Waking the E’Sensual

A lack of the sensual is always at the root of any food addiction. What do I mean by this? That one is being fed through all the senses, not just through our sense of taste.

Any over concern with food is because other areas of our lives are not being nourished. To live sensuously fully alive in our bodies, minds & hearts is healthy. It is our natural state. Sensuality is often confined to the bedroom. It is here where we let go. Where we allow ourselves to open fully to receive pleasure. Yet, life itself is a sensuous experience.

The North American culture is still based, in many ways, on strong puritanistic or Christian ethics that say that it is bad to feel to deeply, to experience too much pleasure, to live sensually. Yet, all of nature reveals to us otherwise. Nature is a sensuous experience, and in the lushness and beauty of nature, we feel nourished.

The experience of ecstasy is rare in our culture. Yet, the fact that it is so sought after indicates a desire to fulfill something that is a natural part of us. Often, people who are passionate and full of joy for life are condemned, criticized. If we see this in a child, this natural expression is often squelched. It can be intimidating to see someone who exudes life if you’ve kept a tight lid on your joy. So, we are left with a culture that is straining to fulfill its birthright. Of course, wherever freedom of expression is squelched we end up with aspects of our lives going out of balance to compensate. Hence, addictions are born.

Food offers us a way to feel when other doors of nourishment have been closed or hindered in any way. Thus, we end up with overeating. This throws our digestive system out of balance, eventually leading to problems in others parts of our bodies, including our emotional realm. Because addictions are so emotionally based, we turn to the thing that will bring us comfort. We eat more in an awkward attempt to satiate the yearnings of a response whose origin is natural and true. To be nourished through all of our senses, and delight in this.

There are many ways to be nourished. Incorporating, or fleshing out the appetite of some of these ways can help balance the food addictions that plague so many people’s lives.

Here are a few questions you may find helpful to consider:

• Make a list of where you receive your nourishment.

• Does food occupy your thoughts? (Remember, just because you eat healthily and are not overweight does not mean you don’t have a preoccupation with food.)

• Do you experience loving touch on a daily basis?

• Is your sexual life fulfilling to you?

• Are you able to communicate your feelings openly and easily?

• Do you play and laugh?

• Do you enjoy nature?

• Is your work creative and fulfilling?

• Is your living environment pleasant and attractive to you?

• Do you enjoy colour; perhaps thru the clothes you wear or how you decorate your environment?

• Is music a part of your nourishment?

• Do you have a pet that you are close to?

• Do you garden?

• Do you nourish yourself thru dancing and/or singing?

• Do you take regular time to connect with yourself and what sources you? Some call that God, your inner self, Universal Love?

• Do you feel that what you do contributes to the betterment of your community?

• Can you express love openly and fearlessly to your partner, children, family and close friends?

• Can you receive openly and freely love from others?

• Are you comfortable with intimacy?

• Do you have friends that you can talk with openly and honestly?

• Do you love yourself?

All of these and many more are ways that we can receive nourishment. Each one is a sensuous experience awakening a part of us that yearns to be felt and experienced. All natural and good.

In a world where so much beauty surrounds us, do we have the eyes and ears to see and hear? The ability to be touched by the world, the desire to breathe in our world, the willingness to open our hearts to what sources us from inside and out.

To live fully is to engage in life wholeheartedly. If any one part of our sensuous experience is out of balance, it will throw everything else out of balance. As we let the hunger of our hearts, our bodies, our minds and our spirit be fulfilled, addictions balance themselves out naturally.

Seeking guidance as to why an addiction began can be very helpful and necessary sometimes in order to move forward with healthy changes. While you are doing this consider bringing in areas, one at a time, that you now can give to yourself to enhance your life and nourishment. Be creative, experiment and see what works for you. Stay open. You may be surprised at how easily your over absorption with food can change as you experience the many joys of Life. Life is a sensuous experience!

Lorenna Bousquet-Kacera, founder of Shamanu: Earth Wisdom Teachings