Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Light a candle and find your inner goddess with us.
Co-hosts Danielle Schleese and Briana Donaldson want to break the taboo of women’s health and wellbeing. From intimacy to parenting, women are constantly shamed for their inability to measure up to standards they never had a say in setting. On Honey Toast, these subjects find their home among incense, deep-dive conversations, and two best friends. From journal challenges to goddess calls, Briana and Danielle are always finding new ways to help you embrace your natural beauty — inside and out.
What if your next big idea, your next creative leap, or your next full body yes wasn't in your mind, but it was in your hips, your movement, or your breath?
Danielle Schleese:I love this topic. I'm so excited to get into this one. Sensuality. Creativity and sensuality. And I guess we'll just start by telling a little bit of a personal story.
Danielle Schleese:For me, as an artist, obviously, a lot of my output in my work work lies in creativity. Right? And it's so easy to get caught up in the mind, especially if there's, like, pressure or some sort of deadline and just honestly to produce. And even just as women, not as the title of an artist, we are constantly creators. We are always creating life, a home, our day to day, our looks, whatever.
Danielle Schleese:It's so easy to get caught up in the mentality of that and the mental load versus embodying that creative output. And I feel like for a large part of my approach has been very conceptual
Briana Donaldson:Mhmm.
Danielle Schleese:Coming from putting pressure of, like, deadlines or having to come up with these concepts and ideas. And there have definitely been times where I personally have felt like this this disconnect and frustration, and I think it's just part of the process. But What would you
Briana Donaldson:say is a specific time that you
Danielle Schleese:felt that? Well, I think it showed in all of my past creative outlets in terms of opening businesses for one or starting projects like probably a business, I would say, like my first business, let's say. Mhmm. It's a very mental load even though I was in a creative space, and I found myself not really fulfilling to to an end Right. Really, or, like, really seeing it through because I kind of lost connection with it.
Danielle Schleese:Right. And it became very cerebral. And therefore, like, my my heart wasn't in it as much. But it it was such a mental pressure to succeed, to fulfill, to grind, to show up, to produce that I was not fully embodied in receiving the answers or the creative outlet that I needed to. And I never really connected those things until recently.
Danielle Schleese:And it actually came the ideas came from books I was reading and people I'm following on social media who really embody, like, sensuality. And that's why I'm so eager to talk about sensuality in today's episode and how that is so intertwined into our output and creativity as women and as artists or just as human beings. And that's where the source lies.
Briana Donaldson:For sure. And I think that as women, we're taught and, you know, like we've touched upon in so many episodes so far to kind of be in this space of productivity which is so in the mind and in the head. And yet when we can bring our energy down into our body and down into our energetic center of sensuality in the sacral chakra and you have to align yourself to source and it all starts from there. It all starts from your prana, from your life force to be able to put something out there that is full of your energy and who you are and your personality and your life, literally your life force. Yes.
Briana Donaldson:So it's, you know, being in the mind is not a bad thing unless that's the only place that you're at. And so I think connecting to the body, connecting to that creative part of ourselves is tying it all together is what really Yeah. Gives you the
Danielle Schleese:For sure. The ability to to create. And that separation, I think that very separation of the mind and then the body and channeling and connecting those two is really why I think we're so stuck and why I had felt so stuck in so many projects and so much in the past of things I had worked on. And even if I had seen things, when I do see things to an end, it's been really like a push Yeah. To do it to finish it just to say that I like, you don't quit.
Danielle Schleese:Right? Right. So, anyway, let's let's jump in today's episode. We're excited for you guys to be here with us. And, yeah, this is a visual podcast.
Danielle Schleese:So if you aren't watching us, you can feel free to head on any major platform like YouTube and Spotify to hang out with us visually as well. So let's dive in. I
Briana Donaldson:feel like throughout history, it's I mean, through modern day history, I guess, it's been almost frowned upon and made to that you feel shameful or ashamed to be an openly sexually or sensually expressive woman. And you know, I almost, excuse me, I almost feel like you're either one of two things and it's either you're a slut or you're a goody two shoes.
Danielle Schleese:Yeah. The good girl.
