Edited by Andrew Willet
Written by Tom Kovach
Self-Care
By Tom Kovach
Who is not stressed right now? I will not list the many things that are coming off the rails, because they are front and center for each of us daily, and more reminders would be counterproductive. Stress has well-documented negative effects on our health and ability to function. It can also lead to anxiety and depression, which only add to the health risks.
If you are like me, when things get difficult, my first reaction is to do less of what helps me stay centered. All the perfect excuses arise — I don’t have time for that now; there are other more important things I need to do — and I reduce my self-care just when I need it most.
It is then I remind myself: If I am not taking care of myself, then how will any of those “important things” get done? I throw in an “I am worth it” for good measure. I confess this is an ongoing dance, one that is not easy. I am sharing this because I talk to so many people feeling the pressure of the times we are in, in addition to their own personal and professional challenges.
I ask you to remember what the Body Electric School is all about: the healing power of Eros. Those of us who feel the need for healing, a need to push back against the negativity of the world. In the ’80s, one of gay culture’s responses to the AIDS crisis was going and dancing our asses off. This wasn’t frivolous: It was self-care, in response to a message that we weren’t worth saving, and a cathartic middle finger to those who believed that.
Watching “Star Trek,” I used to wonder why Data and Geordi would end up discussing a cat as they raced to solve a threat that endangered the lives of the whole crew. But BE has taught me that staying centered and authentic in those moments of stress doesn’t distract me from what I need to get done. Instead, it helps me be my best self, the version of me most able to handle challenges.
So, as a part of our Body Electric Community, what are you doing for self-care? Do you remember to breathe and stretch? Let me invite you into the healing power of Eros and the celebration of our erotic bodies. The School provides a lot of resources: We have many free community events, including our Heart Circles and Mindfulness Meditation. You can start a day with a morning practice for All Genders and Men+, and end one with a full-moon ritual for All Genders and Men+. Joseph Kramer is back to lead two online classes: Erotic Breathing Practices and Intro to Sustained Sexual Arousal. And there are in-person workshops, such as Celebrating the Body Erotic, Power, Surrender, and Intimacy, and Tantra Workshops, and the longer Intensives. Please take the time to care for yourself. You deserve it.
Theater & Eros
Where erotic energy meets spontaneous storytelling.
Playback Theatre is a powerful, interactive form of improvisational theatre in which personal stories come to life, spontaneously enacted in the moment. Since its creation in 1975, this dynamic art form has spread to over 70 countries, fostering connection, deep listening, and profound understanding across differences.
This immersive, heart-opening experience offers a playful and profound opportunity for personal awareness, emotional growth, and healing. Whether you wish to explore, celebrate, grieve, or reclaim, this is a space to honor the full spectrum of your erotic being — held within the warmth of community.
BE on Demand
By Tom Kovach
The Body Electric School is truly international. Many people have come to the US to attend a workshop or intensive. And the school tries to go to them as well: We regularly have workshops in Canada and have offered programs in Costa Rica, Ireland, Italy, Israel, Germany, and Mexico. And then there are our online programs, which are joined by people around the globe. But the realities of time zones can make joining the discussion a challenge even for people in the United States: Sometimes, our personal schedules just don’t mesh well with the School’s offerings. So in response to our many requests, we have launched BE On Demand, and we’ve started with two courses.
One is the Nourishing Cornstarch Message, in which Suzanne Blackburn shows you how to offer a partner, lover, or friend a delicious, sensuous, nourishing massage using cornstarch rather than oil or lotion. With decades of experience as a bodyworker and Body Electric School facilitator, Suzanne offers a pathway to the intersection of eroticism, loving touch, and healing. The touch described in this video dances on the edge of eroticism without moving into genital touch. (That’s another tutorial.) This massage will wake up the body’s senses and invite deep, healing pleasure. You’ll have unlimited access to view this workshop on your schedule. When you register, you will be given instructions on how to start the class.
The other is Moving Into Intimacy, an adaptation of one of our most popular in-person workshops. Led by its creator, Lui Gervais — you may know his fabulous book, “The Nipple Whisperer”— it’s an experiment in sensual, creative, moving meditations. As creatures of habit, many of us, especially those in long-term relationships, get stuck in ruts. Moving Into Intimacy provides a treasure trove of new pathways out of them: By identifying and freeing the mind of barriers, participants will learn how to navigate their embodied pleasure with new ideas and practical tools. One participant in the in-person workshop described their experience this way: “Your 3-part framework was just what I didn’t know I needed. It provided the language that I was missing to describe where I have been and the pain I was feeling; a way of crystallizing and celebrating the progress I have made to get to where I am today; and a way to visualize what I am aspiring for in the future.”
These two programs are just the start of a series of on-demand workshops and trainings. We hope you’ll enjoy treating yourself in the comfort of your own home at the time of your choosing