My Sensual Self

Photo by Pieter Seinen

By Xina Sy

"Being sensual is simply a by-product of loving my whole self; spirit, mind, & body!"

I love to dance...I love the way my body moves to beats & drums & rhythms; the way music makes me feel. Dance & movement is just one of the ways to implement sensuality into our worlds. There are many things that we can do & many more ways that we can be...but truly being sensual requires being fully accepting & loving of our whole selves. 
     During The BBB TeleTalk Series: Explore The Sensual Side of You, we discussed some of the ways that we can begin to implement more sensuality into our lives. Fiona Zedde, author of 6 very sexy novels, chimed in with tips on how sensuality contributes to her creativity. Dr. Tonya K. Freeman, author & editor of Awakening The Diva Within Blog, shared with us about adding color & fragrances to our lives to create an amazingly sensual space. I spoke on utilizing sensuality to attract clients & promote our businesses through the power & use of sensual words, colors, & descriptions. In continuing in our efforts to give our readers more tips on sensuality & to encourage further self-exploration, we wanted to give you a few amazing resources to assist you on your journey...Enjoy! Click to Listen to Q & A of that Call Now--->


 Indulging in Dangerous Pleasures:
Mayson and Renee are best friends. Two women who’ve known each other for a lifetime and are as close as they are different. Mayson is a free-spirited lesbian and very much wanted by the ladies in and around her hot Southern California community. Renee, straight and seemingly innocent, is a woman just getting out of a painful divorce and looking for an escape from that pain. While Mayson slips in and out of affairs, taking pleasure where it bites the sweetest, Renee steps into a dangerous game of anonymous sex-by-dark that transports her to places she’d never dreamed. But the worlds of these best friends are heading for a dramatic collision. At the end of it all, will they or their friendship remain standing? Click 2 Read Excerpt & then Click 2 Buy The Book!

Finding Bliss: 

From the outside, Bliss Sinclair's life seems very glamorous—a high profile job with a publishing house, a fashionable boyfriend who looks good on her arm, and ultra-chic parties where the come-ons are as hot and thrilling at night as they are empty as an air-kiss greeting the next day. It's a world Sinclair moves blindly through, all the while craving more. And she finds it in the most unlikely of places.

Embarking on a series of carnal adventures with a notorious bad girl as her guide and playmate, Sinclair opens herself to every new experience and every taboo. In abandoned warehouses, private fetish clubs, even her own office, Sinclair is skating on the thin ice of desire—until her world comes crashing in.

Now, broken and abandoned, Sinclair decides to spend a summer in her birthplace, Jamaica, where she hopes to reconcile with her estranged father and rediscover herself. There, in a land of lush ripeness, Sinclair will discover what she didn't know she was missing. It's a journey that will awaken every one of her senses and take her to the edge of known pleasure and far beyond it, to a love that is as sexy as it gets, and more surprising than even she can imagine. This is her journey to total bliss. Click 2 Read Excerpt & then Click 2 Buy The Book!

A Taste of Sin:

Desiree Nichols is no stranger to heartbreak, but when her hot, young boyfriend abandons her after two years of being together, Dez's foundations begin to crumble. To make matters worse, a family crisis is calling her home to face the people she left behind, the ones who never accepted her as anything but trouble. Fine. If that's how they see her, she'll rise to the occasion. Miami's hot, sultry nightlife offers plenty of opportunities for a girl to drown her disappointments, and Dez wastes no time hooking up with her old friends. Together, she and her girlfriends prowl the town, attending private parties where every fantasy can be fulfilled, every desire satisfied with no strings attached. The last thing on Dez's mind is finding bliss in the arms of a seductive new partner who couldn't be more different from her ex—and who awakens in her a hunger she tries to deny. But that's exactly what happens.

Now, in clandestine couplings at four-star restaurants, sizzling explorations in downtown sex clubs, and private romantic dinners where sensual boundaries are pushed and hearts are laid bare, two lovers will awaken in each other an intense, soul-deep passion that could change their lives forever. Click 2 Read Excerpt & then Click 2 Buy The Book!

Make a Shift to Bliss:

Shift To Bliss: Dancing Meditations and Visualizations takes you on a journey of self awareness where you are encouraged and inspired to feel into your True Essence - by feeding and fueling yourself with loving vibrations daily...

By taking a few minutes as often as possible, daily is preferred, you will notice how easily you can shift your perspective of yourself, your relationship with others and how you see life. The more you tune into the right frequency, your Soul Song, you begin to shift your consciousness to new heights and depths.

Sometimes it might seems as if you are taking to long to arrive at your destination. That usually stems from trying to fit into the box of expectations that you allow society, friends and family to place upon you. Click 2 Learn More  & then Click 2 Buy The CD!

Fabulously Fierce!

Author, Claudia Moss, Photo by Zenpressions

By Author, 

Claudia Moss

"Today, I’m fabulous, fierce and 53, and I can think of no greater place to be." 

40! That’s passé! Can we say, yesterday? 

