We started our #MeditationMondays live talks on IGTV as a way to spark conversation about women and our journey toward self love and acceptance. After all, how we look is a reflection of how we feel. Feeling confident in a swimsuit takes work, and so we want to ignite discussions that help us to unearth where our insecurities are coming from.
With that in mind, we were so excited to interview Purpose Catalyst and Clarity Coach Esther Dederichs, who took us on a ride through the 5 senses to get grounded.
Esther Dederichs
Was our special guest on IGTV
Each sense has the power to take you away to a happy place, whether that be the beach or beyond. Esther will tell us more..
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Esther Dederichs. I help women get out of their head and into their life on purpose. What inspired me to start this work was realizing that there are a lot of people suffering from anxiety yet they have no idea where it's coming from. A lot of time I have come to discover it's as a result of not feeling grounded. They feel no sense of mission or purpose. The minute you get clarity about that you are ready to start your day again you are much more at ease in general.
Take us through the journey through the senses. What does that look like?
If you don't mind I am actually going to take us all on a little journey. Just get really comfortable and close your eyes.
Feel your feet really planted on the ground. Take a deep breath, lean against the chair you are sitting on and bring up a memory of your favorite beach. Start looking around. What do you see? Is the sea very active today or is it calmer? Can you hear the waves crashing onto beach? As you walk, can you feel the sand under your feet? Maybe it's a hot day and you quickly run into the water to cool off. As you are just walking into the water, as the water is tucked into your feet you feel your body cooling down. Maybe you can smell the sea or even taste it and you might just be walking down the beach in one of your favorite Mirame swimsuits!
Let's take it all in and enjoy the moment and really feel the breeze, the cool water on your feet, maybe some sand on your hand or maybe the sun! Now take another big breath and when you are ready, open your eyes and bring that beach feeling back to wherever you are.
That's just a very quick way of how you can get grounded through the senses.
I like to see the senses as the gates to the inner and outer world. They are ways to feel calm, grounded and empowered. Our senses determine how we see the outer world as well as how we connect with our inner self.
In doing this meditation, do you recommend them to be guided or how can somebody do it on their own?
Yes, you can. When I go on vacation I like to buy one little thing that brings me back to that place. And other times I like to light a candle or some sort of scent tied to a place. You can certainly do that to relax. You can light up a candle and just bring out the memory of a favorite vacation or place and just let your senses take over.
Considering all the stresses going on right now, it's so easy to take a spin out in your mind. Are their tools we can use to get more embodied in any given moment?
That's exactly what senses are. You don't have to buy them you can't forget them at home. You already have them and you are always carrying them with you. For example, it starts with vision.
70% of our sense receptors are actually clustered in our eyes and a very simple thing you can do to bring yourself to the present moment is just really looking around and take note of something. For example, taking the time to look around in search of any orange colors around you. That can simply stop your mind from racing and give it something to do and anchor to. This can give you that sense of being centered and grounded.
What we see is quite important but what's amazing is that we think we see with our eyes but we actually see with our minds. It is our mind that determines our expectations and perception of life. It's more like how we see a glass of water. It's either half full or half empty. It all depends on your perspective.
So it's very important to remind yourself when you are in a specific situation that you can actually see it in a different way or choose what personal filter you are seeing the situation through. This way you can choose to switch your perception and you will be amazed what doing that can open up for you. That's vision!
Vibrant colors wake up our eyes.
The next one is hearing. That's is all about vibration because the interesting thing about sound is we are 70% water depending on your age. The sound travels really well through water so that's why it's so nice to bring you back to the beach and remember the sound of the ocean. This explains why we are so deeply affected by sound emotionally, physically and intellectually. A hearing exercise you can do is for example if you go on a walk and you hear cricket, try to focus on only that sound.
Touch can bring joy.
Touch is another amazing sense that can give a sense of calmness. It's so important to by all means give yourself a hug. The skin is the largest sensory organ. Touch is referred to as the mother of all senses because it's involved in everything.
Studies show that premature babies are said to grow stronger and gain more weight whenever they receive certain pressure and certain regular touch. Even for your kids. You can give them all the food and shelter, but what they really need is all that loving touch, that connection.
You can give yourself a great foot rub as well as brush your skin, it can be very calming.
Smell is evocative of memory
Next is the sense of smell, which is the sense of joy.
Smell is linked to memory and emotion. An amazing fact is that we remember 5% of what we see and 35% of what we smell! There are different scents associated with calmness. Scents such as lavender, eucalyptus, mints generally found in essential oils are amazing to incorporate into your routine.
Smell is associated with memory. So I like to collect things such as candles whenever I travel. I burn them once in awhile and it brings back memories.
Take a moment to really savor the flavor of your food.
Taste.
This one is an interesting one. We all know the different tastes we have. Being able to taste the food we eat is simply amazing! Enjoying your food is a representation of enjoying life with all your senses! It's literally a celebration of life.
There you have it! 5 ways to feel calm, grounded and empowered.
If you would like to connect more with esther, Check out her facebook: https://www.facebook.com/esther.dederichs
She also has a discount for her online courses special for you so check it out: https://bit.ly/2QoLoLg
To watch the full interview on our Instagram TV, click here:
