December 2021 TDM
The “Meditation & Sex” Issue
Welcome to the December 2021 issue of The Daily Meditator. This is your monthly resource for fun, quirky, interesting, and noteworthy happenings in and around the worldwide meditation community, curated by Light Watkins and co. Our mission is simple: to help broaden the horizon of what a daily meditator looks like while providing you with relevant information and timely inspiration for staying committed to your daily practice.
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[ MEDITATION & NEWS ]
Bronx Students Use Meditation To Start Their Day
Imagine starting school each day with yoga, meditation, and affirmations? Looks like somebody on the Bronx School Board has seen the light. Elementary school students at Ocean Hill Elementary School are getting blissed out before their daily lessons begin, according to this article by bronx.news12.com.
The school offers a morning group circle for students, and they use the above “mood meter” to check in on the mental and emotional state of the students each day. And if needed, the students will receive holistic suggestions on how to feel better.
Both the students and their family members have reported positive results. And leading the charge is the Uncommon Schools Network, a non-profit charter public school. They are putting an emphasis on social-emotional learning and changing the conversation about how to regulate emotions.
Bottom line: We’ve got our fingers crossed that this social-emotional trend will go wildly viral in other school districts around America.
[ MEDITATION & RESEARCH ]
Ommmmm, Orgasmic Meditation? 😳🤔
Have you heard of this? Orgasmic Meditation? OneTaste, the brand behind this masturbatory style of meditation has been around for years. And last we heard, they were under investigation by the FBI for sex trafficking, prostitution, and violations of labor laws. But despite their legal troubles, the concept of meditating through orgasm is apparently still a thing. And below is a breakdown of what this recent study reports about it:
What’s the practice? This highly structured approach involves a couple, with the female laying down and the other partner sitting next to them. The person sitting provides gentle and slow stimulation to their partner’s clitoris for about 15 minutes, before stopping to “ground” and end the session.
Why? Although sexual touch is the focus, the goal of this meditation is to increase connection and promote calm alertness.
The Results: While analyzing the brain changes immediately after, scientists found statistically significant changes in both the receiving and giving participants. These effects included a sexual response, but also meditation, and a hybrid of the two neural patterns.
What does this mean? There is a unique “state” of consciousness that occurs during this style of meditation, affirming the complexity between sexuality and spirituality.
Bottom line: No we know, even when it comes to meditation, there are different strokes for different folks (literally).
The Accessing Your Potential Masterclass in The Happiness Insiders community is open for enrollment. If you’re ready to access your true potential, this course is for you (includes complimentary access to my 7-day Meditation Kickstart video course). This masterclass is a part of an ongoing curriculum of inner practices for cultivating happiness where it truly resides (from the inside-out). Other masterclasses include Finding Your Purpose, Overcoming Fear, and Manifesting Abundance. Click here to start your inner happiness journey.
[ MEDITATION & LIFESTYLE ]
Apple Says… It’s Time To Meditate
Ready for some company the next time you meditate? For anyone sporting an Apple Watch, a new feature just dropped last month that allows you to meditate (or workout) with your friends—up to 32 of them to be exact.
SharePlay connects each participant via FaceTime and syncs the class across all devices. No more having to countdown from three to make sure you hit play at the same time. There are even group alerts for when one person meets their fitness goal for the day.
Bottom line: If you’re tempted to join a group meditation, but you don’t want to catch the Omicron variant, now you have a digital solution.
[ MEDITATION & TECHNOLOGY ]
The OnlyFans of Meditation Apps? 🍆
Okay, we know that sex sells, but this is getting ridiculous. A new guided meditation app called Guided By Glow is claiming that their app to meditate can help you achieve orgasm. In meditation. According to an article by nypost.com, listeners can get off—we meant to say, get ommmm—from a range of “erotic audio sessions” for the low monthly fee of $8.99.
Created by actress Sayra Player, the app features a number of different sessions and storylines which usually begin with guided breathing exercises designed to relax the listener. Player also noted that she got the inspiration to write her first guided meditation for her app after finding herself unsatisfied with online porn.
Guided by Glow is just one of many apps that offer guided meditation intended to get listeners off. There’s Dipsea, where one can listen to high-concept stories, like yoga teacher/student sex. There’s Ferly, where users join a program led by an expert to target specific bedroom hangups like low libido, stigma, or painful intercourse. Kama (as in Sutra) offers masturbation meditations and lessons intended to help you enjoy yourself as well as make you a better lover, according to thedailybeast.com.
Bottom line: Now that meditation videos are apparently being sold behind the curtain at the video store, there’s officially nothing that’s off-limits when it comes to what people are calling “meditation.”
One room has opened up on Light Watkins’s New Year's Eve Meditation retreat along the sandy beaches of Cabo San Lucas on the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. Click here to grab it and get ready to experience the most amazing way to bring in 2022 as a daily meditator.
[ MEDITATION & HEALTH ]
A Healthy New Alternative Cure For Bloating?
When you’re not using meditation to get off (see the above article), you can use it to get rid of bloating. According to an article by express.co.uk, stomach bloating is caused by a variety of factors—including one’s mental state. In other words, stress and anxiety can disrupt the delicate balance of your digestive system, and that’s ultimately the cause of slow digestion, constipation, and bloating.
There’s now well-documented evidence that the brain and the gut communicate with each other via numerous systems, including neural, hormonal, and immunological. That said, a daily mindfulness practice that can help to reduce stress is shown to be an effective tool for preventing an imbalanced digestive system.
