Physical Sensory Awareness

This is the first thing needed to move along practicing meditation. If there's anything that will make practicing meditation easier and simpler, this is it. Remember that in order to get a calm mind for meditation, we will need a relaxed body first. 

But this is the problem!

How to relax the body when we can't sit still at all. Our schedule is as busy as our thoughts and both of these pressures are depleting our energy and sucks the happiness out of our life. 

I can't count the number of times that I was frustrated with sitting down for meditation and accomplishing nothing. At times, I thought, maybe meditation was not for me, but I continued practicing because I knew there's something to it. I'm glad I did. I wish someone made meditation easy for me as I am about to make it for you. 

So, let's start: 

Before we start, please throw away everything you know about meditation. Everything you read and know has little application to our normal daily life. If you want to see the transformation and the magic of meditation, start as if you are starting from scratch. 

Here are 7 sensory awareness activities as an example to elevate your physical state of being. here, you have two tasks: the first is to do the activities, and the second is to memorize the feeling, the experience, so you can recall it at a later time. You can add any or all your pleasant sensory experiences to this list. 

1. Just sit and listen to the birds, all sounds from every direction 
2. Just sit and watch or stare at a flower, leaf, tree
3. Feel your skin when the shower water hits your body
4. Walk barefoot on grass, ground, or sand
5. Walk and notice everything, colors, patterns, density
6. Take twice as much time to chew your food
7. Get scented flowers or candles and burn

This is the first step of training to prepare your body physically to be aware of the present moment and to store it on your memory, of course, if your experience is a pleasant one. 

This might be all you need to do as far as meditation goes. If you can add many of these pleasant activities throughout your day that uplifts your spirit, energy and emotions, this is all you need to do. 

However, if you want to go to the next level, which is about controlling your thoughts or mind chatter, you'll need to be able to bring your awareness to the present moment instantly. And, to be able to memorize your pleasant sensory experiences.

Until then, play with these two tasks and have fun with your own created activities. 

What is your best sensory memory to date?

Comment below. 

Until next time, 

Aloha