Come to Your Senses: Exercises to Inspire Personal Exploration and Self Discovery

Creative Living in Technicolor Is your life flat or full? Does life seem one-dimensional or multi-faceted? Do you experience life in black and white or in Technicolor? We often race so quickly through our lives that we forget to stop and smell the roses. A wise and inspired man by the name of Leonardo da Vinci once said, "The five senses are the ministers of the soul." One way to enrich our existence is to expand our ability to live through our senses. Once inspired, we literally and figuratively come to our senses and begin to live in a state of gratitude and marvel at the textures, tastes, and sounds that reveal themselves each and every day.

Let Your Senses Show You How To Celebrate Life Think back for a moment and remember a time when you felt truly alive. What comes to mind when you recall that experience? Perhaps the tingling of your skin, brilliant colors or the way light sparkled, a pulsing heart, a delicious smell that curled into your nostrils or a flavor that made your mouth pop! Your senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell are portals to rich experiences. Spend time playing and rediscovering the power of your senses and it will transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Exercises to Awaken Your Senses Through Exploration and Self Discovery The key to awakening your senses is to get out of your head and into your body. Although you can read about the power of your senses, your own experience will teach you the benefits of living a more sensory life. Take action! Use exercises like the ones below to intentionally become present in your day-to-day life. Exercise 1: Seeing with Eyes of Love and Wonder Look into the face of someone you cherish. Invite them to share this experience. Spend several minutes in quiet observation and reverence. What can you learn about this beloved? What do you see that you have never seen before? How does your heart feel in response to such an intimate viewing? Exercise 2: Clear Vision Experience with clear vision what you see, instead of interpreting. Once the colors, shapes, and images become good or bad, pretty or ugly, familiar or unfamiliar, you have stepped away from a clear view. Describe in your journal a sunset, an oak tree, or the moment at dusk when all is in shadow. Describe it with your sense of sight in vivid detail. Do not stop until you have captured it all. Once you have set your pen down, read through your description. Notice how many details you would normally miss with a casual glance. What surprises can you find in your observation? Exercise 3: Capture the Music of Your Life Take some time to reflect on your life and discover what sounds still ripple in your memory. A puppy's excited bark, the sound of the 10 PM train, the melody of instruments from the kitchen as your mother prepared Sunday breakfast, a cat's quiet purr, thunder rolling down off the ridge as a storm was approaching, the kettle whistling or the sound of a deep breath. We don't always notice the nuances of sounds, but when we do, the moment is far richer. Master the skill of listening with your whole body. Have an attitude of gratitude and compassion to the story the other person is sharing. This kind of intentional listening is a real gift to give and receive. Exercise 4: Touch Awareness DayThe idea of touch may conjure the obvious: a warm hug, a firm handshake, or a gentle massage; but how many things do you touch each day that you don't even notice? What if you went through one day paying attention to everything you touched and noticed how everything felt? Create your very own Touch Awareness Day and watch for surprises. Expand your touch capacity even further by going through one day consciously touching everything with loving hands. Exercise 5: The Taste and Smell of InspirationPlan a feast for yourself and a few friends. Choose the location, menu and table setting to reflect your personal tastes. Feature your favorite wine, foods, and desserts. Once prepared and ready sit and enjoy each dish with great attention. Describe the smell of each food and take your first bites all together. Savor the flavors and then share with one another how the tastes affect you. Acknowledge the feelings your body is experiencing because of the tastes and smells. Be inspired to embrace how different life is when you come to your senses.

Corrie Woods is a Women's Life Coach and author of The Woman's Field Guide to Exceptional Living. Through coaching, personal growth retreats, teleclasses and writing she supports and inspires women. Explore free resources at http://www.womansfieldguide.com.