Briana Donaldson:Yeah. You're the good girl. And I feel like for women to genuinely just want to express their sensuality and connect to their body and connect to that deep parts of themselves and express it outwardly in any any way, shape, or form is looked at as such a taboo thing in so many ways. I think that we've come, obviously, we've come an incredibly long way and it's much more accepted now and it's much more expressed now more than ever before. But it's like we're being told that we shouldn't be connecting to that parts of ourselves, and yet that is where I believe we hold our deepest power.
Danielle Schleese:Well, maybe that's why it is oppressed because we don't want we as in like Not us. The society or or capitalism, whatever, don't want women to have access to their full power because you could do anything you want.
Briana Donaldson:Who run the world?
Danielle Schleese:Worlds. What? Women and girls. Worlds. Worlds.
Danielle Schleese:Women and girls. Yeah. And those in between. Yep. And yeah.
Danielle Schleese:But also I find that like, don't you notice that roles, certain roles also have acceptance of like, okay, that person is the role of, like you said, the slut. So it's expected she's like a very sensual person Right. Versus like someone isn't, for me, is an artist who I follow, and she's like so in tune with her sensuality. But it's not expressed in a distasteful way. Right.
Danielle Schleese:Actually derogatory. It's a very inspiring way. She's like one
Briana Donaldson:the
Danielle Schleese:people spiritual. Very spiritual way. And she's one of the people that actually like inspire me the most into exploring and tap into my own sensuality because she does it in a way that's like educational Yeah. For the good rather than it's like showing off her attention. Right.
Danielle Schleese:Right. And then you have other roles who are seen as like mothers who are like, oh, you know, you're a mother now. You have to be careful of how you express yourself, what you show your younger daughter, and what young girls are looking at, so be mindful versus like, no. We should be openly talking about these subjects and how important it is to be in touch with one's sensuality, which I think it's important now we go into what the difference is between sexuality and sensuality because I find often those two words are very crossed Yes. And confused with each other.
Briana Donaldson:So sexuality and sensuality
Danielle Schleese:Mhmm.
Briana Donaldson:Very different.
Danielle Schleese:But also go hand in hand. Of course they yeah. Yeah.
Briana Donaldson:Of course they go hand in hand. So how
Danielle Schleese:would you how would you describe the difference in the two? Well, I guess I would describe sexuality as what you're into in terms of like Your sexual preferences. Sexual preferences. Yeah. I was gonna say, how do you express like, how you get off, I guess?
Danielle Schleese:Who you're who you're into? Yeah. What you're attracted to? Right. Who you're attracted to?
Danielle Schleese:What you're attracted to? And sensuality, I would say, is more of like an embodiment Mhmm. Practice Mhmm. Where it is allows you to access the depths of your part of parts of yourself that go beyond, like, a physical Yeah. Expression, such as sexuality.
Danielle Schleese:It's such
Briana Donaldson:an energetic and spiritual thing. Yeah. I believe that that's the for me, the way that I would describe the difference is that sexuality is more of a physical Yes. The physical perspective on Yeah. And sensuality is more of like an energetic spiritual spiritual connection to yourself.
Briana Donaldson:Mhmm. And no one else has to be involved in your own sensuality.
Danielle Schleese:You can. Or sexuality because some people are like, what's it called? A type. Asexual. A type.
Danielle Schleese:I'm A type. Yeah. You're A type. Asexual is what I'm thinking about. Yeah.
Briana Donaldson:But I would I would say that that's how I would kind of differentiate the two.
Danielle Schleese:Yeah. We often see like sec like productivity as some as its own channel and then sensuality as its own channel. Like, there's a time to be productive. There's a time to be sensual. Mhmm.
Danielle Schleese:And why are those two separate things? I'm wondering. Like, where do we learn how to separate the two and sever that connection rather than realizing that the sensuality is the source of the efficiency and productivity? Well, I think that it's different for men and women. And I'm
Briana Donaldson:not a man, I've never been a man, so I can't speak from their perspective, but I do feel like it's so different for men and women in the sense that, like you were saying at the beginning of the episode, women are creators. We create life, we create the home, we are creators. And so I think for women to tap into their sensuality and use that as their power to express their productivity in a way or create has been so turned off in our in our world because it is a very driven schedule. It's a very male driven hierarchy. Gonna be masculine.
