by Natasha | Apr 4, 2016 | Body Image, Bodysex testimonial |
This is the story of a little girl shared with me by her mother who attended my first Bodysex workshop. There her mother learned about and identified the parts of her sexual anatomy, began to feel comfortable in her own skin and expressed this newfound comfort with her daughter.
She expressed it by taking better care of her body, not covering up while changing, showing appreciation for parts of her self that she had previously disliked and by sitting down beside her daughter naked. With the little girl watching, her mother identified and named all the parts of her vulva and their different purposes. Her daughter —fascinated by this — looked at her own vulva and did the same alongside her mom. A year later this happened:
“Mom come here, I have to tell you something!” said the little girl from her bath. Her mother walked in to see her daughter smiling up at her.
“I was just looking at my vulva.”
“Oh yah….And what did you see?” asked her mother.
“Well my clitoris looks like a little hill, and my labia look like peas from the garden.”
Smiling her mother asked if she saw anything else.
“Yah” said the little girl, “I saw beauty.”
by Natasha | Mar 29, 2016 | Bodysex testimonial, Bodysex workshops, Related Bodysex, Workshops |
I wish all women could really know and have the experience I just had in Saskatoon with Natasha and the eight other special women who are now my courageous and brave forever sisters. There is nothing like it. Nothing. I have attended many workshops of all kinds but they do not compare to the absolute rawness, vulnerableness and authenticity of Bodysex. Designed by women and only for women I am given total permission to express myself, and I mean all of me. Moreover I am held by others in full acceptance of my expression and I them. The reason for this, unlike all other learnings, is that there is a foundational inclusivity of our sexuality. Together, yet individually, as each other’s witnesses we look fully at our sex, we touch it, we talk about it, we sometimes cry and laugh about it and we experience the profound pleasure of it. For me this brings me ever more closer to my wholeness. My sexual self is often left out of many learning modalities as if it doesn’t exist. But not in the Bodysex circle, it is in fact the key that brings a new awareness and a new connection to ourselves like no other.
I know that visceral fear women have, because I have had it too, of breaking cultural taboos. After all, it has always been our burden to carry on tradition so that all does not fall apart. And yet, in my experience it is within the breaking apart, away and/or the breaking down that my true essence is unearthed and ultimately embraced for everything that it is. By that I mean when I brave the territory of going against the grain of what is culturally acceptable or the norm, I see and know that the world does not end, I don’t end, and if anything I build a new path or maybe find the path that was always there awaiting me. I can fearlessly walk this path acknowledging and declaring the real me. This process cannot at all happen without other women. They are my mirrors, my reflection back, my sisters in self discovery. I support them and they support me in my expression of pleasure, of love, of pain, of strength, of weakness, and of joy.
And who is the real me? I am many things but what showed up for me this time in the protected warmth of the circle of women is my wildly orgasmic self unafraid to take up space with my sounds of primal pleasure, with my big body, and with my heart that embraces the women around me. I am a woman who unabashedly shares the stories of my six decades of juicy fun sexcapades and who now, because of the strength I have found with my Bodysex sisters, makes conscious effort to let go of that which is not serving me and joyously make room for better things to come.
I feel inspired, grounded yet flying high, rejuvenated and looking forward to what Bodysex will bring to me because each time I participate I get taken to a deeper understanding of my purpose and a commitment to have my life be pleasurable as is my birthright.
A thousand thank-you’s, Natasha for giving us this experience with such grace, enthusiasm and sensitivity. I love you!
by Natasha | Mar 10, 2016 | Bodysex testimonial, Bodysex workshops, Posts |
Here is a beautiful testimonial from a woman who attended my February Bodysex Retreat/Workshop. She sent the message to my mentor’s Betty //dodsonandross.com in thanks for sharing their knowledge by training other women to be Bodysex facilitators.
My next Bodysex Workshop retreat will be May 14th/15th 2016 at Ancient Spirals Retreat Centre. This will be the only Bodysex workshop until next winter. Details will be updated on my site over the next couple of days. Pm me to book as space is limited!
