The Power of Pleasure in Living a Beautiful Life
How do you think about pleasure?
Do you consider it to be something that is absolutely necessary or nice to have?
Do you experience pleasure often or only once in a while?
Do you fully embrace feeling pleasure, or receive it somewhat reluctantly?
Let’s first address that the word pleasure has taken on a somewhat taboo meaning, often related specifically to sexual pleasure.
But pleasure actually means a feeling of happy satisfaction or enjoyment. Yes of course that can be wonderfully found in the erotic, but pleasure means so much more.
Too often, we take pleasure for granted. We think of it as something that's fleeting, something that's not to be taken seriously.
Sometimes we even knowingly minimise it - if it is so short- lived, better not to get too attached to the feeling!
But what if we looked at pleasure in a different way? What if we saw it as the foundation for a beautiful life? What if we learned to call pleasure forward at any time?
When we take the time to experience pleasure, we're opening ourselves up to more joy, happiness, and love. We're saying yes to life itself. And when we do that, our whole life becomes more beautiful.
Here are four ways pleasure can help you live a more beautiful life:
1. Pleasure helps us deepen connection with ourselves. When we're in touch with our own pleasurable experiences, we're also in touch with our own hearts. We're able to more easily access what brings us joy and happiness which allows us to more easily create those feelings as we choose.
2. Pleasure helps us connect with others. Pleasure is not just a solo experience—it's also something we can share with others. When we take the time to experience pleasure with another person, we deepen our connection with them. We create a space where love and intimacy can grow. And when we have deeper connections with others, our lives become more beautiful and fulfilling.
3. Pleasure helps us relax and de-stress. It's more important than ever to take the time to relax and de-stress. When we allow ourselves to experience pleasure, we're giving our bodies and minds the chance to rest and rejuvenate. It's also a virtuous cycle, when we're relaxed and free from stress, it's then much easier to enjoy all the beauty that surrounds us.
4. Pleasure helps us appreciate life more fully. Pleasure is a reminder that life is meant to be enjoyed—not just endured. When we take the time to savor pleasurable experiences, we're opening ourselves up to all the good things life has to offer. We're seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses (I personally think we could all benefit from a little more of this), and this perspective change can be transformative.
This past week I invited Theano, a relationship coach, Authentic Tantra Practitioner and pleasure expert to speak to the women in my group program, Be All You Are. She guided us through an exercise called the 10 Spot that I wanted to share with you today.
At any given moment, pause and ask yourself to rate your level of pleasure on a scale of 1-10. If you're at anything less than an 8, consider what you could do in that very moment to increase your pleasure rating.
Some simple examples could be:
Cover your lap with a cozy blanket
Drink a glass of lemon water
Turn on some soothing or uplifting music
Light a candle
Call a friend
Stretch
Turn your face towards the sun
Take 10 intentional deep breaths
We all want to live beautiful lives. But a beautiful life is simply made up of many singular beautiful moments. And the most direct way to beautiful moments is by intentionally elevating the pleasure we experience.
This week, try leaning into pleasure as often as you can and see how your experience elevates and expands.
With love,
Kena xo
Kena Paranjape, Founder, All You Are
PS. I am now opening the doors for early registration for Be All You Are, my group program for women that begins again in mid-January. If you're interested in learning more, reply with the word PLEASURE and I'll reach out to set up a 15 minute call. Join us before December 24th and receive $300 off the program price. Let's make 2023 the year you turn thinking and dreaming into creating!
"Kena's kindness, strong leadership and appetite to challenge me and the way I would think about myself was incredible. I didn't know how much I needed that "someone" in my life to help lift me and think outside of the box I was putting myself in. I left the program with more confidence in my decision making, my skill sets and a real belief that I could do hard things."
- Lesley C, Be All You Are Program Alumni, August 2022