Today, I’m fabulous, fierce and 53, and I can think of no greater place to be. There isn't a doubt in my mind. I am a good-lookin’ Momma, primarily because I feel good inside, where it counts the most. In the mirror, morning, noon or night, I peer at my reflection and love what I see smiling back at me. 

     Undoubtedly, I feel sexier than I've ever felt in my life, and I have always glided with an intense awareness of my sexuality and sex appeal, although previously I didn't much act on it sexually. And as such, I have worn my share of invisible habits and nun’s headgear. Yet these days I am clearly sensing an internal shift. Call it the bite of an adventurous bug. Call it curiosity. Call it inquisitive. I don’t mind. Fact is, I feel sexually, sensually alive!
     With each breath I take, Beloveds, I reinvent the notion of ‘Fine over 50.’ I don’t give a who-who if popular women’s magazines rarely extend those charts of women, famous and otherwise, in different age groups that range from the 20’s to the 40’s, ostensibly omitting women in their 50’s and upward. Wouldn’t you think they would know to hop off the Hollywood Bandwagon? Women, same as men, exist after 40. And if a Sean Connery can co-star with a young sizzling siren, so too, can a Diva from the same era…with a siren or a stud?
    Can you hear me? Come closer. I’ll let you in on my truth…. I love me. And I love my body. I absolutely adore and respect it, how it works and how it responds to the loving care I offer it. I refuse to settle. Not placing myself on anyone’s option schedule. My Ms. Sensational is out there! Article continued below pic--->

Author, Claudia Moss,  Photo by Zenpressions 

The body is our temple, and we should treat it as such. Not only do I honor my Taj Mahal, I adore the way I move in the skin I’m in. The sensuality of dance, a silky sway of the waist, a ripple of the abdomen, the bump and quick wiggle in the hips, arms raised and angled just so, head tilted provocatively---my body is distilled art. I am fascination in motion, evidence of an imaginative power in the Universe. As long as I keep myself moving and dancing and walking and running and pretzeled and prancing, I hope to be vibrantly present well into my silver years. My sensual body makes it paramount I pamper my muscles with ample periods of rest and relaxation. As well as daily exercise to include muscle-building routines.
     My eyes savor the caress my Fabulous-50 self. I embrace me, all of me. A thousand halleluiahs I didn’t succumb to the breast augmentation I pined for years ago at a time I frowned on my hiccup-sized cup, dreaming about a sumptuous décolletage. Breasts have forever enthralled me. They are indeed the Divine’s handiwork! Half-dollar sized, a doll’s pectoral glands, mine were shotgun teeny in my teens and early twenties. A road map, they pointed straight ahead. Not a salute. A poke or a prod might be more like it. I cherished them on most days; on others, I fantasized about waking up, magically, in my friend’s Maiden Form or in a Victoria Secret’s lacy number with an equally sexy name or reeling under a pair of traffic-and-speech stopping double D’s.

     My sisters---truth be told---we’ve all been there, and if it wasn’t our breasts, it was another body part, i.e., thick thighs or a derrière out-to-there, before J-Lo or Janet posteriors were stamped approved by those outside of our beauty standards.

     Today my breasts are more than a handful. Perhaps a buck and some change and two handfuls. I find them enchanting, in or outside of a bra. On my bathroom walls or inside the shower, there isn’t a waterproof placard reminding me to self-check them for lumps or signs of change. I do that naturally, adoring me reverentially.
     Hairy legs. Hmmm. I used to boast (what some folks dubbed sexy) hairy legs. Compliments coming consistently, I stopped bowing to some of my Sister-friends’ beauty standards---of flawless stretches of smooth legs under booty shorts, short skirts and don’t-hurt-‘em dresses. But over time I fell, plummeting so far past go, I never found my way back to my hairy legs. One day I fell in love with shaved legs, and…oh well. We win some, and release others.

Claudia Moss, 53 & Fabulous!

 India Arie floats along over there, a bit beyond my enlarged, well-lit monitor, declaring, "I am not my hair~~" And, I know why she’s here, if only in my momentary imaginings. She’s come to remind me that I am more than my parts. And she is correct.
     I am more than my Sisterlocks, trimmed and cut and colored, if I should so desire. I am the Love that wells up from within; for me, others and the Universe. I am much more than the clothes I select to adorn my form, garments that honor my freedom to honor my sex appeal. I am the willingness to help others, even as I open to Spirit’s generosity in manifesting my dreams. And I am indeed far more than the knowledge and skills I’ve acquired over 53 summers of being present on this plane. For I am the Knowing that what I seek seeks me, when I desist wanting to tell the Divine how my day and life should go. In the final analysis, I know I’m Fabulous. No boast intended. Only self love and self confidence. And self knowledge of healthy living!

CLAUDIA MOSS is an author, who resides in Clarkston, GA. Her new novel IF YOU LOVE ME, COME makes its debut this month, in April 2011. Visit her website at www.claudiamoss.com and www.claudiamoss.net. She blogs at www.thegolden-goddess.blogspot.com. Claudia can also be reached at www.Facebook.com/claudiamoss,  & www.Twitter.com/theLadySiren.

