(Exercise) Get your senses in sync.
"This is a remarkably effective exercise to sense the world a little more."
Hey everyone I hope you are doing good and welcome to another publication in Navigating Fitness. This post is part of a series dedicated to exploring the human senses, and part of my concept of Physical Education for Adults. Today I share an exercise focused on liberating or awakening the senses in a simple yet profound way. This is a remarkably effective exercise to sense the world a little more. Remember to hit like, leave a comment, share this exercise with others, and if you haven’t done so…
Instructor’s notes
This exercise is not about muscles or calories, but about awareness. Read through and then do the exercise. Each sense has two or three points you to follow, but you can also get creative. This exercise is to get your senses started to become more perceptive and active. Most of the exercise is with the eyes closed, therefore if you have balance issues avoid standing up. While I don't recommend for how long you should do the exercise (or each of its parts), the more time you spend on it the better. It can't be rushed. While physical, this exercise is passive.
Objectives (to promote):
Cognitive Fitness: Enhanced body awareness and sensory perception.
Physical Literacy: Improved movement awareness and emotional control.
Self-Awareness: Deeper understanding of oneself and surroundings.
Mindfulness: Increased presence and reduced mental noise.
Preparation
Find a quiet space: Choose a comfortable and safe place. A room, backyard, car, kitchen… Find a comfortable position, preferably with minimal clothing.
Keep an open and neutral mind: This is about exploring, not controlling. Open yourself to sense and feel the experience.
Focus on the moment: Immerse yourself completely in the present experience.
Sensory awareness: Think about your senses individually and get a sense of how each one takes in information from the environment.
Flexibility: Adapt the exercise to your preferences and circumstances. You can do it standing, in a chair or sitting on the floor, and even lying down.
Get your senses in sync
Take a deep breath and relax your body as much as posible. Move and shake a bit to release tension.
Be aware of the position of your body and of your movement. Tune in with your body and feel every little motion possible.
Look around you and create a visual image of your surroundings. Observe the colors, sizes, shapes, etc.
Allow your ears to tune into the environmental frequency. Avoid making noises or turning on the music, but find a way to be ok with sounds that you cannot control (nature, your family, your neighbors, the city, etc.)
Let your nose catch the smells of the area. Do not avoid tolerable bad smells. Avoid candles, sprays, or any other odor blocker.
Let your skin feel the textures and temperatures of the environment. If you have privacy, you can do this exercise in little clothes, underwear, and even without clothes, for enhanced sensory exposure. Take your shoes off.
The exercise
By now you should have an idea of how your body is positioned, the direction you are facing, what surrounds you (what’s in every direction, their shapes and colors, their relative distance between each other, etc.
Close your eyes and visualize yourself from the outside. See yourself in the position you are in and try to create a 3D model of your body and your surroundings.
Visualize everything that you can remember from your surroundings.
In your head, list one, two, or three things that are in each direction (Front, Back, Left, Right, Above, Below, and diagonally to each direction).
(Eyes closed) Focus on breathing deeply and slowly. What do you smell?
List at least two different smells.
Identify the general direction from which each smell is coming.
(Eyes closed) Run your tongue inside your mouth, and on your lips.
Sense the different textures, shapes, and the taste. If possible, use your whole tongue and don't limit yourself to just the tip.
Compare the taste of your mouth versus the taste of your lips, etc.
(Eyes closed) Listen to the sounds that come from your surroundings. Where do they come from? How many sounds can you identify?
List as many sounds as possible (the neighbor’s dog, the music coming from the outside, etc.)
Identify general direction each sound is coming from, and how far from you they originate.
Let your skin sense whatever touches it (the wind, the sun, the rain, the soil or grass, or the clothes you are wearing.
With your hands, touch your own body (and your clothes). Feel the shapes, the textures.
With your feet, sense the ground. The textures, the temperature. How does it feel when you touch with different parts of your foot?
(Eyes open) Now that your senses are a little more in tune, take another look around. This time pay attention to more details.
What is the smallest and the biggest thing you can see?
What is the furthest and the closest thing to you?
Analyze your experience and make mental notes about adjustments you you'd like to try next time.
Would you do it for a longer duration?
Where else can you do this exercise?
Share your experience after doing this exercise.
Did you do it in or outdoors?
What was your best part of the experience?
What was uncomfortable about the experience?
What was the hardest sense for you to engage?
What do you think I could have explained better?