Our senses bring us into the present moment. By noticing—really noticing—what’s around us, we’re able to truly experience where we are in space and time. In this mini-series, we’ll be exploring each sense and sharing five prompts for helping you connect with it.
Touch is something we don't often think about. Whether we’re going through our workday, making a cup of coffee, taking a nature walk—we might not be noticing what we actually feel. Tuning into our sense of touch can help ground us, allowing us to literally feel the physical world directly coming into contact with us.
Feel the water around you
Maybe it’s the salty ocean on a swim or the steamy waters of a bath or shower at home (or even a GOODLAND Wood Burning Hot Tub), but really feel the water around you. Notice every inch of your skin, and how you can feel soothed and supported by an abundance of the water around you. Or, it can even be something as small as taking a sip of water, and noticing how it feels in your mouth and its journey as you swallow it. Something so seemingly simple can still pull us into the present moment.
Feel the weather
Taking in the different seasons is a way to let yourself notice the passage of time. We often protect ourselves from the weather, but where can you allow yourself to instead let it in?
Lie on a flat rock that’s been warmed by the sun, and feel the heat radiating from both above and below you. Take a walk on a rainy day and notice all of the water droplets in the sky above you, and how they feel when they land on your face and your hands. When a gust of wind comes in, don’t turn your face away. Instead, feel its force on your skin and how it flows through your hair.
Feel a plant
Maybe you have a few houseplants around your home. You probably often look at them, water them, care for them—but have you ever taken a moment to really notice the texture of the leaves? Or, the roughness of the bark on a tree in your neighbourhood, the soft and almost fluffy grass under your feet, the sharpness of a pine needle?
Feel the air
Whether you’re sitting down or standing, pause for a moment and notice the feeling of the air on your skin. We often don’t think that there’s anything around us, when in reality air is always softly surrounding us.
It might take a few moments to truly tap in—maybe it’ll take a slight breeze, feeling your own breath against your skin—but when you do, notice its comforting presence. Or, feel the air through your body. Inhale and notice the cool air, exhale and feel how it’s been warmed.
Feel texture
We’re surrounded by textures and fabrics all day long. Whether that’s the crisp cotton of your t-shirt, the soft feel of a blanket, the comfort of putting on a plush pair of socks in the morning. Looking for an idea? Wrap yourself in a cozy towel, and feel its texture against your skin. Our GOODLAND Bath Towels are just the thing to add a sensory element to your bathing experience.
Charlotte Boates
Charlotte is a writer who heads up the Journal at GOODLAND. She’s written extensively for a range publications on slow living, design, architecture, and more. A frequent traveler, Charlotte is driven by sharing meaningful and impactful stories that encourage us to become more aware of the world around us.
