“Going down the rabbit hole in physics terms is how far are you willing to discover your true nature. Example would be, Why are we here? what is the meaning of life? How did we get here? Did we evolve? Were we once part of another world?” ~Wiki Answers
A few years ago, my teenage daughter and I went to 45 Jonas Brothers concerts. 24,000 miles of driving all over the United States and Canada in 11 weeks. When we started the trip, I had enough money for three concerts. I had no idea how we were going to make it to all 45 concerts. We just held the intention and the vision and resources showed up. It was hard to explain to people why we were doing this especially when it was hard.
I knew in my heart and soul that something was compelling me to free my mind, to open to new ideas and possibilities and carve a new path. I used that feeling to tune into my intuition, to access ideas based on experience and to open to new ideas. My daughter and I drove in silence for hours every day and sometimes through the night. In the silence, I tuned into deeper listening.
Resources and people appeared. A friend offered us her home when we were in Denver even though she was in Hawaii. A friend of hers left a key under the front doormat. We stayed with a friend’s relatives in Idaho. We were invited to dinner in Portland, Oregon by Jonas Brother’s lovers who had been reading my daughter’s blog. We were interviewed by several newspaper reporters who found us on-line. The back up band’s bus driver gave us his hotel room at the Hyatt and the Marriott and the Hotel W. Jordin Sparks drummer, Michael Bedard, and I had a random conversation outside the venue one night. An hour long talk about, The Alchemist. He got tickets for us that night. We were hired by a toy company to film JB fans playing with a toy called Bop-it! New ideas. New possibilities every day.
I learned a lot about living in flow that summer. I stayed connected to the music we were listening to in each concert:
Jordin Sparks singing One Step at a Time.“Take one step at a time.”
The Jonas Brothers, Fly with Me. “Now, the past is gone. To give all I can. To believe once again.”
“Seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world.” ~The Course in Miracles.
**********
Andrea Hylen at Agape in Los Angeles
Andrea Hylen believes in the power of our voice to usher in a new world. She is the founder of Heal My Voice, an organization that inspires women and men to heal a story, reclaim personal power and step into greater leadership. Andrea discovered her unique gifts while parenting three daughters and learning to live life fully after the deaths of her brother, son and husband. In addition to serving as Heal My Voice’s Executive Director, Andrea is an Orgasmic Meditation Teacher and Sexuality Coach.
She is following her intuition as she collaborates with women and men in organizations and travels around the world speaking, teaching and leading workshops. Her passion is authentically living life and supporting others in doing the same. To connect with Andrea and learn about current projects go to: www.andreahylen.com and www.healmyvoice.org.
Day 35 of 100 days of Blogging
In this moment, I feel sad. I noticed it when I was walking back from the Metro tonight. It is kind of interesting because I had a good day. The weather in DC was gorgeous. I had two meetings that went well. I put over 10,000 steps on my Fitbit.
So, instead of brushing away the feeling of sadness, I gave it some space. I went into my bedroom, sat still and just felt it. I avoided the thoughts of food, a movie on Netflix, or pushing it away by putting on some happy music and dancing. I pulled into myself for a bit. Spent time in silence. Circling gently around in my mind to ask myself what triggered this feeling? What opened the door to it?
I went through a list of who and what is in my life in the present. Areas of my life including work, play, health, wealth, creativity, personal practices, my daughters, friends, family. After an hour of reflecting and reviewing, I saw the moment when in a conversation, someone unknowingly revealed something. On the metro, I had been playing it in my mind and I could feel that I was disappointed and discouraged. I felt I was working with someone at a Level 5 and saw that their awareness was more of a Level 2 and there was no way to make something happen any faster than it can happen.
I made a course correction and I felt better. I could see a few areas where I am putting a lot of attention and it is steering me off course. I sent two texts. Moved a few things around and let go.
I turned on Spotify and danced for 30 minutes. Happy, uplifting songs that felt good. I gave the sadness attention and it was ready to move.