Briana Donaldson:Right. Like, yeah, in terms of the nine to five workday because a man's hormone cycle is a twenty four hour cycle. So their peak hormones are between the hours of 9AM and 5PM. And so I think that the productivity is so Cyclical? Yeah.
Briana Donaldson:And it's just so focused on being the priority and separate from sensuality because that's not how men operate. Men are much more physical beings and are productive through their physical selves, through their mind. They operate from those two places whereas I think the place that women operate best from is their divine feminine, is their intuition, is their sensuality, everything that has to do with energy and creation and creativity. And so I think that it's been very easy to split those up into two different categories because of the masculine kind of scheduling and structure that we have to our lifestyle now. And I think that if we were to go back and not expect women to produce like men and not expect women to have a schedule like men, it's actually really funny.
Briana Donaldson:Total side note, but I love this stand up comedy skit. There was a woman who did a sketch and and she was like, actually, I can't remember her name, so I'll have to find it and and we'll tag it here. But she's like, I just wanna know, like, who was it that fought for women to have all these rights?
Danielle Schleese:Yeah. Know. I see I love seeing those memes, like,
Briana Donaldson:And these she's like, because, like, you know, like, who decided that we needed to go to work?
Danielle Schleese:You saw those memes where they on TikTok, they're like Yeah. Yeah. So funny. I'm gonna beat that bitch up. And you're like, cry before you go to work
Briana Donaldson:because you're like, why? Why? Why did you wanna go to work? Why didn't you wanna just stay home all day? Why didn't you wanna just yeah.
Briana Donaldson:Yeah. I mean, of course, you know, I'm not saying at all that I agree with that.
Danielle Schleese:I think
Briana Donaldson:that women, of course need to have equal rights and deserve to have equal rights. But I think kind of what I'm circling it back to is that there was a time that women were allowed to be women a little bit more. And That's a bold statement.
Danielle Schleese:And That's a huge statement.
Briana Donaldson:Yeah. And I think that it was more accepted in society and not looked down upon for a woman to work at building and creating the home. That was Work on the simple, like I don't wanna say simple things but like doing their stitch, What's that? Mcgrinney used to do it. Like, crocheting and stitch work and Embroidery or embroidery and all these things.
Briana Donaldson:Like, that was like, oh, like and it wasn't looked at like lesser than. It was like, oh, my my wife creates these beautiful things.
Danielle Schleese:Well, now you can see it. Culture kinda starting to circle back to that because we're like we were realizing we're such a reliant mass Yeah. In society. Like, if we get a blackout, we're gonna be fucked Yeah. In a lot of ways.
Danielle Schleese:Or if power grids go out, like, what do we do? So I feel like homesteading is like a huge and then homeschooling's on the rise. Trendy. Homesteading's on the rise. People are like, wanna be self sufficient.
Danielle Schleese:I wanna know how to grow my own food. Yeah. And you were realizing like, you can't be all those things. There's no way you can do all the things. Right.
Danielle Schleese:So you you have to reframe what does success look like and feel like for me. Yeah. And if that is being like, you know what? I feel happy and joy when I'm at my home creating an environment and space for my family. Like, we're learning how to create clothes and, like Yeah.
Danielle Schleese:These are skills passed down usually through generations that are now Very lost. Lost, but also now they're getting we're getting access again. But I would say
Briana Donaldson:that, you know, when I am feeling most connected to my sensuality, hands down well, I mean, it's got to do with a few things, but hands down You mean hands on? What? Oh, hands on. Yeah. But I would say that when I when I feel most connected to my sensuality is definitely when I am in a creative space.
Briana Donaldson:Like when I am working or focusing on something that's creative, Like I swear, my girlfriend and I, Alyssa, did one of those like paint by numbers Mhmm. Which by the way is a real bitch. There's like Love trillion tiny little dots with a number that you can barely read. Anyway, we were like, let's do a paint by numbers. But my point being, we were working on it for a few nights, and I was like, I love painting.
