Do you realize that most people have two dominant senses? These are sight and sound. The other three underused senses of smell, taste and touch are getting left behind. Allow me to explain and I will give you an example…
In June 2025, my partner and I were traveling to Scotland and we stopped at the northbound Teebay service station for breakfast.
It was a nice location with quite a large pond outside the window area where Swallows were happily flying round and feeding their young just above the window where we were sitting.
After I finished eating, I couldn’t help it but my attention turned to a lady on a table nearby. I would put her age in the mid thirties bracket. Now, you have to try and imagine this scenario…
She had this skill of balancing a bowl of soup in her right hand with the phone in front of the bowl resting against her outstretched fingers. All the time while she was eating this soup, she was watching and listening to a video.
She never took her eyes off the screen. Meanwhile, she would fumble around on the table for the bread, then she would dip the bread in the soup, then rest the bread back on the plate, take a spoonful of soup and repeat the process again until it was finished.
There’s more. When the soup was finished, she put the bowl on the table – all the time looking at the video. Then she picked up a sticky bun and tucked into that, again, her attention stayed with this device nestling neatly in her hand.
And to top it all off, after the bun was devoured she managed to feel around the table for her coffee without knocking it over, placing the cup to her lips and continued to slurp it down until it was all finished.
I was fascinated watching this.
That’s quite a talent and would take some time to practice. But, here’s the problem. Do you honestly think this woman was aware of the food she was eating? The other three underused senses were pretty much dormant during this essential activity. Do you think she could taste the food, or smell the coffee or feel the texture of the sticky bun between her fingers?
Possibly not, because the only senses activated during this breakfast treat were the sight and sound from looking at the screen and hearing what was coming from the phone. She was basically unconscious of three out of five senses.
This can become a real problem later on because people become unaware of their feelings and they don’t recognize or appreciate touch which can affect their health and relationships.
When I studied Ayurveda and Vedic science many years ago, the rule was this. Sit quietly and concentrate on what you are eating and try to cut out all the external influences around you until you have finished eating.
Ok, we all do this to a certain degree where we get drawn in a bit and let our attention slip to something else. But next time you are out at a cafe or restaurant, just see how many people are constantly scrolling through their phones without paying attention to what they are eating.
Also, take notice of their posture – quite often they will have rounded shoulders and neck.
It’s not just about eating either. A lot of the younger generation can’t even cross the road without looking at their phone. They could be heading for a life of imbalance later on, unaware of their own body, where they are totally disconnected from their feelings and emotions because they are living too much in their head.
If you feel that you fall into this category, then it may be a good idea to spend some time in nature, connect with the flowers and trees and listen to the birds singing in order to bring some other sensations into your life.
Remember that the Internet and smart phones only serve visual and hearing purposes and can’t activate taste, touch or smell. These require a different approach in order to bring harmony and balance into our lives.
So one of the best things you can do for yourself is to activate at least one of the underused senses and indulge in alternative therapies. These allow you to feel into your body, be aware of your pains and where they may have originated from.
For people that try aromatherapy, their sense of smell will be activated from the essential oils. The soothing strokes of warm oil flowing over your skin from a general massage will remind you of what touch feels like.
Acupressure treatments are also very effective as they move stuck energy and liven up the meridians and Reiki / Spiritual Healing treatments can be very calming.
Maybe you should consider some of this to bring about balance and harmony to your body – you deserve it.