Expanding their conversation on embodied sexuality, Spring Washam and Lama Rod Owens offers fresh perspectives on liberating ourselves from the bonds of shame and reclaim pleasure.
Check out part one of this conversation HERE
“We think that exploring and investigating and having these experiences with others is the goal, but really it begins with ourselves. Like I have to figure out who I am; I have to figure out what I find pleasurable. For me, pleasure is just this really awakening energy and experiencing of space.” – Lama Rod Owens
In part two of this liberating series on sexuality, Spring and Lama Rod talk about:
- Understanding what it means to embody sexuality
- The capacity to talk about sexuality in our culture
- Power and the doctrine of do no harm
- Self-discovery and authenticity
- Collaborating to experience pleasure
- Wholeness and healing in the realm of sexuality
- Balance, dharma, and tantric practice
- Negotiating our bodies and boundaries
- Meeting needs and helping others
- Monogamy and different types of relationships
- Using meditation and intuitive tools to understand the self
- Reclaiming the word pleasure
- Removing shame and resting in liberation
- Finding freedom to be open about our identities
- How friendships help us move out of contraction and be ourselves
- Celibacy and evaluating where we put our energy
“It’s heavy stuff cutting through the societal baggage with our bodies, with queerness, with identity, and then going back to that word pleasure. How can pleasure be in service of awakening?” – Spring Washam
About Lama Rod Owens:
Lama Rod Owens is a Black Buddhist Southern Queen. An international influencer with a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School with a focus on the intersection of social change, identity, and spiritual practice. Author of Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger and co-author of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love and Liberation, his teachings center on freedom, self-expression, and radical self-care. Highly sought after for talks, retreats, and workshops, his mission is showing you how to heal and free yourself. A leading voice in a new generation of Buddhist teachers with over 11 years of experience, Lama Rod is highly respected among his peers and the communities that he serves. From these intersections, he creates a platform that’s very natural, engaging, and inclusive.
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About Spring Washam:
Spring Washam is a well-known teacher, author, and visionary leader based in Oakland, California. She is the author of A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength, Courage and Wisdom in Any Moment and her newest book, The Spirit of Harriet Tubman: Awakening from the Underground. Spring is considered a pioneer in bringing mindfulness-based meditation practices to diverse communities. She is one of the founding teachers at the East Bay Meditation Center, located in downtown Oakland, CA. She has practiced and studied Buddhist philosophy in both the Theravada and Tibetan schools of Buddhism since 1999. She is a member of the teacher’s council at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in northern California where she was trained for over a decade.
In addition to being a teacher, she is also a shamanic practitioner and has studied indigenous healing practices since 2008. She is the founder of Lotus Vine Journeys, a one-of-a-kind organization that blends indigenous healing practices with Buddhist wisdom in South America. Her writings and dharma teachings have appeared in many online journals and publications. She currently teaches meditation retreats and leads workshops, and classes worldwide.
Spring currently teaches meditation retreats and leads workshops, and classes worldwide: springwasham.com
