“Get out of New York in February, Jena,” I was told last year, “it’s essential for surviving the winter.” This year I took these words to heart and accepted an invitation from a girlfriend to go to the Big Island in Hawaii for a week’s getaway. As the plane began its descent at my destination, my hunger for fun and delight mounted and my mouth began to water in anticipation of the treats I knew awaited me. My friend greeted me at the airport by launching a fragrant lei around my neck, and walked me hand in hand into a journey I dedicated to pleasure.
Luscious would be the first word to describe the atmosphere I found myself in, and as I live for lusciousness, I knew I was in for a good time. The abundance of long fronds, wide and multicolored leaves and tropical flowers cradled this soul of mine that is accustomed to self-defense among tall grey buildings and impending traffic. What a contrast. With my defenses lowered, my awareness was able to shift from navigating crowds and my workload, to enjoying the finer and subtler nuances of life, such as the breeze against my mostly bare skin and the defining traits of the birds swooping across my path.
I stayed at a retreat center called Kalani that offered a sumptuous buffet of food three meals a day and an array of activities to rejuvenate body and soul: yoga, tai chi, pilates, ecstatic dance, astronomy, hula, movies, massage and aquatic bodywork sessions and trainings; the list goes on. These activities were not just for tourists, with many locals coming to participate as well. While the laid back tropical lifestyle came as a change for me, I began to realize that the people living in Hawaii live this way everyday! Of course they work, but at a pace that is congruent with the exquisite beauty and rhythms of nature around them.
Several questions arose for me. Why do we work so hard in New York? Do we speed up to ward off the cold? Why do some people think it is appropriate and essential to have a lifestyle that encompasses sensual pleasures on a daily basis, for example the people who choose to move to Hawaii, while for others sensual living is for vacations or special occasions?
Sensuality is a nutrient. It nourishes us on deep and necessary levels. Being sensual feels wonderful, is relaxing, and relieves stress. Experiencing the sensual sides of ourselves aids in connecting us with our animal instinct, that wisdom we need to call on in order to know what and how much to eat, when to sleep and how to take care of ourselves. City life and an absence of nature and adventure can dull this instinct, necessitating a tune up from time to time.
A getaway to Hawaii where life is almost as sensual as could be is a great way to hone your receptivity to and capability of creating sensual experiences. During my week away, I noticed the cumulative effect of waking to bird calls and rain on the roof, swimming in the ocean and gazing at graceful palms, heightening my awareness of my body and my senses and my ability to experience pleasure. In Hawaii, nature, the climate and the culture offer sensuality on a platter, but in New York we must work a little harder to generate our sensual banquet. It is possible, however, as sensuality is a choice, and if you feel yourself in a deficit of it you can choose to adopt it as a way of being for a while in order to balance up the scales.
Tips for enlivening your sensuality in New York City:
1. Dress like you’re in Hawaii sometimes – inside of course! There is something very sensual about wearing a sarong, or a short skirt or shorts, in bright colors as opposed to the practical, dark colored, warm pants that are the daily norm for most by necessity many months of the year. Turn up the thermostat at home to tropical temperatures once in a while and wear skimpy clothes around the house. Appreciate how great you look beneath your necessary winter cocoon. I assure you, you will feel more sensual.
Soho is a great place to pick up the latest New York fashions and even
In winter they sell light, skimpy clothing, obviously recognizing that these clothes have their place year round, and that does not have to mean in storage! For a mere steal you can pick up something delightful in Soho and get to soak up the beauty and sensuality of the architecture and the art on the street as you shop. Broadway between Houston and Canal Streets offers a lot of bargains and the more exclusive boutiques are dispersed among the neighboring side streets: Prince St., Spring St., Broome St. etc.
2. Eat foods that give you great pleasure. What you eat and how you eat both offer a grand doorway to the senses. Allow time to create an atmospheric meal for yourself of a selection of foods you really savor. Put the food on a nice plate, use your favorite eating utensils or your hands, dim the lights, play some music you love, and eat slowly, enjoying the smell and taste of every bite.
If you want some suggestions or inspiration for eating sensually at home, go to a sensual restaurant such as B.E.D. in Chelsea (530 W 27th St, 6th Floor) where you will be served by waiters dressed in elegant colorful silk clothes as you eat propped up by huge pillows on a sort of comfortable bed with great mood lighting and a cool soundtrack. You will doubtless be inspired. How’s that for awakening the senses? You can create this vibe in your home with intention some and playful effort.
SoHo also offers another unforgettable sensual eating experience at
Casa la Femme (150 Wooster St), where you will be served sitting in what looks like your own individual harem tent! Lie back supported by tapestry cushions and enjoy the delights of a multi-course meal as the exotic atmosphere seeps into your pores through every sensual detail: the music, the food, the furnishings and fittings, and if you are lucky, the belly-dancer. This experience is sure to connect you to your sensual self.
3. Decorate with your home indoor houseplants. The shades of green and the unique curves and contours of houseplants add a sensual air to any home. Flowers add another layer of sensuality, so flowerings plants are ideal because they flower again and again, year after year. I have a small jasmine tree in my kitchen that flowers from time to time, filling the space with its superb aroma. Fill your windowsills with life, turn a green thumb on the corners of your apartment, hang vines or orchids in your bathroom, see how inviting a little bit of the jungle into your apartment can make any winter’s day feel more tropical.
The flower district at 6th avenue and 28th St is the ultimate place to buy plants and flowers in New York, though even browsing and leaving empty handed will have an impact on your senses. Some stores will intoxicate you with their fragrances, while others astound you with the forms of their diverse plants, though either way you will rediscover the beauty and shameless sensuality apparent in nature’s motifs.
As you implement these tips you will notice a greater frequency of fun and pleasure in your life due to your cultivation of your ability to receive them. Once your Recommended Daily Allowance of sensuality is improved you will immediately feel the health glow this nutrient endows. Listening to the subtleties of your senses, your animal instincts, your life will be enriched and you can have a little piece of Hawaii at will, wherever you are.
Visit Jena’s website at www.jenawellness.com