All of the feelings and emotions we have are clues. Every feeling has value. If you can slow down enough to really feel it, you will get an answer as to what it is here to tell you.
At the root of all of it is Desire. The layers of feelings are pointing us to Desire. Something that is ready to emerge now.
Ask yourself questions and wait for the answers to show up in the form of clues and signs.
*What do you want to create?
*What do you want to expand into?
*What experience are you longing for?
*What cells in your body are waking up for a new expression now?
If inspired, share some of your ideas in the comment section. I would LOVE to hear what is emerging for you.
**********
Andrea Hylen believes in the power of our voice to usher in a new world. She is the founder of Heal My Voice, an organization that inspires women and men to heal a story, reclaim personal power and step into greater leadership. Andrea discovered her unique gifts while parenting three daughters and learning to live life fully after the deaths of her brother, son and husband. In addition to serving as Heal My Voice’s Executive Director, Andrea is an Orgasmic Meditation Teacher and Sexuality Coach.
She is following her intuition as she collaborates with women and men in organizations and travels around the world speaking, teaching and leading workshops. Her passion is authentically living life and supporting others in doing the same. To connect with Andrea and learn about current projects go to: www.andreahylen.com and www.healmyvoice.org.
Day 33 of 100 days of blogging
It took me a long time to realize that I saw things other people didn’t see. The first time was when I was in a messy divorce and my husband was trying to prove I was crazy because I had started wearing crystal earrings and learning how to read Tarot Cards. I was leaving him and no longer wanted to live with an alcoholic. He tried to prove there was something wrong with me instead. That was in 1987 and luckily one of the psychiatrists who administered the tests told me that I wasn’t crazy, I just saw things that other people didn’t see. That my creativity and intuition was highly developed and on a psychological test it could appear I was crazy. She wouldn’t let me see the results in case my husband’s lawyer asked me about the test. She was really the first person who gave me permission and encouragement to be who I am and to explain something I hadn’t understand until then.
The biggest challenge after that was protecting that side of me so no one could hurt me (or burn me at the stake.) I found like minded people in Insight Seminars and I began to lead and teach in places like my living room and homeschooling my children in community based learning. I have spent my life questioning things that other people may assume is the only way and the right way to live life. Themes have been Living from Inspiration and Authentic Living and Listening to my Heart.
Recently, I arrived back in Baltimore after living on the road for a year, thinking I knew where I was going next. I had a clear vision of where I was going to live and I saw a variety of next steps. Then, everything started changing. Over and over. I felt like a ball in a pinball machine. At the same time, I also had a few things that anchored me. A few pet sitting jobs, a friend’s car, a few work projects. I wrote a blog called Using the Feelings of Failure as a Tool of Exploration. And that blog got a lot of comments. People who read it felt a resonance, an AHA! of “I have experienced this, too.”
My “go to” feeling is “I have failed.” You might feel, “I am not enough,” or feelings of depression, anxiety, or fear. What do you feel when something has ended and the next part of the path has not appeared. That is the clue.
In my last Immersion into the “I am a failure,” I knew that I had tools and resources and a resilience that would help me to discover and explore the next pathway. I went into the basement of the feelings and I came out with more words and ideas and an appreciation for a process that works. As I came back to the surface, I had people telling me that they were in a transition and two talks I did at conferences: “Using the Feelings of Failure as a Tool of Exploration” and “Tuning Into Deeper Listening,” were things they wanted to explore.
I am a Warrior Goddess who is intensely committed and has been focused on using every experience in my life to grow and learn. I am willing to go into the depths of a subject and topic and then bring out the gems to share with the world. An Extroverted Introvert I deeply listen and observe, feeling everything, learning, trying things I feel inspired to learn and experience. And when ready, I share it through writing and teaching.
So, I created a new program called, “Polishing Your Inner GPS: Carving the Next Step of Your Life.
If you are curious or your Inner GPS is dinging and flashing red neon signs, read on and see if now is the time for you. The secret FB group is open now. The optional in person workshops are in the DC area on Nov 5 or Nov 7. Everyone will receive all of the tools and resources and tons of support on the community phone calls and in the secret Facebook group.
