This exercise is used to practice mindful eating. This is a way to increase awareness of flavours and textures of food and to slow down, and be in the present moment. If you tend to eat quickly, on the go or while doing something else, this is a good exercise to practice.

Note: If you don’t like or don’t have a raisin, you can use any other type of food, such as a dried cranberry, a small piece of dark chocolate, a nut, etc. as long as it is a bite-size and that it won’t melt in your hands while you are holding it.

Pick of a raisin and hold it in the palm of your hand. Look at it. Examine it. Describe the raisin. What does it look like? What colour is it? How would you describe the texture?
Feel the raisin in the palm of your hand. What does it feel like against your skin? Pick it up with your other hand. What does it feel like in your fingers? Is it slimy? Rough? Smooth? Soft? Hard? Squeeze it softly, what do you feel?
Smell the raisin. Describe how it smells.
Put the raisin in your mouth, but do not eat it. How does it feel on your tongue? What does the texture feel like now? How does it taste? How does the taste compare to the way it smelled? Move it around in your mouth and notice every aspect of the raisin.
Bit the raisin and think about what you taste. How does the raisin feel in your mouth?
Finish chewing the raisin How did it taste? Describe the experience of the raisin.

This exercise is easy to use in any context, and with any type of activity, such as putting on your shoes, brushing your teeth, washing the dishes, taking a shower, etc. Simply break the activity down into its most fundamental elements. Be right there, in the present moment, notice everything, be nowhere else. Don’t miss right now.