Meditation for Pleasure

People tend to think of meditation as something they “should” do, and then they evaluate the supposed quality of the meditation. I’m here to propose another approach.
 
Meditation can be an opportunity to savor pleasure!
 
Meditation is a feast for the senses. It is extravagant and outrageous. It is an opportunity to revel in the lusciousness of being alive.
 
Meditation allows for an opening of the senses. Try bringing to this openness a feeling of full appreciation and enjoyment of the world, just as it is. In this way, we can cultivate an aesthetic perception of our lives and ourselves.
 
Allow your favorite sensory pleasure to be the object of meditation. If you are sitting in the sun, fully delight in the warmth and relaxation. If you are eating delicious food, slow down and revel in each bite. If you are making love, surrender completely to the rhythms and vertiginous pleasures.
 
Each sense is a world of wonder that we tend to take for granted. Meditation is an opportunity to luxuriate in your sensuous experience.
 
Here is a way to start. In your seated meditation, instead of “trying to focus on the breath,” practice “enjoying the breath.” Approach your breath with interest and appreciation. Allow yourself to include other sensations, sounds, and emotions. Allow yourself to appreciate the texture of the breath, its motion, its sound, its temperature, the ways it nurtures and supports you.
 
You can fall in love with the breath. Extraordinary realms of subtle sensation can open to you with this practice.
 
Enjoy!

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