We are a month into spring.  As our mind and body get readjusted to the time changes, warmer weather and pollen we should take a few moments to focus on revitalizing the senses.  It’s sort of like a spring cleaning for the mind and body to transitions from the staleness of winter back into the light of spring.  Here are some tips on how you can rejuvenate your five senses this spring.

Sight

Recipes for the Senses: Color Therapy

Color rejuvenates our sense of vision

Ingredients or Tools: Dosha Wheel or Color Wheel

Time: 10 Minutes

Directions:

• Read an article on doshas then do one of the following based on your specific dosha.
• Balance your dosha by adding color to your life.
• Balancing colors for vatas are warm or calming. Yellows and golds are very pleasing in vata décor, as are white, violet, blue, and deep reds.
• Pittas tend to be hot, they need a cooling environment to stay in balance. Stick with soft, pastel colors to soothe away tensions. Blues and greens are beneficial, as are pinks and roses.
• Kapha needs the stimulation of bright, hot colors. Pick up the energy level with reds and oranges.

Taste

Recipes for the Senses: Sugar Free Cardamom Mango Smoothie

Spices stimulate our sense of taste

Ingredients or Tools:

• 2 ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced
• 1 cup fat-free plain yogurt
• 8 cubes of ice
• 2/3 cup nonfat milk
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ½ cup granular sucralose sweetener

Time: 10 minutes

Directions:

Place mango, yogurt, ice and milk into a blender.  Sprinkle in cardamom and sweetener to taste.  Puree until smooth, frothy and creamy.

Hearing

Recipes for the Senses: Outdoor meditation

Silence stimulates our sense of sound

Ingredients or Tools:

• Yoga Mat
• Favorite Outdoor Location (Back Yard, Park or Pool)

Time: 20 minutes

Directions:

Find a comfortable position sitting. Begin with a few deep breaths, breathing deep into the belly, to help you relax and to bring you to the sensations of the present moment. Now close your eyes and be present to what is being experienced with your eyes closed. Notice how your body feels, as well as the activity of your mind and emotions. Experience whatever is present without resisting anything or trying to change it. Do this for about twenty minutes.

Smell

Recipes for the Senses: Spring diffuser for your home

Essential oils stimulate our sense of smell

Ingredients or Tools:

• 5 drops Geranium Essential Oil
• 13 drops Grapefruit Essential oil
• 2 drops Lime Essential Oil
• 2 drops Spearmint Essential Oil

Time: 10 minutes

Directions:

Create the blends by adding the proper amount of essential oils to a dark-colored glass bottle. Add the appropriate number of drops from your created blend to your diffuser following the manufacturer’s instructions.

Taste

Recipes for the Senses: Homemade coffee body scrub

Dry brushing and body scrubs rejuvenate the skin

Ingredients or Tools:

• 1 cup ground coffee
• tablespoon salt
• 1/3 cup sweet almond oil or other carrier oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 8 drops grapefruit essential oils
• 8 drops of orange
• 4 drops of peppermint

Time: 10 minutes

Directions:

Mix coffee, salt and essential oils in a glass or ceramic bowl. Add almond oil slowly, stirring continuously, until mixture reaches the consistency of moist sand.