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The Pleasure Is All Yours: Reclaim Your Body's Bliss and Reignite Your Passion for Life
Reconnect to your true sense of joy and pleasure in life through embodiment practices, which will put you in touch with the natural wisdom of your body and enhance your ability to connect with others.
In this time of increased fatigue, loneliness, and anxiety, disconnection from our bodies and from each other is at the core of our personal pain and our collective suffering. Women in particular are rewarded for and expected to participate in self-denial. The Pleasure Is All Yours is a step-by-step guide to help readers release these barriers to finding joy and connection in life.
In this timely guide, holistic clinical psychologist, sex therapist, and yoga teacher Dr. Rachel Allyn introduces a embodiment method she developed and has taught to thousands of clients to help them awaken their body's own capacity for healing and connection. Allyn describes four kinds of pleasure--sensual, playful, lively, and sexual--which overlap in many ways. She helps readers identify what things brings pleasure in each and combines breathing exercises, mindfulness, yoga, auditory release, and dynamic movements to help people reconnect to their bodies and become reunited with their inherent wisdom.
In this time of increased fatigue, loneliness, and anxiety, disconnection from our bodies and from each other is at the core of our personal pain and our collective suffering. Women in particular are rewarded for and expected to participate in self-denial. The Pleasure Is All Yours is a step-by-step guide to help readers release these barriers to finding joy and connection in life.
In this timely guide, holistic clinical psychologist, sex therapist, and yoga teacher Dr. Rachel Allyn introduces a embodiment method she developed and has taught to thousands of clients to help them awaken their body's own capacity for healing and connection. Allyn describes four kinds of pleasure--sensual, playful, lively, and sexual--which overlap in many ways. She helps readers identify what things brings pleasure in each and combines breathing exercises, mindfulness, yoga, auditory release, and dynamic movements to help people reconnect to their bodies and become reunited with their inherent wisdom.
312 pages, Paperback
Published July 27, 2021
34 people are currently reading
2677 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 16, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this fascinating book! If you feel like you don’t have enough pleasure in your life, this book will give you lots of gentle, practical ways to increase your pleasure quotient. In the first section, the author shows us many reasons- historically, socially, culturally, and emotionally- why we have shut down our ability to receive and experience pleasure. She also discusses several different kinds of pleasure, a few of which I had not thought of!
The the second section, the author talks about her concept of bodyfulness. Similar to mindfulness, but a new approach, focusing on our physicality as well as our thoughts. She explains that being bodyful means being connected fully to our bodies in a way that leaves us fulfilled. There are three stages and they are explained fully and succinctly.
This is a well researched book that balances science, research, and many, many gentle, practical ways that we can come back to our bodies and experience more pleasure in our lives. It is not simply about sexual pleasure, but all kinds of pleasure that touch our bodies, minds, and spirits. There are thought-provoking quotes scattered throughout and the book is beautifully designed.
PS The appendix has some excellent quizzes and resources as well!
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The the second section, the author talks about her concept of bodyfulness. Similar to mindfulness, but a new approach, focusing on our physicality as well as our thoughts. She explains that being bodyful means being connected fully to our bodies in a way that leaves us fulfilled. There are three stages and they are explained fully and succinctly.
This is a well researched book that balances science, research, and many, many gentle, practical ways that we can come back to our bodies and experience more pleasure in our lives. It is not simply about sexual pleasure, but all kinds of pleasure that touch our bodies, minds, and spirits. There are thought-provoking quotes scattered throughout and the book is beautifully designed.
PS The appendix has some excellent quizzes and resources as well!
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
February 18, 2022
A helpful mash up of somatic psychology, body positivity, relationship work, and yoga and mindfulness tools.
February 26, 2022
This is a great book encompassing the reason for, the science behind, the ways to reach bodyfulness. I will revisit this book often to check in with my body and how it’s doing. The appendix has lots of great resources.
October 25, 2021
Great read! I enjoyed Rachel's style of writing; both informative and entertaining. She come across professional and credible while injecting just the right amount of causal humor to spice it up. "Keepin' it real", I'd say.
Many of the themes touched on in the book dovetails nicely with some of the philosophies I've tended to gravitate toward over the past several years that have roots in Buddhism and even Stoicism. I liked the concept of "JOMO" that was put forth; "How good it can feel to say no in order to say yes to what you really need in the moment".
Perhaps my favorite part, and one that nicely summarizes the key take-away from the book, is in chapter 12:
"Wisdom and courage come from lived experience. Not merely thinking about experiences. Not from reading a book. Not from sitting on the couch being mindful. It comes from getting off the couch and engaging with your body, engaging with others, and engaging with the world."
Many of the themes touched on in the book dovetails nicely with some of the philosophies I've tended to gravitate toward over the past several years that have roots in Buddhism and even Stoicism. I liked the concept of "JOMO" that was put forth; "How good it can feel to say no in order to say yes to what you really need in the moment".
