Clearing Space, Mindfulness & Sex

I have been doing much clearing this year. Of damaging habits, old strategies that were hurting more than they were helping. It is an ongoing process of internal, mindful recalibrating of the way I think, perceive and respond. I have also been doing this in a physical way. If you follow me on Twitter you will have noticed a tweet about shredding and purging. One of the other things I have been doing in this recalibration is a mix of the mind and the body. I have created a new morning routine for myself! I was inspired after reading Be More With Less'  Courtney Carver's mini-course How To Create a Meaningful Routine. I am going to apply the principles (slowly - you gotta do it slowly) for my evening routine. Well, what does this have to do with sexuality, you ask? Everything. Because nothing we experience as human beings exist in a vacuum, in isolation. It is all interconnected. Practicing mindfulness allows us to be present in the moment. Not get lost in the past and simmer in regretful thoughts. Not worry about the future or get lost in fantasy futures. Just the here and now. It is really all we have. Mindfulness can be a part of all of our experiences - including sexual ones. In fact, as someone who had a tendency to (over)analyze, (over)think and (over)dramatize when it comes to sex I have found mindfulness an amazing tool to get out of the stories in my head and get connected to my mind, body and spirit. This morning I read this passage from The 7 Lively Sins: How to Enjoy Your Life, Dammit and it seemed rather relevant to sex as a mindfulness practice.

Sex is just a sweaty form of meditation. Think about it. The best lustful sex is about being in the moment, not obsessing about the past or future... or if your thighs look fat in a particular position... and so this means that orgasm is not the ONE AND ONLY big lure of lustful sex. A less obvious secondary benefit is that feeling of supreme peace that comes after sex - and this peacefulness isn't entirely due to reaching orgasm, but ALSO due to reaching one's metaphysical spirit, by being fully in the metaphysical moment. SO when we feel good after a lustful sex, it's partially because we've emptied our cluttered brain of its chattering.

* Photos are from my first photoshoot with Norm Edwards in 2000 (I was 29). Also, my first shoot featuring a men's white shirt. One of the three that I can remember doing. I like the classic simplicity of the look. This attraction to minimalism isn't new. Just becoming solidified as a practice. ** My morning routine at this point in the process consists of: Open blinds & window, push back sheet and duvet, fluff pillows, start coffee (I prep it the night before) Bathroom, cat litter, wash hands Wash the sleepies from my eyes with water and apply Cypress Purity and Defense Oil Take my medication (acid reflux stuff), make the bed, put on a workout outfit Have coffee, read The Skimm 15 minutes of yoga (I started with 5 and slowly increased over a few weeks), 20-minute run, 1 set of abs (My goal is three sets as well as 2x week of a strength training routine as well as 1 long 1x week - again, I will be slowly adding these days by day, week by week as per the mini-course by Courtney Carver) Breakfast Shower