“Sensing” our intuitive nature

In yoga there is a sanskrit word Pratyahara which means to withdraw the senses. Our senses are what connect us to the outside world. When we practice withdrawing from our senses we connect to our inner world. Through quieting our mind and focusing on our inner self we tap into a higher frequency where we are more able to connect to our intuition and higher consciousness.

When working with children I talk regularly about the importance of using contrast in your teaching. For example, if I want children to be still I am going to allow them moments to jump, wiggly and move freely. Same concept applies when I am working with children and helping them tap into their intuitive nature. I find it most helpful to start by exercising and acknowledging all of our senses and then slowly pulling them back and noticing what feels different.

A few simple activities that tap into the 5 senses are below. For our Yogi Beans classes we will focus on one sense a week and create a nice 5 week series on the 5 senses while also teaching our students about sensory withdrawal and the introduction to meditation.

Sight: Take a number of objects (pom poms, feathers, dice, pen, bell, etc.) and place them on a yoga mat. Cover them with a blanket. Tell children, "there are [however many] objects on this yoga mat. We are going to look at them for ten seconds. Ready, set, go!” Now, pick up the blanket for 10 seconds to reveal the objects. Next, quickly cover them up again and ask each child to name one object they saw. Ask, “how did it make you feel to only have 10 seconds to look at all the objects on the blanket?”

Sound :Ask children to be very quiet. Sit for about 20 seconds in complete silence and then ask children to tell you all the sounds they start to hear. For example: birds, clock ticking, wind, people talking, cabs honking, other people’s breathing. Ask them if the noticed how once they shifted their attention they became aware of sounds that were there all along. A great reminder of energy flows where attention goes.

Touch: This game introduces the concept of mindful touch. Take an empty bag or box and fill it with different objects. For example, cotton balls, feathers, tin foil balls, etc. Pass the bag around the circle and give each child a turn to put his/her hand in the bag and describe what s/he feels. Encourage children to use descriptive words or adjectives such as soft, hard, rough, prickly, squishy, etc.

Taste: Tell children you will be practicing mindful eating with a raisin. Explain that you will be using each of your five senses to explore the raisin fully, and that this takes patience and self-control. Have the class sit down at a table or desks, and hand out one raisin to each child. Ask them not to touch the raisin, but rather use their sense of sight to look at it. What does the raisin look like? What shape is it? What color is it? Next, ask children to use their sense of touch to pick up the raisin. What does the raisin feel like? How would you describe its texture? Now, ask children to close the raisin in their palm and shake it. Is the raisin making a noise? Did you ever think you would listen to a raisin? Next, ask children to smell the raisin. What does the raisin smell like? Does it smell sweet? Does it smell fruity? Now ask children what kind of fruit makes a raisin? Who do you think put the grapes in the sun to have them dry out?

Smell: Fill 5 small bottles with the following scents. (Alternatively, you can use any spices or scents you have on hand)

Cinnamon

Tea Tree Oil

Peppermint Oil

Lemon

Vanilla Extract

Cumin

Pass one scent around the room and ask the children how the scent makes them feel, if it brings up a memory or thought, and if the scent is pleasing or displeasing, Remember there are no right or wrong answers. Just like our sense taste everyone’s sense of small may have different preferences.

After performing any of these activities.