Check it out here and sign up!
https://andreahylen.com/workshop-using-your-life-as-a-road-map/
No more coulda, shoulda, woulda!
*****
Andrea Hylen believes in the power of our voice to usher in a new world. She is the founder of Heal My Voice, an organization that inspires women and men to heal a story, reclaim personal power and step into greater leadership. Andrea discovered her unique gifts while parenting three daughters and learning to live life fully after the deaths of her brother, son and husband. In addition to serving as Heal My Voice’s Executive Director, Andrea is an Orgasmic Meditation Teacher and Sexuality Coach.
She is following her intuition as she collaborates with women and men in organizations and travels around the world speaking, teaching and leading workshops. Her passion is authentically living life and supporting others in doing the same. To connect with Andrea and learn about current projects go to: www.andreahylen.com and www.healmyvoice.org.
Day 20 of 100 days of blogging
When I watched an episode of Grace and Frankie this summer, I laughed at this scene hysterically until it struck a chord in my heart.
Grace (Jane Fonda) and Frankie (Lily Tomlin) are in a personal crisis and they decide to go to the store to buy a pack of cigarettes.
Frankie: Stand back. I’m about to lose my shit. Can we get some cigarettes over here for cryin’ out loud?
The man moves towards Grace and then ignores her to help a young, beautiful, blond woman.
Grace (to the store clerk, a man):
Excuse me. Excuse me.
Are you in a coma?
You, sir. Hello, hello.
(hysterical) HELLOOOOOOO (pounding on the counter)
What kind of animal treats people like this?
Do you not see me? Do I not exist? Do you think it’s alright to ignore us just because she has gray hair? And I don’t look like HER? (pointing at the young blond)
Frankie takes Grace by the arm and leads her out of the store.
Later in the car:
Grace: Okay. That lacked poise and I’m sorry. But, I refuse to be irrelevant.
At any age, what do we want as women? We want to be seen. We want your attention. We have something to say. We want to be respected and listened to. We want to be valued for our wisdom and courage. We want to be relevant and to know that we matter.
And at a social event, last week. I heard a young man in his 20’s saying the same thing. For the first time. His tender, vulnerable heart exposed. A man who felt that people don’t see him and don’t take the time to really listen. He wants to be relevant, too.
Maybe it’s time for all of us to slow down and listen. Start with yourself. Listen to yourself. Your ideas. Your needs. Your wants. Your desires. Give to yourself.
Then, turn your attention out. To others.
Be the change…
Here is the clip:
*****
Andrea Hylen believes in the power of our voice to usher in a new world. She is the founder of Heal My Voice, an organization that inspires women and men to heal a story, reclaim personal power and step into greater leadership. Andrea discovered her unique gifts while parenting three daughters and learning to live life fully after the deaths of her brother, son and husband. In addition to serving as Heal My Voice’s Executive Director, Andrea is an Orgasmic Meditation Teacher and Sexuality Coach.
She is following her intuition as she collaborates with women and men in organizations and travels around the world speaking, teaching and leading workshops. Her passion is authentically living life and supporting others in doing the same. To connect with Andrea and learn about current projects go to: www.andreahylen.com and www.healmyvoice.org.
Day 19 of 100 days of blogging
(Blogpost Originally Published when Andrea was a Guest Blogger on Alpha Chick on January 22, 2013)
Andrea Hylen: Her Story of Transformation
http://www.malduanecoach.com/guest-andrea-hylen/
We all experience life challenges that looking back we can see were the catalyst for living a deeper, more authentic life. What has been your greatest personal challenge that you’ve overcome that served as your pivot point to transformation?
Negative Self-Talk and People Pleasing.
The greatest challenge, the one that took every ounce of strength I had was making the decision to leave my first marriage. And the main reason it was so hard was my dysfunctional pattern of people-pleasing and putting everyone’s needs and desires ahead of my own. In my family, everyone was married for 50+ years. Marriage was honored and valued as a lifetime commitment. ‘Til death do us part. I felt there was an unspoken pact within the family. The words loyalty, fear and shame were attached to the big “D” word. You got married and you dealt with the dysfunction. If you were unhappy, just put yourself at the bottom of the list and deal with it. Even with a family lineage of alcoholism and verbal abuse and unhealthy relationships, divorce was never an option.
So, when I told a family member that my marriage was falling apart and I felt my heart was breaking, I was told, “you made your bed now lie in it.” No discussion. No questions asked. No concern over the words “I am dying inside.” It was expected that marriage was a lifelong sentence. No reason for early parole. You made your bed, now lie in it. I met my husband at Temple University on the day before school. Both of us were transfer students and there was an optional “studying seminar” we both attended to start the semester on a strong foundation. Our lives were woven together in the first few weeks of school when we discovered that we both commuted an hour and a half to school and lived only 10 minutes from each other. Synchronistic connection. One day we found ourselves standing on the train platform together! Totally surprised. I became a member of his family instantly and we were married after four years of school, work and dating.
He was a functional alcoholic. Working a full time job with overtime, then coming home, cracking open a beer and drinking all night until he fell into bed. I was aware of the alcoholism in his family and in one conversation before we were married, he told me he would stop drinking. A sign of my people-pleasing. Do not confront anything that might be a conflict. Do not bring up uncomfortable conversations. We moved two hours from our families, bought a house, worked full time jobs and gave birth to two daughters. The birth of our second child, Elizabeth threw me into a tailspin. In the hospital, I remember looking into her eyes and feeling this powerful wake-up call. It was like she was saying, “Okay, Mom. I am here now. Get it together.” Six weeks after her birth, I returned to work and saw a flyer in the elevator, announcing a lunchtime Al-Anon meeting. No more excuses. It was time to tell people that I was living with an alcoholic and to admit how exhausted I was from trying to make our marriage work. I felt like a failure.
The people pleaser in me had converted to Catholicism, walked on eggshells, suffered in silence, tried: cleaning the house, being cheerful, cooking Sunday night dinners, doing all of the child care, grocery shopping and more. My husband was critical and controlling and my own negative, internal self-talk had an ongoing conversation of criticism layered on top of his. Finally, I started to see a therapist and explore the family history of alcoholism and the dysfunctional behavior in my household.
By the time I hit an emotional bottom, I was isolated from family and friends, forgot who I was and what I valued, lost all sense of self, sleep deprived and suffering from a mild depression.
Describe the transformational moment or wake-up call when you realized that life change was necessary? For many, it’s a spiritual awakening, an emotional downfall, or a life-altering experience that shakes us awake.
There were two pivotal moments that were wake-up calls. The first was late one night, sitting in the kitchen cross stitching ornaments for Christmas presents. Surviving on only three to four hours of sleep each night, I had a moment of paralysis. My legs and feet were frozen in place. I couldn’t move. I cried out for my husband to help me. With his assistance, I was slowly able to shuffle into the bedroom. Crying myself to sleep that night, I kept repeating inwardly to myself, tomorrow is Al-Anon. I just have to make it to the Al-Anon meeting. Pushing myself to be the perfect mother, wife, employee, including making handmade ornaments had driven me to the beginning of a nervous breakdown. The second was seeing a look in my two year old daughters eyes, the daughter who was calling me to “get it together.” I was arguing with her father when I heard a voice in my head say, “This is not the role model I came to be for my children.” I made the decision that I would leave the marriage for the sake of my daughters.
After experiencing your personal wake-up call what were the most powerful steps you took to change your life?
