Living in New England, where our summers are so very short, a day at the beach every couple of weeks has become a priority on my summer to-do list (yes, the irony does not escape me). The warmth of the sun, the sounds of the waves, and the delicious hug of the water is not only sensual, it is essential for my happiness and well-being. A few years ago, my summer flew by without a single visit to the beach-there were so many more important things to do!-and the ensuing long and cold New England winter taught me the error of concluding my sensual needs as optional.
Here are suggestions for honoring summertime’s “essential-sensuals”:
- Indulge in what delights your palate in the bounty of summertime foods! Eating watermelon outside on a hot day, with it’s juices dripping down my chin and onto the ground delights the kid in me who still loves to make a mess!
- Know what delights you in Nature’s summertime offerings; while one of my summertime’s sensual-essential is a day at the beach, a day hiking in the mountains or canoeing in a lake may be the delight your body and soul will hallelujah with!
- Honor your summertime essential-sensuals as a top priority on your to-do list, receiving any feelings of resistance or pesky inner nay-saying voices as simply your invitation to meditate or journal on what challenges you in living your delight or essential pleasure!
- Be open to the “ah-has” which come through your physical delight and pleasure as essential wisdom for yourself and your life. Our body’s wisdom is profound in it’s clarity and intelligence and learning to respond in our life with the “non-logical” wisdom of our body have a magical way of increasing our happiness and well-being!
Taking delight and pleasure in the sensations of our body is essential for not only our physical health and ease, it is essential for the fulfillment of our heart, soul, and life. We are beings that need food as well as nourishment through our sensual experiences. When we honor our sensual as essential for creating happiness and well-being in life, a day at the beach becomes less a luxury and more the priority on the to-do list for every season!