Ever wondered how pleasure practices could enrich your life? Veronica Tift tells us more.
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The phrase, “Stop and smell the roses”, is really about pleasure. What if instead of just smelling the roses, walking up to a vibrant red rose, lifting it to your nose, feeling its soft, velvety petals brush against your skin.
As you breathe in deeply, the scent unfolds slowly, like a warm invitation to stay a little longer. The smell is gentle and earthy, in this quiet moment, the rose’s scent wraps around you, grounding you in the present while carrying a soft touch of romance and remembrance. This is a moment of pleasure, that would only take you a minute.
A published study in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine concluded that olfactory stimulation (the olfactory nerve detecting an odour or being stimulated by it) by fresh rose flowers induced physiological and psychological relaxation. There are loads more studies that showed similar benefits.
Taking pleasure in stopping and smelling the roses can improve your physical and mental health. By adding this pleasure practice whether it be smelling a plant in your garden or buying a bunch of flowers and dedicating each morning to stop and smell the roses can make all the difference to your well-being.
What is pleasure?
Pleasure is not only found in doing things that you like, but in things that you do every day that maybe you don’t realise. It’s when you bring presence to them and savouring those moments.
Pleasure is not the dirty word that some have come to understand it as. With phrases like, “Chocolate is my guilty pleasure” and “Nothing will bring more pain than too much pleasure”, no wonder there are such mixed messages around pleasure.
While this might sound a little unconventional, pleasure isn’t about being indulgent. Pleasure is about really living a more meaningful life with intention and presence. When you find something that you really enjoy and then do it often, it has benefit on the physical, mental, and spiritual. In a society that often glorifies being constantly busy, prioritising pleasure can be a way to more balance and finding an appreciation in life.
Building a pleasure practice is not as hard as it sounds, even if you are new to the world of pleasure. It entails taking time for hobbies, enjoying nature or spending time with people that you really enjoy. When you actively schedule time for pleasure, you are investing in yourself and a healthier state of mind. Pleasure allows space for you to thrive and not just stay in survival.
Your pleasure practice list
Now we all have our own pleasure list, so I encourage you to sit down and write five things you can do daily that are pleasurable and then a list of five things that you can do that will bring you pleasure during the year.
Your list could look a lot like mine: morning coffee and Instagram in bed. The weekend is my best time to do this; wake up in the morning with nothing to rush to, for at least the first 30 minutes of my day, and while waiting 90 minutes before that morning caffeine, I don’t let that ruin the pleasure of my delicious coffee and uninterrupted online scrolling.
I take my time when I take a sip of my wonderful coffee. I let it linger in my mouth for a few seconds before swallowing and take a deep breath savouring the taste. When I resume my social media binge, its free from guilt. It’s about the intention, presence, and allowing the pleasure to be part of my experience.
Other examples of daily pleasure could be: your morning coffee; savouring that piece of fruit after dinner; not mindless eating in front of the TV; connecting with a friend; a reflexology or massage session; an exercise that is fun and take the time to enjoy it.
Small steps for big change can be so possible. Set a reminder on your phone, add the time for pleasure into your calendar, tell a friend what your pleasure practice will be and then do it. Talk to your partner or friends about holding each other accountable with finding a pleasure practice in the day and then spend time sharing your experience with each other.
Find out what pleasure means to you
Explore what pleasure means to you; it’s so personal. Maybe even see a coach or therapist to uncover truths around why pleasure could be hard for you. Pleasure is really each and every person’s birth right and the power in finding that pleasure in every day can really change your life.
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MEET THE EXPERT
Veronica Tift is a therapeutic reflexologist and a qualified love, sex and relationship coach, based in Benoni. She continues to grow her knowledge through attending international and local courses on various subjects related to reflexology. Veronica has a special interest in working with couples struggling with infertility.
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