How To Experience Yoga With All Five Senses?

If you wish to deepen your yoga practice and feel it on a different level, you should definitely try to use certain tricks to wake up all of your senses before or during the class, and some of the ideas are listed below.

1.    See

Yoga practitioners are often encouraged to practice with their eyes closed, but looking at the right things could actually set up the foundations for meditation. When practicing outside, gaze at the mountains, clouds, sea, trees or whatever you find interesting in the nature around you. On the other hand, if you are practicing in a room, set up some dim lighting, experiment with colored light bulbs, or just open the windows to look outside.

2.    Hear

Music is rarely left out of the public yoga classes because it helps people calm their thoughts and focus more on their breath. You should try and do this at your home practice as well. Choose one of the many pre-made playlists for yoga and relaxation online, or even better, invest some time and create your own set of songs out of all the music you enjoy practicing and resting too. Also, try to listen to your own voice while chanting mantras as this can be extremely enjoyable.

3.    Touch

Yoga is already felt through the sense of touch. You can feel different parts of your body while going through the postures. But, this can be brought to a higher level with massage. Ask someone to push your body deeper in the postures lightly, and the energy of their touch will make you more relaxed and vigilant. You can also practice self-massage; gently massage different parts of your body in a direction towards the heart, or press acupressure points based on your own specific needs.

4.    Smell 

There are many ways to incorporate the sense of smell into yoga practice. For example, scented incenses are very popular in public yoga classes. If you are burning an incense in a small room, open your windows since having an incense can get very intense and make the space stuffy. Scented candles are inexpensive and are always a good choice; and, they also add a bit of dim light to the room. But if you just need a little boost at the beginning of the practice, put a drop of essential oil on your palms; rub them and place this on your face. It will have a strong effect and set your attention inward. Scents can activate different emotions, so educate yourself and choose wisely.

5.    Taste

It is not recommended to eat nearing a yoga class, but making a little tea ceremony before practice will have a significant positive influence on it. Pick only the highest quality teas and choose wisely. Different types of teas are used for stimulation and relaxation. If available, pick fried leaves instead of tea bags; pour hot water on them and then drain them after only 10 to 20 seconds for a better effect and drink this while hot.