We experience life with our 5 senses, we smell, hear, see, touch and taste life! If your nose is blocked or eyes are blurry, if you lose taste or if your skin becomes numb, you understand the value of that sense much better.
Your quality of life literally depends on these 5 senses.
When you clearly see a beautiful sunset or can read a great book, when you smell the flowers, when you get a hug from the loved one, and taste a delicious meal, that moment becomes a treasure in your day and eventually the collection of them make up your life.
Therefore we need to keep these 5 senses healthy, clear and vibrant to increase the pleasure we get from life.
Ayurveda teaches a daily routine from the moment you open your eyes in the bed, to the moment you go to sleep again. It advises you to awaken these senses gently, stimulating them slowly and clearing them thoroughly.
There are many rituals for nasal cleaning and oiling, tongue scraping and oil pulling, eye washes and again oiling! The magical self-massage with oil called Abhyanga changed my life in recent years! From a dry skinned, itchy person I turned into a silk-like, soft skinned woman in her 50s (against the menopause symptoms).
Here are some rituals you can try daily and feel the difference in your overall satisfaction and wellbeing.
Start your day with the following suggestions:
- Do not check your phone first thing in the morning, go to the bathroom without it:) Your bowel movements are the most important news about how well you nourished yourself the day before!
- Wash your face and eyes with very cold water, splash about 10 times.
- Clean your nose with neti pot, with warm water and salt, clearing each nasal passage well.
- Clean your mouth with oil pulling and tongue scraping. Get 1-2 spoons of sesame or other oil, gargle and swish inside the mouth for 2-5 minutes and spit out in a garbage bin. Then scrape your tongue 10 times to clear out the remaining ama (toxins).
- Get to a quiet and darker corner in your house.
- Light a candle and gaze at its flame for a few minutes
- Look at a nice flower, nature, sunrise or a nice photo/picture/painting
- Smell an essential oil like lavender or peppermint
- A short stretching, breathing and meditation will detox your mind and get you ready for the day.
Optional: If you shower in the morning, after the shower, massage your body with sesame or any other high quality oil. Wait about 10 minutes and then you can quickly shower to get rid of the excess oil if you need to wear your clothes and your skin feels too oily. This way the body will absorb even better.
In summary, take good care of your 5 senses, clean and oil them daily, morning and evening.
In our Ayurvedic Cleanse Programs I teach these rituals and always get such great feedback from participants. They mention that they feel calmer, more energetic and happier overall!
The use of 5 senses in different areas of life has been on the rise. For Example, my dear friend Hulya is organising a training called Multi-Sensory Technique for Positive Mindset in Geneva. It is about the senses of hearing and smelling, by using music and aroma to break free from negative patterns and embrace a positive mindset. Take a look on innkick.com
