This article was written by Lauren Elise Rogers, CHSE, Owner & Certified Holistic Sexuality Educator. Come see Lauren during our Reclaim Your Sexuality event.
We often relegate “pleasure” to sexual encounters - inadvertently robbing ourselves of simple and delightful pleasures that are ours for the taking.
I encourage you to consider how adding a Daily Pleasure Practice, like the one below, might enhance your commute to work, busy mornings with your children, evening walks with your dog, and, yes, even your hurried showers.
Luxuriating in the world around us enables us to expand our capacity for pleasure and integrate eroticism in all its forms. If consistently practiced, this seemingly small mindshift will revolutionize the way you see yourself, others and the world around you.
Slowly work through each of your senses using the prompts below. Focus on only one sensation for each sense that brings you pleasure.
SEE
Wherever you are right now, find one thing of beauty that brings you joy and look at it. Truly look. The key is to focus on something you enjoy - NOT something that disturbs your nervous system. What is it about this thing that is worth admiring?
HEAR
If you can, go on a walk and focus on the rustling of the trees, the sound of the birds singing, or a stream or the ocean. If you’re on the subway, can you hear a rhythm that brings you joy? Focus on the different sounds and then let them meld together. What did you notice?
TOUCH
Feel the world through your fingers. Touch the different textures of your clothes and consciously notice what sensations that produce. What about the ridges of the steering wheel or your bike handles? What happens when your hands grasp a warm tea cup or a glass of ice water? Place a small stone or shell in your pocket for the day and play with it secretly. What do you feel?
SMELL
Before you take your next bite of food or sip your next beverage, inhale slowly. What do you smell? Imagine the scent moving into your body. Register the sensation. Wait until you have absorbed your body’s reaction before you eat or drink.
TASTE
After you have enjoyed the scent of your food or beverage, take a bite or sip and taste it deliberately. Notice where in your body the taste registers and any emotions you might feel. Eating can be a deeply sensual and emotional act - give it permission to be.
Join us in The Study on Thursday, March 9 from 6-8pm for a transformative evening of education and enlightenment with Holistic Sexuality Educator, Lauren Elise Rogers, CHSE, of Sex Ed for You.
Through storytelling, embodied education, and small group discussion Lauren will share tools to help you reclaim your inherent sexuality as an inherent, essential, & beneficial dimension of being human.
