In the disastrous era of COVID every routine has been changed. Now a days i have to cook for myself because my helping house associate has been suffering from Covid-19. I noticed a sense of serenity and felt stress free during cooking. What is your thought on it ? Do you feel that cooking can be a form of meditation too?
Md. Israt Hasan I think Anything which can bring some sort of serenity should be made a part of our daily routine in this stressful world
Falah Hasan Obayes Al-Khikani Thank you for following but please put your opinion on it also.
In fact, every thing is meditation depending on the personal thinking and how he see these things.
Md. Israt Hasan
Meditation is a phenomena during which you are concentrating in something that gives you relaxation (may be physically or may be mentally or may be both ways) by diverting your concentration from those things which were giving you stress. The more you meditate, the more your body and mind gathers the strength to divert the concentration towards a source of relaxation. And, then at one point of time it becomes a habit. Then you don't have to put conscious effort to meditate.
Cooking, in your case, seems to divert your concentration towards a source of relaxation and generate a feeling of being stress free. So, surely it is a form of meditation.
Actually, life is what you make out of it. You have converted a daily activity into a fun activity. Thus, it is meditation in your case. If you would have not done that, then the same activity of cooking would have appeared to you as boring and irritating perhaps.
In terms of mathematics, it can be said that -
Cooking+ Your Effort to Make it Interesting= Meditation.
Here, cooking is dependent and the result (i.e.meditation) is dependent. Your effort to make cooking look interesting is independent.
Therefore, it is your choice that you have made cooking look so interesting.
Now just imagine, removing your effort from this equation. Then you get,
Cooking - Your Effort to Make it Interesting= Stress
Hope you like my answer.
Thank you,
Best regaqrds,
Anamitra.
Cooking can be a wonderful way to meditate in the evenings after work. You could completely detach from your work mind .You could spend a few minutes (maybe an hour) following very specific instructions, being present in the moment, and being mindful.
Prof Dr Suhad Qasim saeed Almousawi thank you for your kind contribution.
Meditation has beneficial mind-body effects that have been demonstrated by research. It would take a study to be able to answer this question! Might be a good research idea :-D
To us, yes. As you know, it is the food which give u peace and energy. Depepending on type of food your thinking process changes. a person taken alcohol and meat think differently than a pure vegeterian.
Sure, cooking food is a sort of meditation by the person who cooks for a hungry person particularly if the food is distributed to poor and destitute as a part of charity.
You can find such hungry poor people aplenty everywhere during the times of COVID-19 pandemic.
It depends on thinking of the person who has to cook. If cooking is hobby and trying out new dishes is enjoyable by a person, it give almost similar results as meditation. If person does not like cooking and he or she is forced to cook due to some circumstances, he/she will take it as punishment and it may result in anxiety. The person who dose not know how to cook but likes to do experiments, he/she will enjoy the experiments and it will give similar effects like meditation.Human emotions, attitude and reaction depend on his personality, perceptions and external environment.
Interesting and following; I found that who cooked he or she does not feel hungry.
I would say yes, cooking can be a form of meditation. Meditation according to the online Oxford dictionary is to "think deeply or focus one's mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation." Cooking for me is a hobby, I take delight in cooking! However, from my experience, I notice that I am able to meditate a lot while cooking, even unconsciously. My mind is focused and aided by the silence in the kitchen, except for the occasional clanging sounds produced when the cooking metal spoon brushes the aluminium pot, I am able to just think things through, clearly, and I find that relaxing. Recently, I have been busy with work and my partner has been doing more of the cooking, but I realise now that I actually look forward to when I can cook and do get excited about it because then, I can really meditate and relax.
So, yes, cooking can be meditation!
Silas Oghenemaro Emovwodo Excellent explanation of meditation in the form of cooking! thanks for your prudent thoughts.
Sadanand Pandey
Dear ! I go along with your logical explanation. Thanks for your response.
Md. Israt Hasan why not? If you want to meditate while cooking, then please go ahead! It doesn't hurt.
Cooking is one of the hobbies which can use as a stress releasing activity. Some people who really enjoy with cooking and creating different meals and taste and share with peers. While we are cooking we want to be patient. Controlling flame/ heat, adding salt,sugar act as a mediation. I reckon that cooking is a mediation.
Sajith Harshana Thanks for going along with my thought. Thank you again for your contribution. Your participation made the discussion vibrant.
For me, cooking could never be that. It is one of those things I endure because it has to be done, but I would not elect to engage in it to achieve serenity or any other feel-good factor.
Md. Israt Hasan if you look into the kitchens of famous restaurants you will see that cooking there has nothing to do with meditation: Cooking at this level is hard work!
Yes, cooking is medication of its kind depending on how one takes it
Meditation gives a feeling of well being because it is more the physical body but the mind that functions. If you get that same feeling when cooking, that's good.
If I cook eggs, it is not meditation. The same for broccoli and canned food.
Jasim Aymen Al-Mukhtar Thanks a bunch for taking part in the thread.
This is very particular for each person. I believe that when it is a sporadic and not mandatory activity it can be therapeutic, but when it becomes routine and obligation it becomes a burden.
It depends upon how far you are involved and If you are putting in your cent percent and forget the rest of world during conduct of that activity then it can be meditation as if your mind is blank.
Shrikaant Kulkarni, yes you are right. Thanks for taking part in the thread.
What do we have after cooking. Meditation or cleaning ?
Apres le beau temps il y a la pluie!!!!!!
Cooking generally improve not only diet quality through reduced consumptions of unhealthy foods (salt, sugar, saturate & trans-fat rich foods) but also reported to be associated with psychological wellbeing.
Ref: Farmer, N., Touchton-Leonard, K., & Ross, A. (2018). Psychosocial benefits of cooking interventions: a systematic review. Health education & behavior, 45(2), 167-180.