Mindfulness and the Five Senses

Our senses can help us live a richer and more satisfying life, as well as enable us to access the Spaciousness and Peace that is the Present Moment.

Let's take a look at our senses separately.

Taste

Do you love to eat, to savour the taste of food, to relish beautiful flavours? Are you the person that oohs and ahhs over a ripe peach or a creamy scoop of icecream? Does time stand still when you drink that smooth, rich cup of coffee in the morning or eat that delicious, spicy Indian Saag?

If so, these moments, these simple pleasures, can be useful pointers to the Present moment.

Hearing

It is an amazing gift to be present...to silence that inner chatter and replace it with the sounds around you. For me, focusing on what I can hear is the quickest way for me to be present. When I hear the birds chirping in the morning, I take deep breaths, I listen, here I am.

My hearing reminds me that I am not the incessant chatter of my mind, I am here, , right now, in my body.


Smell

Do you have a keen sense of smell? My mum does. She would smell my bubblegum in the house when I was a child before I had opened the packet.

Why not use your sense of smell as a Present Moment Reminder? When you smell something (good!) it can be a reminder that you are here, right now, smelling that scent.

Freshly baked bread? A flowering jasmine or lavender plant? Essential oils?

If you smell something bad...well, so it is! Perhaps try practicing acceptance and surrender here also, the opposite to resistance?

Touch

Do you feel present and peaceful when you are getting a massage? When you are not thinking what went wrong or right in your day but enjoying the  deep tissue sensation? What about when you are holding a child's soft, little hand?

I love immersing myself in a cool pool or the ocean in the summer, or alternatively a hot bath in the winter, for this very reason; I enjoy the feeling of contrasting temperatures on my skin. I also love my cup of tea or coffee to be very hot, I enjoy feeling it's heat in my mouth and throat. These little things can help me come back to the present moment, as well as contribute to my feelings of pleasure in life.

Sight

What can you see? What do you notice? What colour is it? What shape?

Practice this when you look at your kids or loved ones, really looking at them and taking in their faces, it is a lovely way to connect. Try not to make judgements about what you see, just notice. Look at trees, the clouds, flowers or leaves. 

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Would you like to consciously use your five senses to help you become more present in your daily life?

My suggestion for you today, this moment, is to breathe deeply and engage your senses with intention.

What can you feel? Hear? Smell? See? Taste?

It is my hope that you will experience a delightful reminder of the Present Moment and the simple pleasures and Peace that reside there.