Touch . Rain . String

Part 1. Touch

Welcome to the first part of this invitation. Take a moment to find somewhere that you can sit or stand or settle yourself comfortably.

Notice where your body is in contact with the surfaces around you.

Each time we come into contact with something, we perceive it through touch. Perhaps through our hands, fingertips, our feet or other parts of our body.

What do you notice about the texture, temperature or properties of the surfaces that you are in contact with? Are you leaning into or resting against something? Spend a moment noticing these points of contact.

You might want to shift or change your position or move to another part of the space that you are in, perhaps turn to face toward a different direction.

Notice again where your body makes contact with the surfaces around you. Have the points of contact changed? Perhaps your feet are touching the ground or your back is resting against a chair, or perhaps you are leaning against a wall or other surface. Is the contact light or is your body supported? Perhaps you notice the temperature of the space around you. Take a moment to notice these points of contact where your body and your environment touch.

When you are ready, shift or change your position again or move to a different part of the space where you are.

What draws you to this new place or position?
You might choose for a particular part of your body to make contact with a particular surface that draws your interest. What do you notice about the surfaces that you are in contact with? The texture or temperature, are these surfaces solid or do they mould or change shape as you make contact. Take a moment to settle and take in these points of contact before moving on.

And now as you move away from these points of contact, find a place where you can sit, stand or arrive comfortably.
Take in the space around you, through all of your available senses.

Reflect on what you can remember from the journey that you have just taken. Which surfaces did you touch or make contact with? Can you name them, can you describe their texture or qualities?

If you would like to, you could write, draw or audio record your list or collection of moments of contact that you remember and share them with us.
Here are mine….
Cushion
Fabric
Soft
Cotton
Ridged
Floorboard
Wood
Warmth
Sun warmed wood
Wall
Dusty plaster
Eyelids
Fabric
Edge

Part 2. Rain

For this part I invite you to find a time when the rain is falling. If there is no rain then of course you can use your imagination.

You can choose to try this invitation indoors or outside or somewhere between the two. I would suggest that you listen to this part of the audio invitation in full, before beginning your exploration. Make sure that you are inside, where you and your technology will stay dry! Have a listen, and then you can go out and explore the rain. And don’t forget that if you do choose to go outside, you may want to wear a waterproof!

RAIN – As water vapour condenses it forms droplets, which when they become heavy enough, fall to earth under gravity.

I invite you to spend some time listening to the rain, perhaps you can hear it on the walls, the roof or against the window of the space that you are in.

You might open a window or a door and notice the sound of the rain, you might close your eyes and hear the rhythms of the raindrops as they shower, sprinkle or pour from the sky. What do you hear as they land on the ground or on the surfaces around you? What do you notice in your own body as you listen to the rain outside? Does the temperature or quality of the air change as you notice and as you listen? Do the sensations in your own body shift or change?

If you would like to you could choose to feel the rain as it falls. You might reach your hand outside and let the rain fall on the palm or the back of your hand. You might step or move outside and feel the rain as it falls on to the surface of your body and clothes. Where does it land and how does it feel? How does it sound? Take a moment to stand or be still in the rain.

If you do go outside, I would invite you to open the palm of your hand to the sky and feel the pattern of the rain as it arrives on your skin. Even in a heavy shower I often find there are large heavy wet raindrops accompanied by a constant sprinkling of much lighter finer rain that reminds me of fine grains of sand. Whilst I can‘t see these fine rain drops. I can feel them on the palms and on the backs of my hands.

Spend a moment tuning into these sensations. Turning your hands over and back again, moving them in time with the patterns that dance on your skin.

My invitation to you is, to experience the rain, whether indoors or outside, in a way that takes your interest and when your exploration is complete, dry yourself off and, if you would like to, share a moment from your journey with us.

Part 3. String

So far, through our sense of touch, we have made contact with the surfaces around us and we have made contact with real or imagined rain.

For the final part of this invitation you will need a thread.
This could be a length of string, cotton, ribbon, embroidery thread, a shoelace or an imagined length of string. If you don’t have a thread with you, now is the time to find one.

I invite you to find a place to sit or stand with your thread. Take some time to explore the thread. You might pick it up, perhaps by scooping it up in both of your hands or holding it lightly between your fingertips and thumb. What do you notice? Is your thread rough or smooth, soft or fine, elastic or responsive?

Can you follow the thread from one end to the other? You might find your attention is drawn to your thumb and fingertips. You might imagine that you are following a pathway from one end of your string to the other. You might notice a beginning, middle and an end and the possibility to reverse your journey and travel back along the thread. You might find your hands moving toward and away from each other.

Try gathering your thread up so that it loops or tangles in on itself, finding its own shape. You might let it rest somewhere; on a table, on your lap or on the palm or back of your hand. Notice or feel it’s shape as it rests and the sensation of its weight on your hand or lap.

You could try dropping the thread, notice it falling and notice where and how it lands.

If you can, you might try to bring the two ends of your thread together and tie them in a real or imagined knot. Use your sense of touch to craft your knot, making one continuous loop of string. You might try untying and re-tying the two ends of your thread, using only your sense of touch. Perhaps this is familiar to you or perhaps you notice something new or unexpected as you tie and untie the thread. Does your pace of movement or the passing of time shift?

You can explore the thread for as long as it holds your attention…

When you are ready, place your thread down, paying attention to your sense of touch. Perhaps you notice an imprint or a memory of the string on your hand or fingertips.

If you would like to you might now imagine an invisible string that hangs or floats in the space around you. You might want to reach out and make contact with that string or you might choose to leave it where it is.

Perhaps it has a particular sound that describes its texture and quality or that lets you know where it is located in the space around you.

If you want to, you might choose to find the end of the string, to trace its pathway from one end to the other. Is it longer or shorter than you had imagined? Is it wide and expansive or fine and light or perhaps somewhere between the two. If you let go of the string does it stay where it is, fall to the ground or float away? Does your imagined string follow the physical properties or the physical thread you just played with or does it reveal unique and different properties?

You can continue to explore and play with the invisible thread for as long as it is of interest…

When you are ready you can choose how the thread will disappear. Perhaps it drifts away, fades into nothing or perhaps you gather it up into a small ball and place it in your pocket for safe keeping.

You have reached the end of this three part invitation. If you would like to you can record your thoughts and reflections. You could make a sketch of the shape of your string or make a recording of the rain. And don’t forget you can share these with us. Bye for now.