Awakening Pleasure
I am an advocate for pleasure. That shouldn't surprise you as I’ve been very open on my public forums about my work as a Priestess of Aphrodite, the Goddess of love, passion and pleasure. I think pleasure is a powerful emotion and body experience that can provide healing, but there is also some discourse on if pleasure is a “bad thing”. This comes from two prongs; one of a yogic mindset that focuses on detachment and the other of sexual purity. I am going to focus on the yogi perspective, because I am not going to add shame or commentary on sexual purity. Those who choose to stay pure for a partner, marriage, religion, personal preference, etc. have that choice and to judge someone freely making that choice would be providing an invitation for shame to those who do not follow that mindset.
One of the seven spiritual laws of yoga is the law of detachment. It hypothesizes that in order to receive something tangible, there must be detachment from it. For example, I want a new job and I’m working really hard to get into XYZ company; I have an attachment to working at that specific company. Attachment is considered to be rooted in fear, scarcity and insecurity, so if you “let it go” and surrender to the flow of the universe you’ll receive your desire. It seems like a paradox, and I do agree that it can be a difficult concept to understand… but I do not see pleasure as an attachment since it’s such a broad subject.
Pleasure can be innocent or sexual, it can be physical or emotional, and it can also be inside or outside partnership. You can receive pleasure from eating a delicious meal or walking outside. Pleasure is subjective to each individual person and even from moment to moment. Pleasure is a symptom of having a human experience, not an attachment that prevents soul evolution and the manifestation of desires. Pleasure is the product of desire, it’s the vehicle calling in that manifestation through creative - orgasmic energy.
But where do you/I/we start?
That is through asking yourself questions and testing things out. Someone that’s pleasurable to me, may not work for you and vice versa. Some of the ones that immediately come to my mind as not-pleasurable, but others enjoy are when plans evolve quickly, washing my hair and camping. Those don’t do it for me. I would suggest asking yourself some questions to see how you want to awaken pleasure within you.
Am I craving something mentally, emotionally, spiritually or physically stimulating?
Do I want this to be alone or with another person or with multiple people?
Do I want to be indoors or outdoors?
Is this active or relaxing?
Am I wanting something public or private?
From these questions you can explore if you’re drawn to specific types of activities and any patterns you may have. One of my patterns is that I find immense pleasure in a hot bath, spending time alone, being outside in the sun, reading a book. Not everything needs to be sensual or sexual to elicit a pleasurable experience. Pleasure is your birthright. When you tune into what feels pleasurable for you, you’re also practicing having a dialogue with yourself that can be a pathway to healing. Practicing exploring your pleasure, as it’s defined for you, is an act of self-love and self-care. Pleasure is a powerful tool and definitively not a form of attachment.
