Savory flavours, amazing textures, tantalizing aromas, incredible colours… We’re surrounded by them each day, however, many of us have stopped noticing. We’ve forgotten the amazing value of 5 simply exquisite and sensual gifts, our senses.

Instead of noticing how wonderful the flowers smell, or our food tastes, we tend to rush quickly through life forgetting to slow down and simply enjoy the moment.

When practiced, mindfulness can not only help us enjoy each daily moment, but also play a powerful role in the sexual areas of our lives. Its simple practice can amplify the passion, desire and ecstasy enjoyed. It increases our awareness of taste, touch, smell, and sound, making each moment a peak of enticement and excitement.

Increasing your sensuality and stepping into mindfulness…

To begin a practice of mindfulness try the following exercise, and remember: patience, enjoyment and relaxation.  Don’t rush, instead allow yourself to take the time to enjoy the experience.

Select a piece of wrapped food. In my classes I like to hand out a selection of candies or chocolates (traditionally we would use a grape or raisin).

It always amazes and amuses me that by the time I’m done distributing these sweet treats, most people have already devoured theirs. That’s when we begin – why did we feel the need to quickly, without much thought, devour that little morsel of sweetness?

Realizing that we hold 1 candy in our hand, why not take the time to really enjoy it? Taste it? We have been gifted with an amazing array of senses, and the ability to really enjoy the little (and big) things in life. Some thing as simple as a piece of wrapped chocolate, can be a wonderful experience.

After I’ve distributed the candies (and redistributed candies to those who’ve already devoured their initial treat), we begin the actual exercise of mindfulness meditation:

The idea is to relax, notice, taste, smell, touch, listen and enjoy that candy.  Taking our time, and remaining mindful of the experience, our feelings and body reactions, we dedicate 30 minutes to the simple and fulfilling exercise of eating a little candy.

1. Start with the wrapper – notice it, enjoy it, realizing that you will unwrap that candy, but for now you want to simply experience it.

2. As you slowly unwrap it, notice the smells, how it sounds as you open it. Is your body getting hungry for it? Enjoy the way the candy looks within the wrapper and without the wrapper.

3. Smell the candy and notice if your mouth begins to water, or your stomach growls. Enjoy the process.

4. Take a small taste, lick, nibble or bite it. Allow yourself to savor the sweetness.

5. Place the remaining candy in your mouth. Play with it, allow it to melt and really notice how it tastes. Take a moment to close your eyes and melt into the experience.

6. Relax with it.

Notice:

The wrapper?

Did you notice the designs on it? How did it sound as you unwrapped it? Did the wrapper entice you, give you ideas of what it may taste like?

The smell?

How did the candy smell before you even unwrapped it? Did the smell become even more enticing as you moved it closer to your mouth? How did your body react, did your mouth water?

The texture?

Did the candy have a smooth, firm texture? Or was it soft? When you placed it in your mouth did you notice how it felt against your tongue, and how it felt as it melted?

The Sound?

As you tore open that wrapper, how did it sound? Did it crinkle? As you held that candy in your mouth, did you notice the sounds it made as it moved around? Was it a hard candy that echoed as you knocked it against your teeth? Did it crunch when you bit into it?

The taste?

Was it delicious? Did it taste smooth and sweet? Was it what you expected, or perhaps it held a different flavour than you had thought? Did the taste change as it melted or as you crunched away on it?

This simple exercise can create world of difference in how your live your life. But be patient… A recent student said to me “this is tough, it’s painful to eat 1 candy in a 25 min time span, I thought I’d go nuts”.

She went on to explain that it wasn’t that she was hungry, but instead the idea that she had this candy in front of her, and with the experience intensifying how much she wanted to consume it, she began to get very impatient.

We as a society have become rushed, losing patience with ourselves, each other and life. Moving through at such a pace we often miss the little experiences that can bring joy to us. Or ignore the company that simply wishes to share love with us.

Rushing through the intimate areas of life is very common in western society. There of course is nothing wrong with quick and passionate intimacy, but when this becomes a way of life, we begin to miss out on an amazing connection with one another.

Now take that candy and replace it with the (wo)man in your life. Imagine what practicing mindfulness can do not only for every day living, but for your sexual side. Ask your partner to join you, and start with the candy. Soon enough you’ll be finding that the sweetness within that candy, is nothing compared to the deliciousness found within each other.

-  Alessandra Sagredo

Sagredo Life Systems
www.sagredolifesystems.com

Alessandra’s core focus is to help others unleash their life and begin living a life of bliss!  As an Intuitive Consultant, Spiritual Growth Facilitator and Meditation Teacher she works with an international client base, helping individuals and professionals go beyond the basics of living and start truly loving their life!