Awareness Of The 5 Senses Meditation

Often our thoughts can get carried away and our stress levels rise very high. A simple, yet effective approach is to become aware of your 5 senses. This engages different parts of your brain and your parasympathetic nervous system so you are able to calm down and become far more present and grounded.

Transcript

Welcome to Awareness of the Five Senses Meditation.

When you're in the middle of an overwhelming emotion,

It can hook you in completely.

It can lead to catastrophic thinking,

Pronounced anxiety,

Stress,

And also lots of physical dysregulation.

Awareness practice helps you notice when this happens and come back to the present moment so you can respond in a more healthy,

Responsive,

Calm,

And grounded way.

So when you do notice that you're feeling overwhelmed,

You can use this exercise,

The 5-4-3-2-1 exercise,

To bring yourself back to the here and now.

It takes just a few minutes and extends an invitation to become fully present again.

So to begin,

Leaving your eyes open,

Scan your surroundings and notice five things that you can see.

You can say them out loud or just note them silently in your head.

With each of the five sights,

Pause to take them in and observe them completely.

Next,

Notice four things that you can feel in your body.

Again,

You can either note them out loud or note them quietly in your head.

Rest your attention with each sensation for a mindful breath or two,

Really feeling where it is and what it feels like in your body.

Now name three things that you can hear.

Try to choose three different sounds,

Not the same noise three times,

But three distinct noises.

And then take in each sound with curiosity.

Next,

Note two things that you can smell.

If you cannot smell two things in this moment,

Feel free to move somewhere to smell something more closely.

Or simply notice whatever it is that you notice,

Even if that's the absence of smell and perhaps just the inhalation of air through your nose.

And finally,

Notice one thing you can taste.

Who knows,

Maybe it's the taste of a leftover meal,

Toothpaste,

Or the way your breath tastes,

Or maybe the roof of your mouth.

Just take the time to notice that.

And if you're not aware of any taste in particular,

Just note that as well.

There is no right or wrong to this exercise.

And remember that you can come back to this practice whenever you need to quiet or calm your mind.

Your senses are here to ground you in the present moment.