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Fearfully & Wonderfully Made

Body Building Champion, Denise Richardson

An Interview w/ Bodybuilder, Denise Richardson & Editor, Xina Sy

"When I was growing up, we were called 'tomboys,' but I didn't care! I am who I am & have always just been me!"

At almost 55 years old, the 2x Ms. America, bodybuilding, fitness dynamo is positive about who she IS. And, after speaking to her for just a few minutes...you'd be pretty sure about who she is & what she stands for too! She is a no- nonsense, straight-no-chaser, tell it like T-I-is kinda woman! But behind the heavy New York accent & super-stronger than normal, muscular structure, is a gentleness that gives way to the true Spirit behind her confidence: her Faith.

Denise Richardson, born in New Bern, North Carolina, always had a love for sports; any sports. She would "play" anything: basketball, track, & even touch football. "My grandparents, David & Eva Richardson, would have me jump fences for the neighbors," shared Richardson, "I guess I just always liked putting on a show athletically." That love for performing paid off BIG for Richardson during her professional, competitive career as a bodybuilder, winning her not one, but two, titles as Ms. America in the Physique category. And, although she credits dedication, hard work, & discipline to her success, there is another obvious component that comes into play: Confidence.

I had the honor of speaking with her recently about her career, being a female, professional athlete, & her faith in God & in herself & her seeming ability to master anything & everything that comes her way. Below is a bit on that conversation...

XS: How are women viewed in your industry?

DR: In terms of competition, it really depends on the “mood,” whose show it is, and what show it is. For example: In many instances, the judging criteria changes almost similar to that of clothing fads. The standard is to look for symmetry, muscularity, overall conditioning, posing finesse (to music), and overall stage presentation. The judges that particular day, month, season, or year, may give higher scores in bodybuilding to very muscular women, tall and leaner women, short and not very muscular, average height and ripped muscle, tall model type and the variables continue.

XS: How does that impact your performance?

DR: It is “tres importante” that we do not try to fit into the “fleeting mood” or mode of the industry. Build and Sculpt as you feel and see FIT, (pun intended). Use wisdom but have fun and enjoy the better health benefits. YES, it is important that my posing performance is seen as SPECTACULAR by judges and MY AUDIENCE! However, it is still of utmost importance for me to call the shots and set the standard for my own physique. Hey, I’m part of the bodybuilding community because I enjoy bodybuilding, not to fit someone's mold of what I need to be.

XS: Has the industry & competition changed you?

DR: My profession was in Public School Education before I stumbled into DARBY PARK, and still is, long after after I won back- to- back titles of the prestigious Ms America in 1997 and 1998. I was truly blessed to excel in this arena for many years. I determined how I wanted this physique and frame of mine to look, feel, and speak!  My desire was to tell a  story whenever I stepped on any stage, at any time, and any place, worldwide!

XS: What are some of the prejudices you've faced as a female athlete?

DR: Politics and favorites at shows is always a bummer. Uninformed/misinformed folk who still think women should not workout---let alone have fabulous muscles, are fewer these days! One compliment I used to get over and over was, “And you don’t look like a man!” Clearly some still think it is not feminine to train and compete in Physique Competitions. As in anything else, women are unique and have zillions of looks, styles, "swaggas," etc! Thank GOD more people are coming to realize this and actually embrace a firmer, more toned healthier version of previous self!

XS: How does your faith come into play in your career as a bodybuilder & fitness trainer?

DR: I love and support others and encourage and train them to succeed. I am empowered through my relationship with God and it is ONLY through that relationship, the one with my Abba Father, that I can accomplish anything at all. I am STILL amazed at the Power of the Word manifest in and throughout my life. The bodybuilding is only representative of the faith building in my life!

XS: How have you cultivated a body-positive image for yourself?

DR: I designed and sculpted my body based on my decisions…Enhancing what gifts and genetics I had already, then building and training from head to toe, as this is what bodybuilding is all about.

Denise Richardson in Exhibition

XS: What tips for building body-confidence do you have for women struggling with their own self image?

DR: Presently, I mentor and train women (and some men) in the gym, on the phone, online….Most need encouragement and a boost or a jump-start to begin living a healthy lifestyle; to get fit and stay fit. Many simply need to be told, "You can do this and I will HELP you!” Many need to just MOVE and BEGIN…some know how, but need to take time out and make time for themselves. This is Y/our health. Definitely seek out reputable people; certified trainers, fitness educators, and other professionals--including your physician’s clearance to get started in any serious fitness program. Be sure to take precautions when joining the local gym…SAFETY is first, beloved! Once you get started, I promise, you will enjoy the many benefits! Pursue a HEALTHY LIFESTYLE…Feel good, LIVE WELL…LOOK good from the inside out…that is B E A U T Y….true beauty baby! Can I get a witness?

 For more information on Denise Richardson & her fitness programs, follow her on FACEBOOK or email her directly at: MsAmerDR@aol.com.