Happy Wednesday my holistic friends!
Today I want to share a story.
I call it "The Everything Pasta".
It's a story from a time at a music festival in Japan, where I observed the beauty of two children consuming life through a delicious bowl of spaghetti.
Wait, don't let me lose you there.
This story helped me realise some fundamental Ayurvedic principles - and I'll never forget them because of it.
It's about how we use our 5 senses.
Are your 5 senses supporting your experience, or guiding your life?
Your 5 senses are like wild horses - wanting to run free and experience everything they can.
They don't always have your best interests at heart.
When you try to tie them back to your cart, and their direction is not aligned, what happens?
You go nowhere.
Fast.
In reality, these senses are attached to your mind.
And so the same thing happens inside of you:
Your senses are constantly pulling you from one sensory experience to the next, with promises of never-ending joy.
When you follow them, they take you off the path of your life (away from your dreams and goals) and you often end up suffering the pain of overindulgence.
The misuse of the 5 senses is one of the major causes of disease in Ayurveda.
When you talk about Health, it usually comes back to two things:
Food or exercise.
Your input and your output.
When we talk about health in Ayurveda, these are very important, but we look at so much more than a single aspect of the "what"; the "how" comes into play.
Underuse and/or overuse of the senses impacts their sensitivity and begins to disconnect you from your ability to discern.
You know that magic word - "enough".
This leads to making poor choices and diverging onto the path of dis-ease.
We have 5 physical senses:
- touch
- taste
- sight
- hearing
- smell
The senses are considered to be your doorways to the world around you (and inside you).
Which of your senses is strong/weak?
"if your senses of taste and smell are stronger, your eyesight is sharper, your hearing is more refined, and your sense of touch is heightened, you can experience all the pleasures of being in a human body with greater presence and clarity."
This is why we have the gift of our senses right?
It's to enjoy the experiences of life.
"The Everything Pasta"
It's early Autumn and we're in a small clearing in a valley, tucked between some mountains in northern Japan.
We're surrounded by nature, camping out at one of the best music festivals I've attended.
It was night time and the air was crisp, we'd just had a big typhoon pass through on the previous day, and after a long bath and drying out whatever we could, everyone was back and ready for more.
I took a break from the slightly soggy, earthy outdoor dancefloor and sat near one of the food stalls.
All that dancing was making me hungry.
It was a spaghetti stand - a labyrinth of noodles, local veggies, and lots of love and smiles from the staff; this would be the fuel to keep me going for the evening ahead.
150 metres behind me is a teepee-style of stage, with large spiraling bamboo structures on either side, where DJs are playing through the most crystal clear sound system you've ever heard.
It's kind of loud, in that you can feel all the frequencies in your body; at the same time, it's strangely gentle on the ears - to the point that you could talk comfortably with the person next to you.
I sit and take a moment to reflect before I go order my pasta.
And then I witnessed the most beautiful thing.
Two little kids - around 5 years old - probably sisters, receive their plate of pasta and begin to share it.
It was the cutest thing to see one of the girls get the pasta onto the fork and offer it to the other.
A light behind them backlit them perfectly; highlighting the fog of their breath and the steam of the hot pasta.
The mist was swirling as the fork guided the pasta into the hungry mouth.
At that moment, the act of eating the pasta started to look really different.
It still looked like eating pasta... but as I tuned into what else was happening, it wasn't just eating pasta.
I started to smell the oregano, garlic and tomato sauce of the pasta, the damp earth, the rain-refreshed trees.
I could hear the music bubbling away in the distance, the laughter of people sharing their meals and ordering food, the bustle of the pasta kitchen, the thudding and sometimes squishy footsteps of people walking by.
I could feel the coolness of my jeans where my hands were resting while a light breeze brushed across my warm face.
Then the girl took the next bite of pasta,
and in that moment,
it felt like she had consumed all of this - the entire experience of this moment.
As if all of these experiences were spiralling into the noodles that were about to unleash their most satisfying al-dente dance of joy.
When you consider how you are using all of your senses, in each moment, you can understand what it is you are truly taking in - beyond just the food - and what you're giving to your digestion to process.
It's quite a lot isn't it?
Maybe it makes you wonder about what kind of space will bring you the most benefit when you sit down to enjoy your next meal?
Caring for your 5 senses
Sometimes our senses need a break - or a little TLC, to restore them - and our enjoyment of our experiences of life.
Let's take a look at how we can do that:
- Eyes - prone to inflammation from overuse (do we use screens enough?) - try a splash of cool water into your eyes - particularly after each meal, or take a 5 min break with a slice of cucumber on each eyelid (actually amazing if you're day is spent on the computer)
- Ears - can dry out or get blocked by wax - a drop of sesame oil in each ear helps both situations. And is deeply grounding for a good night's sleep.
- Nose - Neti & Nasya (salt water wash and nasal oiling) - prevents and/or removes congestion, sore throats, and seasonal allergies. Bonus of added mental clarity. Increases your sense of smell and makes breathing easier.
- Mouth - I recommend having a day of kitchari at least once a month to reset your tastebuds, and help digestion - email me if you'd like my favourite recipe. In general, simplifying your cooking can do wonders for you appreciation of flavours.
- Skin - nothing beats a self-oil-massage, aka "Abhyanga".
The best kind of oil depends on your body type and time of year, if it's cool you can try a cold-pressed sesame oil, or coconut oil if it's hot.
This is one of the best acts of self-love.
Great for improving sleep - and settling down kids too - an antidote to ADHD-promoting lifestyles.
I offer more specific guidance on using your senses to support your best health, in our 1-on-1 health consultations, which you can read more about here.
How did this land for you?
Write to me and let me know.
I wish you all a week of balanced senses and joyful experiences.
Peace
Kosta Gee
PS My 3-month "Reconnect" program launches on the 22nd of this month and only has a few spots left.
