Taoist practices, at their heart, are about bringing us back to Nature: 

Living in the flow of her rhythms, flourishing from the support, nurturing and power that that alignment offers.

But even we are part of nature, our emotions, ego and culture can separate us from nature’s flow. We so often feel cut off from the natural world and our own inner nature… not because of concrete and skyscrapers, but because we are always rushing and distracted and disconnected from our core…

Because the desires and goals we’ve attached to don’t come from our essence, heart and wisdom. We each have our own mix of these challenges.  Perhaps:

—You spend too much time on autopilot without awareness or appreciation… or rushing “forward” without a strong connection to your goals and desires.  Maybe it’s been too long since you really checked in with your deep heart to know what they are…

—You’re doing okay, except when your cycle hits its rough part:  Maybe PMS dumps you into lethargy and depression (or insomnia, tears and anxiety).  Or maybe when period pain and other hormonal imbalances put the rest of life on hold.

—You try, but still don’t “get” that body-mind connection feeling… Your body feels distant, something to be managed or changed.  Maybe health issues make you feel like you have to “fix” it, or cultural images make you feel yours isn’t the right shape.

—You wish pleasure was a bigger part of your life… Maybe it’s that “low libido” so often written about, or maybe you’d like your sexual pleasure to be stronger, easier or more varied.  Perhaps pleasure is missing from other parts of life: You’re not relaxing and enjoying food, friends, love… enjoying your life!

—And maybe, as you negotiate your various habits and hurdles, you feel a loss of connection to spirit—to your spirit—to your heart and to Nature (with a capital N).

We don’t need to live in a tree to feel connected to Nature and the energies of the Earth and Sky. 

Taoist practices are flexible, adaptable, responsive and beautiful.  Yes. There is a learning curve. But if you invest a little time and effort, they open and vitalize your energy, body and path.

Sexual energy practices, in particular, directly shift your body and emotions, cultivating strength, balance and enjoyment.  Wouldn’t it be lovely to:

–Feel centered and integrated—body, heart and mind—everywhere, not just on the yoga mat or meditation cushion…

–Feel grounded and empowered from your belly up… At ease with your strength and your value, independent of passing slights and compliments…

–Have clear, healthy boundaries that arise when needed and fall away when you wish.  You don’t feel invaded or put upon, but you also don’t feel stuck or armored.

–Enjoy the pleasure of pleasure and of play:  Knowing what you desire and what pleases you: in the bedroom, in work or in socializing. Knowing what you need and how to care for yourself so your energy and emotions are healthy and vital.

–Have abundant creativity and be able have fun while you create, whether it’s by yourself or in collaboration… For your work or just play.

This is a special offering to share special transformational practices.  They are quite old, but we need them so much now.

They are getting a lot of attention for that very reason, but they are not always complete or accessible without a context of cultivated with self-inquiry and support from a teacher and other practices.

It’s not just about memorizing the steps of another practice. 

It’s about connecting with your body as a gift from nature (and how we connect with the world and our life)… It’s about connecting with our own, deeper nature emotionally and energetically… to our core, to our desires and our own path through life… And it’s about connecting (or reconnecting) with Nature—through meditative imagery and the natural world: whether it’s forests and oceans, the Earth and Sky, the stars and moon of the cosmos.

In the Sexual Energy practices, we go inward, into our body, and work with the energy of life. 

The same energy that creates life over the Earth is available to us—in us.  But we also work with the inner landscape of our emotions, thoughts and habits.  We will get more clarity about how we stay separate or go into “autopilot” and learn lots of tools—big and small—to help.

There is a Tao idea that, “to go upward, we must first go downward.”  These internal practices are enriched and empowered by going outward to connect with the aliveness of Earth: trees, oceans, mountains or volcanoes; when we reach further, to connect with the planet and the sky, and further to the Sun, Moon and Stars.

One of my central passions is how to share these practices so that women take them in deeply and “own them” and to use them to enrich their whole life – like they have enriched mine.  That is my mission and this course is a ‘next step’ on my path.  Just teaching them step-by-step and letting you lose just doesn’t work.  So I am calling in Mother Nature, the Moon and some pretty amazing Inner-and-Outer Tao practices to help!

You will learn ancient practices that are so transformative to our contemporary lives and bodies: 

–With simple, short meditations and writings on questions in class, you clarify where you are and what keeps you from feeling aligned and in your flow.  You find out how you—specifically you—can use the practices and blend them into your current and ideal life….

–With recordings of  guided meditations, you won’t have to worry about memorizing the steps. Recordings will be sent after each class so you can deepen your energetics and practice  between classes.

–With two powerful Ovarian Kung Fu practices: the Gentle TaoZen Ovarian Breathing and the deeper Healing Love from Mantak Chia that includes circulating sexual energy and using the Jade Egg.

–With essential supporting practices: Grounding, Heart Opening, Breast Massage and Centering, among others.

–And with practices that help you connect with Nature and the Universe:  The Sun and Moon… The Ocean and Earth’s Center… with Saturn, the North Star and the Big Dipper.

If you come with your curiosity, heart and mind, you will leave with a deeper understanding of your energetic body, your emotional landscape and your core desires.  You will own these deep, central practices and supporting practices that can support you through life.  Things will feel shifted and will continue to shift. You will feel better connected to your body, to Nature and the Tao.