In our fast-paced world, finding moments to connect with our senses offers profound nourishment and grounding. Being mindful of our
primary senses—sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and thought, allows us to experience life fully, fostering deeper connections with ourselves and our environment. The choices we make, thoughts we have, and decisions we arrive at are all interconnected with our sensory experiences and our innate wisdom.
Mindful Movement and Creation
When stepping into mindful movement or creative sessions, individuals are guided to find freedom within structure. Practices like NIA (Neuromuscular Integrative Action) encourage personalised movements that harmonise with sensory experiences, promoting a natural expression of the human form.
Music also serves as a guide, connecting with emotions, thoughts, and self- expression to craft a narrative through movement. Structured yet liberating, NIA (Neuromuscular Integrative Action) enables individuals to customize movements and creations joyfully, aligning spirit, mind, body, and emotions. By heightening awareness of our senses in these mindful practices, we deepen our understanding of ourselves, our beliefs and our decision-making processes.
Engaging the Six Senses
While familiar with our basic senses, the concept of a ‘sixth sense’ or intuition plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information and emotions. This inner sense allows us to understand perceptions, thoughts, and emotions just as vividly as we experience tastes or scents.
Creating New Neural Pathways with Each Sense
With the eyes, one can look around, encouraging micro-movements of the spine to enhance the inner awareness of how the body can potentially move with more insight—finding joyful lengthening, strengthening, releasing and more. One can even delve into imagination and into observing the beauty around and within you, seeing light, colours and movements with mindful attention. Making a connection between the eyes and parts of the body that are moving brings a focus of awareness, an inner knowledge and balance.
With the ears, one can listen to the sounds within music, the teacher’s guidance and the inner knowledge of what the body is sensing or feeling. One can sink into
the symphony of sounds, whether a song, nature's melody or the rhythm of your breath—tuning in to your body's messages.
With the nose, one can smell the moment or physically smell the aroma of familiar scents that can evoke memories and emotions, linking us to instances of joy and nostalgia.
Breath is the first act of movement we did as we stepped into our human experience. Inviting the movement of the in-breath and out-breath, has a beauty of its own, in relation to one’s personalised movement flow.
With the tongue, one can taste metaphorically, using the imagination, how a movement would taste. It’s like chocolate— one can’t explain what chocolate tastes like until one eats it and senses it. The same goes for the mindful movement experience: ‘tasting’ the sensations can have a sweet or savoury flavour to it. On a more physical level, closing the mouth and rolling one’s tongue around the inside of the lips, can bring a taste and a hydration to the body.
With the hands and feet, one can touch and feel the physical world around you—textures, temperatures and sensations—grounding yourself in the present moment. One can also connect to the body, touching, bringing in a closeness to oneself while moving. NIA Floor Play brings this sense to life, with 360 degrees of the body connecting to gravity.
With the 6th sense, or thoughts, one can enhance awareness, intimacy and communication by observing one’s thoughts as they come and go, gaining clarity and tranquillity by witnessing them without attachment or judgement.
These primary senses are just the start of the sensory exploration as there are so many more—especially the fascial sensory organ (!)— to move and play with.
Integrating Mindful Sensory Awareness
By incorporating deep sensory awareness into one’s mindful movement or creative practises, one infuses every moment with joy, discovery,
and nourishment. During NIA classes and NIA Floor Play, EveryBody has the opportunity to personalize movement in such a way that one gains the confidence in having the ability to respond to one’s desires and needs truthfully and authentically. One is encouraged to take these practised discoveries into one’s daily routines and interactions, from morning rituals to commuting, eating mindfully, and engaging in sensory walks— every experience becomes an opportunity to deepen our connection with ourselves and the world.
This season, I have focused a lot on Sensory Awareness, during my NIA and Pilates classes, even bringing in aspects of Face Yoga (which includes sensations of the eyes and mouth). My mindful movement classes include the art of sensation and the art of communication between the mind, body, spirit, and emotions.
One is encouraged to develop a natural connection and flow with gravity which enhances the dynamic ease of movement of one’s inner secret sacred athlete. These sessions are a blend of mindful floor movements and extending the creative flow of personalised movement. By embracing our senses with intention and awareness, we enrich our lives one sensory moment at a time, nurturing our bodies, minds, spirits, and connections with the world around us.
You are invited weekly, at The Space Between, to step in and explore with NIA, starting in a relaxed, aware and ready state, to enrich the fabric of daily life and to nurture a profound connection to your inner joy and overall well-being.