Food for thought: The Mind–Body connection
by Tom Granger, from Draw Breath; The Art of Breathing

“What’s your favourite food?
Is there a special dish from your local takeaway that you eat every week? Perhaps it’s a home-cooked meal
a loved one makes for you. Or do you reward yourself with fine cuisine at a local restaurant as a treat? Is it
Indian? Or Italian? Spicy, or sugary sweet?
If you could eat anything right now, in this moment, what would it be?
 Take a few minutes to describe, in detail, the vibrant colours, mouth-watering smells and wonderful
flavours of your go-to indulgence.
Jot down your description of the multi-sensory eating experience.
 Write as though you have been asked to create the menu for a fancy restaurant.
 It will help you a great deal if you close your eyes and picture the dish vividly in your mind’s eye.
Imagine taking a deep breath, inhaling its imaginary aromas through your nose, before loading up
your imaginary fork and enjoying an imaginary mouthful.
 If you have time, you can even write about dessert!

Did you notice any changes in your body as you pictured the food and wrote?
Did you begin to salivate as though the food was in front of you? Did you feel hungrier than you did
before? Some people even report their stomachs rumbling as they picture their favourite food. None of
these responses are likely to shock you, but isn’t it interesting that all of these real, physical effects were
caused by an object that exists only in the mind? This is the power of the mind over the body… Imagine
what other effects your imagination is having on your reality!”

About Draw Breath

Make meditation easy, fun & instant with the relaxing, creative exercises inside Draw Breath.

Draw Breath invites you to mindfully explore your own breath through a series of simple, rejuvenating, and unique drawing exercises; literally drawing your breath on the page!

As well as being inherently meditative, each page has a deeper meaning related to your breathing experience. Each exercise will help you to explore something new about the physiology, psychology or philosophy of your breath, while offering a focused, calming and rhythmic breathing experience. So you can make ‘breathtaking’ art. Literally.

The book combines the hot-topics of health and mindfulness with the spirit of adult-creativity and relaxing colouring books in a whole new way.

The philosophy behind Draw Breath takes inspiration from the ‘enso’ circle; the simple mark drawn by traditional Zen calligraphers in time with a natural exhalation during a state of enlightenment. It draws its influences from the ancient and the new – creatively exploring ideas from Buddhism, yoga and qigong as well as the latest research in breath science, anatomy and mindfulness meditation.

You don’t need to be good at art or drawing to enjoy Draw Breath. You don’t need any prior experience with yoga or meditation and the book is particularly helpful for people who struggle to stay focused during traditional meditation.

Enjoy over 100 simple and intrinsically relaxing creative exercises inside Draw Breath.

Find it in the US here.