Watching her took my breath away. She was full of beauty and moved with such ease. The subtle movement of body, her hips, her lips.
Her gaze soft but so awaken.
She loved the skin that adorned her body and pleasure radiated from every cell in her being. She met the eyes of others with purpose and delight.
Gently and smoothly she moved, savouring the depths of pleasure within her.
She was so different to people I had seen strip before. Not only had she barely shed a thread of clothing, there was something more.
Something very different about what she brought to the stage.
Something engaging, open, inviting and alive. I welcomed the depths of its invitation.
Do you wonder what it might have been?
Or maybe, you already know.
It is Presence.
Sounds simple hey?
But wow what a difference to watch someone who understood the power of presence as opposed to the emptiness of presentation.
Sensuality is an empty vessel without presence.
It becomes the striving without the depth.
The skills and knowledge, without the awareness.
The invitation without the feeling.
To move through life bereft of presence, is to deny ourselves a wondrously authentic connection with others and ourselves.
But what actually is presence and how do we cultivate it in our lives?
I don’t think this is something we learn from a book or by over talking about the idea. Nor does it come from our minds or a culture full of myths and falsities.
I believe it is something we nurture by learning to feel and engage not with our thoughts but with our senses, our bodies and the present moments between us.
I was fortunate enough a short time ago to do a workshop with the very gifted Annetta Luce. She has woven together a life of sexuality, dance and embodiment and had come to Australia to teach the art of stripping. As we explored our bodies, played, danced and shared I was reminded over and over of the very simple yet incredibly potent depth of presence.
You see, Annetta didn’t teach us dance moves or how to perform a strip tease. Nor did she teach us stage presence and costume design.
She did however teach us to feel, be present and allow ourselves to be seen. She taught us to connect and move with the subtlest sensations of our bodies. And from this place, create our own unique dance.
As a voyeur in an audience of consensual eyes, later I watched sensuality take the stage and engage me in a mirror of itself. A dance of mystery and presence to all that naturally lies within us. There was nothing new to learn, but rather an awakening to what was already there. A letting go of the imprints that disallow us and a sincere valuing of body over mind; could over should.
To truly be sensual, sexual beings it is vital to cultivate presence in our lives.
When we do, the natural juiciness of our sensuality flows with ease. It is our essence, our nature and not something we can achieve by focusing on the clothes we wear or how we do our hair.
Sensually comes from authentic presence.
I invite you to take a moment. Feel the sensations of the clothing on your skin. The gentle caress of the breeze or the flow of your hair down your shoulders and back. Let it awaken you.
Feel it and then feel it deeply some more.
Surrender to it.
Close your eyes.
Breath.
Notice and allow.
This is presence.
To know only what you feel in this moment.
Feel your breath flowing through your lips, its coolness and heat.
Feel your body as it experiences and moves through life.
Slow it all down and feel.
This is presence.
