Welcome to this pleasure pause.
My name is Lisa McCruin.
Today I'd like to guide you through this lovely practice.
You can do this any time of the day,
And you can do this seated,
Standing,
Lying down against the earth.
So make a shape with your body that feels good to you right now.
Again,
Whether that's standing on the earth,
Varying the weight of your body so the weight feels like it's even between the right foot and the left foot.
Or if you're sitting,
Same thing,
Just noticing the balance between the left and the right sides of the body.
And then if you're lying down,
Just receive that support of the earth.
And for a moment you might soften or close your eyes.
Place your hands where they just feel right in this moment.
And feel your body being here in this moment.
Feeling the rhythm of your breath and landing here in this moment.
And then gently open your eyes and notice what is lovely,
Pleasant,
Enjoyable to you,
Or even beautiful right now in this moment.
And evoke the senses.
It might be the sound of birds chirping or the smell of fresh cut grass.
You might notice flowers beginning to bloom.
Maybe it's the temperature or the warmth of your hands around your mug of coffee or tea.
Or the softness of the clothes you are wearing.
You might notice a color that you love.
Whether that's on a piece of fabric that you're adorning right now,
A piece of clothing.
Or it's in the room or the space that you're in.
Maybe you're inside and you notice a plant in your house.
Or you're looking out the window and you see the blue sky.
Or you hear the rain on the rooftop.
Maybe you're noticing the quiet that's around you right now that you're enjoying.
And the steady rhythm of your breath.
Maybe it's a painting on the wall in your house or a picture.
The coziness of a blanket around you.
The smell of an apple you just bit into.
Or just the warmth of your hands folded together.
Whatever it is,
Linger there for a moment.
Allowing yourself to receive this pleasure.
I'm getting curious.
What does this feel like to you?
To receive pleasure from the senses?
You might say to yourself,
I am here.
I am safe.
I am enjoying this moment.
Allowing yourself to pause for pleasure is an act of enjoying your life and enjoying your own company.
And it counters the negative bias that we have just as human beings to notice what isn't going well or isn't okay.
And here we are building our capacity to take in the good,
To receive pleasure.
Notice how your body has responded to this evoking of the senses and orienting our attention toward pleasure.
Maybe your shoulders have dropped.
Your breath has become more steady and deeper.
Maybe there's a smile that has come across your face.
And then now notice what would feel good.
Do something.
Make some shape with your body that would feel good to your body.
Just play with this.
You might start by just asking yourself,
What would feel good in my body right now?
And it can be as simple as sighing out.
Or stretching out big and wide and taking up space.
Might be closing your eyes and making a shape with your body that feels good and just exploring and playing.
This builds a sense of agency within us.
Like,
Ooh,
I can tune inward and listen to my body.
And I can do movements that feel good to me.
I can feel good.
It might sound so simple,
But this subtle practice can make such a huge difference in how you experience yourself,
The day,
And your life.
You'll notice that as you practice this,
This pleasure pause,
That ease and joy and a sense of contentment more easily swirl and linger.
Within you.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