Dear Betty and Carlin,
I cannot thank you enough for making the decision to share your talents and messages of self-love with a larger audience through your Bodysex certification courses. Last weekend, I traveled to Saskatoon, Canada to attend Natasha Salaash’s Bodysex workshop and my experience (one that you know well) can only be described as transformational.
I arrived in Canada scared, nervous, self-conscious, and looking for a quick fix to reignite the sexual flame that seemed to have been lost somewhere over the past 10 years. What I found was so much more. I never imagined that a “sex workshop” could result in so much healing. After the workshop, I left Saskatoon feeling whole, seen, loved, and beautiful. The shame and regret I felt previously were replaced by a strong sense of hope and an understanding of the power that comes from shared feminine sexuality.
Now, back home, I find myself still basking in the unconditional love of my Bodysex sisters. At the same time, my heart aches for all of the women who may never have the opportunity (or open mindedness) to experience the life changing magic of Bodysex. Despite this, I am buoyed by the knowledge that, through your work, this information is being shared. Betty, thank you for your continued commitment to sharing the beauty of masturbation with women worldwide. Thanks to you vulva shame is well on its way to extinction! Carlin, thank you for helping to bring Betty’s vision and voice to an even broader audience. The work you are doing to ensure that her message is carried on is critical. Finally, thank you both for mentoring Natasha. She led our workshop with such compassion, honesty, and grace and is an inspiration to many of the women in our group. Keep up the wonderful work!
Best,
L
by Natasha | Jan 21, 2016 | Bodysex testimonial, Bodysex workshops, Posts, Workshops |
Here is a beautiful testimonial from a woman who attended my last Bodysex workshop. In every circle that I have sat in there has been at least one survivor of sexual abuse/trauma. No matter what truths are spoken in that circle, as long as we use our “honest I statements” the circle of sisterhood will carry us.
This line in her testimonial sums it up completely.
“Yes it was scary to consider being naked with women I don’t know. What frightened me more was living the rest of my life in distrust and disconnect from myself…………. Not only am I healing myself, I’m healing future generations.”
When I first learned of the bodysex workshops, I thought, ‘how wonderful, but not for me.’ This is the story I held onto for so many years. Being sexual, being confident, being open, was great for other women, but not for me. I admire a woman who embraces herself and her sexuality, but I could never do that. Maybe someday. First I need to heal.
I clung to my story like a raft on a swift-flowing river. My story kept me afloat, alone, divided and struggling in a world and life that kept moving forward. It reassured me with feelings of familiarity—be they anxiety, depression, isolation, illness—they were my friends because they had always been there. They were home.
Sexual abuse grabs a hold of the very essence of a woman, and keeps her just near the point of drowning but always afloat. I was okay, but I was not whole. I was no longer in danger, but my shame was like a black cloak on my back that followed me everywhere and made sure I felt different. I’ve told myself every version of regret or diminishment: “it wasn’t that bad, it could have been worse.” I’ve alternately been very sexual without pure emotions, or felt horrified of myself, of my sexuality and stuffed it away. I detached from that part of myself and maintained a small obligatory connection. Like I tied a rope to my sexual being and dragged it along because it was indeed a part of me, sometimes a valuable and enjoyable one, but one I wanted to keep at a distance and under control.
At the beginning of the workshop I told the embrace of women “I have lived most of my life in my head, because it’s safer that way.” I wanted that to change, but something was holding me back. I had been in recovery many years. I had a solid intellectual understanding of my experience and my role in becoming a victim. I had read great books, was in ongoing counseling, had managed to get off anti-depressant medications, and welcomed multiple healing modalities.
I had told my past and my story to some people. Most had accepted my truth and accepted me, but I still hadn’t. I told myself well they have to…they are my friend, my family, or I am paying them for their services and they are professionals who see this all the time. Or sometimes I omitted pieces of the story, and clung to those as reasons I was unworthy of forgiveness. If people knew all the horrible details, they would cringe at me. I would not forgive myself.
