yourself. If you share daily meals with family members or friends, you might rotate who contributes the beautiful words that set off your meals. This is also the perfect time to express gratitude for the farmers, harvesters, and others who have contributed to this moment.

• Remain Present and Engage All Your Senses

Now that you have set the stage for a calming meal, focus on the scents and other sensory elements of the dish you spent time creating. Notice the variations in color on your plate – the pops of bright green herbs and the deep tones of a slow-cooked roast. Listen for the bubbles in a drink or a knife passing through a crusty loaf of bread.

• Pace Yourself

Often it can seem as if cooking and cleaning take up the majority of the cooking process, while enjoying the dish you have created passes by so fast. When we slow down and appreciate every bite, focusing on the meal we have created, we can feed our spirit and experience moments of calm that are just as beneficial as satisfying our hunger.