As I write this, it’s still dark outside, the world is still asleep, and I have just completed my morning meditation. I take a drink of my coffee and savor the silence, the calm, and the freedom to ponder without being interrupted by anything.

This is savoring. It’s an act of magic.

A good meal is typically savored by putting a single square of dark chocolate in your mouth without chewing or swallowing it. As it melts in your mouth, let it sit there and enjoy its earthy aromas, citrus undertones, and creamy texture. After allowing it to linger, you swallow it almost regrettably, enjoying its deliciousness and considering the individuals who farmed the beans, roasted and ground them, and fashioned them by hand into this square of delight.

Savoring food is only the beginning, though; you should and can relish anything. It’s fulfilling. And everything is altered. You may learn to be aware, to stop putting things off, to exercise at last, to eat less and more healthy, to live in the now, and much more by savoring.

The way to develop the habit of savoring is to pause when something is beautiful and good and catches our attention – the sound of rain, the look of the night sky – the glow in a child’s eyes, or when we witness some kindness. Pause… then totally immerse in the experience of savoring it. ~ Tara Brach

What Does It Mean to Savor Life?

The phrase “savor life” refers to the ability to appreciate and pay attention to life’s wonderful daily gifts. It may entail paying attention to your feelings, to the minor details of your day. Realizing the relationships in your life has more meaning. Being thankful while engaging in activities you enjoy. Eat with an awareness so you are fully embracing the flavors. Take pleasure in routine tasks. Slowing down and not rushing through life. Living life to the fullest can improve mental health by lowering stress and boosting resilience.

Using ideas to heighten the intensity, length, and pleasure of pleasant feelings and experiences is known as savoring. In order to relish an experience, you must first be totally present in every way. This includes feeling your body completely and taking in all the subtleties that contributed to the event’s richness. After that, you must recall a fond memory and spend a few minutes relaxing in the moment.

The constructive alternative to coping is to recognize and value life’s pleasant features. Savoring entails mindfulness and conscious attention to the experience of pleasure besides enjoyment. When you consciously work to prolong a pleasant experience, you are savoring it.

Savoring, then, is the deliberate and concentrated enjoyment of something wonderful in order to heighten, deepen, and improve the positive experience. Subsequently, being able to associate that event with an accessible memory. Like a small, memory bank of wonderful remembrances that may be accessed at a later time.

Seize every second of your life and savor it. Value your present moments. ~ Wayne Dyer

Savoring Is A Practice

Enjoy a warm cup a tea once a day is a wonderful indulgence to have. My Aunt Marylou showed me when I was very young how to make tea, which I enjoy since it’s so light (compared to sugary coffee beverages) that you have to pay close attention to get the most out of it.

You slow down when you enjoy tea, chocolate, or a handful of fruit. You listen carefully; the more attentive you are, the more you will enjoy the moment. Instead of hurrying on to the next thing, you pause and allow the activity some room. You are living in the moment, not worrying about what has to be done later.

Savoring is what this is, and it requires practice. No matter where you are, you may take a moment to stop, take in your surroundings, and enjoy the present. Enjoy it even if it doesn’t feel spectacular because you’ve done it a thousand times. Give the present you’ve received your full appreciation.

Find a few rituals for savoring, such as taking a bath, reading to your child, having a tea ritual in the middle of the day, snuggling with a loved one, or enjoying your morning coffee. This is a conscious practice that you may perform many times a day. You’ll get better the more you practice.

Every morning I awake torn between a desire to save the world and an inclination to savor it. This makes it hard to plan the day. But if we forget to savor the world, what possible reason do we have for saving it? In a way, the savoring must come first. ~ E. B. White

Why You Procrastinate

You put things off because you find them unpleasant or uncomfortable and prefer to do activities that are more familiar. Since writing that report, article, or chapter is challenging, you would rather check your emails and complete a few minor jobs. Delaying those strenuous activities is easy.

Savoring, however, can assist. The method is the same for anything, from filing taxes to cleaning your bathroom, so let’s use writing as an example. You know it’s essential, and you have something to write. “Okay, I should write this, but maybe I’ll check to see if anything important came into my email first,” is the standard response. And maybe my Facebook and Twitter accounts as well. Oh, what is this fascinating piece I came across?

Take this writing activity and slow it down when you relish it. Give the task time; you don’t jump on to the next item. You see it and identify its pleasant features. In fact, if you slow down and focus, there are delightful parts of any task. When you savor, you note these things and give them your complete attention. You allow yourself to find joy in the activity and the pleasure of accomplishing the task and revel in the present moment.

You therefore sit there with the writing rather than moving on to something else. Since you’re enjoying this, you can’t merely switch, so you acknowledge and resist the impulse to do so. You let them go while you consider other things you must accomplish. Here, you’re enjoying.

Sometimes we need the salt of tears to remind us how to savor the sweetness of life.        ~ Lysa TerKeurst

Choices In What You Can Do Right Now

As one writes, you just observe how your fingers feel on the keys, relish the sensation of your thoughts spilling onto the screen, and pay attention to your breathing, shoulders, jaw, legs, and feet. You are thankful for this moment since you know many individuals are not fortunate enough to accomplish something as opulent as writing.

“Am I doing the right thing, right now?” is a common cause of worry for most individuals in this day and age when you can do nearly anything at any time. Instead, should I be working out? Should I check my social networks to see what else is happening? Does anyone else have a better idea? Is there a better tool, a more efficient approach, or a quicker way to accomplish this?