Bottom line: Learning Vedic or Transcendental Meditation may be costly, but remember, you’ll save on Pepto Bismal and Tums.
Do you think you could meditate for 108 days in a row? Light Watkins has been facilitating this fun meditation challenge, which has an incredibly high rate of completion. It’s designed to make you a bonafide daily meditator, and includes access to Light’s popular 7-Day Meditation Kickstart video course. Your $39 entry fee will be credited back to you once you complete all 108 days in a row. Click here if you’re up for the challenge?
[ REALITY CHECK ]
Why You Don’t Need To Go on a Retreat
Ahhh, how lovely would it be to jet set out of the Western United States to attend a yoga or meditation retreat this winter. Ideally somewhere tropical, picturesque, and completely cut off from my life now.
Vacations and retreats are wonderful… when I can afford them. At this time, there is a growing list of teacher trainings, sacred feminine empowerment weekend retreats, and self-care gadgets to help me Live My Best Life™, all of which are disproportional to my current income.
Part of why we love retreats and vacations is because of the change of scenery, mental spaciousness, physical relaxation, and freedom from day-to-day demands. However, all of this can be obtained (to some degree) at home with activities like daily meditation, learning where to set boundaries with people, going on a daytrip to a new part of town (or state), and incorporating non-negotiable healthy routines throughout your week.
When you can’t break away from your life for a vacation, work on bringing elements of a retreat into your daily life. Just ask yourself, what do you crave, long for, or need?What are some simple ways to provide yourself this today?
Although it seems minuscule, the compound interest of self-care and positive habits build up over time. So add some vacation to your days; you deserve it.
[By regular TDM contributor Jordan Pletzer]
[ READ. WATCH. LISTEN. ]
Read: The How: Notes on the Great Work of Meeting Yourself
From the acclaimed poet behind bone, Yrsa Daley-Ward, The How is a mix of short lyrical musings and her signature stunning poetry, Yrsa gently takes readers by the hand, encouraging them to join her as she explores how we can remove our filters, and see and feel more of who we really are behind the preconceived notions of propriety and manners we've accumulated with age. With a beautiful design and intriguing meditations, The How can be used to start conversations, to prompt writing, to delve deeper--whether you're solo, or with friends, on your feet, or writing from the solace of home. Read more
Watch: Free yoga and mindful movement lessons for children
Surf Yoga, Animal Yoga and Dino Yoga are just some of the videos now available on the free early learning app Khan Academy Kids, thanks to a new partnership with Alo Gives. In each video, yoga teachers guide children through a routine for mind and body. The videos are designed to teach kids to quiet their minds, find calm when challenged, mute negativity and gain focus so that they can learn more easily. Watch now
Listen: Snoop Dogg Presents Algorithm
Snoop Dogg Presents Algorithm is a Snoop Dogg-hosted album meant to move away from the current age of computers controlling what’s hot and what’s not. With a group of Def Jam affiliates and friends, this album aims to shine a spotlight on true hip-hop. Snoop embodies the role of old-time radio hosts who would often play the freshest new talents on the air. Listen now
Have you listened to Light’s podcast At the End of the Tunnel? If inspiration was a drop of water, At the End of the Tunnel would be like an ocean. Each candid interview is sure to leave you uplifted, inspired, and motivated to follow your heart, take a leap of faith, and believe in yourself. Start listening now.
[ REPORT FROM THE FIELD ]
Meditation has made me more aware of my conditioning patterns and I started to have a truer relationship with myself.
What have you gotten from Meditation? There are so many benefits I’ve gotten. I definitely became more aware of my conditioning patterns and I started to have a truer relationship with myself. A game-changer for me has been becoming progressively more process-oriented rather than outcome-oriented. That’s how I’ve been practicing my compassion muscle and listening to my heart.
Strangest meditation moment? Can’t recall any strange moment. Although once I felt a strong stress-releasing moment in my body. My mind was quiet but my body felt restless and agitated. I just sit with it breathing and it passed.
Most unexpected benefit of meditation? I quit alcohol. I used to enjoy a glass of wine with friends, but after going to Light’s retreat (alcohol off) I simply just didn’t feel the need in my body to drink again and it’s been two years. Coming from the Prosecco region, people don’t get why I don’t drink anymore and their attitude has helped me be comfortable with not being understood. I’m happy in my body.
[Giulia is one of the hosts and meditation guides in Light’s Happiness Insiders Community. She leads a live virtual meditation every other Wednesday morning.]
Two of Our Favorite Instagram Accounts with a Purpose
Yrsa Daley-Ward (left) is an author, actor, model, and screenwriter of mixed Jamaican and Nigerian heritage. Yrsa draws heavy inspiration from her own experiences and larger issues affecting our behavior and quality of life and love. She is most known for her debut book, Bone as well as for her live poetry performances. Her autobiographical novel, The Terrible. It won the PEN/Ackerley Prize. Her newest book ‘The How,’ is out November 2nd, 2021. Her work has appeared in many publications worldwide, including Vogue, Elle, Harpers Bazaar, Dazed and Notion. Follow her @yrsadaleyward
Glennon Doyle (right) is an author and activist known for her #1 New York Times bestsellers Untamed, Love Warrior, and Carry On, Warrior. She is also the creator of the online community Momastery, and is the founder and president of Together Rising, an all-women-led nonprofit organization supporting women, families, and children in crisis. Glennon lives in Florida with her wife and three children. Follow her @glennondoyle
I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.
— Maya Angelou
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