Sensate Focus with Touch

It can be easy to touch ourselves in habitual ways without even noticing how we are touching ourselves. You might have found some ways to touch yourself that you really like. That’s great. This practice will build off of that. And if you don’t know how you like to touch yourself, you might learn some ways through this exercise. 

This is the first practice of sensate focus, a way of becoming attuned with the felt sense of touch. It is about experiencing touch rather than judging or evaluating. This builds off of the practice we did we did in the intro call "waking up the hands".

For this practice, the invitation is to touch at the edge of your pattern. Meaning, start with what feels good or what you know, and then allowing for what you don't. You might become aware of your patterns, or even notice if its hard to enjoy your own touch, and if you keep an open mind, you might discover some new ways you like to be touched. 

You can start sitting, standing, or lying down. You might start without oil or lotion but have some nearby just in case you desire it during the practice. Start by placing your hands somewhere on your body that you know already feels good, or a spot that is calling your attention. You might start with some grounding touch like a firm hold. 

Touch even slower than you think. Letting your hands move where they feel an impulse to go. Stay slow, notice your breath. 

You might ask yourself: How would my hands like to touch me? 

You might ask yourself: How would I like to be touched?

You might ask yourself: How could this be even better? *This might mean using oil, deepening your breath, adding music, moving your body, pausing, going even slower, or doing something else all together.