Embracing Pleasure

Hello, beautiful soul!

Ok friend, so last week's focus on Listening to Pain and Pleasure was so very powerful. Thank you for diving in with me, and sharing your incredible insights and experiences. I learned so much, and the practice also stirred up so many additional wonderful questions to ponder, explore, and experiment with. Thank you, friend. I love our communal deep-dives!

This week, we'll continue onward, but.... well.... with a bit more emphasis on the pleasure side. :)

You see, I definitely don't want to ignore pain... Buuuuuuut, I also don't want to be looking for it. I was reminded last week to not fall into the practice of searching for pain in my body. In the moments when I did --when I'd sort of "scan" my body for pain-- it suddenly seemed to be everywhere. Which was interesting (and a bit perplexing), because otherwise I'd been feeling really great! There were even moments when I was like "wait.... is this pain or pleasure?" And the answer was "Well, it depends. Which are you looking for?" It was such a tangible experience of the saying "What you focus on grows." Oof. Thank you, Universe, for the very physical reminder. :) I'm grateful for the many insights, but for this coming week, I'd like to fine-tune our focus just a bit.

This week, I'd like to emphasize a slightly different approach to this exploration. Not ignoring pain, of course. Not going numb. But also being sure to not be searching or scanning for pain. However, it's not easy to go into an exploration just saying "Ok, don't search for pain." It's a bit like "Don't picture a white elephant." :)

So what should we do instead of just "not focus on pain?"

Set our sights elsewhere. We'll focus on sensing pleasure. If what we focus on grows... let's grow the pleasure, baby!

We'll dance, sense, and tune in.

We'll listen to pain if it cries out, responding with curiosity and care.

But otherwise, we'll be focusing on scanning for pleasure.

We'll dance & notice: What's pleasing to your body?

We can tap into all of our senses for this. What sounds are pleasing? Sights? Smells? Textures? Movements? Moments? What sensations in your muscles, tissues, and joints? In your neck and spine? On your skin? How might you tweak the movements to make them even more pleasurable?

Oh, it is going to be so delicious.

By Thursday morning's class, I found myself leaning toward this practice already, and --oh man-- it felt so GREAT! Pleasure was everywhere! It was....

• In the beautiful music.

• Being surrounded by plants.

• Connecting with friends.

• The delicious side stretch.

• The bounce of the jazz square.

• The pure release of shaking free.

• In my spine flowing like water.

• The grounded power as I kicked.

• My voice vibrating in my chest.

• Melting into the floor during dessert.

Ahhhhh.... dancing feels so GOOD!

So that's what we're going for this week, babe. We'll simply dance and embrace the pleasure that is available to us as we move.

Of course, no need to wait for class. How might you practice this now--wherever you are? What pleasures can you sense right here and now? Smells, sights, sounds, tastes, textures, temperatures, etc. How about in your muscles, joints, and layers of connective tissue? Are there any tweaks or adjustments you can make to create more pleasure in your movements?

In your body? In your home? In your work? In your relationships? ....?

As always, I can't wait to see what we discover together. See you soon!

Much love,

💛 Dani