Sharing Sensuality in Circle with Henika Patel

In this episode, Julia and Henika talked about: - How she transformed from a lawyer into a facilitator of sensual arts after reasling she was disconnected from her body - Circle time was a catalyst for the journey: it created a space to talk about taboo topics without shame - Her ‘Shakti Circle’ focuses on the cultivation of power in the body (any body) - Safety in a circle is objective and subjective so it’s important to clearly specify who the circle is for (including in the marketing) and she spends an hour of a 2-hour circle on practices for the self before moving into sharing ie “I” to “we” - One practice she shares is Yang and Yin vision: Yang vision is how you see someone passing by (the colour of their clothes or hair) and Yin vision is looking to connect beyond the surface level - She will talk for 5/6 minutes about the container of the circle, including about any gender being welcome, looking beyond the surface level etc - Circle is a template for the rest of the world and your life: taking time to cultivate listening skills, how to express yourself in a way that feels safe in your body, develop empathy will ripple out into the rest of your day - Circle is an opportunity to educate on these skills - Social media can be a lonely experience – just you and a phone – where you can be left with shame from the gap between reality and expectations, but circle enables those experiences to be shared - Shakti circles address unrealistic expectations from porn that’s not covered by sex ed - Generally we are not taught what ‘No’ feels like in your body to then be able to communicate your ‘No’ - She is a first generation Indian woman who grew up with rituals at home - The association of tantra with sex is a neo-tantra ie a new form, traditionally it is about a whole range of practices focusing on goddesses as a reaction to Hinduism where focus was on men practising and particular castes. Tantra is not a religion, but a counter culture. - A practice she likes to include in circle is a simplified version of Nyasa - infusion divinity into the body by repeating a phrase such as “This is the beautiful hair of Julia” as you touch the hair, working around the body, with permission not to touch or giving other options - It is important when sharing a practice to name the tradition or teacher to honour the teaching and steer towards cultural appreciation rather than cultural appropriation