It took me almost a year and finally I moved out of the house. Emotionally it felt like I was crawling away. To get out, I left my daughters behind. No support from family or friends, my husband and I verbally agreed to joint custody. I knew I needed to take the oxygen mask for myself first. To rent a house, set up the household and then resume my role as a mother. My husband manipulated the legal system and tried to prove that I was crazy. He denied our verbal agreement and told everyone I left the children. The first few years, we were in the court systems fighting for joint custody. I learned how to use my voice to stand up for myself and my children. I took energy classes and learned a variety of healing modalities. Attended Insight Seminars that helped me to connect with a new community of conscious, awakening people. Organized book circles in my living room to heal emotionally with John Bradshaw’s: The Family, Julia Cameron’s: The Artist’s Way and James Redfield’s: The Celestine Prophecy. Over time the commitment I made to my own healing, helped to heal my daughters, too.
Please share a Positive Mental Shift tip that woman can implement today to support them on their journey of transformation and empowerment.
FIND SUPPORT from healthy individuals and groups.The funny thing about support is that the biggest thing most of us really need is inspiration and someone who believes in us. Someone who can mirror who we really are and remind us that each day we are getting stronger and healthier. I found support in Al-Anon and in groups of people in spiritual classes and workshops. I had amazing mentors at work and slowly but surely, I found my tribe of people. Now, 25 years later, I see Facebook groups and Pages another wonderful support of inspiration.
One more thing: I know that we haven’t met in person. But, I know that if you are reading this, you are ready to wake up. And I BELIEVE in YOU!!
*****
Andrea Hylen at Agape in Los Angeles
Andrea Hylen believes in the power of our voice to usher in a new world. She is the founder of Heal My Voice, an organization that inspires women and men to heal a story, reclaim personal power and step into greater leadership. Andrea discovered her unique gifts while parenting three daughters and learning to live life fully after the deaths of her brother, son and husband. In addition to serving as Heal My Voice’s Executive Director, Andrea is an Orgasmic Meditation Teacher and Sexuality Coach.
She is following her intuition as she collaborates with women and men in organizations and travels around the world speaking, teaching and leading workshops. Her passion is authentically living life and supporting others in doing the same. To connect with Andrea and learn about current projects go to: www.andreahylen.com and www.healmyvoice.org.
Day 17 of 100 days of blogging
A few weeks ago, a female friend invited me to a group called The New Masculine Community. When I first saw the words, I wondered why she was inviting me to a men’s group. I am a woman and I work mainly with women in my organization, Heal My Voice.
The description in the group:
This group is for education, discussion and debate. It originally was formed to support a men’s program by Zat Baraka, Ken Blackman and Robert Kandell called the Razor’s Edge that was run in Winter 2015.
Please note:
Masculine does not necessarily mean man.
Feminine does not necessarily mean woman.
This page is for ALL genders and ALL sexual orientations to discuss the topics of masculine and feminine nature in today’s ever-changing world. To help breakdown the bullshit conventions that run us, which haven’t worked in a very long time.
We are a community of people who want to learn more about how we tick and how others. We are here to share ideas and concepts. You might not like everything that you read. However, we hope that it influences you enough to notice your programming.
Having spent the last three years in what appears to be a female-centric practice (Orgasmic Meditation) and being committed to living in community and practicing with men, I decided to hang out in the group and read some of the comments. (I also really admire and appreciate the work of Ken Blackman and Robert Kandell who originally started the group and I know there is a team of women and men monitoring the posts.)
This week, one of the women in the group posted an article about Bradley Cooper (an actor) supporting Jennifer Lawrence (an actress) in her article about the Hollywood Pay Gap. Cooper has been teaming up with female stars to negotiate salaries before film production starts. “I don’t know where it’s changing otherwise but that’s something that I could do,” Cooper said.
I feel like that is the point. If we see something in the world that is wrong, we can do our part. Do something. Support someone. Teach a woman or man how to negotiate a salary. Look around and see where you can offer your unique talents and skills. It begins with each of us making that choice individually.
I made a choice in my life 30 years ago to live in community where every person is supported and encouraged to be the fullest expression of who they really are. (By community, I mean finding like minded people who wanted to do the same thing. We all lived in our own family homes all over the city) 
We were all committed to heal the wounds of what we were taught are the roles of feminine and masculine. I made a choice to look at my own actions and behavior first, decide where I needed changes. I left a marriage because in that verbal and sexual abusive environment, I was not being the role model I came to be for my two little girls. I made the choice to leave and start unraveling generations of patterning about submissive women.