Briana Donaldson:Like, why am I not doing more of that? So then Josh and I did the portrait night, like,
Danielle Schleese:right after
Briana Donaldson:that. And then I started doing painting with the girls all the time, and I feel it. Like, I could feel it myself connecting to myself more. And it might not be painting for everyone. You know what I mean?
Briana Donaldson:Like, it doesn't have to be that type of create creative outlet. But I do feel like when I get into those spaces where I'm creating more, whatever it is, cooking in the kitchen, working on this project with you, like those are the moments that I definitely am able to harness my sensuality more. And then it's expressed in my life. It's like full circle.
Danielle Schleese:Well, how does your sensuality come out? Or is it because you're more connected to creative practices that you're feeling more sensual within yourself.
Briana Donaldson:Yeah. Within my like, within myself. Like, I feel the only way that I can explain it is the energy centers. And some people might relate to this, some people might not, but, you know, I think that a lot of people will identify energy centers as chakras, whatever you wanna call them, but there's energy centers throughout the body. Different, you know, groups of people will call them different things.
Briana Donaldson:But the more I'm have those aligned through and through connecting to source, the more sensual I am, the more creative I am. So it's like what came first, the chicken or the egg?
Danielle Schleese:So where where do you feel resistance within your own sensuality? When I have to be masculine in my life,
Briana Donaldson:When I have to have a masculine energy to get through my day, like, it's there's a total disconnect to my sensuality entirely.
Danielle Schleese:I almost feel like there has to be such a balance between the masculine and feminine because you have one without the other. Right? So it's like, it's not practical for us to never live in these masculine traits of being productive and efficient and Of course. Realistic and logical. Like, goes hand in hand with the feminine.
Danielle Schleese:But I think it's just because we've overcompensated and it's prioritized to overcompensate in those qualities in our in our society and Western culture that often the feminine side of, like, flow and ease and sensation and cyclical living is often not it doesn't have as heavy of an importance on it as or value Probably not at all. As the masculine does. So I feel like it's very important to have masculine. Absolutely. It's really like we're all it's always on a spectrum of how people lay on those things.
Danielle Schleese:So sorry, I didn't mean to cut it off your No.
Briana Donaldson:I'm fine. That's totally accurate. And, you know, like as a woman, the the best place you can be, I feel in order to be able to connect and express your sensuality in the best way you can is when you feel safe and supported and connected. Yep. And so any time there's a moment or experience where you feel, like for example, when you're a mom, like you're a mom of theirs, like you you do feel like you have to protect your children.
Briana Donaldson:Right? So I've like, if there's ever moments like that, not like you said, not to say that there shouldn't be a balance between the masculine and feminine, but I would say the more moments you have where you feel unsafe or unprotected or disconnected Right. Emotionally
Danielle Schleese:to yourself, to others, that's when the sensuality is going to suffer. So really when we talk about sensuality and what we mean when we say sensuality is this ability to feel within yourself. Right? Mhmm. And to really be able to access the full spectrum of how you feel within yourself, if that makes sense.
Briana Donaldson:Totally. And it's kind of difficult to explain sensuality unless you've experienced it in its fullest, I
Danielle Schleese:think, Because you really do like, how would you describe it? I would say it's about being in the moment Mhmm. Being fully present. Because like, I kinda kind of how I was kind of saying at the beginning with, like, being very cerebral Yeah. You're logically thinking, planning, doing, you're in the mind Mhmm.
Danielle Schleese:Versus, like, being in the body. Yeah. And sensuality is really, like, being connected. Like, you know, when you're making love or Yeah. With your partner and stuff, there's differences when your brain is in it, your mind's in it, and your mind's out of it, and you're like fully embodied and present.
Danielle Schleese:Yes. And for women, you know, to be turned on and to be sensual with somebody and open up, it requires so much more depth than just physical touch. Right? There's like an all day emotional buildup Yeah. Safety, like you were saying, in order to be in your own body.
Danielle Schleese:And then and then a lot of the times, like, even from my own experience in my past, like, there's only a correlation of sensuality being saved for when you're with somebody. Right. And we're not really, like, taught or encouraged to be celebrated by ourselves Right. With ourselves unless when you're, like, young and you're, like, discovering, like, oh my god. This is what an orgasm is.
Danielle Schleese:Right. Right. And you're, like, you're a vile teen, like, just Yeah. All in it. Right?
Danielle Schleese:Yeah. Let loose discovering your body, but you're just it's a new sensation for everything, but you're not really connected to or maybe like properly educated unless you have somebody who really can pass down this knowledge or you have access to to the power of that. It's kind of more of like a hush-hush taboo. Totally. You keep that yourself.
Danielle Schleese:You do that in your private time. You don't really talk about it. It's kind of like embarrassing to say like, oh, I masturbate all the time. Right. It's just like it's more you can talk openly about having sex with your partner or having sex with somebody and hooking up culture and that be like more of a celebrated thing.
Danielle Schleese:And even And acceptable. Acceptable. And it's and it's not even really including the sensual side of that experience. It's more like the act of doing things. Like even when I was I remember when I was a young teenager, it's just more like, I hooked up with a guy.
Danielle Schleese:Yeah. Like, it's so exciting. And it's just like to say that I did it. And it's like this barrier that you cross of, like, this passage. Like, oh, now I'm, like, becoming a woman.
Danielle Schleese:You know? Like, it's was I really into it? Not really. Like, it was more just to say I could. You
Briana Donaldson:know? And, like, a physical. Like, oh, he's hot. Yeah. I'm gonna go for it.
Danielle Schleese:Yeah. You get the attention. Oh, he kissed me. Yeah. But, like, do you remember the separate like, when you really first felt, like, sensual and passion with somebody?
Danielle Schleese:Like, that was a a switching moment. And, like, making love, I would say, is how people probably describe it in in the more used terms. With yourself and with somebody. Yeah. Yeah.
Danielle Schleese:Because you can just get off yourself and just rush to get to that feeling of having an orgasm just to finish, just to feel the that feeling versus, like, going along the journey of, like, slowly building up and taking your time with yourself and enjoying that. Right.
Briana Donaldson:And I feel like energetically, you sit in a different space. Yes. Like, whether it's on your own or with a partner, I really do feel like when you're tapped in and tuned into your the depths of your sensuality, energetically you are in a different space. You're in
Danielle Schleese:the cosmos.
Briana Donaldson:You are. You're it's like you're out there looking in. Yeah. And like your energy is expanded so far out into a realm that is not tangible and physical in this world. And you can, and when if, whole other thing, that is when your partner can get there too Yeah.
Briana Donaldson:And then you're in that space together, it's like you're floating through the universe. I can't even explain it in any other
Danielle Schleese:Well, that's like tantra, tantra? Yeah. Tantra? Tantra? Tantra.
Danielle Schleese:Tantra. Yeah. Like, that's like so that's a new interest for me in terms of just like the whole concept of it and like just breathing Mhmm. With each other, just taking your time with each other, really connecting in that way. Yep.
Danielle Schleese:And like the yin and yang energy of one another and just experiencing these moments. It's just it's such a profound, unique experience. Yeah. And it's I don't know. There's so many layers and depths to it that I I don't think we really realize the connection that that holds to our experience of life and just living in general.
Danielle Schleese:Mhmm. And how we even experience our day to day and then how that connection to that sensuality mostly within ourselves because we can't be reliant on somebody else to do that and reach that for us Yeah. Will open up the gates to more creative power and knowledge within ourselves. Of our lives. Every aspect of our
Briana Donaldson:life and how we show up. Right. Not just partnership, not just relationship with yourself, but in your worlds, in your business, in your creative outlets, in your home Yeah. Environment, in in every aspect.
Danielle Schleese:It's like a secret weapon, a secret medicine. They say, like, you know, when you're in labor and you're trying to move things along too, like, try to have an orgasm. Healthy skin is so funny. There was this podcast episode I heard about where it's just like, oh, you want glowing skin? Just have an orgasm.
Danielle Schleese:Because, like, the amount of dopamine Yeah. That you or oxy was it oxytocin? Is it oxytocin? Serotonin? I'm just saying chemical names, but the good one, the happy hormone the happy ones.
Danielle Schleese:Gets released, and that does only wonderful things for your body. Mhmm. Mhmm. So it's like use orgasm as skincare because it'll make your skin glowing.
Briana Donaldson:I love this quote. I'm gonna read
Danielle Schleese:it. Okay.
Briana Donaldson:My most alive ideas didn't come from spreadsheets.
Danielle Schleese:They came from spread legs. Was that it? No. But that was great. Oh.
Briana Donaldson:Well done. Thanks. You're quick. My most alive ideas didn't come from spreadsheets. They came when I was walking slowly, dancing in my kitchen, touching my skin, or crying under the moon.
Briana Donaldson:And I feel like that
Danielle Schleese:So true.
Briana Donaldson:Is such a great way to describe the difference of, like, getting out of the head, getting into the body, and that's where you are going to connect to yourself and to source the most to be able to channel.
Danielle Schleese:But that's also a great quote for acknowledging that sensuality doesn't just come from touch, the physical. Right? Sex. And sex and and and or, like, touching yourself. Right?
Danielle Schleese:It comes from Yeah. Slow walking, slow breathment, like, being in I probably
Briana Donaldson:feel my most sensual and most powerful when I'm dancing.
Danielle Schleese:Watch out.
Briana Donaldson:That's it. Ever seen me dancing down the street? Watch out.
Danielle Schleese:Watch out. She's inner sensuality. That's what made me think. I'm like, when do I feel the most sensual? When do I feel the most sensual?
Danielle Schleese:When do I I feel like I feel the most sensual. It's kind of like counterintuitive, like when I'm finished a project, like a creative project. Yeah. For me, it's like it's such a roller coaster of emotions and rides and like crying because I can't finish it and then feeling so defeated and then looking at a piece and being like, I love it. This is amazing.
Danielle Schleese:I'm amazing. And then, like, those highs make me feel so connected to myself. And, like, I can do anything, and then you go back down to a low. So I feel like once I've completed something and gone through that roller coaster of emotion and energy, that's when I'm just like, I am ready for the next project of creativity and creation. Like, let me do that.
Danielle Schleese:Kind of like wrapping back to my very first story at the beginning of this episode it back. Was I didn't realize the power and understanding of sensuality and connection to my own body. And even, like, you were talking about energy sources, like, the sacral, like, right in the womb space, which is where we create life, how much energy and power that holds in in completing work even Mhmm. And being productive. Because it's almost like we separate those two being like, you be this or that, but they're so interconnected.
Danielle Schleese:Yeah. But once you're, like, embodying And into yourself. And into and practicing your intuition and taking time to do self care and self work and taking time to touch yourself softly, trace your arm Mhmm. While you're watching a show, like, go for barefoot walks, really feel the ground.
Briana Donaldson:Mhmm.
Danielle Schleese:That's when the inspo strikes. Right. Like, it's not when you're like thinking thinking, like, think of a solution, think of a solution, think of a solution. Right. And you go for a walk and all of sudden, I I had the answer or Yeah.
Danielle Schleese:Whatever. You get high.
Briana Donaldson:For sure.
Danielle Schleese:Or whatever whoever you are. You know? Yeah. But I think that that's what
Briana Donaldson:it circles back to. I think that, you know, like some of the different ways that you can slowly start to try and tune in and tap into that part of yourself and into your sensuality would be something like going on a slow walk. Mhmm. You know? But also I think that
Danielle Schleese:the first step has to doesn't have
Briana Donaldson:to be. I think that a great first step is being comfortable in the topic itself.
Danielle Schleese:And the last step doesn't have
Briana Donaldson:to end an orgasm either. Right. Right. Like, this is a connection to your body and your energy, not the goal. Reaching the end Right.
Briana Donaldson:Goal. Right. So tuning in, but I think that for a lot of people, not just women, talking about the energetic space of sensuality is so unfamiliar and so uncomfortable and so like you said, I mean it's essentially never talked, I shouldn't say never, it's hardly talked about. Yeah. And you know, not made to be the prominent part of that portion of being human.
Briana Donaldson:Yeah. But like you said, hooking up and all this stuff is like so acceptable, but why are we not talking about the energetic Exchange that's happening. Right and like the the flip side of the coin. Yep. So I think that really accepting it first and being okay with it and then being comfortable to talk about it even if it's just with yourself is like step one.
Briana Donaldson:Mhmm. And then doing slow intentional
Danielle Schleese:It's so connected to like, right, if you're in a space where you're really disconnected from your body, like you have a discomfort in the way that you look and and how you feel about yourself. Like, I'm not worthy of touch, so I'm going to avoid it until I'm, like, skinny or look a certain way. Yeah. And then I can accept love. Like, I think that is a huge root cause of a disconnect from sensuality Oh, yeah.
Danielle Schleese:Is the inability to really accept yourself in the first place. Right. So you can feel worthy of that love that you are trying to pour into yourself and give to yourself. So it's like this full cycle. So let's, like, let's start talking about ways that we can start embodying sensuality in a very practical day to
Briana Donaldson:day way. I mean, something as simple as eating with presents. Yes. Exactly. Being conscious of what it is that you're eating,
Danielle Schleese:how you're eating, how the average yeah. Person
Briana Donaldson:is supposed to chew one bite of food 34 times for optimal digestion.
Danielle Schleese:There's no way. 34 times. I barely chew. No. I'm just kidding.
Briana Donaldson:Exactly, though. But We're always in such a rush
Danielle Schleese:Yeah.
Briana Donaldson:And we're always just like powering through and like rushing through meals just with something so simple as that, like just being more present in your eating, what it is that you're eating, how you're eating it, how does it feel in close your eyes. How does it feel in your mouth? How how does it taste? Like, what are your senses telling you? Something as simple as that can start to get you creating those brain pathways of connecting and tuning into your body and your senses.
Danielle Schleese:Some something simple as slowing down too because, like, rushing through food, we rush in other areas of life too. Mhmm. I mean, I'm definitely guilty for that. Like, there's places to go, things to do. Right?
Briana Donaldson:People to see.
Danielle Schleese:People to see. But, like, if we can I see like a really cool video of it, like when you're walking and then the person stops and it's just like, oh, yeah? Like, I can take slower steps. Right. And you're being mindful of that.
Danielle Schleese:Yeah. Oh, it was a retreat that I actually did last summer with my mom and Sam where it was just like, while you're walking, feel every part of your foot as you step on the ground. Like, it's called like a forest meditation. Mhmm. So and and you do that in other areas of your life.
Danielle Schleese:Like, when you're sitting here, feel like what parts of your body are sitting against the chair. Like, you're just doing small simple acts within what you're already doing Right. To just become a bit more conscious of the body that you're in Yeah. Versus always just spending so much time shielding and covering
Briana Donaldson:and masking. Or just being so external, you're not actually present within the physical self. Right. There is a phenomenal author, speaker, energy worker. My mom is actually a coach for her now and her name is Sue Mortar.
Briana Donaldson:And her book is great but she refers to in her work of how so much of our energy is spent outside of ourselves Mhmm. Thinking about this, thinking about the future, thinking about the past, thinking about what are they feeling, like all this energy outside of ourselves. And so one simple thing that she really inspires people to do is when you catch yourself as often as you can, come back into the body and then look at everything and experience everything from within your own body. And it's incredible. Once you actually start doing it, you're like, woah.
Briana Donaldson:You have way more energy because you're all your energy is always being expended outside of yourself.
Danielle Schleese:So the I feel like that's a really great idea. I'm I can step away from this. Be like, oh, yeah. I wanna do that, but then you forget. So what's a simple way you can remind yourself to do that type of thing?
Briana Donaldson:I mean, the it's it's like totally off topic, but it's like when you're trying to practice how to vivid dream have a vivid dream. You start to train yourself slowly. It's building a muscle. So how I don't know if you've ever heard this. If you want to learn how to have vivid dreams, which is a dream where you can control your dream.
Danielle Schleese:Isn't that like astral traveling?
Briana Donaldson:Yes and no. That's a whole other discussion that I don't have time to jump into at the moment. Yeah. But they say that time does not exist in your dreams. So Right.
Briana Donaldson:In order to know when you're dreaming and gain understanding that you're in a dream, which from that point forward you can then control it, is to check the time. So one of the things they say is you can wear a digital watch And as often as you can remember throughout the day, check your watch. Check your watch.
Danielle Schleese:Check your watch. In telling me this. Yeah.
Briana Donaldson:In your dream, it will become your automatic, like Conscious reaction to do so. Check your watch, and then you'll realize that that that there's either no time or it's a time that doesn't like eight hundred, you know, that's not a time. So then that's when you can move forward. So I would say using that same method as often as you can, try and think about it. Try and think about it.
Briana Donaldson:Maybe it's only once a day, and then it's twice a day, and then it's 10 times a day. But the it's it's like a muscle. The more you practice, the stronger it will get. I have
Danielle Schleese:a really good suggestion. Maybe I'm gonna say it because I wanna do it is well, we met through dance. So dance is a big part of like Mhmm. I feel I I think it's great. I think everybody should dance.
Danielle Schleese:I think dance is just like a human fundamental way of life. And same thing like music. Right? It's just a part of who we are as human beings. All all cultures all across the world are connected to that, to dance and music.
Danielle Schleese:I feel like as you were talking about the energy centers previously, a really great way to reconnect to that movement. Mhmm. And the body is through because the energy center of creativity and sacral is right here in the hips is how and especially for women, like, energy gets blocked in the body. You get locked up. It's all connected as though even though there's, like, a very physical scientific explanation for why things aren't aligned on a cellular spiritual level, things that you don't see energy and emotion hold reverence in the body and can be stagnant and can cause issues and be related to health issues.
Danielle Schleese:So for women specifically, like the pelvis, the hips, the creative energy force we know lies in the womb space. So in order to, like, incorporate maybe a few hip circles Yes. And movement. And even like we love Sahara Rose. Like, she talks a lot about, like, twerking and that being, like, a genuine practice for women Right.
Briana Donaldson:To shake and release. And release the energy from
Danielle Schleese:that space. We're in such, like, sit down culture and laptops and screens and and computer work. Like, we don't often dance or move as much as we nearly used to. So should we have
Briana Donaldson:a dance party at the end of this episode?
Danielle Schleese:I 100% think we should. Okay. We will. We need to release. And as we're wrapping up this season with such a powerful, strong topic that I think will kinda just propel us into the into the next phase of what we're gonna be talking about with some amazing people.
Danielle Schleese:I cannot wait to talk more in-depth about these types of things. So it's very exciting. It is very exciting. I think ultimately with sensuality, it all comes down to how can we embody that and make that a way of just being. Mhmm.
Danielle Schleese:You know, when you see a woman, you could be like, she's so in touch with herself. So confident. And she's so just like exudes femininity and power. And guarantee you, those are the women that are so in tune with their sensuality, not as a performance, but as a part of who they are. Like a genuine part of who they are.
Danielle Schleese:So how do we do that? You know? Let's call it in for all of us.
Briana Donaldson:Yeah. Well, I would say, you know, I mean, we obviously have talked about a couple things that we can bring into our home lives to hopefully gain more awareness and more presence within our body and and connect to that sensuality. But we would love to hear from you guys, you know, what's one thing that you have done or that you feel you can do that feels connected more to your sensuality in the day? You know, whether it's just like touching your own skin or working on a creative project, please let us know because we are also still working on this within ourselves and it's it's an ever changing and ever growing journey.
Danielle Schleese:Yeah. It's not even a daily practice for me yet, but I would love for it to be part more of my day because I would love to just be the ultimate sensual creative power machine Yeah. Within myself. Have within us. We
Briana Donaldson:do. So please share share your stories with us. We would love to hear what you have to offer, what you have to say or maybe, you know, just a reflection. Let us know if you heard something in this episode that resonated with you or you felt you were able to take and put into your own daily or weekly practice and see how it works for you.
Danielle Schleese:Yeah. Inspire us. Let us know. DM us at the honey toast podcast. Anyway, it was so great hanging out with you guys and talking to you.
Danielle Schleese:We never want this to end. So we'll see you next time Yeah. At the honey toast podcast. Wrap it up. Mhmm.
Briana Donaldson:Wrap up this season, and we'll see you in the next one. Honeys, out.