Lesson Four - TOUCH - Fingers on everything!
Now this sense is one of my favorites! Touch. How often do you actually THINK about this sense? Our bodies have millions of nerves that sense touch. Yet, how often do you take a moment, or more, to realize how this sense affects your life? What are you doing right this minute? What do you feel? How do your clothes feel on your body? Are they soft? Stiff? What are you touching? Your seat, is it comfortable? How does the air feel? Is it dry? Humid? Hot or cold? Being aware of just how much your whole body FEELS can be overwhelming, so your brain shuts out (from your conscious self) most of the sensations you're receiving. Focus. How is your breathing? Are your legs crossed (are they stiff or comfortable)? Are you tense? Where are you tense? Take notice of what's going on in and on your body.
Feel all the textures of life around you: fabrics, tree bark, skin, snow, dirt, water,the sun on your face, the wind in your hair, the rain on your skin.
Touch your friends, pets and family (try not to be creepy about it! Lol! Again, you're experimenting, tell them!). Hugs, hand-holding, hair touching, stroking, petting. Pets don't mind this at all, especially dogs! What does their fur feel like? Is it softer on their ears or their backs?
Go to a fabric store and touch the different types of cloth; document your impressions. When you walk through a store, touch everything - soft, cold, fuzzy, crinkly, rough, squishy, gooey. I do this all the time. I walk through and touch and feel EVERYTHING! My husband teases me that I'm just a big kid and need to touch. It's not just that I'm a big kid, touch is how you learn about your environment. Learn about the space around you. Right now I'm paying attention to how my fingers are touching the keyboard of my computer (and how often I have to back up to correct words!!), how the buttons press down and that I need practice (that one word TOOK TOO LONG)!
Go outside, take your shoes off and walk in the grass. Feel the blades sticking through your toes. Hug a tree, notice the texture of the bark; is it rough, smooth, flakey? Stick your fingers in the dirt; what kind of soil do you have where you are? Does it run through your fingers or stick together in clumps. Getting close to the Earth helps to open you up to accepting inspiration.
Sand
Snow
Keyboards
