Reader, what brings you pleasure?

For me, it’s a hot cup of coffee in the morning, the feel of my dog’s soft fur under my hand, a tiny bouquet from the farmer’s market on the table.

Pleasure is walking through an airport blasting Third Eye Blind in my AirPods, the knowledge of an upcoming adventure singing through my veins.

Pleasure is crawling into bed and pulling the covers over my tired body after an exhausting day.

Pleasure is pausing in the middle of a duet with my daughter and watching her face light up as she sings. (We like to sing “Whenever You Call” by Mariah Carey and Bryan McKnight. She always sings Mariah’s part.)

Pleasure is a coffee date with a new friend and realizing how much we enjoy talking to each other.

Take a moment to think about pleasure and what it is for you.

If you can, land on a moment of pleasure, close your eyes, and let yourself experience it again. Stay with the moment as long as it feels alive and then when it begins to fade, open your eyes.

The moment that came up for me was eating fried eggs with homemade tomatillo salsa this morning. I could feel my mouth watering as I remembered the salty taste of the eggs and the spiciness of the salsa. I appreciated myself for cooking the eggs and learning how to make the salsa, which is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Most importantly, I felt myself drop into a settled, grounded place and out of the worries and anxieties that have been swirling in my mind for days.

This is a mindfulness practice called “Savoring.” It brings you out of the endless twisting and turning of your thoughts and into pleasure.

Pleasure helps us be in our bodies, which is where wisdom comes from.

All too often, we make decisions based on FOMO, fear, needing to prove ourselves, or wanting to be productive or “good.”

What if instead we accessed the wisdom of presence, pleasure, and our bodies?

Let’s try it together.

Close your eyes and invite a moment of pleasure to arise. It could be the same moment you experienced a few paragraphs ago, or it could be something totally new. Be in the moment. Feel it, taste it, smell it, hear it.

Then bring up a decision you’re trying to make. See what wisdom arises from that settled, pleasurable place.

My experience:

I’ve felt like I wanted to take a break from working with a teacher I’ve been learning from for the past year. Before doing this exercise, I felt like I should keep working with her, because somehow taking a break would be a rejection of her and a missed opportunity.

When I went into the decision after savoring, I felt a deep love and appreciation for her and her teaching. And then the wisdom that taking a break doesn’t negate my appreciation of her but rather, honors my needs and my path right now.

I can email her and let her know that I’m taking a break without feeling like I’m doing something wrong.

Before, I was trying to decide this from an anxious, overactive mind. Now that I’m making the decision from a place of pleasure, it completely changes the tone and texture of the situation.

How did this experience change your decision-making process? Hit Reply and let me know.

And for the next week, if you’re stuck in a decision, before looking for the answer from AI or a friend or “expert”, try savoring and then connecting to your own wisdom.

Have a great week,

Daniela

---

🎴 This Week's Tarot Pull:

Jupiter went into Leo on June 30th. Jupiter spends about a year in each sign, and it hasn't been in Leo since mid 2015. Jupiter in Leo expands our need to been seen, recognized, and celebrated.

This week, I'm inviting you to choose the question for the cards that feels more relevant for you.

The options:

1. What gets in the way of feeling that I deserve to be celebrated?
2. What is one way I can let myself be seen and acknowledged more?

Hold the question in your mind, then pull a card by clicking below! 👇🏼