This worry might vanish as you savor. You let go of all other ideas and immerse yourself in this activity because you are enjoying it. You give it room and simply do this, and you are very grateful for it. Nothing can be as wonderful as enjoying this moment, so you know that whatever you’re doing right now is great.

Try to acquire the weird practice of savoring your mistakes, delighting in uncovering the strange quirks that led you astray. Then, when you have sucked out all the goodness to be gained from having made them, you can cheerfully forget them and go on to the next big opportunity. ~ Daniel Dennett

Eating Mindfully

Overeating is one issue (perhaps the primary issue) that contributes to the obesity of many people. Eating a lot of food rapidly is a major contributing factor to overeating. Devour it because it’s delicious! Get some more, too! Society has been encouraging this behavior for years.

However, I’ve also learned to appreciate my cuisine most of the time. You don’t just shove food down your throat when you do this; instead, you give it room, taste it, and pause for each mouthful rather than reaching for the next one as soon as the last one is in your mouth. This implies that you truly pay attention to every bite’s flavor and texture and consider its origin, manufacturer, ingredients (hopefully free of chemicals), and potential health benefits.

When you take your time and enjoy every meal, it’s difficult to overeat. In this manner, you may also learn to like healthy meals, like dark leafy greens or raw pistachios and walnuts or plain Greek yogurt or tofu. Because you only need a small amount to really appreciate birthday cake, you can eat to rejuvenate your body most of the time and then indulge in a small amount without going overboard.

I was taken by the power that savoring a simple cup of coffee can have to connect people and create community. ~ Howard Schultz

You Must Live in the Present to Savor Life

You are so frequently motivated by haste and immediacy. Better, faster, and more. Living in a society where your head is mostly focused on the past or the future, but your body lives in the present. What has become of living?

I want you to do just one thing today: savor.

Enjoy every moment and all you do. No moment is too little to be cherished, not even the mundane ones, the arguments with others, or the times when you’re alone yourself and have nothing to do. The art of savoring is learning to live in the present, to appreciate each moment as a gift, and to give it the time and consideration it merits. It’s a simple practice, but it requires repetition.

Savor and enjoy every second of your day by absorbing what makes you feel alive, like the ability to accept what causes you pain and annoyance or to enjoy a meal with no interruptions or electronics. You, the meal, and your taste sensations are all that are involved. You are the only one who is completely enjoying the flavors in your tongue and how they support your body.

Go take a stroll down the street while taking in your surroundings. In what way does your foot press against the ground or note the cloud formations or the hue of the sky? The puppy barks and wags its tails. What sensations of pain, suffering, happiness, and vitality do you feel?  Sensing the experience of another person’s delight and then letting go.

The French have no such expression as ‘killing time.’ In their more philosophical vocabulary, the term is ‘passing time,’ which means savoring all moments of it each to his individual enjoyment. While we battle with time, they relax with tempo. ~ Cornelia Otis Skinner

How To Better Relish Life

Take part in the experience on purpose. To savor an experience positively, you must fully immerse yourself in it, be aware of every detail you can take in, and truly appreciate it. In fact, attempt to relish in the moment.

Look for specifics. No detail, insight, or emotion is too minor to enrich the experience.

Make use of all your senses. Examine and feel each sensation separately. Every good encounter has taste, smell, sound, sight, and sensation; look for them. Have your own unique experience with each.

You should listen to the information your body is providing you when you lie in bed at night. Tightness. Tension. Relaxation. Calm. By slowing down and paying attention to your body when it talks, you may establish the ritual of mindfulness.

Move past your senses now. Feelings, energies, souls, spirits, and memories transcend the limitations and faults of the senses. Songs, scents, flavors, and sensations transcend our current consciousness and understanding.

Let’s try an exercise using an activity you enjoy. Choose something you truly love. Do it for at least 5 minutes. Be deliberate and write about the experience of savoring it as profoundly as you can. How did it feel? Which tale was it? Which memories did it evoke?

Slow living is a curious mix of being prepared and being prepared to let go. Caring more and caring less. Saying yes and saying no. Being present and walking away. Doing the important things and forgetting those that aren’t. ~  Brooke McAlary

Moving Forward Savoring Life

Life is not brief. When you take the time to enjoy and value every day, it’s actually very lengthy.  Pay attention. Purposely be conscious of the experience. As you experience and remember, pay attention to your breathing and your soulful self.  Pay attention. Develop your mental toughness and push yourself to concentrate fully on the task at hand.

Identify and record the times when you feel stimulated and captivated. Recognize and journal about the times when you feel exhausted and irritated. To only observe, without passing judgment.

Reduce the speed with which you move through life. Pause and extend the moment in a good way. You can’t really experience everything a situation may offer if you rush through it. Take a moment to breathe in the fresh air. Take your time at being fully present.

If you took more time to embrace life and relish it, I wonder what would happen to our planet.

I’ve always believed in savoring the moments. In the end, they are the only things we’ll have.      ~ Anna Godbersen

As you become more mindful of the moments in your life and become courageous about savoring all parts of your life, happiness is the natural outcome.

Do you need help to become aware of the magic in your life?  Are you in need of support in overcoming procrastination?  Do you want a strategy to help you create a marvelous life?  If so, please contact me and you can put together an action plan for you to be authentically you and savor the life you have.

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Expand Yourself By Having The Courage To Savor Life

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When you courageously choose to savor every aspect of your life, including painful ones, you expand all facets of your authentic self.

Author

Terri Kozlowski

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Kozmic Soul Solutions LLC

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