Sensuality and Being Grateful
Looking for a reason to be grateful for what you have in these hard times? Try tapping into your senses and looking for pleasure in the smaller things in life. A series of studies by psychology professor at UC Davis, Robert Emmons, has found that keeping a written record of what you are grateful for can help a person to sleep longer, exercise more frequently, have fewer health complaints and generally feel better about their lives. (Yoga Journal, Dec 2008)
The article on these studies made me think of how being in touch with your senses helps you to appreciate the simple pleasures in life from the smell of baking bread to the touch of someone’s hand on your skin–that you can choose to be grateful for even the simplest things that surround you day to day or you can ignore them. A perfect sensual movie example of this can be found in the super-sensual character of Maude in “Harold and Maude“ who teaches the the lost and cynical character of Harold that life is about enjoying and being grateful for the sensual. As reviewer Teresa notes: “Harold and Maude addresses the reason we even care about sensuality - that it makes life worth living…required viewing to understand the importance of sensuality.” If you haven’t seen Harold and Maude in a while or at all, sit down and enjoy it. Then take a lesson from Maude and be grateful for what is simple and beautiful in life!