Perhaps my favorite part, and one that nicely summarizes the key take-away from the book, is in chapter 12:
"Wisdom and courage come from lived experience. Not merely thinking about experiences. Not from reading a book. Not from sitting on the couch being mindful. It comes from getting off the couch and engaging with your body, engaging with others, and engaging with the world."
January 2, 2022
Refreshing Read!
The Pleasure Is All Yours by Rachel Allyn, PhD exudes an authenticity and “realness” that I rarely find in books. Dr. Allyn has mastered the art of delivering laugh out loud excerpts while also providing science-backed information. Her book is thought-provoking and encourages you to take a deep dive to explore how you relate to your body. She then offers approachable ways to incorporate pleasure back into your life. I highly recommend this book and will be buying more copies for my friends.
The Pleasure Is All Yours by Rachel Allyn, PhD exudes an authenticity and “realness” that I rarely find in books. Dr. Allyn has mastered the art of delivering laugh out loud excerpts while also providing science-backed information. Her book is thought-provoking and encourages you to take a deep dive to explore how you relate to your body. She then offers approachable ways to incorporate pleasure back into your life. I highly recommend this book and will be buying more copies for my friends.
February 21, 2022
I love this book!! The idea of being bodyful along with AND separate from being mindful really struck a cord with me. I’ve already incorporated several of Rachel’s tips and trick into my life when it comes to connecting my body and my emotions together. Also, using this book to find more pleasure and fulfillment in parts of my life that I didn’t know I even needed it. I love the way her personality and humor shines through in this book, it feels personal like you’re having a conversation and not just reading the words. Definitely recommend!
December 6, 2021
The Pleasure Is All Yours is a game changer! I learned so much about how important it is to reengage with my body to learn more about myself and improve my life and relationships. Dr. Rachel did a wonderful job of weaving science, life experience, and humor together. I could not put this book down and will definitely be reading it again and again!
September 21, 2021
Reading this book was such a pleasure!! 😀 Playful but practical with just the right amount of storytelling to weave research and insights together. Who couldn’t benefit from more connection to their body and a bit more pleasure these days?
October 29, 2021
A book for the masses. Pleasure should never take a backside in life. I am revisiting this thanks to Rachel's book where pleasure is riding shotgun on the rest of life's highway.
Add this one to your self discovery rep and you won't regret it!
Add this one to your self discovery rep and you won't regret it!
December 15, 2021
Great book! Highly recommend.
December 31, 2021
This book came at exactly the time I needed it.
January 27, 2022
Very good information, and it gives a new perspective on love, passion, pleasure, and eroticism. It also gives ways to improve your pleasure in all aspects of you life.
May 10, 2022
Dr. Allyn gets it right in The Pleasure is All Yours. She takes the reader on a journey blending the hard sciences of biology and physiology with the softer side of what it means to live an embodied existence. As a clinical somatic psychologist who studies how body systems get disrupted by psychological trauma, this book is invaluable to my clients. Dr. Allyn has created a resource my clients can use to understand why they are experiencing what they are experiencing while offering practical exercises and examples to live an embodied life. Everything we experience in this life happens to the body and Dr. Allyn gives a fabulous framework to educate and understand ourselves from the inside out. She does all this with humor and grace while tackling tough subjects like psychological trauma, abuse, and the many clinical diagnoses that accompany difficult life experiences. I highly recommend this book for clients and clinicians alike. Fantastic Read!
August 8, 2022
Dr Allyn, I wish I had this book 20 years earlier when I was a younger man striving to understand what pleasure truly meant and the hurdles the women I have cared for go through to achieve it. This book is an absolute must read for all men who yearn to understand the trials of the women in their life and how to be in a more fulfilling, sensual and pleasurable relationship with them. Enlightening, is the word that comes to mind but feel I'm under selling the completeness of understanding that you have shared. I will read (listen) to this book more than once and it will be a staple in my library as I strive for my own pleasure in life and understanding the pleasure needs for the one I love.
July 29, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Allyn's book. Complete with witty analogies and personal anecdotes, The Pleasure is All Yours really taught me that I had much to learn about my body's needs, my personal relationships, and so much more. I was absorbed in this book from start to finish and am excited to include some of the author's suggestions into my daily routine. Thank you, Dr. Rachel Allyn for sharing your insightful perspective and helpful message with us!
dnf
August 18, 2023DNF'ed @ page 126.
July 14, 2024
DNF. Not gonna lie, she had me in the first half.
Read
February 27, 2022In this book, Dr Allyn provides a look into our bodies' emotional responses to the world around us, and she gives clear instruction on what to do with them in order for us to live happy and healthy lives. The book is entertaining and insightful, and a perfect blend of science and humor. I found this book to be not only educational, but a very practical guide. I am in my 40s and I wish I had read this book 20 years ago!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews