Sensory Mindfulness Practice
When we're all go-go-go, we miss out on the many gifts that being alive has to offer us, and in a very real way, we become entranced by a life that only allows us to skim the surface. Mindfulness practices can help create a speed bump in our day, giving us an opportunity to take a breath and get present with what’s happening around us.
Although mindfulness techniques have been around for over 2500 years, rooted in Buddhist philosophy, today, more and more people are engaging in these practices as they're becoming increasingly accessible.
That said, many struggle with the classic seated meditation form of mindfulness—and for good reason. As a newbie to mindful awareness, it can be very challenging to sit and stay focused on your breath or to simply allow thoughts to pass by untouched. While seated meditations are an excellent way to come home to yourself; they can also become a mental battle if you're not yet skilled at stepping away from your mental chatter or even having an off day.
As a "seasoned" meditator, I can speak from experience that after years of sitting on a cushion, I still have days where I struggle to tune in.
This is why I like to offer a more accessible mindfulness practice to anyone looking for a quick hit of presence or who doesn't have the time or energy to sit in meditation.
Sensory Mindfulness Practice
Using your senses to tune into the present moment allows you to regain control of your wandering mind by turning your attention intentionally to the outside world. The word intentionally here is key as it reminds us that we're not just using our senses to zone out or allowing our mind to wander. Instead, we are leveraging our senses to nestle us firmly into this present moment right in front of us—awake and aware.
From an Ayurvedic perspective, the five senses are seen as bridges between your mind and your body. Sensory information is absorbed through your sense organs (body) and transmitted to your mind through various physiological pathways. When you smell the scent of a rose, for instance, that information is absorbed through your nose and then travels via your olfactory nerve to your brain, where the information is stored in memory. In Ayurveda, that "memory" becomes a part of the mental field.
In this way, when we call on our senses, we're eliciting a connection between mind and body, and when we do so intentionally, we can strengthen this connection.
The Practice
This practice can be used at any time, any place. If you have a moment to take a couple of deep breaths before you begin, that's always helpful, but it's not entirely necessary. This simple technique takes fewer than two minutes and is a wonderful way to snap yourself back into the present moment when you feel ungrounded, activated, or in need of some centering.
Step 1: Engage your sense of sight. Look around your environment and notice five things that you see. Take a mental note of their appearance: color, texture, size, and so on.
Step 2: Engage your sense of touch. Notice four things that you can currently feel. For example, can you feel the sensation of your clothes on your body? An itch somewhere? Can you feel the air coming in and out of your nose? Any sensation will do. If you like, you can also reach out and touch objects around you.
Step 3: Engage your sense of hearing. Notice three things that you can hear in your environment. Perhaps there's a whirring of the air conditioner or heater, a fan overhead, traffic in the distance, the subtle sound of your own breath. Try to relax and tune in to sounds both near and far away.
Step 4: Engage your sense of smell. Notice two things in your environment that you can smell. This one can be challenging if there's a strong scent in your environment, but try to expand your awareness to see if you can grasp two different scents.
Step 5: Engage your sense of taste. Notice one thing that you can taste. Even if you haven't consumed anything recently, there should still be some taste lingering in your mouth; try to touch into that.
Engaging all five senses is like creating stake poles that tether you to the present moment. This simple grounding technique is an excellent way to nudge your awareness back into the here and now.
Objectivity: A Key Benefit of Staying Present and Grounded
While there are innumerable benefits to finding more moments of presence in your day, one that I find particularly noteworthy for those experiencing stress, anxiety, depression, or any other form of mental unrest is objectivity.
When we're grounded and present, we can "be here now."
Why does being present matter?
When you're fully experiencing the moment presenting itself to you, it means you aren't stuck in your past, and you're also not worried about your future. Thus, present-moment awareness naturally allows your mental chatter to take a back seat as your senses become the primary means for experience (instead of your stored regrets, worries, emotions, and so on).
In the yoga sutras, Patanjali explains that the present moment is the only place where we actually exist. If we aren’t here in the present, our mind has taken us on a journey, either living in memories of the past or imagining our future. Either way, we aren’t living the life that is in front of us.
With a little space from your overactive mind, you can see that the voice bugging you about this or that, taking you out of this present time, is not actually you. Yes, it's a part of what makes you a human, but it's far from the whole truth of who you are. And that, my friend, is objectivity.
But the gift of presence isn’t solely about engaging in your life. Now that you've created a gap between your personal experience and the chatty voice in your head, a natural clearing forms, and you have greater access to your intuitive self, or true self, as some like to call it.
When you begin viewing your life from a more grounded place, through the eyes of your true self, your troubles and worries have a nice little habit of shrinking back down to size. You've taken them off their pedestal; you've seen behind the mask. While this doesn't necessarily mean that all of your troubles fade away, it gives you the space to find solutions or, in some cases, the peace to be okay with the fact that you can't control everything.
One of Albert Einstein's famous quotes says, "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it." Mindful awareness gently lifts us to another level of consciousness, a level that brings us to the present moment and helps us see life from a broader angle.
Takeaway
There are plenty of mindfulness practices to choose from, and I recommend playing around with several to find the ones that work best for you. Most people find this sensory mindfulness practice very accessible and practical for a quick hit of presence when life feels overwhelming.
Remember, when it comes to mindfulness (or any form of self-care, for that matter), it never has to be perfect. Do what you can, and you'll surely experience a shift.