Have you ever paused in the middle of an activity to fully experience it? It could be taking the time to really taste an ice cream cone on a hot summer day or absorbing all of your bodily senses while sitting quietly on the beach at sunset —- some might have heard the phrase “stop to smell the roses”
If you can think about something, the is the essence of S A V O U R I N G! The act of stepping outside of an experience to review and appreciate it. Savouring involves an awareness of pleasure along with a quite deliberate attempt to focus attention on the sensation or experience at hand and delight in it. Savouring intensifies and lengthens the positive emotions that come with doing something you love.
There are 4 basic types of savouring:
- Basking – enjoyment of receiving praise and congratulations
- Marveling – getting lost in the wonder of a moment
- Luxuriating – indulging in a sensation or experience
- Thanksgiving – expressing gratitude and giving thanks for the experience
How to create, promote and enhance savouring:
- Absorption – allow yourself to be immersed fully in the experience
- Sharpen your senses – try to fixate (focus) on one sensation while blocking out others
- Memory building – do something that will help you remember the experience later on (ie. take a photo, souvenir)
- Share with others – seek out others with whom to share positive experiences with
- Self-congratulation – feel good about yourself when you experience savouring, try to hold the experience in your thoughts and permit yourself to feel proud (ie. take a deep breath and say, “Ahh”)
YOUR ASSIGNMENT:
You will practice the art of savouring by picking one experience/thing/ activity to truly savour each day for one week. It could be playing an instrument everyday, enjoying delicious meals, walking/running outside, or any experience that you really enjoy. Consider something you enjoy that you haven’t done in a while or one that you know you would really enjoy …. or savour. It’s about living in the moment with this activity everyday for one week.
When you take part in this savoured experience each day, be sure to practice the common ways to create, promote and enhance savouring. You will take some photos of the activity that you are savouring this week (include a minimum of 3 photos) and comment & reflect on how you savoured the activity each time all week. You need to share and reflect on which types of savouring were experienced and how they were part of your experiences. Reflect on the context of your activity, why would you want to savour this activity/experience.
Upload the completed work in a Word document to the Submissions folder.
In your savouring reflection:
1) TELL: tell me what activity/experience have you focused on savouring everyday this week, why you chose this particular activity. You should be able to provide a several thoughtful reasons why this activity is something that you want to savour or should savour.
2) SHARE: Include no less than 3 photos of your ‘memory building’ technique with a description of what the photo is, why/how it can be a savouring memory-builder.
3) REFLECT: Provide written comments that reflect on the following: how you savoured the moment, including which techniques (see types of savouring, ways to promote savouring) were part of your experience. (You may consider: what did you experience differently while savouring versus not thinking about the joy of this activity, how did you make time for the activity, etc). Reflect on the experience by connecting it with the learning this week, using the terms. Be sure that you have thoughtful reflections that demonstrate your understanding of the activity.
This assignment will be graded based on overall completion of the following criteria:
- Inclusion of explanations regarding your savouring experience (5 points)
- Inclusion of thoughtful, personal reflections on your savouring activity (5 points)
- Inclusion of relevant connections, concepts and terminology learned in the module and your experiences of savouring. (5 points)
