I’d like to share with you today a meditation practice I really love.  It doesn’t matter whether you’ve ever tried meditation before, or yoga or anything else of that ilk, this is a beautifully simple exploration in finding your way back to you.

Ever since I was introduced to this practice, it has always stayed with me, and even if I don’t do the full version, I take essences of it with me wherever I go – to find grounding, to find head space and as a reminder that I am here, now, in this body which feels and sees and experiences. You can do this anywhere: at home, on holiday, a busy street, a quiet riverside/beach/country park…wherever you can be without needing to directly interact with anyone else for a little while.  So let’s begin The Five Senses Meditation!

You will need:

–          Yourself

–          A watch (or a way of checking the time)

–          About 30 minutes of your earth time.

Firstly take a few minutes, sitting ideally, to tune into your body.  Close your eyes and bring awareness to the top of your head and slowly move your awareness down throughout your whole body, each limb, each muscle.  You don’t need to spend ages doing this, just touching briefly into every part of the body, noticing what’s there, using the physical body as a way to invite the mind into the present. Watch the rhythm of the breath. Not trying to force or change anything, just letting yourself be right where you are.   Once you have done this, gently open your eyes.

Take a quick time check and set yourself the next five minutes to purely notice the world around you through the sense of SIGHT.  Of course you’ll still hear, smell, feel things, but your attention will be with all that you can SEE.  Notice colours, changes in the light, notice textures, notice movement – notice how your body responds to things you see – are there some things which you react positively or negatively to?  Where do you notice that response in your body? Do things you see bring up thoughts or memories?

Once you’ve done 5 minutes focussing on sight, turn your attention to HEARING for 5 minutes – find layers of sound all around you. Even silence has a sound, a resonance.  Ask the same questions; are there sounds that you respond to?  Do you open up to some sounds, and shy away from others?

Spend the next 5 minutes on SMELL.  In a busy market place, smells might be intense and differing, or somewhere calmer you might have to wait for the subtleties to arrive.  Smells can be so evocative and access deep memories you can barely even recall in your thinking mind.

Dedicate the next 5 minutes to TASTE.  This one can be slightly tricky if you don’t have anything to hand but if you’re super prepared, you could put a small chocolate or some fruit in your pocket before you start – something small, you don’t need a three course meal here.  If you’re in a town often shops give out small tasters on trays for free – if there’s something to hand then go for it, but try not to get drawn into a conversation. If there’s nothing around that you can eat, then you can still focus on your mouth and notice the taste of nothing.

The next 5 minutes are all about the sense of TOUCH – this can be running your fingers over a stone wall or through water; over fabric or through the air; the connection of your feet on the ground; the feel of the air on your face; your clothes on your skin. Hot; cold; smooth; sharp; hard; soft; there are a myriad of textures to experience, not just with the fingertips but the whole body.

Once you’ve completed this, take a few moments to stop again, just as you began, and consider which of these senses made you feel most connected?  Which felt the most intimate? Which brought you back to yourself?  Allow the answers to appear, do not force them.

How did you feel throughout this exercise? How do you feel afterwards?

Of course, you can change the length of time you dedicate to each sense dependant on how much time you have.  Five minutes is a nice taster, don’t scrimp   You could also turn this into a lovely mindfulness game for children too – ‘How many things can you hear?’  ‘How many colours can you see?’  ‘What can you smell?’ ‘How does the grass feel? And this stone?’ etc – go deeper, asking them (and yourself) to notice and describe the layers of texture and sensation.

I’d love to hear how you get on with this! Which of the senses spoke to you most clearly today? Which made you feel most connected to your sense of self? (you could try it again in a week…a month…a year…and see if it is the same).

Breathe full and deep.  Acknowledge this remarkable body that allows us to see, to hear, to smell touch and taste each moment and ultimately reacquaint us with ourselves. It is yours. Enjoy, my friends.