When I first read the article, I wrote the first comment and highlighted words Cooper spoke about seeing a problem and doing his part to make it right. He isn’t trying to change the whole world by himself, just making a change where he had power. I invite you to let go of the amount of money they are making. That is a distraction from the bigger picture. This is an example of “In my world, I can change this.”
After the death of our son and my own life threatening illness my 2nd husband and I decided to homeschool our children to provide an environment where they had more self-expression and freedom to be themselves. We connected with 1000 families in the Baltimore~DC area. Pooled resources, offered our unique talents and skills, daily interaction and field trips. Stroked out the best of each kid. Male or female. Gave them the freedom to find out who they are. Then, it was up to each child to make their own choices. We laid the foundation.
Instead of talking about a bunch of theory about what is the new masculine and what is feminine leadership, how about each of us taking a look at where we can support someone to be the best they can be instead of using humor or criticism to diminish them. Ask yourself, how can I be the best version of a man? How can I be the best version of a woman? How can I integrate masculine and feminine characteristics of creativity, intuition, action, strength into my life? Feel. Think. Open your eyes and look around.
The commitment to your own growth doesn’t end until you die. I imagine that every person reading this blogpost has a desire, a longing for better communication with others and deep down wants to peel away the facade of who you thought you were supposed to be. And underneath, there is another part of you that wants to be seen and felt and heard.
You don’t have to do everything. Do something. Do your part.
We are all in this together.
*****
Andrea Hylen believes in the power of our voice to usher in a new world. She is the founder of Heal My Voice, an organization that inspires women and men to heal a story, reclaim personal power and step into greater leadership. Andrea discovered her unique gifts while parenting three daughters and learning to live life fully after the deaths of her brother, son and husband. In addition to serving as Heal My Voice’s Executive Director, Andrea is an Orgasmic Meditation Teacher and Sexuality Coach.
She is following her intuition as she collaborates with women and men in organizations and travels around the world speaking, teaching and leading workshops. Her passion is authentically living life and supporting others in doing the same. To connect with Andrea and learn about current projects go to: www.andreahylen.com and www.healmyvoice.org.
Day 16 of 100 days of blogging
Taking a pause today to add some definition to the word Flow.
Studies have shown that flow is one stage in a Flow Cycle. Steven Kotler is a researcher and author who has given us some words for what happens in the flow cycle and how to do things to jumpstart and trigger the flow step.
Flow Cycle: (You have to return through all 4 parts of the cycle before returning to flow.)
Struggle: Loading with new information.
Release or Relaxtion: Take your mind off the problem.
Flow: You are in the flow state (In the zone)
Recovery: Go into a low feeling.
The power in the cycle is to learn how to move through struggle and recover better.
There are 17 triggers or preconditions that bring on more flow.
Psychological Triggers:
Intensely Focused Attention
Clear Goals
Immediate Feedback
The Challenge/Skills Ratio
Environmental Triggers:
High Consequences
Rich Environment
Deep Embodiment
Social Triggers:
Serious Concentration
Shared, Clear Goals
Good Communication
Familiarity
Equal Participation and Skill Level
Risk
Sense of Control
Close Listening
Always Say Yes
Creative Trigger
Creativity (Pattern Recognition and Risk Taking
For more information go to the Flow Genome Project
http://www.flowgenomeproject.co/
*****
Andrea Hylen believes in the power of our voice to usher in a new world. She is the founder of Heal My Voice, an organization that inspires women and men to heal a story, reclaim personal power and step into greater leadership. Andrea discovered her unique gifts while parenting three daughters and learning to live life fully after the deaths of her brother, son and husband. In addition to serving as Heal My Voice’s Executive Director, Andrea is an Orgasmic Meditation Teacher and Sexuality Coach.
