You can bring chocolate to your next meditation session to engage your senses, focus the mind, and enjoy a touch of sweetness.

Materials you’ll need

  • A few bites of chocolate (any type will work, though dark chocolate adds health benefits)
  • A quiet room
  • A yoga mat and chair (optional)
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If you’re looking for a new type of meditation, or you haven’t tried meditating just yet, chocolate meditation might be the perfect way to change up your routine or jump into your first meditation session.

This (slightly) decadent form of meditation engages all five senses with the tangy sweetness of chocolate.

Chocolate meditation also gives you a glimpse into mindful eating techniques, which can help you learn to savor and experience food slowly.

Chocolate meditation does not require much chocolate. A small portion or a few bites is usually enough for a short meditation session.

You can pick any type of chocolate. But if you want a few health benefits, dark chocolate with a high percentage of cacao provides a healthy dose of flavonoids.

Chocolate meditation is a form of mindfulness meditation where a piece of chocolate is used as a focal point for all the senses.

You hear the wrapper and smell, feel, see, and taste the chocolate as part of the practice.

Mindfulness meditation trains the mind to focus or stay in the present moment. You can learn to become aware of your thoughts and feelings and experience them in a nonjudgmental way.

Research shows that mindfulness-based practices can help:

Mindfulness involves being aware of your surroundings and how you’re feeling at that moment.

Chocolate meditation uses a sensual focal point — chocolate. It’s also a form of mindful eating, an area of mindfulness that focuses on the experience of eating.

With mindful eating, you can learn to live in the moment of eating to enjoy everything about the food. The goal is to think about the food and take the time to feel, smell, and taste it to enhance the experience and find more fulfillment in eating.

While mindful eating can simply help you slow down and enjoy your food, it can also help address disordered eating patterns and aid in weight management, according to a 2017 literature review.

Mindful eating can also train you to respond to your body’s cues, like stopping when you’re full or continuing when you’re hungry.

If you use chocolate with a high cacao content (dark chocolate), you may also get health benefits associated with the flavonoids naturally found in dark chocolate.

A 2018 study suggests that cacao or dark chocolate may improve thinking skills, such as:

  • memory
  • concentration
  • learning

In an article from 2019, researchers explain how these flavonoids may also help prevent chronic (long-term) diseases, such as:

  • heart disease
  • diabetes
  • other metabolic conditions

If you’re new to chocolate meditation, here’s a step-by-step guide you can try:

  1. Pick your chocolate. A handful of semisweet chocolates, a square of dark chocolate, or a Hershey’s kiss is all you’ll need. You’re looking for a few bites of chocolate. If you pick dark chocolate, you’re also getting a good amount of flavonoids.
  2. Find a quiet room. Pick a space where you won’t be interrupted for the duration of your meditation session, if possible. You can sit in a chair or on a yoga mat if that’s more comfortable.
  3. Take a moment to relax. Take a few deep breaths. Pay attention to each part of your body one at a time, starting at the top of the head and moving down to the tips of your toes. If you sense tension in your muscles, consciously try to relax them.
  4. Look at and smell the chocolate. Engage your senses of sight and smell. Note the color of the chocolate and any inconsistencies in its appearance. Smell the chocolate, searching for the mix of sweet and bitter.
  5. Feel and taste the chocolate. Feel the chocolate as you hold it in your hand. Then, pay attention to how it tastes as it touches your tongue. Slow down and savor the taste, letting the chocolate melt in your mouth. Note how it tastes as it touches various areas of the tongue.
  6. Focus on the sensations as you take a second bite. Let your thoughts dwell on the chocolate, focusing on the sensations as you taste and swallow. As you prepare to take another bite, feel the weight of the chocolate in your hand and how it feels to bring it to your mouth.
  7. Redirect your thoughts. The mind likes to wander. If you find your thoughts drifting toward something else, gently bring your thoughts back to the chocolate. Let the chocolate act as an anchor to keep your thoughts in the present moment. Let yourself fully enjoy the chocolate.
  8. Hold onto the sensations. You can continue to meditate by breathing deeply and thinking about the chocolate. You can revisit your chocolate meditation session throughout the day by thinking about how the chocolate felt, smelled, and tasted.

If you’d like to try chocolate meditation, there are resources available online.

You can find guided meditations on YouTube, such as this introductory video by Dr. Diane R. Gehart, a psychotherapist, author, and mental health expert practicing in the Los Angeles area.

You can also find virtual classes by searching online for chocolate meditations.

There are also worksheets available to walk you through chocolate meditation and give you prompts to help you savor the chocolate.

If you want to learn more about guided meditation services, you can check out Psych Central’s page on the nine best online guided meditation options.

Chocolate meditation is a type of mindfulness meditation that uses a piece of chocolate to engage all your senses.

Not only do you get to enjoy chocolate, but the chocolate also acts as a focal point to keep your mind in the moment.

The ability to bring your thoughts into the present can have physical, mental, and emotional benefits. If you choose dark chocolate, you can also get some nutritional benefits from the chocolate’s flavonoids.