3 Mindfulness Practices To Deepen Intimacy With Your Partner

The Latin root of the word intimacy is intima, which means "innermost truth," Lane explains. During the honeymoon phase, intimacy is often associated with togetherness, she adds. But as a relationship develops, partners tend to assert more boundaries and independence.

"This is a different stage of intimacy based in truth, where each person is not being what their partner wants them to be, but they're being how they authentically are," says Lane. "If a couple can get through that stage and accept the other person's truth, that really does bring people closer."

By expanding our definition of sexual intimacy, we can create more pathways for connection. "I think some couples get into a rut of 'this is what sex has to be' and then there's an avoidance around it," says Lane. However, she believes that healthy sexual intimacy is nuanced. It's always ebbing and flowing based on what is available to us at the time.

"For women, it will feel different each cycle of the moon. Different weeks will have different archetypes," she says. An awareness of these natural shifts in sexual desire will create a freer, more in-sync environment for partners.

One exercise Lane recommends is simply asking yourself, What feels available today? "Maybe it's a big hug or cuddling?" says Lane. It could be a verbal expression of desire for your partner while acknowledging that you don't need to act on it. Whatever it looks like, this awareness and acknowledgment can create a connection.

Through breathwork and meditation, we can "strengthen our bond, open doors for communication, and create a container for vulnerability as a unit," says Moon. For deeper spiritual and emotional connection, try her 20-minute couples' mindfulness practice:

1. "Start with a one-minute grounding meditation simply sitting together with eyes closed, focusing on the breath," says Moon. 

3. Sit back-to-back for five to eight minutes. "Begin to breathe deeply into your belly up into the heart space, letting go through the mouth," says Moon. "Naturally, you'll notice your breath start to link."

4. "End with this healing prayer, 'Thank you, I love you, please forgive me.' Send this message to yourself, to your inner child, to your partner, and to the unit of your partnership," says Moon.

5. Gaze into each other's eyes in silence for 30 seconds to a minute. "The trust built on an energetic level during this practice is powerful," she says.

6. Join for a long heart-to-heart connection hug.