Sexual Meditation

That title there is a total lie.

This post is not going to be about sex. I'm sorry. Okay, I'm not sorry at all. Wait. Maybe a little bit. Perhaps I'll throw in a little sex to make up for it? It'll be like we're married.

My husband and I are taking a meditation workshop together. I know exactly what you're thinking: I have the most awesome husband, ever. True. I know what else you're thinking: That man is totally Buddha-whipped. Possibly. But I reward him with the sex, so it's win-win for everyone involved.

I hate the expression "win-win" so I put that in there to be obnoxious. In case you missed it.

I haven't taken a meditation class in close to 15 years, so it was refreshing to do so again. What strikes me about the meditation class and about attending temple is that every time I go, I feel better. It seems so simple, but somehow I forget that.

When I'm in a Sunday meditation service or a class, the session itself is so deceptively simple that I think, "I'm not really getting ALL THAT out of this" or "This is nice and all, but not really a big deal." But I find that for the rest of the day and night, I'm thinking about what I learned in that class.

And I feel lighter.

Better.

Happier.

I mean, that's pretty cool. I don't know why I talk myself out of going to temple on Sunday mornings. I know there are the usual reasons: "I want to sleep in," "It's too cold," "It's too far," "I don't know anyone," "I don't feel like it," "I might get Sunday morning sex with the husband," etc.

But all those reasons don't give me the lasting effects of going and sitting on a wood floor with strangers and simply watching my thoughts. What a strange and powerful thing meditation is. What a deceptively simple thing it is too.

I always forget that.

And the best part of this meditation class? I got to share it with my partner. This is the first time in my life that I had a willing partner attend temple with me. It felt pretty special. It's not necessary that he be a Buddhist, but it is incredibly touching that he would express an openness to what's important to me.

That's pretty amazing.

We learned in our meditation class this week that what Buddhism can be narrowed down to is this: "The ability to approach life with an open heart." In that way, I look at my lovely husband as a shining example of what it is I aim to be.

Am I that open?

I'd like to be.

In fact, the teacher asked us what we had thought about while we were meditating.

"I thought about the fact that my nose was itching. And I thought about sex," my husband replied.

The whole group laughed, including the teacher.

"Finally, someone who understand me." she said. I think we all felt that way. Though his admission was funny, it was also unusually candid. Open.

It may sound silly, but by speaking these truths, he opens his heart to all of us, and we to him. We feel more comfortable knowing that we are all very human in our thoughts. We are not profound saints thinking about world peace. We're thinking about what it is to be human. In fact, I found the group to be very kind and open with one another, and I was struck by the presumption of kindness and acceptance by everyone there. Buddhist and non-buddhist alike.

It's a nice place to go. So I'll take my mind, body and husband there again.