12 Mindful Eating Exercises for Healthy Digestion

1. Wash the hands, face, and feet

to purify the sense organs that will be fed and to sooth the nervous system. 
A relaxed nervous system aids in digestion, hence the phrase “Rest and Digest”.

2. Sit while eating, facing east

to properly align the body with the earth’s magnetic field and the sun’s gravity, since the sun is Fire and so influences digestion. 
Sitting while eating allows the body to relax and digestion to be stronger. Facing east allows us to use the fiery quality of the sun to stimulate the fire within our digestive tract to break down our food and assimilate our nutrients.

3. Select an isolated

clean area to eat in. 
This allows meal time to be more intentional, hence creating an atmosphere for healthy digestion.

4. If possible, the right nostril should be functioning

since the right nostril 
heats the body and so increases the digestive fire. When the right nostril is clogged, digestion weakens and dis-ease can occur. Take the time to clear your nostrils before meal time. 


5. Give thanks

to Nature for your meal. Nature provided the food and many hands helped to bring the food from the farm to the table. Being mindful of this process will create an environment of gratitude and a deeper connection to the earth. A grateful mind will create a grateful body.

6. Before beginning the meal, feed someone.

This is a way of controlling the 
ego, an admission that the food is intended not for mere self-gratification but for the greater good all of beings. Feed anyone-a pet, a neighbor, a stranger. 
This is a beautiful act of service according to an Ayurvedic lifestyle.

7. Observe silence during the meal

Concentrate on your food: no TV, radio, music, computer, conversation. Observe silence during the meal and sit and chat afterwards if desired. 
Visual and audible distractions can upset the digestion experience.

8. Chew

each morsel 32 times (once for each tooth). 
We have these teeth for a reason! Chewing stimulates saliva to break down carbohydrates. The more we chew, the less the digestion has to do, hence our body’s energy can concentrate on other areas that need attention.

9. Reverence and Love

Approach each food item with reverence and love. Even if you are eating 
or served something you do not like, consume it with respect for its sacrifice. Hateful thoughts will stick to the food and accompany inside of you. Where your mind goes, energy flows.

10. Completing your meal

At the end of the meal, give thanks again, clean the mouth, urinate but try avoid defecation and take a brief walk. 
There’s an ancient eastern saying that says, “99 steps after a meal, live to 100.”

11. After eating

Avoid rigorous exercise or sex within an hour of consuming food and sleeping and studying with 2 hours. Allowing your body to focus on digestion only will allow for better digestion.

12. Be Nutritious

Never eat when angry, depressed, bored, or otherwise emotionally unstable, immediately after exertion or when not physically hungry. Digestion will be at its prime when the body and mind are at rest and ease. If you feel any undesirable emotions before a meal, take a few deep breaths to release and let go. Then focus on eating.