02 Feb The Art of Savoring: 7 Profound Ways to Fully Absorb Your Experience

Savor.  The word itself sounds simply indulgent.

To savor means to give yourself wholly to the enjoyment of something. To let go and receive its fullness into your being.  To absolutely appreciate the gift you have been given.

Savoring is a magical act.  And it changes everything.

The very essence of savoring is rooted in mindfulness… a moment-to-moment non-judgmental awareness. By cultivating consciousness, we allow ourselves to connect completely with what is in front of us, and to absorb all the benefits of doing so.  As a result, we become more deeply in touch with our life as it’s unfolding.

And isn’t that what it’s all about?

If we’re not fully experiencing and enjoying the process of creating of our extraordinary lives – right now, this moment – we’re missing the point entirely.

Only by paying attention and savoring ALL the moments of our existence – both the pleasurable and the challenging – and recognizing the value both have to offer, can we create a truly quality experience.  And THAT is what we carry with us as we step into our Life Vision.

Set an intention to fully acknowledge and appreciate everything in your world this month – both big and small – and let the quality of your life bloom.

Here are 7 Profound Ways to Fully Absorb Your Experience:

1.    Be Where You Are

“As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are.
Otherwise you will miss most of your life.”
-Buddha

Presence is the very first step in savoring.

A constant source of stress for most people is: “Am I doing the right thing, right now?” Should I be exercising instead? Should I be checking what else is going on, in my email box or latest social media site? Is there a better, smarter, faster way to do this task?

When we set an intention to savor, this anxiety melts away. We are fully present with this activity, so we allow all our thoughts of outside things to fade.  We give ourselves space to do just this, and to experience it fully and with gratitude.  We clear our mind space of the clutter that is “I will, I could, I should” and we plant ourselves firmly in the moment of “I am.”

When we begin to understand that now – this moment – is the only moment we can affect and enjoy, we invite the magic of savoring into our world.

“Nothing ever happened in the past; it happened in the Now.
Nothing will ever happen in the future; it will happen in the Now.”
-Eckhart Tolle

Be where you are.  Notice your surroundings.  Really see the faces of the people you interact with.  Hear their words.  Give them your full attention.  Feel the breeze on your skin, and hear the sound of the wind.  Let yourself be delighted by the simplest of moments.  Like snowflakes, no two are the same, and this one can never be recreated.

2.    Ground Yourself In Your Physical Experience

“As is the feeling so is the experience,
for everything is a reflection of the inner being.”
-Sai Baba

Our bodies are the vessels through which we experience every sensation in our lives, yet we pay so little attention to them on a moment-to-moment basis.

Connect with your physical being and become grounded at the most fundamental level.  Bring your thoughts and mental awareness to what this experience is providing for you – physically, emotionally, sensationally.  Notice your sensory reactions.  Doing this allows you to strip away the disorder that surrounds you, and create internal order on a cellular level.

Experience the miracle that is your human body.  Bring awareness to every inch of your anatomy.  Feel the beating of your heart and the flow of blood beneath your skin.  Breathe intentionally, expanding your lungs and diaphragm.  Stimulate energy within yourself.  Your body is your life source.  Honor it.  Connect with it.  Savor it.

“Consciously inhabiting our physical being
is the gateway to full aliveness.”
-Tara Brach

3.    Slow Down

“Breathe. Let go.
Remind yourself that this very moment
is the only one you know you have for sure.”
-Oprah Winfrey

Most of us are racing through our lives at dangerous speeds.  We skim the surface of our moment-to-moment experiences without fully seeing what’s right in front of us, or fully experiencing the treasure that lies within every occasion.

We push so hard to get to the next task, to stay one step ahead, to cross the finish line.  We are constantly striving for that elusive “next thing” that will give us ultimate satisfaction or fulfillment, when in fact satisfaction and fulfillment are within our reach at every given moment, through the power of presence and the art of savoring.

Working hard and continually striving toward our goals is absolutely essential to becoming the very best version of ourselves and building a truly extraordinary quality of life.  But when it comes at the expense of our daily experience, it defeats the entire purpose.

“Many people are alive, but don’t touch the miracle of being alive.”
-Thich Nhat Hanh

When we master the art of savoring, we become able to fully absorb our experience, go about our daily business with a sense of wholeness, and create a life of true quality… filled with beauty, connection, and fulfillment for our soul.

