I invite you to pause and notice the sensations of the feet. Perhaps feeling into the points of contact - the sense of touch where the feet meet the surface beneath. There might be light contact or heavy pressure, radiating warmth or steady coolness, or something else.
Or you could take a moment to notice sounds. Perhaps sounds in the space around you, further away, or within the body. Noticing the bare qualities of sounds - perhaps loud or soft, high- or low-pitched, intermittent or steady. Noticing, too, any spaces of silence around the sounds.
What do notice when you drop into your senses?
If you're like me, you might notice a shift. Much of the day, my mind is busy and thoughts occupy my attention. In some ways, I live in the virtual reality of my thoughts, caught up in rehashing a memory or rehearsing for a conversation that never comes. When I drop into my senses, I remember where I am. The virtual reality of my thoughts falls away, and I make contact with what's here - this breathing body, and this living world to which I belong.
There's no one way to experience the senses, of course. And our experience can change from one moment to the next. Connecting to sensations of the feet, you might feel grounded, then bored. At the sound of birdsong, you might feel joyful and lean towards it, or you might bristle at the high pitch and pull away. In our mindfulness practice, every sensation and every reaction is an opportunity to connect to our experience. As we do, we step back from the virtual reality of our thoughts - including any limited ideas or assumptions about our experience - and open our senses to the full experience of this moment.
In our next Mindfulness & Creativity session, we'll explore coming into our senses in our mindfulness practices. We'll also consider how bringing an open curiosity to the senses could support us in our creative practice and everyday lives.
I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!
Hannah