This is the grounding through the senses meditation and it can be useful for taking a pause in the middle of the day when you just feel you need to find presence with yourself.
And so you can sit or you can stand,
So wherever you find it's comfortable to practice,
Be there.
And just starting with your eyes open.
And so as we use the sense of sight,
Using our eyes to glance around the room or the garden or whatever space you find yourself,
And you're noticing the colors,
Objects,
Textures,
Just easily allowing your sight to find the objects that meet your eyes.
You might even pause for a longer while in a particular place and adding appreciation for this gift of sight and for the world that you can take in through your eyes.
And now turning inward,
You can close your eyes if that's comfortable for you,
Otherwise keeping them open with a soft gaze,
Moving to the sense of hearing and meeting the world through the sounds,
Through what meets your ears.
Noticing the sounds nearby,
Even the sounds of your own body,
The sounds further in the distance.
You may notice sounds that feel pleasant or unpleasant or neutral,
Just noticing that and adding appreciation for the gift of sound,
For how you can meet the world through sound,
How the world meets you.
And coming to the sense of taste,
Bringing awareness to your mouth and noticing if there's any linger taste.
It could be from a drink you've recently had or a meal,
Brushing your teeth,
Or just that familiar taste in your mouth.
Meeting this moment with a sense of taste,
Noticing too if it's something that's pleasant or unpleasant and adding appreciation for how we can experience the world through taste.
Coming to the sense of smell,
Taking in the aromas through your nose,
The sense,
Perhaps being aware of the scent of your own body,
The scent in the room around you,
The place around you,
The sense from what is nearby,
What is further in the distance,
Perhaps coming in on the breeze,
What is pleasant,
Neutral,
Or unpleasant,
Or not particularly noticeable.
Appreciating for how we experience a life through scents and aromas,
Taking in the full extent of that scent through your nose.
Coming to the sense of touch,
Just becoming aware of the felt scents in your body,
Maybe tingles and sensations,
The temperature of your body,
The air on your skin,
Surface that you're sitting in,
The surface beneath your feet,
The points of contact between body and body,
Perhaps your hands in your lap,
Your hands by your side,
Your clothing on your skin,
And appreciating how it is to be human through the sense of touch.
To grounding ourselves through the sense of sight and sound and taste and smell and touch,
Taking in the full extent of our senses and appreciating our humanity in this moment.
To opening your eyes if they were closed,
Just noticing what is around you,
Abstracting and being awake to where you are right now.