She is following her intuition as she collaborates with women and men in organizations and travels around the world speaking, teaching and leading workshops. Her passion is authentically living life and supporting others in doing the same. To connect with Andrea and learn about current projects go to: www.andreahylen.com and www.healmyvoice.org.
Day 12 of 100 days of blogging
(Originally this was published on the OneTaste site https://onetaste.us/a-life-powered-by-orgasm/)
A Life Powered by Orgasm
By Andrea Hylen
I used to connect the word orgasm to the act of climax during intercourse. As I have been exploring the power of orgasm as an energy source over the last year, I have found that I like this definition better:
Orgasm: A similar point of intensity of emotional excitement.
Orgasm is the energy that pulses through me when I am fully engaged with life. It’s the excitement I feel when I am free to be myself. It’s feeling a wide range of emotions. In all these states, I am in the flow of orgasm.
It is the Power of Orgasm that:
…fueled me to leave my first husband and break free of old beliefs and find my voice.
It is the Power of Orgasm that:
…inspired me to home school my children with creativity and adventure.
It is the Power of Orgasm that:
…compelled me to go to 78 Jonas Brothers concerts in 2 1/2 years with my teenage daughter.
It is the Power of Orgasm that:
…moved me to host 44 internet radio shows in 45 days—when I had never hosted a radio show before.
It is the Power of Orgasm that:
…pulsed through me to start the organization Heal My Voice.
“Orgasm” to me is a superpower energy that encourages me to say, “YES!” It pushes me into the world and inspires me with the juice of my desire to experience as much as I possibly can while I am living life.
Do you want to know how to access this superpower for yourself?
Three tips on how to live powered by orgasm:
Feel the Sensations and Listen to Your Body: Develop a daily practice that cultivates your ability to focus and listen to the sensations in your body. Journaling, walking in nature, yoga and Orgasmic Meditation (OM) are all superb practices.
My daily OM practice has increased my ability to feel and hold more sensation. I support trauma survivors in my work. A few years ago, I could only coach one survivor a day. The sensations of their emotions were too intense for me. Now, I coach five survivors a day, three times a week, and I have coached over 200 women writing stories of trauma, loss and grief. My practice has helped me be able to hold more sensation in my body.
Take Action: Start with one step—one stroke, one phone call, one task—and keep building that momentum with the next inspired action step.
My daily OM practice has unleashed more of my desire to speak my voice in the world. When the president of a women’s organization asked me to speak at her conference I felt the orgasm pulsing through me and I said yes—even before I knew what I would be speaking about! All I had to do was take the next action step towards what I wanted.
Ask for Support: It is more fun to share the adventure with other people and receiving help will exponentially increase the orgasm!
An OM practice is inherently a partnered practice. We literally can not do it alone. And I don’t want to do it alone. Asking for adjustments and receiving requests from my partner within the container of the OM teaches me how to connect, how to ask and receive support for my desires, and how to live in high sensation while in connection to other people.
I AM POWERED BY ORGASM! You can be, too.
*****
Andrea Hylen believes in the power of our voice to usher in a new world. She is the founder of Heal My Voice, an organization that inspires women and men to heal a story, reclaim personal power and step into greater leadership. Andrea discovered her unique gifts while parenting three daughters and learning to live life fully after the deaths of her brother, son and husband. In addition to serving as Heal My Voice’s Executive Director, Andrea is an Orgasmic Meditation Teacher and Sexuality Coach.
She is following her intuition as she collaborates with women and men in organizations and travels around the world speaking, teaching and leading workshops. Her passion is authentically living life and supporting others in doing the same. To connect with Andrea and learn about current projects go to: www.andreahylen.com and www.healmyvoice.org.
Day 11 of 100 days of blogging
New York City
An Introduction to OM class
There was a moment at the end of the day when 30 men and women sat in a circle to share a few frames from an experience of their first OM. It was a class from 10am-5pm with an optional lab, after the class, where people can stay, connect with a partner and have an experience of an OM.
