Tune in to Your Senses
Working together, our senses enable us to understand and navigate the world around us, connecting us with others and allowing us to appreciate our morning cup of choice. But how often do we think about them and take the time to fully engage with them?
Recent research has opened up a very interesting conversation around our senses. Their impact on our quality of life and the importance of awakening and exercising all our senses to fully take advantage of their ability to boost our emotional and cognitive wellbeing. It was Aristotle who first suggested that we have five senses. Its long been our perception and somewhat assumed that we humans have five, but research into the science of our sensory activities has revealed a very different, alternative to the famous five. Dig a little deeper and perhaps there are some additions?
How many senses are there?
Researchers and scientist are beginning to ‘tune-in’ to a new, but very real idea of us ‘humans’ having at least 8 senses, if not more. Ask a neuroscientist how many we have and you’ll hear an answer ranging from eight to thirty-three. What is agreed upon is that there are more than five.
What are the benefits of being more sensory aware?
Our senses enhance and make our day-to-day experience of living come alive. Yet most of us take our senses for granted. We tend to only think about them if one or more are not fully functioning. Like when we have a cold and loose our sense of smell and sometimes taste too. But imagine if we didn't have them, we would not be able to smell, see, hear, taste, touch or perceive anything of what is happening in the outside world.
10 Benefits of being more sensory aware
Generating an overall sense of calm and well-being
Managing your stress and its impact on your body
Deepening your self-understanding
Sharpening your focus, concentration, and insight
Upholding your core values in your personal and professional life
Enabling you to treat people with compassion and wisdom
Helping you to see conflicts from different angles, opening up creative possibilities for problem-solving and resolving disagreement
Improving your listening skills
Increasing your global awareness and appreciation for the interconnection of all life
Developing the ability to question, explore, adapt to rapid change, and deal with it
five instantly recognised & acknowledged human senses
Sight
Describes the ability of the brain and eye detecting electromagnetic waves within the visible range (light) interpreting the image as "sight".
Hearing
The sense of sound perception and results from tiny hair fibres in the inner ear detecting the motion of a membrane, which vibrates in response to changes in the pressure.
Taste
One of the two main "chemical" senses. The four well-known receptors detect sweet, salt, sour, and bitter.
Smell
The other "chemical" sense. Unlike taste, there are hundreds of olfactory receptors, each binding to a particular molecular feature.
Touch
The sense of pressure perception, generally in the skin.
We are all pretty familiar with these five senses, but what about another four?
The New Scientist magazine and Glasgow University suggest that we have at least nine senses. What are these other four, and what do they allow us to experience and do?
Thermoception
The sense of heat and the absence of heat (cold), also by the skin and including internal skin passages.
Nociception
Physiological Pain, the non conscious perception of nerve-damage or damage to tissue.
Equilibrioception – Balance – Vestibular Sense
The perception of balance or acceleration and is related to cavities containing fluid in the inner ear.
Propriocetion – Kinesthetic Sense
The perception of body awareness and is a sense that people are frequently not aware of but rely on enormously
By choosing to ‘tune-in’ and pay a little more attention to our 5, 9 or more senses, we can reap multiple benefits to our Health. Being more aware of these invisible enhancers of life provides us with an opportunity to appreciate their subtle, yet complex role both within, and throughout our life. By choosing to be more sensory aware, we provide ourselves with an opportunity to ‘feed into’ and nourish the foundations of our health. Better health - Enhanced wellbeing. - a happier human x
If you’d like to learn more about how you can benefit from being more sensory aware, or need support with strengthening your Health and Wellbeing foundations. Please use my contact form to get in touch.
Professionally trained and qualified to support people with their Life’s journey.
Helping you achieve success and fulfilment in all areas of your life. Best wishes always - Julie