What are the 12 senses of the body?

They are: Touch, Life, Self-Movement, Balance, Smell, Taste, Sight, Temperature/Warmth, Hearing, Language, Thought and Ego or the sense of the 'I'.

thesteinerconnection.com - The 12 Senses - The Steiner Connection

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Have you heard of the 12 senses?

Steiner often spoke of the 12 senses in relation to healthy human development. Having a better understanding of these senses can help parents to support healthy childhood development. What are the 12 senses? According to anthroposophy, the 12 human senses are the way in which the soul experiences the external world. Humans don’t relate to the world only through the 5 senses which are normally considered; rather Steiner held a 12 fold view of the senses. They are: Touch, Life, Self-Movement, Balance, Smell, Taste, Sight, Temperature/Warmth, Hearing, Language, Thought and Ego or the sense of the ‘I’. Steiner spoke on the idea of the 12 fold picture. This image gives us the 12 human senses, the 12 months and the 12 zodiac signs. Over the course of the year the sun travels through each of the zodiacs and in a similar way our inner life moves through the 12 senses. ‘Everything we have in us, even everything we experience in our soul, is related to the outer world through our twelve senses.’ Rudolf Steiner During the first phase of life, between the age of 0 to 7 years, Steiner indicated that there are 4 senses which are primarily being developed; Touch, Life, Self-Movement and Balance. In the second life phase, from 7 to 14 years, the senses of Smell, Taste, Sight and Temperature/Warmth are under development. Finally, between the ages of 14 and 21, the last four senses are being developed: Hearing, Language, Thought and Ego. This is not to say that all senses can’t be nourished throughout all life phases. The groundwork is laid in the early years to nourish all senses, but the sense will not be fully developed until the appropriate life phase is complete.

What are the 12 Human Senses?

Let’s look more deeply into each of the 12 senses and their relationship to the human body:

Touch

The sense of touch relates to what our body comes into contact with and involves the feeling of brushing up against a boundary. Different textures and materials all activate the sense of touch. The feeling of cool sand running between your fingers. The smooth feeling of a small, hard pebble.

Gardening provides many opportunities to nourish the senses

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Life Sense

The life sense arises when we are ill or injured. It creates pain which lets us know that there is something wrong. Steiner spoke of a ‘Spirit Man’ who watches over us and alerts us via pain when something is not right. This sense is closely linked to attention and self-regulation.

Self-Movement

The sense of movement is the awareness of our muscles and joints when we move through space. This sense also relates to our life movement from birth to death and our biographical path.

Balance

Balance relates to how we stand within a space. This sense is not developed at birth, but gradually develops over time. If you have seen a toddler learning to walk then you have witnessed this sense in action. It is strongly linked to the sense of movement and is intricately linked to the workings of the inner ear.

The sense of balance in action

Smell

Often, we have no choice as to whether we smell a particular scent. It is thrust upon us by the external world and can elicit a strong response. The smell might be enticing like the smell of baking bread or it might not be so favourable. Through this sense we are taking a part of the world into ourselves.

Taste

When engaging the sense of taste, we make a conscious decision to make something a part of ourselves. This sense is evident when we are choosing what food to eat, cooking a meal and sitting down to eat.

Sight

The sense of sight allows us to experience colour, lightness and darkness. It is closely linked to thinking and emotion – consider the emotional response which can be elicited by viewing an artwork or a scene in nature.

An autumn scene at our local park

Temperature/Warmth

The sense of warmth is nourished when the body is kept warm with clothing made of natural materials. Parents and teachers can also activate the sense of warmth by holding a warming and welcoming space for the child.

Hearing

Steiner said that the sense of hearing is a spiritual sense and is available before creation. Hearing is a transformation process; a sound occurs and enters our ears where we process it and develop an understanding.

Speech

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The sense of speech is related to our awareness of language. It helps us to understand when others are speaking and is strongly linked to social understanding. Speech allows us to express our inner thoughts and feelings.

Thought

This sense is also referred to as the sense of concept. It is the ability to go beyond hearing and speech – the ability to comprehend what someone else has said. This sense allows us to see the situation from another’s point of view.

Ego

The ego or ‘I’ is important in developing a strong sense of who you are as an individual. It is the true being of ourselves. It helps us to gauge whether or not another person has integrity and if they believe in what they are saying. The first sign of the ego developing usually occurs around 3 years of age. The child will begin to refer to themselves in the first person and correctly use the word ‘I’. The development of this sense is evident in many of the misunderstandings and challenges commonly associated with toddlers.

My son developing his ego sense…

Each of the 12 senses can be present in the body in an over-activated or under-activated state. For example, a child who often falls over may have an under-activated sense of balance. This could be improved by offering more opportunities to work the sense of balance; swinging on monkey bars or swings, spinning in circles, balancing on small surfaces, balancing on one leg or riding a bike can all help the sense of balance. Providing children with a nourishing, developmentally appropriate learning environment can help to balance the senses. Next blog post will look more into how we can balance our young child’s sensory needs.

What are the 12 senses of the body?

How many years of piano lessons do you need?

Is there a 512th note in music?

Have you heard of the 12 senses?

What are the 12 Human Senses?

Touch

Gardening provides many opportunities to nourish the senses

Is 16 years old too late to learn guitar?

How can I start learning jazz?

Life Sense

Self-Movement

Balance

The sense of balance in action

Smell

Taste

Sight

An autumn scene at our local park

Temperature/Warmth

Hearing

Speech

Why do people call the Yazoo Delta line the yellow dog?

Does Jim Carrey know how do you play the piano?

Thought

Ego

My son developing his ego sense…

Have you noticed any of these senses developing in your child?

Further reading:

The 12 Human Senses GA 169 – Rudolf Steiner

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