Engaging the Senses for a Mindful Home
Sight is one of our most powerful senses when it comes to creating a home sanctuary.
Open your eyes, look around, and observe the colors, shapes, and textures that surround you. Notice the type of lighting, available space and quantity of objects. Take inventory of the things you have, the way they appear and the space that they take up.
Things like color palettes, focal points of interest and furniture arrangement can all greatly stimulate our visual sense, and provide important information to our brains about our environment (and our place within it).
Even though what we see sets the stage, it’s important not to overlook our other four senses – touch, sound, taste, and smell – and the role they also play in creating a well-designed home.
Your senses interpret the world at every moment, influencing your feelings, affecting your wellbeing, and playing a profound role in the creation of memories. So when you walk into any environment, you experience the space with every one of your senses alert in your body and receiving information that your brain processes into a complete, enriching experience.
It’s the combination of all our five senses working together in harmony that adds depth and dimension to a design, ultimately creating a home that feels good and nourishes every part of you.
How can you make each of your senses work for you? Start with this process outlined in my FREE guide: Engaging the Senses for a Mindful Home.
Notice: Walk through your home, taking turns in paying close attention to each of your senses. Go through your whole day, from the moment you wake up, to the time you go back to bed.
Feel: Mindfully follow your movements and activities from room to room, and make note of your experience. Notice the sensations in your body, and emotional reactions as you observe around you. Do you feel happy, sad, nostalgic, annoyed, frustrated or angry?
Decide: Not every sensory experience is a positive one. Did you identify anything you didn’t like during your exploration of the space? What can you change or accept about this experience?
Want to create a mindful home? Here are some easy ways to engage the senses in your living space:
Sound: Sound is a powerful conductor of emotions and states of mind, and can greatly influence our mood and concentration levels. By incorporating soothing music or gentle indoor water features, you introduce a layer of tranquility that engages your sense of hearing. On the flip side, too much noise can make us feel unwelcome and chaotic. In these cases, a set of headphones and white noise can come in handy.
Touch: Different textures—such as soft fabrics, smooth wood, and plush cushions—invite us to explore our sense of touch. Incorporating comforting textiles like rugs, throws and bed linens elevates both the physical comfort and the aesthetic appeal of your space. When we feel something wonderful on our skin — like the sensation of the warmth from a cracking fire or a hot bath — it grounds us in the present moment.
Smell: Smell is quite possibly our oldest sense and is the most closely tied to memory. You can use scent in your home to invigorate yourself, relax and unwind or find comfort. And what we smell does affect our tastebuds, our appetite, and our rest. Aromatherapy is a sensory journey that harnesses the power of smell to influence your emotions and well-being. Natural scents like home cooking, fresh flowers and plants, and open windows all stimulate our olfactory system, making smell an essential part of creating a sanctuary.
Taste: While taste might not be the most prominent sense in interior design, it can still be engaged mindfully. So often we feel rushed at mealtimes, wolfing down our food without really tasting it. But taking the time to sit down and relish each bite is worth it. Savoring our food, even a simple snack like sliced apple and a cup of tea, is healthier and leaves us feeling not only more full, but also more deeply nourished than when we hurry.
You can learn more about using your senses to design and transform your home, and other practical tips, in my FREE 5 step guide: Engaging the Senses for a Mindful Home.
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