Spring has officially sprung and with it the warmer temperatures. It is by no stretch that we have in fact “earned” this delightful weather. Through the harsh winter we have sought solace in the idea that spring was coming. With its arrival I have found myself taking the time a little each day to spend outside. The weather, the beauty of the environment where I am currently living call to me. I hear it in the waking hours as the birds begin their day. I reply to their calling with a walk.
This mindful practice is something that I have participated in for many years. I have always found the act of walking appealing. You can go at your own pace, set your own rhythm and it beckons one to take note of your environment as you go along your way. Walking can take you on an adventure of the mind, body and soul. It is during my daily walk that I come to my senses. My sense of touch, taste, smell, sight and sound. I use my senses to expand my daily practice and begin my day in mindful awareness.
Using your senses on a walk is one way to encourage the mindful practice to begin.
Touch- While walking I take note of my environment the trees with their leaves and the ground beneath my feet. I will often reach out and touch the morning dew, rub it between my fingers and feel the dampness. It helps me get in touch with the idea that this is a new day, yesterday has washed away for a new beginning and I am refreshed and alive just as the leaves.
Taste- When I set out on my walk I do so after I have taken the time to drink a large amount of water. I find that this begins my walk with a cleansed palate. At times I will bring some miso soup or a tea to accompany me on days when I might walk and feel the need for warmth to accompany my body in its internal morning processes. As I walk I may pass a stream and stick out my tongue so as to taste the wetness and flavor of the day. Each day has its own unique taste and can be an experience in identifying what sense of taste awakens you. It might influence your choice of a morning breakfast or afternoon lunch.
Smell- The sense of smell is continuously being developed throughout my day but, there is something so refreshing when I expose my nose to the beginning of a day. Free of foods, perfumes or other extra smells my nose welcomes the flowers, the leaves and barks of trees and the water of salt and fish. These resonate with me in a comforting manner as they embrace me with “aliveness”.
Sight- Upon my walks I look around myself and observe. I take breaks and stand in the accompany space and take in my surroundings with my eyes. It feels to me almost like an endless walk through an art gallery where the colors and tapestries of the paintings are constantly changing. I enjoy by sometimes bringing my phone with a camera on it and taking pictures. I might share these with friends or use it as a picture for my phone.
Sound- My ears are open to the sounds of the day and especially when I walk. It helps me to take time to be silent in my endless chattered mind when I give myself over to embracing the sounds of the day. I become wrapped in the space and the sounds carry a symphony of their own. I particularly enjoying having these sounds be my first in the morning before I turn on the radio, listen to the news.
Within all these practices I help to cultivate an awareness of myself through my experience of my surroundings. I begin the day with an openness that gives me an opportunity to bring myself in touch with my mind, body and spirit. Through this I find myself in a place of receiving. Receiving invites new energy and with this I find my day has brought me to an awakening of my spirit.
What more can we ask for in a morning?
In health,
Safara
