I was taught that we have 5 senses, sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. It has been found 80% of our impressions come through our vision. We all have different levels of vision and hearing. We strongly associate smells with certain emotional memories. At the hospital clinic where I work we use to do aromatherapy for stress but too many people were allergic. Some scents like lavender are known for calming. Peppermint gives me a boost of energy and some studies show lemon and sage can also help. Now we know that tasting is genetic and a supertaster tastes certain flavors and foods more strongly than other people. Some people have more taste buds and receptors, so their perception of flavor is stronger than the average person. They are particularly sensitive to bitterness foods such as broccoli, spinach, coffee, beer, and chocolate.

Once when sailing I was asked if I was ill, I had closed my eyes to better feel the wind on my face. You can close your eyes when you listen to music. Listening to music is associated with lower levels of stress, boredom, and can improve our concentration. Rest your eyes after 30 minutes on the computer or reading. Only buy fabrics in clothes that feel good on your skin. I love the feel of bamboo clothing. Holding objects such as fidget spinners stress balls can reduce tension and relieve stress, according to the American Institute of Stress. People have used worry stones for thousands of years. If you want to use the five of senses a great time is eating or drinking coffee. For my French press coffee, I savor hearing the water boiling, see the coffee as I pour it in the cup, feel the texture of my favorite mug and then smell and taste my morning treat.

Two new senses are being recognized. Vestibular which is the movement and balance sense. It gives us information about where our head and body are in space. I learned a lot more about this when I had vertigo. I was dizzy due to a disruption of the tiny crystals within my inner ear. These crystals help us know where our head is at in space. In teaching I talk about proprioception, the body awareness sense, which tells us where our body parts are relative to each other. It also gives us information about how much force to use in holding things. Some people have better proprioception than others.

My family also told me about the 6th sense. The dictionary describes it as “a power of perception like but not one of the five senses : a keen intuitive power”. Both my mother and grandmother used their intuition often. A few years ago I heard we have brain cells in our stomach. I was so excited to learn a gut level feeling is a real thing. In 2017 Harvard Medical School publish an article stating The enteric nervous system that regulates our gut is often called the body’s “second brain.” An extensive network in the stomach uses the same chemicals and cells as the brain to help us digest and to alert the brain when something is amiss. Gut and brain are in constant communication. Always trust if something does not feel right it is probably not. We can tune into our intuition through quiet practices like meditation.