I’ve been intrigued by some of the recent research on the concept of Awe. I utilize the concept in therapy with my clients regularly. 2 researchers recently conducted a small study on the concept of microdosing mindfulness and experiencing awe.
What is awe? It’s that moment when you recognize your place in the universe, and the vastness of beauty around us, even the tiniest of things, and even in our own homes. And the experience of awe can have a calming effect on the vagus nerve, which then sends a message to our brain to release dopamine. But more on that another time.
So how to find Awe at home? Researchers conducted a study using the letters AWE.
A- Attention. The core concept of mindfulness. By turning our attention to a thing of value, that is beautiful, or that is ordinary even, but amazing as well. But to look at it with a calm and sustained attentiveness. Focus.
W- Wait. Even waiting for just the length of one deep breath is long enough to slow our system down if we continue to focus our attention.
E- Exhale and Expand. Exhaling with a 2:1 ratio, so that the exhale is twice as long as the inhale, can amplify the sensation your experiencing, and can lead to a sense of Awe.
Cooking is one of my favorite ways to take care of myself. It is a way to practice mindfulness and it is full of opportunities for Awe. In 2007 I saw a film at the Int’l Film Festival called How to Cook your Life, about a Zen Buddhist monk who taught mindfulness through cooking. It gave me the framework for something that I already practiced all the time.
Sometimes we have to get over ourselves and our repetitive focus on things inside our own minds. The stories that repeat themselves. Cultivating Awe is an excellent way to do so. It is one step beyond gratitude. It is about the patterns in the world around us that we are fortunate enough to witness every single day.
More about the research here:
