Greetings and welcome to your introduction to greening up your personal life! I’ve created this exclusive information packet for you, fans and readers of Diana Kirschner, my friend and author of the brand-new book Sealing the Deal: The Love Mentor’s Guide to Lasting Love!
Chances are, you are scratching your head, wondering what eco-sexuality is all about. Some may be thinking that this is something for the eco-hippy types, maybe folks who don’t eat any meat products, hug as many trees as they do people, or spend each morning chanting (and if any of these describe you, then welcome too! Everyone is invited to join me under the eco-sexy umbrella). Others may be thinking what the fuss is this all about? You’re taking a mental list and noting that you recycle, reuse and compost in the backyard. How can you possibly make your personal, intimate life more sustainable?
The point is this is likely a new concept for many readers who are wondering why I am so passionate about the emerging field of Eco-Sexuality.
Mother Earth doesn’t need us to survive, but we need her. Better Make Sure She Comes First.
What is Eco-Sexuality?
Eco-sexuality is the recognition and adaptation of environmentally friendly products and behaviors that benefit lovers and the planet, reduce harm to both, emphasize pleasure without compromise and advocate for healthy alternatives to every aspect of reproductive health and wellbeing.
Here are THREE things YOU can do right now to make your love life greener between the sheets without compromising on any fun. After you’ve read through this and decide there’s a lot more wisdom, sensation, joy and science behind the eco-sexual movement, I invite you to continue to wet your eco-sexy appetite at Greenprophet.com, where I report on the latest in Greening your Love Life.
GREEN YOUR DIET:
Reconsider what you put in your body and your body will please you more in return.
I believe in aphrodisiacs in a very specific way. As best as I know, there’s no magic food that you can take and find your engine revved to go. However, if you think of foods as both pleasurable journeys and good for cardiovascular/endocrine health, you introduce a new level of consciousness to your eating.
For example, a few years back I decided to switch to a kosher diet for spiritual reasons. It wasn’t that I avoided pork or shrimp that made me feel more enlightened, and it wasn’t because I was denying myself some tasty morsels that I learned about the importance of rituals and eating. What this journey taught me was that when we EAT WITH INTENTION AND MINDFULNESS, good things happen.
My concept of aphrodisiacs, therefore, is this: Foods taste crunchier, smoother, tangier, sweeter, and all around more flavorful when we savor them with our minds and bodies fully present. So eco-sexuality asks that we first put our mind into focus when we are eating. That alone makes dining a more arousing experience.
Now for our choice of cuisine: certain foods do offer nutritional benefits that protect our heart health (a good ticker is an absolute must in you are being frisky), and nourish our endocrine system (makers of those fine compounds called hormones that help us, among other things, go bump in the night and wake up with a smile in the morning.)
To go into the specifics of EVERY FOOD that is good for both of those is beyond the scope of this newsletter, but don’t worry: I’m going to suggest an easy alternative!
Adopt the Mediterranean diet, which is proven to provide the best cardiovascular health benefits, and is a nutritionally sound way to protect a man’s erectile function.
For more specifics, please read:
Med Diet: The eco-sexy way to a maintain vigor and love
Med Diet: Do these fats make my handle look big?
Eco-Sexy Nutrition for Her, from Horny Goat Weed to Vitamin C
GREEN YOUR PERSONAL LUBRICANT:Did you know that close to 90% of the OTC products sold as vaginal lubricants contain ingredients originally designed to lube your cars and ovens? (Reference). I don’t know about you, but when I learned this, I didn’t want anything near my nether parts that contained petro-chemicals or other nasty tidbits. In fact, the number one complaint from women regarding sexual relations is vaginal dryness, but many modern solutions aren’t just eco-hazards to the planet, they are hurting your chances for health and pleasure!
Let me expand on that if you will. Let’s say you are feeling a little dry down there, and want moisten your rain forest, so to speak. You go to the store, buy the standard (I won’t name names here because I’m just one woman without a lawyer on retainer, and the makers of these major love NO-NO’s don’t take kindly to the ugly facts) tube of lube, and bring it home to frisk things up. Yes, the lube works to grease the wheels in the moment, but in addition to vaginal dryness, you start to notice other ailments over the course of time.
Perhaps it stings, or you are feeling a bit itchy, sore, or raw, or just not right. Those headaches won’t go away, or pelvic tenderness, lack of libido and the like feel like they’ve taken up permanent residence in your vulva.
Many women can’t put a finger on it, and go to their doctor to complain of decreased libido and pleasure and increased frustration, pain or discomfort. It doesn’t help that our culture is over-sexed and under-blissed as well. We use sex to sell everything, but are in the midst of a national crisis with regards to authentic intimacy…but I digress.
When the above happened to me, what did my doctor prescribe? She suggested OTC lubrication and lidocaine! In other words, throw more dangerous compounds at my pussy, and numb her up in the process.
Sound familiar? Frustrating? Like a nightmare under the covers?
Here’s something I learned the hard way. Just because it is sold/advocated by your pharmacist/doctor, doesn’t mean it IS GOOD FOR YOU! In fact, few experts pay attention to what’s in that lube. But if they did, and they compared those ingredients with known lists of chemical bad boys, they’d be horrified and asking the same questions environmentalists have been asking for years: WHY ARE THEY TELLING ME TO PUT THAT IN/ON MY BODY IF IT CAN CAUSE: irritation, fatigue, headache, cancer, yeast infections, pain, etc.
What do I recommend?
First, read the labels and avoid ANYTHING that is petro-based. For more specific compounds that are dangerous to your sex life, please read: The Ins and Outs of Personal Vaginal Lubricants.
For fun, (but not for use with condoms because is it an oil and will degrade rubber!) – a jar of coconut oil, available at most health food stores. Go for organic, first-pressed coconut oil. It lasts a long time, can come in odorless varieties, and is a natural antiseptic, which means that for most women, it won’t be a problem. However, if you are prone to yeast/bacterial infections, natural oils can promote these (in my experience, yeast takes up residence in ‘bad’ numbers when I’ve eaten to much sugar).
Many fine companies now produce, market and sell truly ‘Green’ lubrications that are either natural or silicon based, for use with our without adult toys (and they let you know!), and/or condoms.
Just be careful: if you are using condoms then natural oils are not advised.
Please note: Birth control and population growth are two very important eco-sexy topics that warrant additional discussion, but are beyond the scope of this newsletter.
GREEN YOUR PUCKER:
And finally, I suggest you make love and kiss more frequently. When we engage in sexual and non-sexual touch and affection, we do something inherently good for both Mother Earth and ourselves.
For starters, non-sexual touch satisfies skin-hunger. In a stressed out world, physical affection becomes even more necessary as it activates the production and release of compounds, like the bonding hormone oxytocin and dopamine (released when we orgasm), that help us feel connected to one another. The neurobiology of love is quite fascinating to my inner science geek, and also the peacemaker within that knows no harm can come from more consensual, age-appropriate, heart-centered loving touch.
There’s ample scientific data to support the wellness benefits of sex, but the reason for suggesting more sensuality isn’t just for health’s sake. It is quite simple one of sweetest forms of pleasure, essential to nourishing intimacy, and from a sacred sexuality point of view, lovemaking introduces positive energy into the world that’s carrying a heavy load of harm. For those interested in the topic, read more on the connection between God, Sex and Ecstasy.
I hope this information has proven to be a delightful read! I hope it has inspired you to rethink your relationship with yourself, your beloved and the planet we all shared. This is just the tip of a vast new area of exploration, and if you want to learn more about eco-sexuality, please join me around the web. I’m always looking for great new stories that connect us all, heart to heart, to this place we call home.
Shalomnaste,
Tinamarie
www.tinamariebernard.com
love it!