Yet something told me that the bodysex circle might welcome all of me, and it might help me get past this stuck feeling. Natasha’s writing on her website spoke to me. Her email exchanges were comforting but never pressuring. I finally surrendered to the notion this was a risk worth taking and I paid my deposit. I still didn’t think it would be the best idea or safe for me to reveal all my truth to the circle of women when the time came.
Yet as the workshop progressed, it became nearly impossible to contain all that secrecy and shame that burned inside me. As one courageous woman after another revealed her whole truth and her dynamic self, scarred, ashamed, and imperfect, I saw the willingness in myself and in the others to accept each other unconditionally. This was what I needed. I needed to tell my truth, and to look in the eyes of women who accepted me and my truth, and loved me the same (or even more) for it. I felt reborn through my tears and by shedding my layers of secrecy of the past that had long burdened me. I left my shame in the comforting embrace of sisterhood. We dissolved it in tears and love. I remembered who I was, and where that shame belonged.
In the weeks since that day, I feel reconnected with my full body, my full self. I can look at myself in the mirror. I can stand naked without quickly covering myself. I can touch myself with care and gentle ease, like a curious young lover. I have felt my spirit returning and my inner child heal. I feel whole, and bigger and greater than ever in my life. I feel connected to humanity because I am no different than you and you are no different than me. We are all love, we are all light. Our body and our emotion and our selves are not meant to live separately, but to shine together. We are dark and light, there is no person without a dark side.
Natasha is a gift to humanity and her passion for her work is evident in every moment. I am privileged and honored to have participated in this life-changing experience. Yes it was scary to consider being naked with women I don’t know. What frightened me more was living the rest of my life in distrust and disconnect from myself. I am so grateful I had the opportunity to take this big risk. Not only am I healing myself, I’m healing future generations.
© 2016 Microsoft Terms Privacy & cookies Developers English (United States)
by Natasha | Oct 1, 2015 | Bodysex testimonial, Bodysex workshops, Posts
After an intense weekend of self-discovery and self-love, I was asked for one word to sum up how I was feeling. I tried not to overthink it and the word that came to me was warm. It wasn’t until I had taken a couple days to process and reflect that I really discovered what I meant.
Warm- Physically warm, the room was hot by the time our sweat, tears, breath, laughter and energy had filled the space. Emotionally warm, in the most kind nurturing sense of the word. So much safety in this room that felt like a womb, like a mothers hug, like a nest lined with the softest of intentions huddled together so close, getting to know each other as we each contemplated taking flight. Warm acceptance as we shared our stories, warm words and warm knowing looks as we held eye contact as well as the fleeting glances and sly smiles. Warm love as we held hands and passed our acceptance and admiration and strength to each of our sisters, hoping that she truly felt the depth of our embrace and support. Warmth, as my body softened and released the fear and tension I arrived with. Warmth as the cold wall I built within myself started to crumble. Giving myself permission to speak out and risk the rejection of not being heard, permission to stand in the warm sun instead of the shadows. Warm comfort as I slowly transitioned from awkward nervousness to absolute mellow. Warmth of that exhausted, content, fulfilled, post orgasmic sense of peace where you can just fall asleep with a smile on your face.
This is the image I want people to see if I have the guts to tell them I spent two days in a room completely naked with eight other women. To describe concretely that we sit together and discuss our history and feelings about body image, shame and orgasms probably sounds either terrifying or just way out there to most people. To go on and tell them we all lay back and each touch ourselves lovingly and orgasm side by side is kind of mind blowing, I know I had that reaction when first hearing Natasha, my friend and guide, talk about her experiences. I was so impressed when I first heard about these Bodysex workshops but thought that was amazing for other women, but no way could I possibly get naked. I was terrified of being truly seen (and maybe still am sometimes). I am often ok with being a vulnerable mess in some situations, but when I walk away I am back to my old protected, isolated self. Participating in the Bodysex workshop has given me the comfort and confidence to just own who I am, not to apologize for it. I still struggle to open up and be truly honest and vulnerable with people in my everyday life, but I know I deserve it and am worthy of that voice, so I will continue to practice and grow. I am hopeful and what a gift that hope is.
