This month’s topic will return to our five senses and their influences on the mind. I’ll also talk about the importance of maintaining clarity of mind via the process of cleansing the sense organs that are affiliated with the five senses - sight, sound, smell, taste and feel. These are the experiences that inform one’s brain.
Sight
Our perception relies not only on what the structure of the eyeball is physically seeing, but our interpretation of that image. If one’s head is congested with mucus, our attention would typically be drawn to a runny nose or congested throat however, the eyes can also hold mucus. And for that matter the entire cranium could be congested, causing brain fog or cloudy eyes, both contributing to some degree of altered perceptions of reality.
Sound
The vibrational interpretation of a subject at hand. The brain interprets sound waves, which imprint on the mind…but what came first, the chicken or the egg? Does the sound imprint the image, or is the sound given an image? Whichever you choose, reality deems that you must first receive the vibration through the ear canal. There are conditions that could disturb or compete with the sound waves, such as, accumulated earwax and tinnitus (ringing in ears), which could influence and affect the interpretation.
Smell
This sense, while supplying the brain with olfaction information, it also plays a part in taste. Which would explain why when our sinuses are full, the sense of taste may not be present. While there are several sinus cavities, the ethmoid sinuses could arguably be the most influential because of their proximity to the brain. An effective Ayurvedic cleansing technique, referred to as Shiro-Abhyanga-Nasya, focuses on flushing these sinuses, which results in amazing clarity of eyes and mind.
Taste
There are 6 potential ways to inform the brain of taste: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent. Foods are also categorized as hot or cold, dry or unctuous, and light or heavy. On the surface, the sense of taste may appear to be only about our digestive pleasures, however, the foods we eat, and their qualities play a major role in dictating how efficiently and effectively our digestive system works. A cleansed palette can help guide us to proper digestion of food.
Feel
Touch is the act of placing one’s fingers and palms on another person or thing to give information to the brain. But it’s not that simple. Our interpretation of that information hinges on the input from our eyes, ears, nose, and tongue. Proper discernment, the ability to obtain accurate, sharpened perceptions can only be done when the five senses are in optimal working condition. Discernment is sometimes referred to as a hunch, intuition, a guess, a prediction, knowledge…in other words, a good thing. And how do we make a good thing better? We cleanse it. :)
Please see our ad in this issue of the Artful Mind and refer to our column in previous issues for more information on cleansing.
Be well and heal thyself!
Terrel Broussard
Ayurvedic Practitioner, Herbalist, Bodyworker
413-329-5440