A Sensual Meditation
We are born into a sensual world. From the moment we take our first breath, we are swimming in an overwhelming sea of sensual information. Before our newborn brains can process what’s happening, breath, touch, sound, movement, taste, smell and light are beginning to define our new embodied reality.
Let’s begin right now by focusing on our breath. In and out. Feel and follow the expansion and contraction of our lungs.
For those who meditate, this sensual meditation is a great alternative to traditional seated meditation. I find this sensual meditation especially powerful in delivering me to the present moment for a number of reasons. Primarily because each one of our senses is a different doorway back to the present moment.
Let’s change now to sound. Focus your attention on the sound all around you. The sounds in the room where you read this and the sounds further away.
When we breathe, we feel it now. All the sounds around us and from within us, we are hearing now. The feelings of our bodies in moving in space or balancing in stillness are happening now. The touch of our clothing or the seat beneath us, we feel now.
Switch now to bringing your attention to your sense of touch, feeling the air around you and the places where your naked body meets the outside world.
The mind is constantly looking for change and is never really still for long. So unlike meditation that seeks to quiet the mind by recognizing thoughts and letting them go, this sensual meditation surfs the fluctuating nature of the mind by giving it something new to focus on again and again. The powerful thing about the senses, is that there are bunch of them to keep our minds entertained. And they all lead back to now.
You can also do this meditation in motion.
Take a leisurely walk around the block.
As you walk, focus on your breath, in and out.
(After some time)
Switch to listen to the world around you, sounds near and far.
(After some time)
Switch again to focus on the sensation of touch, the air caressing your body, your clothing, the ground beneath you.
(After more time)
Focus on the feeling of your body moving through space, the muscles and motion, the transfer of weight in each step.
Then go back to the breath and cycle through the senses again and again. Over and over until you begin to notice how easy it is to remain in the present moment. Doing this sensual meditation while in contact with another person, is the doorway to intimacy.