Turned on by Abstinence

From our newsletter: http://bit.ly/cL3Soa In our book, Richard and I share about how we honor our relationship, our love and our spirituality with a daily sexual meditation that we call Peaceful Passion. We have been more or less consistent with this wonderful, juicy connection for quite a few years now. But not today.

Today is different because I have chosen to personally experience an ancient spiritual ritual and have been asked to abstain from physical intimacy for seven days as preparation for this one-time event. Richard agreed - reluctantly, but with appreciation for the power of the ritual. (That’s one of the reasons I love him so much. He sincerely tries to honor my needs and desires in all aspects of our lives. As do I his.)

Since sexuality itself serves as a spiritual process in our relationship, it may seem odd that we agreed to abstain from it. It’s only for one week, how hard could that be?

Well it turns out that it hasn’t been hard at all. In fact, I have loved the ongoing feeling of romantic interest - and yes, even arousal - that I am experiencing whenever I see or think of Richard. While this is somewhat normal for me, I have been noticing an increased level during these days without our sexual connection. Perhaps it's the anticipation of returning to our daily practice that excites me!

Imagine, being turned on by abstinence!

Yoga on the Beach

Once again I got myself out to the beach for a wonderful morning hatha yoga class with Avananda from Hawaii. Not being a morning person, this is a stretch in more ways than one! But it's totally worth it. Ava is extraordinary and I get to enjoy a connection with the sand, air, sea and sun, as well as with a huge group of locals and tourists who show up to take advantage of the class.

Yoga is so healthy, for body, mind and soul.

Haven't had my "ten minute" daily Peaceful Passion with Richard yet today, though. Oh well, we'll catch up I'm sure!

To Do List

This morning began, as most mornings do, with ten minutes of Peaceful Passion with my husband Richard, what a great way to start the day. Absolute intimacy.

Then, back to work. My t0-do list keeps growing. You might think that getting a book published is a destination, but really, it's just the beginning of the book-publishing journey! And in today's e-world, the journey spawned by becoming an author is ongoing, 24/7, with a zillion possible paths to follow. It's exciting, exhausting and exhiliarting and I have no idea where it will take me.

One path has already led to my being asked to give the Sunday Talk at a "New Thought" church in St. Louis where we'll be in May. The title of my talk will be Connecting in Love. Which is why I created this blog, to write about all the ways that connection can take place, and does take place, in my life. I have always believed that our human purpose is to "experience connection while in a state of separation."

I'd love to write and write and write in this blog, I have so many thoughts to share... such as, how to balance my Tantric love of connection with my Zen understanding of not being attached, but that will have to wait for another day! The rest of my to-do list is staring me in the face. Still, I'm grateful that I took this moment to drop in and post.