I've got a few spring secrets for you.
We picked an aromatically pleasing purple lilac and carried it with us along the creek path, taking turns inhaling its sweet spring scent all the way through our evening walk.
Walking on my neighborhood creek path is my favorite way to unwind at the end of the day. I find solace in listening to the creek ripple by, and witnessing nature’s articulation as everything comes to life for a long awaited spring.
Something as simple as the sweet scent of a lilac activates the senses, and connects us to the deeper currents of spring.
The 8 limbs of yoga are steeped with teachings and guidance to uplift the heart and mind.
Some of these 8 limbs are very well known amongst the most common yoga practices – for example, the physical practice of ASANA: the practice of the holding yoga postures – whilst others are less trendy and even thought of as the forgotten limbs of yoga.
Pratyahara is one of my favorite limbs of the yoga practice.
This particular limb is defined as the practice of refining of the senses.
Pratyahara includes both the discernment of gaining mastery over the senses in the face of distraction, as well as the refinement of the senses through a heightened awareness.
When we refine, heighten, and savor the sensory experience, we become more present – the senses can only be experienced in the present moment – and we heighten our experience of the world around us – more pleasure, more bliss and more embodiment in all the things we do.
I will tell you how this applies directly to our eating, our bodies, and the beauty all around us in
The 6 Sweet + Sensual secrets of SPRING
You are a pleasure based being. You are designed to feel pleasure, enjoy pleasure, and embody pleasure through your senses. With just a little attention on this and some tips to cleanse your sensory palate, you too can refine your sensory experience and enjoy the ride just a little bit more.
- Slow down
We all know today’s world is fast paced and full. We can’t really change that in the big picture. What we can do each day is gift ourselves the time to slow down. Slow down when we eat, slow down when we walk in nature or slow down when we do our self care practices.
Take a deep breath. It sounds simple but something as simple as a few deep breaths allows us to be in the moment, get centered, and relax our minds.
- Cut back on overly sweet or salty foods
One major downside of eating highly refined and processed foods is that our palates become less sensitive to the subtle flavors of natural food.
Choose foods that are made from nature’s naturally sweet flavors or natural mineral rich salt.
When the flavors are varietal and pure, they not only heighten our sense of taste, but they also energetically attune us into more inner balance and harmony.
Sweet – Nourishment and love
Salty – Courage and fearlessness
Bitter – Purification and detoxification
Spicy – Passion and excitement
Sour – Spiritual fire and passion for life
- Engage all of the senses in your eating
Watch the chocolate meditation here
Bringing all of my senses into my eating is on of my favorite exercises. I filmed this video with the release of my book, Health Wise, in 2014. You can apply the concepts of the Chocolate Meditation to any eating you do.
Make your eating more sensual.
- Do a little screen time cleanse
When we spend all of our time looking at our devices, our Facebook page, our Instagram account and the latest HBO series, it becomes less likely we are going to notice the sensory experience of a beautiful bouquet of flowers, a purring kitty, or the crackling of a warm fire.
Give yourself some screen free, device free, electronic free time each day.
- Touch yourself (yes, you read that correctly)
As we know, there are many ways to touch ourselves. Some are more arousing and sexual then others. What I am talking about here is waking up our bodies to sensual touch.
You can practice this with gentle coconut oil self massage. You can practice this with self-pleasuring. You can practice this with warm comforting aromatherapy baths.
You choose.
- Practice Scent Therapy
One therapeutic practice to try is to up your sensory experience in your sense of smell.
It is said that the olfactory sense, our sense of smell, is our oldest sense from the viewpoint of evolution.
Our sense of smell creates strong memories with its powerful, swift and precise presence.
Cool fact ** The sense of smell is even more developed in a woman than it is in a man.
Our sense of smell is deeply connected to our sensual relationship to food, to a woman's eroticism, and to our intuition.
Some doctors call this "scent therapy". This can engage new receptors in your nose, improving your sense of smell over time.
Scent therapy infuses your olfactory system with delightful, potent scents, refining your sense of smell while enjoying benefits of the aromas on your entire body, mind and spirit.
Some scents are more therapeutic than others, while others are more pleasure based as well.
Try essential oils, strong smelling flowers or raw foods that when lightly cooked emit a strong aroma – such as garlic, ginger, tumeric.
Spring is the most sensual and lush time of the year. We can open the spring nuances more fully as sensual sensory beings through all things food, body, sensuality, and self-love with the activation of our senses - pratyahara.