Savoring with Sensation
We’ve been blessed with a robust sensory system to interact with the world around us. Senses allow us to gather data, process, perceive, and share experiences with others.
Sensory ability can be improved by tuning into the present moment. Eating is one of my favorite activities to work on this power; it combines all five senses, and we eat multiple times daily. It’s one of the tools I’ve used with my meditation and mindfulness practice.
Paying attention while eating cultivates curiosity, deepens engagement, and broadens your sensory vocabulary, which will transfer to other activities. It’ll also help with satisfaction and hunger management.
I’ve been fascinated by how we have a common association of seemingly disparate attributes like sound-shape with the bouba/kiki effect.
“Kiki” and “Bouba”
This implies we can communicate on so many different levels.
Being sensitive used to feel like a complicated reality; however, it’s one of our potential superpowers once adequately nurtured. You’ll be able to perceive more detail from every interaction. Consider comparing modern TVs and their improved resolution to the technology we had a few decades ago. You’ll be able to upgrade your system through practice.
Savor your next meal by scanning your senses:
Smell 👃🏻
While food is cooking, you start to anticipate the meal ahead. You might get hungry when smelling delicious food or feel adverse if the smell isn’t pleasant.
Can you identify what you’re smelling?
Can you imagine what your dish will look like?
Sight 👀
Looking at the dish as a whole, you can imagine what it might taste like. You'll also start to identify individual attributes or ingredients visually.
Does the dish look creamy or thin? Dry or moist?
What colors are involved? How do they correlate to flavor?
Touch 🤌🏻
Your mouth is more sensitive than your hands! Examine the texture of your bite with each chew. Try to take modest bites so that you have enough room to experience.
How does texture vary in different areas of the dish? In combination?
How does temperature affect the quality of touch?
Sound 👂🏻
As you chew your food, you’ll also hear it—the crunch of your salad or the squish of pasta.
How does the sound of your food affect your perception of its texture?
What about the sound of the utensils or the sound of your beverage?
Taste 👅
Finally, how does it taste? We have five basic tastes: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami, but we have so much more to our palette.
Can you identify any ingredients you could not perceive from the other senses?
Can you name some flavors you’re perceiving?
This is just the beginning! You can tap into a more nuanced awareness by practicing this exercise. Scanning your senses can be a grounding practice, like a body scan. You’ll also become more critical of your experience as your mindfulness increases.