Prioritize Your Pleasure

Since 2006, we’ve been The Pleasure Mechanics, dedicated full time to exploring the power of pleasure, intimacy, joy and connection. It’s been our mission to remember the role of pleasure in our human experience and the creative, generative, healing force of eroticism. One of our anthems since the very early days has been : Prioritize Pleasure In this episode we explore the practice of prioritizing pleasure. Why can it be so hard to prioritize pleasure, even when we know it is such a positive and healthy force in our lives? How can we prioritize pleasure more often, and reap the personal and collective benefits of this tremendous force? Ready to explore with us? Start here Check Out Our Ignite!Raleigh talk from 2010! We have been teaching about making pleasure a priority since we formed Pleasure Mechanics in 2006. We wouldn’t use the same highly gendered language or examples today, but we are still just as passionate about tapping into our human pleasure potential! Feeling guilty about making time for pleasure? Pleasure is often thought about as being selfish, greedy, or hedonistic. We believe in making Pleasure a Priority. Pleasure does not just happen to us – we must actively choose to cultivate pleasure in our individual lives and in our relationships. Pleasure is healthy, makes us feel happier, more alive, and gives us energy to fuel our days. We believe that being fulfilled with pleasure makes us better partners, parents, friends and coworkers. 10 Ways Pleasure Can Save Your Life Here’s a transcript of a live talk we gave in about 2009 about “10 Ways Pleasure Can Save Your Life” And, we believe Pleasure can SAVE your life. Literally. Here are 10 reasons why: #10 – The autonomic nervous system controls the heart, the smooth muscles around your organs, and your glands. There are two modes – Sympathetic and Parasympathetic – Stress and Pleasure. Many adults stay stuck in the stress mode, which has devastating impact on your health. Experiencing pleasure counteracts the impact of stress and gives your body the chance to heal. #9 – Pleasure is essential for your heart health. Pleasure activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms the heart rate, lowers blood pressure and stimulates production of healthy hormones that are highly beneficial to heart health.  #8 – Every experience of pleasure activates your immune system, providing a measurable and enduring boost to your body’s natural defenses. A single moment of pleasure can boost your immune response for up to 6 hours. #7 – Pleasurable touch creates a positive upswing in our entire system. When you are touched or cuddled, your blood chemistry can change in as little as one millionth of a second – the brain instantly responds to pleasurable touch with a flood of endorphins. #6 – Experiencing pleasure can help us feel loved. Feeling loved and emotionally secure is essential for the overall health of mammals. Study after study shows that emotional bonds and physical contact allow mammals to thrive. Studies with infants have shown that touch and love are biological needs on par with food and water. Adults also need touch to thrive – try exchanging more