The juicy place between sleep and waking

If you've been on my mailing list for a while, you've heard about this Morning Erotic Practice that I facilitate for the Body Electric School. I've been leading this practice for several years now. And lately, as inspired by my studies in the Sri Vidya Tantra lineage, through Dancing Shiva Tantra Monastery, I've really been contemplating my own spiritual and embodiment practices, and I feel more committed than I have in a long time to cultivating the tapas (self discipline) of practice. We've been learning new relaxation and pranayama (breathwork) techniques that are preparation for yoga nidra (also known as yogic sleep). I'm currently fascinated by the juicy place in the mind and body that is between the sleep state and the waking state. This is a place where I can get glimpses of my subconscious mind at work! Every once in a while, I can watch my thoughts begin to get weird, right before I fall asleep. It's so cool, it's like watching a Salvador Dali surrealist painting happen in my minds eye!

Our sense of eroticism lives primarily in the subconscious realm. The things that turn us on are not rational or logical. They can be quite wild, primal, and transgressive. And we can also be turned on by the subtle and the relaxing. During these morning erotic practices, we spend an hour investigating, playing with and deshamifying this aspect of ourselves. I try to make it fun, relaxing and connecting. And, it really is a tantric practice, even if we're not calling it that.

I'll be leading practice both tomorrow, August 1st, and next Friday, August 8th. It's only $20 per class, which is just about the best deal on the internet, in my opinion! Hope to see you there.