After the lab, we all sat in a circle and one by one finished the prompt, “Right now, I am grateful for…” The answers came in a gentle wave of vulnerability, tenderness, connection. A soft, smoothness wrapped the room where for a moment, our innocence returned. I am grateful for… community, my partner, connection, the power of this practice, humanity, courage to try something new, the teachers, the support staff, authenticity, a real experience of connection.
In a community space, in the middle of Soho, something had shifted in each of us.
Let’s Back Up for a Minute
OM is short for Orgasmic Meditation. It is a fifteen minute partnered practice that involves stroking the upper left hand quadrant of a woman’s clitoris for 15 minutes. OM is a practice between two people that has no goal except to feel what is happening in the moment. Connection. Sensation. Simplicity. Attention.
A frame is a moment in time during your OM, when you felt a physical sensation in your body. This includes temperature, texture, motion, pressure, color, and speed. Sharing a frame is a way to anchor the experience of the OM and the connection. One moment. Focusing on what is present vs what is not.
It is a practice
I have been OMing for almost three years now. For two years, I lived in a community and had a daily practice. OMing is a form of meditation and it is a practice. So, every OM is different. There is stillness and excitement and feelings of pleasure, anger, sadness, agitation, and did I say pleasure? OM is a purification process. The practice empties out your thoughts, old stories and conditioning and helps you to release emotions. The practice also fills you up with pleasure, connection and nourishment.
While I was in New York I decided to attend the Intro to OM class again. Probably my 20th time as a student. I entered with Beginner’s Mind as if this is the first time I am hearing the information. I received it personally and as a teacher of Introduction to OM classes where I am co-teaching in Washington, DC. I asked myself questions to set an intention for the day:
What can I learn to deepen my practice?
What can I learn about teaching that will serve the people I am working with?
I saw it in the eyes of the new participants in the circle and I remembered.
*It takes courage to try something new and this practice is changing the way we connect.
*Every time I OM, enter as if it is the first time.
*No goal.
*Focus on connection and sensation.
*Regular consistent practice.
*Breathe
I will be sharing more about Orgasmic Meditation all week. Check out the blogs all week.
(Photo of circle is from a smaller class in San Francisco. Credit Noah Berger for The New York Times)
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Andrea Hylen believes in the power of our voice to usher in a new world. She is the founder of Heal My Voice, an organization that inspires women and men to heal a story, reclaim personal power and step into greater leadership. Andrea discovered her unique gifts while parenting three daughters and learning to live life fully after the deaths of her brother, son and husband. In addition to serving as Heal My Voice’s Executive Director, Andrea is an Orgasmic Meditation Teacher and Sexuality Coach.
She is following her intuition as she collaborates with women and men in organizations and travels around the world speaking, teaching and leading workshops. Her passion is authentically living life and supporting others in doing the same. To connect with Andrea and learn about current projects go to: www.andreahylen.com and www.healmyvoice.org.
Leading up to this birthday was not fun. It actually felt pretty scary and I had a lot of feelings and fears and confusion in the last year. In the past, I have embraced every decade. Turning 40 and 50 was exciting. I have always felt like things were getting better and there was an adventure around every corner. Until this year…
My 59th birthday yesterday was a turning point. A willingness to transform the fears and live fully right now. When my husband turned 59, he already had an aversion to turning “60”. I told him, why don’t we celebrate every month and ring in the next decade?
It is not the end. It is the beginning.
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Andrea Hylen believes in the power of our voice to usher in a new world. She is the founder of Heal My Voice, an organization that inspires women and men to heal a story, reclaim personal power and step into greater leadership. Andrea discovered her unique gifts while parenting three daughters and learning to live life fully after the deaths of her brother, son and husband. In addition to serving as Heal My Voice’s Executive Director, Andrea is an Orgasmic Meditation Teacher and Sexuality Coach.
She is following her intuition as she collaborates with women and men in organizations and travels around the world speaking, teaching and leading workshops. Her passion is authentically living life and supporting others in doing the same. To connect with Andrea and learn about current projects go to: www.andreahylen.com and www.healmyvoice.org.
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