Treat every second as an irreplaceable gift, because it is.  Give yourself permission to create the necessary space in your life to slow down and enjoy your moments.  You won’t regret it.

4.    Simplify

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately,
to front only the essential facts of life,
and see if I could not learn what it had to teach,
and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
I wanted to live deep and suck all the marrow of life.”
-Henry David Thoreau, Walden

Simplicity brings balance, freedom, and joy. It removes distraction, and allows us to focus on the essential things in life that bring us the greatest fulfillment.

Whatever it is you need to simplify – whether it be your possessions, your commitments, your goals, your words, or your routines – simplification doesn’t have to mean doing without.  It could, but it doesn’t have to.

The prevailing philosophy of “voluntary simplicity” is not to live without possessions or to live in frugality, but to slow down, become more conscious of the quality of those possessions, and live a more balanced, deliberate, and thoughtful life.  It means being aware of your needs and fulfilling them exactly and with intention, not mindlessly devouring in excess.

To sum it up – Do and consume LESS, and gain so much MORE as a result.

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex.
It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage
to move in the opposite direction.”
-E.F. Schumacher

Discover what is “enough” in your life – based on a thoughtful analysis of your desired lifestyle and values – and discard the rest to create the space you need to fully enjoy the things in front of you.

5.    Choose Quality Over Quantity

“Quality begins on the inside… then works its way out.”
-Bob Moawad

When we realize that it’s how we interact with the things in our lives that brings us fulfillment, not the things themselves, our lives begin to transform.

Pay attention to the visceral experience your body has with its surroundings, and how you engage with the things in your life.  Can you transform these things to influence your interaction with them, and therefor your behavior?

Become deliberate and ruthlessly selective, and only welcome the things that integrate well into the scene of your life.

Learn to give your time, energy and money only to the experiences, environments, and possessions that hold meaning to you… things that awaken something within you.

Commit to doing LESS, but fully experiencing the quality of what you do.  This creates the space in your life for you to give 100% of your energy and focus to the task at hand, which in turn, gives you 100% of the benefit.  Because, as we often forget, what we give out is what we receive back.

And above all, seize EVERY opportunity to create a quality experience.

“Quality is not an act; it is a habit.”
-Aristotle

6.    Expand Your Expectations

‘I am open to the guidance of synchronicity,
and do not let expectations hinder my path.’
-Dalai Lama

Expectations are invaluable to human beings. They are the tool we use to see into our future, create beliefs about it, and set an intention around it.  There is absolutely a time and a place for expectation, but, as with nearly everything in life, it should be exercised in moderation.

So much stress, frustration, anger and disappointment stems from creating expectations over small, insignificant events in our lives.  When things don’t turn out exactly as we want them to – the “right” way – we become disappointed and reactive, and the quality of our experience suffers.

“For every minute you are angry
you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Try not to create too much pressure on your present moment and learn to appreciate it for all that it is, exactly as it is.  Each moment – especially the challenging ones – have something to show or teach us.  We just have to open ourselves to receive the message.

And Lifebook Members know very well that, though we accomplish MANY of the things we set out to, these goals are often achieved in different ways than we originally imagined them.  It’s impossible to take into account the infinite variables life throws our way.

So let’s expand our expectations and make room for them to unfold as they will.  Let’s keep an open mind.  Let’s expect happiness, fulfillment and a truly quality experience.  But let’s also remember to expect the unexpected…

7.    Reflect On Your Experiences

To inhabit a moment requires awareness and presence.  But to understand and absorb it fully, we can return to the moments of our lives again and again, through the process of reflecting.

Every experience you have in your life – whether “good” or “bad” – is a part of your journey, and it stays with you.  It becomes a part of you.  And for that reason, every experience – whether profound or seemingly insignificant – can hold deep value and meaning in your life, if you let it.

Through the art of savoring and the practice of reflecting, we can keep those moments alive within ourselves.  We can think about them, appreciate them, and make them last.  We can extract the prefix of “save” from the word savor, and literally SAVE them – invest them into our lives again and again.

When we awaken ourselves to the reality that every passing second of our existence is valuable and irreplaceable… that every moment builds toward a greater picture of who we are and why we’re here, we come to realize that an extraordinary quality of life isn’t just a long-term goal… it’s within our reach in this very moment, right now, through the power and the art of savoring.

How do YOU savor your experiences?  Share the practices and strategies that help you stay mindful and present with us by commenting below!