Nature Connection Challenge - Day 29

Nature Connection Challenge Day 29 - Sense of Taste

Sense of Taste
The sense of taste along with the sense of smell are the oldest of the senses and as such they are tied together. Our tongue can differentiate between the flavors, sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. The way in which we perceive flavor, however, results in particular from a combination of our senses of smell, taste and touch. It is the interplay of these senses that determines whether we like the taste of a given food or dish.
The Practice:

• Find a spot outside where you can sit or stand in peace. Take a few moments to simply look around you, noticing where you are. Perhaps closing your eyes and taking a few breaths, just noticing what the sensation of breathing feels like and what the sensation of being in your body feels like. And after a few moments of tuning in to your body and surroundings shift your attention to your sense of Taste. ( take a few moments in between each prompt before moving on to the next )

• Breathing in through your mouth exploring the air, What is the forest offering you?

• How does the air taste?

• What is it's texture? I wonder what the qualities are of the air around you?

• I wonder what you might be able to taste right now? Perhaps it's something you ate or drank earlier, maybe it's just the taste of your mouth.

And just noticing what comes to you.

• If you are feeling a bit playful, you might want to try breathing in through your mouth as if you are sucking air in through a straw.

• Or maybe you stick your tongue out of your mouth, can you taste the air?

Another way to explore the sense of taste is to simply mindfully taste a food item or items, such as a blueberry or raspberry for example. Spend some time exploring one with all of your senses before tasting it. What are you noticing? Then move on to the next. What qualities appear that differentiate it from one another?

We hope you enjoyed this challenge and would love to hear about some of your experiences.
Stay safe and healthy and remember that you don't haver to go far to go on a journey.