Pleasure Principle
exploring pleasure through the practice of bramacharya (non-excess)
Along my journey this year, I've learned that one of the keys to truly living is pleasure.
After teaching Kemetic Yoga at Tone's Pleasure Symposium this summer, and diving into the true meaning of pleasure in all its forms, I committed to exploring what pleasure means for me, beyond the dictionary definitions around “enjoyment,” “satisfaction,” and “happiness.”
This exploration has been an integral part of getting to know myself in the midst of grief, which often feels heavy, dark, and shitty. It’s been a reminder that while darkness is a part of our human experience, it doesn’t have to dim our inherent and divine light.
So far, I've connected with pleasure through:
Breathing
Communing with God and my ancestors (including my mother)
Rest
Being in or near water, in the sun, or in the dirt
Teaching, learning, and practicing yoga
Cooking and eating good food (mostly plant-based)
Intimacy
Spending time with family and friends
Listening to Christmas music (I know it’s only November but I’m that girl)
Reading, creating, and writing
Taking a long bath with herbs, salts, and candles
Doing work that uplifts our community and society (yes, that means I’ve been finding pleasure alongside the stress of my day-job, too)
Expressing and honoring my boundaries
Suffice it to say that I’ve allowed myself to experience simple pleasures on the regular. Not as a reward. Not when I “have the time.” But as an integral part of my day-to-day life. Without guilt or shame.
I even find pleasure in the agency and autonomy I have to define and tap into my pleasure, because I know generations before me were often stripped of these birthrights.
In her book, Yamas & Niyamas, Deborah Adele writes “we are here on this world, in part, to feel enjoyment and pleasure.” The Yamas and Niyamas (yoga’s guidelines for ethical living written by the Indian sage, Pantanjali, and derived from Egyptian spirituality), teach us how to hone our pleasure ethically.
Bramacharya (non-excess) is a bit of a Pleasure Principle. It teaches us the art of finding balance, making conscious, courageous, and disciplined choices to enjoy life’s pleasures without worshipping them or staying on a hedonic treadmill where we’re constantly chasing the next pleasure high.
Bramacharya invites us “to walk with God” (shoutout to Angie of Afro Yoga for this reminder in her Bramacharya flow last month). God may be everywhere and within us but we can easily get distracted from that truth if our pleasures become our vices. Bramacharya is often described as celibacy, but please believe we can overindulge in anything, not just sex. That doesn’t necessarily mean we must avoid these things altogether. The work is to enjoy them while honoring truth, balance, and harmony (Ma'at).
To sum it up, while there may be a lot of things and sensory experiences that “turn us on," if we're truly in harmony with pleasure we're “turned on” by life itself.
As we approach the end of another year, I invite you to pause and reflect on how, where, and when you find pleasure. Close your eyes if it feels safe or soften your gaze, breathe deeply into your Sacral Chakra (your pelvic region) and envision the color orange. What does pleasure look like for you? How does it feel?
If you don’t know the answers, that’s okay. Embark on a journey of pleasure discovery and journal about it. Perhaps this can be one of your Soul Care goals for 2023.
If self-study, community, and rejuvenation bring you pleasure, you’re in for a treat over these last few weeks of 2022. More about upcoming in person workshops and classes here.
