Your senses are the gateway into the present moment ~ touch, smell, taste, sound and sight. When you are preoccupied with your thoughts, you often don’t notice or appreciate what your senses are experiencing. Many would also say that your senses are the key to your soul, if we consider our souls being the thinking, feeling and conscious part of ourselves. You hear a song and it can touch you at a deeper level. It connects you emotionally and mentally and can sometimes bring sadness or it can fill you with joy. You see something and again it can trigger an emotional and mental response, sometimes good and sometimes it can be upsetting, but it connects you to you. You smell a fragrance, or a delicious food cooking and you instantly have a reaction that connects you to you. As you touch a soft cushion you feel warmth and comfort; or touch a rose thorn whilst gardening and you feel pain. You lift that fresh ground coffee to your lips and sip that soothing warm liquid and the taste makes you feel grounded and ready (if you’re a coffee lover). Again, a taste can also trigger a response from the past which again connects you to you.

As we become more mindfully aware then we allow ourselves to connect in with these responses and process what this means to us. Let’s look at some simple ways that we can use our senses to better connect to ourselves and the world around us:

• Take regular moments to pause and notice what your senses are experiencing. Learn to savour the moments, such as mindfully eating and noticing the colours and textures of your food. The smells and the tastes. Is it sweet? Is it bitter? Is it savoury? Take the time to chew each mouthful with gratitude. Try to eat an occasional meal without distractions.
• When you’re walking in natural places of beauty such as woods, nature reserves, lakes etc then allow yourself that time to focus on the colours, sounds and smells and then notice how you feel when you connect in to the energy of these created beauties.
• When you’re in the shower or the bath notice how the water and soap feel against your body. Notice how soft your clothes feel against your skin. Maybe they feel loose and comfortable or maybe they feel snug inviting a sense of security.
• Stop and experience how the cool rain feels against your face, is it light and tickles the skin? Is it sharp yet refreshing? Is it cleansing you? Nourishing you? How does the wind feel against your face ~ or the sun shining warmly on your skin?
• Notice the sound of the music that is playing in the store or on the radio. Notice how music makes you feel, and play music that connects you to you. If you’re tired then play upbeat music that lifts you. If you’re stressed and anxious then play music that calms you.
• Notice the fragrances around you and consider lighting a fragrant candle to invite peace and calm into the moment. Candle gazing is a beautiful sensory experience that centres you and nourishes you at a deep level.

All of these are very natural processes and you may say that you do most of them all the time, but so often these things happen and we don’t notice them. If you pause to notice and put love and care into even the simplest everyday tasks each day, you will start to feel better connected with yourself and the world around you, and an increased experience of love and peace in each moment.

Love and blessings to you, Sam x