For a minute we would simply listen and remember everything that we heard. We would then take turns telling our class mates what our ears had picked up on. It was a mindful exercise I learned when I was only six utilizing only one of my senses. I still use it today, but I've expanded it to include all of them. Here's my senses experience from today.
Senses on Saturday Episode 3
"Hello Emma, How are you?"
You see, even when you sometimes try to steal a moment to let your guard down and explore with your senses - life happens. I don't begrudge her for it as it's always pleasant to see her and now she was just part of my sense on Saturday experience.
I sat back down and let the similar noises fall towards me. The temperature had sunk a good 2 to 3 degrees just in the short time I was in discussion and the skin on my arms broke out in goosebumps, my hair standing on end as if defiant against the cold.
The light breeze flowed passed me brought smells of flowers with it. Periwinkle and something else I couldn't quite place. Fruity. Sweet and pleasant. I revelled in it as if it were my own perfume.
With my eyes now closed, I could sense the clouds moving in and becoming more dense, I could see the light fading ever so slightly from behind my eyelids. The air pressure starting to drop.
I'm very sensitive to this kind of thing and can often feel the rain coming before it hits. I sat and I just let myself experience the barometric pressure slowly falling and then it really went down. I realizsed I was holding my breath for some reason (subconsciously probably in anticipation) and so I let it out in one long, slow exhalation. It relaxed my shoulders and my very sore neck started to ease up and then I felt the first few splatters of drizzle hitting my upturned face. It was icy cold and felt like miniature explosions as it erupted upon impact with my skin. Kind of like when you eat sherbet that fizzes on your tongue. It was refreshing and my skin lapped it up like a wild flower would. I opened my mouth like a child - I wanted to taste it.
It tasted slightly sweet, but earthy at the same time, similar to spring water. I waited for a few seconds to feel if it would turn into a downpour, but it just continued as a soft sprinkling of rain which made little droplets in my hair similar to dew on a spider's silken web. The children in the park had packed up and gone home, their merriment cut short, the scrambler no longer in the area and even most of the pigeons had moved off to their roosting spots, leaving just one lonesome cooing one, a few small songbirds and me.
I opened my eyes and even with the grey sky, all the colours around me looked beautiful in their slightly muted tones due to the darkened lighting conditions. It was a bit hazy with the fine mist falling around me and for some reason reminded me of the heathlands in that old movie Brigadoon.
It felt like winter again instead of Spring, so I bundled myself up and smiled at the soft watering that all the fields would be receiving, the plants lapping it up much like my skin had.
Even with all the muted colours and hazy sky, it was a lovely calm moment of peace and clarity. I felt still and centered again. Resolute. Whole. I uncurled my legs and stretched to the sky before heading indoors once more.
Mindfulness is important these days, especially with how busy our lives have become. We need to sometimes remind ourselves that it's okay to take a few minutes to ourselves and become immersed in our senses and reset our minds.