“See and Be Seen” - Perceptual Learning
“See and Be Seen” – Tapping into Your Senses
Our senses connect us to the world, our spaces speak to us so It’s important to design for the senses as we lean on our environment to support us. It is a very visual aspect, but it is also can be a thought-provoking process as well.
As I research sensory design aspects, I found a resource from a trusted mentor of the work of Ilse Crawford. She is a pioneer on interior design and how design can impact us by always designing for a positive mental and environmental aspect.
Our spaces can help us to create habits and rituals for our mental and physical wellbeing. An example of this is to designate areas for specific purposes, therefore making those everyday moments, something special.
The scientific field of “perceptual learning” is a process of helping our consciousness to become aware and how we can enhance our awareness. Perceptual learning is experience-dependent enhancement of our ability to make sense of what we see, hear, feel, taste or smell. This is our connection to our senses.
One of the ways I find to tap into my senses is by being in nature, and because we spend a lot of our time indoors, it’s more important than ever to bring elemental living inside. But as we spend our time outdoors and exercise or dance in these elements, we bring a stronger connection to our senses.
I was blessed to have experienced a week of dance with an incredible teacher from NYC where we explored the topic of being able to “See” and be “Seen”. Irina’s hosted a magical dance experience in nature of igniting your practice and showing up as your true self. It was exactly what I needed to uncover and feel so blessed to be a part of it all. It was an extremely windy day, connecting us to “air elements”, which represents movement, intelligence and soul (psyche), creativity, and new beginnings.
Do you hide true self yourself from others? Are you afraid of really being seen? It can feel so overwhelming to be so vulnerable sometimes but that’s what connects us and makes us authentic. In reverse, do you see people as they truly are? Or are you projecting your own pre conceived awareness of what you want? The more aware we are of our thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and surroundings, the higher the level of consciousness. Our level of awareness of internal events and external surroundings is known as a state of consciousness.
In the Upanishads, a sacred Hindu text, it talks about the Four States of Consciousness and defines these states as waking, dreaming, deep sleep, and turya (the fourth state which is the state of enlightenment). Consciousness is a term used to describe the awareness of your physical and mental experience. States of consciousness play an important role in our everyday experience. We can use our environment to tap into these states of consciousness and have it provide health and wellness.
To activate such awareness, we can designate an area in our room specifically for meditation, this unconsciously can trigger a response of practicing meditation without thinking about doing it. This is Sensory Design principles by using our environment for perceptual learning.
I personally use nature as a major aspect for health and wellness and doing these dance retreats in such amazing surroundings connects my inner world to my outer environment. It’s a practice of tapping into my senses and perceptual thinking for my health and wellness.
I kept thinking on this throughout the retreat, “Am I showing up as your authentic self?”, I would say YES!
Don’t be afraid to share your true self with the world, even if you have been hurt in the past by others, staying true to your inner self is what the world needs now.
Be the hero of your own story.
