Our love affairs are mostly with others.
They are often fuelled by passion, desire and intrigue.
We long to be together.
To explore, discover and embellish pleasure.
The chemistry of new love is compelling, and irresistibly intoxicating.
Many of us spend a life time trying to rekindle it or find it anew.
If we stay long enough in these love affairs, with intentionality and skill, we deepen, evolve and find erotic maturity.
It is rich and wonder-full.
Over years as our bodies and relationship changes, we are invited to traverse, transform and evolve.
The journey has challenges and we must swim against the current of normative culture in order to find and honour our authentic selves and way of being together.
With courage and tenacity however, we are able to find a richness and expansion in this place, making the hardship all the more worth our while.
In fact, the struggle often makes our pleasure, all the more sweeter.
A love affair with others is a precious gift and one I don’t wish to be without.
However, I wonder how many of us pursue this same depth of relating with ourselves.
Falling truly in love with ourselves is a deep and transformative experience.
One, not often pursued or prioritised in our erotic explorations and efforts.
It is however, vital and a place where we can disentangle ourselves from the falsities of belonging and embrace a freedom so often evasive in our partnerships.
A liberation is available here, that evokes growth and nourishes the deepest parts of ourselves.
I am a yogi.
I practice most days in one form or another and find myself a new on my mat, moment to moment.
Some days I fall in love with my stretch.
How far I can reach, expand and open.
Some days I romance my breath as it makes love to me from the inside out.
And back again.
Over and over.
Other days I ignite my core and feel the fire in my belly.
Every day I move a little closer to me.
Occasionally I would prefer not to roll out my mat, and rather languish in the stillness and quiet of nothingness.
Each day is different.
As am I.
It is a life long journey of learning to love deeply and explore the next sparks of curiosity.
I have many great loves but the one that feeds me the most deeply, is that which I cultivate and nourish with myself.
From this well spring all my other loves flourish.
How much time do you devote to the love of affair with self?
How might life be different if you were to do so?
