Celebrating the Body Erotic

I don't know much about 'chakras' and the metaphysics of energy pathways. But I do know what feels good to me, and my recent BODY ELECTRIC workshop was a welcome jolt to my sex routine. Yes, admit it - we've all got sex routines and rituals we practice together and alone. The rooms and positions where we most enjoy our solo sex. Where we typically place our hands, and how we harmonize our minds and bodies to stimulate ourselves into orgasm. The fantasies we use. The videos, toys or images that entice us to the edge of pleasure, where we toil to push ourselves over that edge into the ejaculation orgasm. Ahhhhhh, pant, pant, pant. Now where's that damned cum rag gone off to?

Unfortunately, there were' no masturbation classes at Reed Junior High, where the guys could compare stroke techniques, breathing patterns and pinching places. My dick jumped up into my amateur hands, and 1 seized the opportunity regularly, often with stealth and speed. Very quietly, behind closed doors, 1 pulled and pushed myself to cum. Eventually 1 reached out to others who shared my desires and lack of training. And it was good. Very good.

Suddenly though, at age 30, this old dog is learning some nifty new tricks with the same old bone. One weekend in May 1 found myself stretched out naked and sweating on a massage table high in the Sierra Madre mountains. With a white bandanna tied over my eyes surrendered to the warm oily anonymous hands of the other workshop participants intent on soothing, kneading, rubbing and pleasuring me all over. Each set of hands expressed a unique personal touch through their texture, speed and intuition of movements. With coaching from Ken, the workshop coodinator and my own ongoing requests, these men transported me to a bold new pleasure threshold. A choice that uses focused breathing. energy theories, and various touching techniques to soothe, to stimulate, to heal. After the workshop, you can take your homework out into the world, and thrill yourself solo, or bliss your partner(s). Wasn't it Dionne Warwick that sang, "What the world needs now, is love, sweet love"? You'll surely be humming a happy tune of your own after your tune-up at BODY ELECTRIC.

So what exactly happens at the workshop? First, there are intimate face-to-face exercises where you get to know, and be known by, the others in your workshop. Typically, there are twenty or thirty men, aged 25 to 65. There is ritual, and there is randomness. There is naked massage within your limits ("Tolerate nothing, and ask for what you want" is a slogan), and there are several incredible friction applications that are too delicious for words. Just the word “corkscrew' can now bring a new smile to my face. And don't get me started about “fire" unless you're willing to risk being scorched by ecstasy. And there are constant reminders to focus consciously on your breathing. Many of us clench up and stop breathing in certain throes of orgasmic pursuit, yet this can block energy which wants to flow. Sometimes it can veer over into hyperventilation, and a dizzy giddiness from the oxygen high. Then there are moments when you  are specifically directed to clench tight, before you release to yet another new experience. At this point, the experience becomes highly personal for each man. Some are moved to shuddering sobs of sadness that they may or may not be able to articulate. Others experience waves of wordless joy that give birth to unexplainable laughter. Some report a spiritual connection, becoming part of

something larger outside themselves. For each man, the experience varies in any given session. All without the use of alcohol or drugs.

Easterners seem to believe that Western man is overly concerned with his own ejaculation, at the expense of the full range of pleasure. So the workshop encourages stimulation and genital massage that stops short of ejaculation. You can do that any old time. Here the idea is to use massage and breathing to spread the energy that is raised into various parts of the body for an overall body buzz. To squeeze it all out the end of your dick every time is too limiting. By resisting the easy exit, the ejaculation response, there are other feelings you can reach, places only accessible by a process of this intention. And you'll never know, unless you go find out for yourself .

Curious? No, this isn't a 'hot' sexual encounter weekend, necessarily. If you just want sex, you can find many arenas for that. Yet this workshop is an incredible chance for every sexual person, single or coupled, celibate, monogamous or total slut, gay or straight. Yes, there were even two "straight' men in my workshop.

My partner John is an artist and massage therapist, far more schooled in the BODY ELECTRIC techniques than I, as he began BE workshops long before we met. His playfulness and easy mastery of these principles greatly enhance our sex play and our relationship. Now I, a rank amateur, can answer his knowing caresses with a wider range of responses, that drive us both through greater physical and psychic intimacy.

One thing any couple will face here is the issue of sexual touching with others outside the relationship. You and your partner may take the workshop together or separately. Personally I welcomed the chance to drag the sex conversation out of the shameful closet. I do not need to be the last man to ever touch John's dick . I can be controlling at times, but not that controlling. And this is not about having no boundaries or agreements. It is about having honest adult conversations, honoring each other, and retaining our individuality within the context of our togetherness.

By the way, there is no anal touch in this workshop. For that, you can take a follow-up workshop that builds on this one by exploring one by exploring the land down under. The BODY ELECTRIC school, founded in 1984, also offers separate workshops on an army of topics: for women, for mixed gender groups, for exploring SM play as soul work, and for creating and sustaining an erotic community. Workshops are regularly given in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and New Zealand. Call for a free brochure, at 0409 227147 or visit The Body Electric web site at www.bodyelectricaustralia.org

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Rex Poindexter