LESSON TWO
SENSORY ENGAGEMENT
Engaging physical nerve endings to trigger the release of endorphins preparing your mind.
WHY IT WORKS
The body is a fascinating maze of nerves and senses. Sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste all inform our subconscious mind. We either subconsciously or consciously process these senses all the time.
Recognizing them and experiencing them consciously helps to create a subconscious response from biological reactions releasing chemicals to calm and relax your body and mind.
Think about something you ate recently you enjoyed. Picture it in your mind, how it tasted, how it smelled, how it felt eating it.
Now how do you feel? Your subconscious can reconnect memories to real emotion and biological responses. You might feel at ease or comforted simply by remembering the senses.
HOW TO START
As you take your heart breath, engage your senses. Rub your fingers together - your toes in your shoes - smell the air around you - hear the sounds around you - taste the coffee or tea in your mouth. Ground yourself in the moment, take it in. Wherever you are, feel it with as many senses as possible.
Simply rubbing your fingers together or your toes on the floor is a start.
DEALING WITH DISRUPTION
While disruptions can be distracting, at this moment, they are all sense. Is it loud? Think about the noise and how unique it is. Are you cold? Think about how it feels on your skin.
Even distractions can ground you in the moment, calming your mind to take in every neural stimulation. It's a sense, it's where you are, at this moment in time.
FEELINGS AS ALERTS
With this practice you will begin to understand feelings are biological alerts. The feeling of fear and anxiety are chemical alerts from your subconscious, but your conscious mind decides how to react to them.
Your subconscious is unbiased. It simply responds. Your conscious mind is what interprets and determines how you respond to the alert, if you acknowledge it- how you act on it - or if you embrace it and allow it to control you. This is your choice.
Be active or passive. There is no other option.
BREATHING AND SENSING
Connecting sensory engagement is the next step in the regular practice. Begin these steps together.
Heart breath - Rub your fingers
Heart breath - Smell the air
Heart breath - Listen to the sounds
These are all ways to combine the two actions together as you practice. It takes seconds and can be done anywhere.
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
Ok now it's time to practice.
Sit up, close your eyes (for now)
Take a deep nasal breath, rubbing fingers together, slowly, and count, one - two - three - four - exhale - four - three - two - one, repeat.
Take in the moment. Allow it to ground you. Allow it to fill your mind. This is where you are. All of it.
YOU ARE READY FOR LESSON THREE
Now that you have the basic physical actions to start your daily method, lesson three adds the final piece.