Insight

"Sex is more than an act of pleasure, it’s the ability to be able to feel so close to a person, so connected, so comfortable that it’s almost breathtaking to the point you feel you can’t take it. And at this moment you’re a part of them." ~ Unknown

There might not be two words that are better matched side by side than gratitude and sex. What moment more fully embodies gratitude than the deep and powerful pleasure of two bodies entwined in lovemaking?

"Virtually all hyperosmolar lubricants need to be reformulated… Normally the mucosal lining of the vagina is a good barrier to infection all by itself, but when that barrier gets compromised, all bets are off."  ~ Richard Cone, biophysicist Johns Hopkins

Personal lubricants may be the last frontier of health care products to experience it, but there is a revolution afoot and there are many brands of organic and all-natural products that are entering the market to replace the dangerously toxic effects of bad chemistry.

"The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest." ~William Blake

Most of us have never learned how to consciously receive love. Sure, falling in love is easy; our biological imperative to mate kicks in naturally opening our hearts and flooding our nervous system with the euphoric experience of idealized connection. In these early moments of love’s embrace, we receive love viscerally.

"We must give more in order to get more. It is the generous giving of ourselves that produces the generous harvest." ~ Orison Swett Marden

  It is not uncommon for me to get a random text from my kids’ teenaged friends inquiring about sexual issues.

They are important questions that, even with as few characters as these mini communications provide, are laced with anxiety and edged with a bit of desperation. They don’t know the terms for problems like premature ejaculation or inability to orgasm, and they think they are the only ones that have these problems.

Touch has been shown to have long-lasting health benefits which are good for the brain and bonding. In fact, a study was done long ago that proved that if we are not touched as infants we can fail to survive. Touch is such an important part of every relationship we are in, whether it is that of a partner, a parent, a friend or a co-worker. Touch is an essential part of communication and connection.

Here are 7 amazing benefits to being a snuggle bug:

"Experiencing one’s self in a conscious manner–that is, gaining self-knowledge–is an integral part of learning." ~ Karen Stone McCown

People who are emotionally intelligent are seriously sexy. Fluency with one’s emotional life defines our ability to master most other life experiences. Being constantly caught between fight or flight is not flattering, and sadly our sex appeal bears its weight.

Is your marriage lacking intimacy? Has the affection gone from your relationship? Although the first (and most obvious) sign that things have cooled between the two of you is a lack of sex—or even mundane sex where you feel no connection with your partner—"intimacy" covers other things as well. It can be touching, holding each other, kissing, cuddling... any form of physical contact that creates a positive emotional response in you.

Unfortunately, for many couples the intimacy has all but gone from their marriage. They're simply "going through the motions" of marriage without any signs of physical affection. Often this is more painful for one person than the other.