7 Ways to Be More Sensual

7 Ways to Be More Sensual
By Kjerstin Wittwer

Being sensual—in touch with your body and the way the textures, colors and scents around it make you feel—is something that often gets lost in the hectic pace of today’s world. But sensuality is something we cannot afford to lose. Living fully in our bodies encourages awareness as we catch a scent on the wind, greater powers of observation as we are overcome by the details of a beautiful sunset, better memory as we recall events with tactile clarity, a lower stress level as we remember to relax and enjoy each moment, and, oh yeah, a little more responsiveness in the bedroom, because hey, we’ve taken time to feel good all day.

Here are seven ways to be more sensual. Each only takes a moment, but if followed, these suggestions can increase your awareness and allow you to live for a few seconds completely in your own skin. Warning: sensuality can be addictive. If practiced often, these little habits can lead to a whole new way of in-the-moment living…

7. Stop and smell the flowers. With your eyes closed. Let every little thought you have focus on that scent. What’s its texture? What does it remind you of? Is it sweet? Spicy? Pungent? Delicately scented flowers, like orchids, are often best for this, as are rich, sweet ones like peonies and irises. Let your whole body become immersed in the smell. Let your lips part. Smell them like you’re on the verge of a forbidden first kiss.

6. Gone with the wind. Live in a windy area? Put on a tank top or swimsuit (or go topless if you’re daring and have the privacy for it) and sit outside with the wind at your back. Focus on the way it feels against your neck and shoulders and arms. The breeze is giving you a gentle massage, so relax and focus on feeling.

5. At your feet. Go in for a little self-pleasure. No, we’re not talking “private time.” This kind of pleasure is found in a bottle of lotion—something with a calming scent, like lavender, works nicely—and your own two hands. Slather up and massage your own feet. Feel the touch in your feet and in your hands. Feel how your skin interacts, feel where it’s sensitive, and revel in the fact that you know exactly where and how to touch.

4. Climb a tree. Swing up into the branches and go as high as you safely can, then wrap your body around the limbs and remember what it’s like to be a bird or a child or whatever feels right to you. Get used to the feeling of being up high where no one can see you. Breathe deeply. Smell the bark. Look at the sky.

3. Open your eyes. Find something. Something small, preferably something natural. Something you normally don’t give a second glance. This could be a leaf, a pinecone, a seashell, anything. Pick it up. Look at it. Look until you think you’ve seen anything, and then make yourself notice just one thing more. Then another. Then another.

2. Breathe deep. Take a deep breath. What’s in that air? Breathe through your nose, clear down into your belly. The smell of new grass? Taxi fumes? Rain? Take the air in until you can’t hold any more, then let it out and do it again. Become aware of how the air fills your nostril and lungs. What do you notice about it? What does it remind you of? How does it make you feel?

1. Stand up straight. Pull your shoulders back, let your chin tuck slightly in, and let your arms relax at your sides. Start walking. Feel the way your body moves. Feel the muscles in your legs, the tension in your waist, the pull of your shoulders. Slip deeply into your body and feel what it means to be physically you.