7 Step Experiment - Feel the Effects of Awe in your Body

How to Feel Awe in Daily Life

by Kathleen Lisson

Standing on the Top of Mt. Kilimanjaro and feeling Awe

Balancing the demands of school, work, family and social obligations can lead to overflowing to-do lists, a feeling of busy-ness that leads to anxiety, and the sense of not having enough time to do everything. Taking time to go out in nature and ideally experience awe is one natural way to combat stress. Have you ever seen something amazing and you feel like time literally stood still? That’s the beauty of a feeling called awe.

Here’s a quick 7 step experiment that can show you the effect of awe on your own body.

1. Take a moment to sit comfortably in a safe space and close your eyes.
2. Take a slow, deep breath.
3. Bring to mind a time when you experienced awe.
4. How did it make you feel, where were you and who were you with. Really feel the emotion in your body.
5. Notice where you felt the emotion. Did you shoulders and face relax as you remembered your experience?
6. Open your eyes and take another deep breath.
7. How busy and overwhelmed do you feel after the experience versus before you clicked on this article?

Remembering an experience of awe is getting just a glimpse of the positive effects that regular time outdoors in nature can provide. If you are interested in the effects of awe, read the work of UC Berkeley’s Dacher Keltner and then get outside and experience it for yourself!

Kathleen Lisson is a certified Meditation Teacher and Labyrinth Facilitator and teaches Meditation and Mindfulness at IPSB college in San Diego. Sign up for a private meditation lesson or labyrinth walk in the comfort of your home here: https://www.massagebook.com/San_Diego~Massage~sandiego?src=external