Yoga and mindfulness practices aim to keep us grounded and centered amid the ever-changing fluctuations of the world around us. We are so fortunate to have the body and its basic five senses to help keep us firmly established and rooted in the present moment. By focusing our attention on each of the five senses throughout the day we can begin to discover (or rediscover) all of the tremendous beauty and magic that is alive around us.
Consider taking just five minutes out of your day to spend 1-minute sitting with awareness of each of the five senses. You can use the timer on your iphone to cue to shift awareness to the other senses. The order I typically practice in is:
Center by noticing the breath then,
1. Body/Touch (first external awareness of body’s connection to the earth; then internal awareness; then, back to the external, the surface of the skin)
2. Sound (notice the sound around you)
3. Taste (the taste in the mouth; have fun with this one and eat your favorite candy)
4. Smell (enhance this modality with incense or essential oil)
5. Color of the internal gaze (or look at an object in front of you)
Come back to the breath, bring the hands to heart and bow to yourself and hold a moment of gratitude for the body and the senses.
This is a very basic way to reconnect to the vibrancy and ecstasy of the present moment.