What is it that makes a meditation of experiencing your 5 senses so useful?
Firstly, grounding yourself in the feedback that your senses give you is an intensely “present moment” experience. Pulling all of your scattered attention – which is still trying to change the past and also control the future – back into one place, into your body, here and now.
That in itself is already a calming and healing experience worth trying, so if you’re not able to sit for the whole meditation today, try and stop for a few minutes, slow down your breathing, inhale a bit deeper and pay attention to the feedback from your 5 physical senses. See how much you can experience from each sensation.
Repeating this sensory experience often can be extremely powerful and here is why:
Notice how when you pay attention to your physical senses, you’re not judging yourself for what you are “feeling”. You accept that this is what your eyes do… they see stuff. And this is what your nose does… it smells stuff.
There is a lesson in this:
In the same way that your sweat glands produce perspiration, your brain produces thinking, followed by emotions. Your sweat glands doing what they’re designed to do is not a judgement on you, and your brain producing thoughts and emotions should likewise carry no judgement from you. If you can sit and allow your body to give you feedback from its physical senses, then you can also learn to sit and allow your body to give you feedback from its inner senses… thoughts and feelings… without judgement.
“Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we are already.” – Pema Chödrön
“In practicing meditation, we’re not trying to live up to some kind of ideal – quite the opposite. We’re just being with our experience, whatever it is.” – Pema Chödrön
“The challenge of our time is relearning how to concentrate. The past decade has seen an unparalleled assault on our capacity to fix our minds steadily on anything. To sit still and think, without succumbing to an anxious reach for a machine, has become almost impossible.” – Thibaut
Take a few minutes daily to just immerse yourself in your senses. Take a moment to put down all of the distractions and relish the feedback your body gives you. You will be rewarded with more love for the whole of your human experience.
Mantras for a more present You:
- Inhale the present. Exhale the past and future.
- My senses are my anchors to the here and now.
- I observe my thoughts and feelings without judgment.
- Today, I choose to be present.
Let these mantras guide you on your journey towards a more mindful, present experience. Remember, even a few minutes of sensory meditation can make a world of difference. May your day be filled with the richness of a sensory adventure!
Have a beautiful day!
– pierre –
Today’s LIVE meditation is: Come to your senses.