Meditations for the Five Senses

This project, completed in September 2025, was commissioned by the Duke University Wellness Center to offer a multisensory experience that supports mindfulness, presence, and emotional well-being. The original paintings - each one inspired by one of the five senses: Sound, Smell, Taste, Touch, and Sight - are permanently on display at the Wellness Center.

Welcome to a multi-sensory experience rooted in stillness and wonder.

Each painting invites you to slow down and enter the world through one of the five senses. These meditations are not about effort or achievement, but about presence. Let your awareness soften. Let your breath guide you inward. There is nothing to fix - only something to feel.

Smell Meditation

Breathing in, arrive in this scented garden.  Breathing out, soften into the air around you.

You are sitting on a weathered wooden bench, nestled within a sun-dappled sanctuary of blooms. The garden around you hums with stillness. The stones behind you radiate warmth, and the lush scent of flowers rises gently with each breath.

A creamy magnolia bloom leans nearby, its lemony sweetness blending with the deeper fragrance of gardenias and the lush perfume of full pink peonies. Rich, golden roses offer their honeyed scent.  The air is a living bouquet—layered, warm, and embracing.

With each inhale, invite the scents to enter not just your nose, but your whole awareness. Let them stir something deep—memory, peace, presence.  With each slow, mindful breath, let this symphony of scents invite you into deeper calm and gentle presence.
Let the aromas soothe your mind and spirit—grounding you, softening you, and connecting you to the earth’s quiet beauty.

Let go of distractions. Inhale the richness of the moment and exhale anything that weighs you down.

Breathing in, you are completely present.  Breathing out, you release past and future.

Taste Meditation

Breathing in, invite the rich fullness of nature into your body.  Breathing out, feel gratitude for the nourishment it offers.

Imagine yourself standing at the edge of a flourishing garden on a golden summer morning. Before you, a table overflows with ripe fruits and vegetables—sun-warmed tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, garden peas bursting from their pods, and the deep red flesh of a freshly sliced watermelon. Each one holds the taste of sunlight and soil, season and care.

As you lift a piece of fruit to your mouth, notice its vibrant color and texture. Let the sweetness or tartness rest on your tongue. Chew slowly and with intention, feeling the connection between the earth, your body, and the life that sustains you.

Let this moment remind you of how deeply you are supported—by the land, by the cycle of growth, and by the joy of receiving. There is nothing you need to do right now but savor.

Breathing in, feel the abundance of the earth.  Breathing out, rest in the joy of simple pleasure.

Touch Meditation

 Breathing in, feel yourself arrive in the body.  Breathing out, soften into this moment of contact with the world.

You are standing in front of a landscape of sculpted stone and resilient plants—a living tapestry of textures shaped by sun, wind, and time. Before you, rocks rise in layered formations—some jagged and fractured, others worn smooth, their surfaces polished by the elements. At their base, a cactus sits quietly, its ribs tight with strength and water. Nearby, an agave’s thick, tapered leaves unfold, edged with delicate thorns. To one side, the velvety softness of Lamb’s Ear beckons your touch, while overhead, slender palm blades stretch outward in sharp, radiant lines.

Let your awareness trace the feel of each form—the grit of stone under your palm, the firm skin of succulent leaves, the contrast of gentle and guarded, soft and severe.

Breathing in, awaken your senses.  Breathing out, relax into the richness of contact.  You are alive to the world—and the world meets you in return.

Sound Meditation

Breathing in, invite calm into your body.  Breathing out, let everything else soften and release.

You find yourself standing near a gently flowing stream, tucked within the embrace of a forest. The golden structure ahead stands quietly, grounded like your own breath. Listen.

A light trickle of water tumbles over smooth stones, the sound steady and soothing. Nearby, an Eastern Towhee sings its clear, sweet notes— “drink your tea”—and you follow the melody as if it were a path guiding you inward.

The hum of a dragonfly passes your ear, subtle and brief, like a whisper from the natural world. High above, leaves rustle in the breeze, their motion rhythmic and free. These soft sounds arrive and pass without effort, inviting you to be present.

Allow the symphony of this moment to settle around and within you. There is nothing to do—just listen. Let the sounds of the stream, the bird, the hum, the trees, gently carry you deeper into quiet awareness.

Breathing in, receive this stillness.  Breathing out, relax into the peace it brings.

Sight Meditation

 Breathing in, invite clarity into your vision. Breathing out, soften your gaze and let the edges blur.

Stand in front of this scene and allow your eyes to settle on the sunflower at the center. Notice how your gaze is drawn to the vivid yellow petals, the dark textured center, and the crisp green of the leaves and stem. Every detail is sharp. Every line is clear.

Now slowly let your eyes drift to the background. What was once defined becomes softer, less distinct. The petals behind the foreground blur into warmth and color—suggesting, not declaring—their form. The eye knows they are there, yet they invite you to release the need for precision.

This moment mirrors how we move through the world: we choose where to focus, what to bring into clarity, and what to let recede into gentle abstraction. The painting invites you to explore not just what you see, but how you see. Sharpness and softness. Illumination and shadow. Foreground and background.

Let this be a meditation on discernment. On visual presence. On what you choose to bring into focus—and what you are willing to let blur.

Breathing in, open your eyes to what is here.  Breathing out, accept that everything is not always clear.