This guided meditation on waking the mouth by my colleague, Racheal Charlie is divine. Sensate focus, or the practice of touching and being touched can be a really powerful way to bring heightened sensation to an area. Similarly to the hands, the mouth is a place that does a lot of doing and yet is full of nerves and possibilities that rarely get our full attention. The mouth can be a delicious place to receive, food, and touch, and more...

Consider using the guided meditation as a starting point. She has a longer one here that involves the whole body if you're feeling up for it. And if you want something a little extra in your mouth, she has a guided pleasure practice eating a piece of chocolate.

If you'd rather explore on your own, remember there is no right way to feel. Simply having the intention of 'waking your mouth' will produce some interesting results I'm sure.

Hot tip: Before starting, take a few minutes to warm up your body with gentle movement or stretching, paying special attention to your pelvis. The pelvis is deeply connected to our mouths and throat. For instance, when giving birth, womb-bearing people are advised to open and soften their mouths as a way to relax in the womb. This can work the other way around too; softening the pelvis can soften the mouth and throat.

Reflection: Notice how your relationship to your mouth, to food, to taste, to kissing, to speaking has changed or remain the same. How can you invite your mouth, your taste, your saliva, your teeth, your tongue into your experience of pleasure?

Art by Luisa Alexandre