Pleasure is your Birthright

Pleasure is medicine. Pleasure is your birthright. Is this news to you? It was news to me, too, and sometimes I have to remind myself. If pleasure is so critical to our well-being, why is it so often overlooked? Is it because we live in a society which makes us feel like pleasure is a luxury? Something we need to be worthy of, or earn?

It's funny how pleasure is often put in the backseat of how we are supposed to feel. Humans are drawn to pleasure. Yet, when you seek it, you’re considered selfish. Instead, you should be seeking truth! You should seek wisdom! These are lasting, while pleasure is fleeting. The media, your upbringing, and people around you will tell you that you can’t have it all. I disagree.

At The Institute of Authentic Tantra® we did an exercise called the 10-spot, using a Pleasure Scale of 1-10 with 1 being the lowest. In one of the exercises, we had to write three ways our pleasure had been met in the last 24 hours. When I first started, I couldn’t come up with anything.

As the practice continued, I learned to pay better attention and awareness of how to cultivate more pleasure in my life. (Hey, I was a good student and didn’t want to fail! Whatever it takes, right?!) I learned it really is the simple and small things that can make life more pleasurable. It was giving me permission.

For example, if I’m on the couch watching TV, what would make this more pleasurable? Sometimes it’s as simple as a blanket over my legs or extra pillows supporting my back. I no longer sip lukewarm tea or coffee, because I find more pleasure in hot beverages. The more I practiced this, the longer my list of pleasures grew.

This month, I’m asking you to check in with yourselves once a day. How can you make changes to increase your pleasures to 10s? Put pleasure in the front seat. Let me know your sensual awakenings to pleasure!