Newsletter No. 75: SPRING 2016

Workshops at Come As You Are Co-op!

Twice at year at Come As You Are, we offer some of the best adult sex education on the planet in our shop on Queen Street West. With a roster of internationally recognized authors, educators, and workshop facilitators, we could not be more honoured - or proud - to be able to offer the high calibre of workshop that our friends, fans, and customers have come to expect from us.

As much as we’re flattered when people call us ‘experts’ (or ‘sexperts’, ahem), we’ve always eschewed the ‘expert’ label - and for good reason. We know enough to know that you are the only expert on your sexuality, and that the real sexuality experts are the educators that dig deep into the sex topics that impact real people’s lives. While some of our workshops are facilitated by local sex experts - like Andrea Zanin and Shannon Bell - most of our workshops are done by international sex educators. This means if you’re hoping that a particular workshop will happen again soon, you’re going to be disappointed - unless you also happen to be traveling to San Francisco or Helsinki next month!

Just like the toys, books, and DVDs we stock, we are picky about the workshops we host in our co-op, and if you see a workshop listed in our shop or on our website, it means that we truly believe in the educator and in their work. We believe in being worthy of your trust in every aspect of our work, and our workshops are no exception.

Pre-registration is required for all workshops - and be warned - just like your favourite band’s next Toronto gig - our workshops usually sell out well before the workshop happens.

Workshops with Midori

If you aren’t already a huge Midori fan, you soon will be! Author of The Seductive Art of Japanese Bondage, Wild Side Sex, and Master Han’s Daughter, Midori’s depth and breadth of knowledge reflect her intensely diverse interests and skills. Midori is a sex educator, columnist and artist and has spent her life traveling the world presenting her enlightening workshops on rope bondage, orgasm, and so very much more. 

Learn more about Midori at www.fhp-inc.com

Hands-On Japanese Rope Bondage Workshop
Wed, March 30. 7:30PM-10PM OR
Sat, April 2, 2015. 7:30PM -10PM
Everyone’s catching rope fever! Bring the pleasures from Japan into your bedroom with easy, sexy rope play. Learn simple, elegant, effective and sensual rope skills and thrill your partner. Midori will also teach you how to avoid clumsiness, minimize risks, including boring or harming your partner. Learn essential foundation techniques including four two-column restraints, safety, rope selection, and creative, sexy positions. Wear comfortable clothing and bring a minimum of 2 lengths of 15 foot rope.

Joystick Secrets Workshop
Thursday, March 31, 2016. 7:30 - 10:00PM 
Learn how to make him moan and writhe in unbelievable pleasure. Join internationally acclaimed sex educator 
Midori for this in-depth training on orally pleasuring your guy. Using delicious practice props (think fruit!) you’ll learn all about the sucks, licks, swirls, strokes and touch secrets that will blow his mind. She’ll even cover tips on how to reduce discomforts or gag reflexes. What better gift is there than to show him your new techniques that very night?

The Art Of Feminine Dominance Workshop 
Sunday, April 3, 2016. 5:30PM-7:30PM 
Elegance, power and confidence... Do you want to know how to be a dominant without being a bad cliche? How do you find a sexy style of erotic dominance that’s authentic to you? Using a special technique she developed, Midori will help you to find your inner power femme archetype, allowing you to pursue erotic fulfillment of sensual power play. Not your typical how-to class, you’ll discover the difference between constructive and destructive desires and point you towards ways of bringing satisfaction in bedroom play for both you and your partner.

Midori will share with you her secrets of the feminine art of dominance. She will discuss the psychology, practical exercises, techniques, fashion, how to discover what makes your partner weak-kneed, and more. This class is not limited to people of any gender, but for all who harbor the powerful femme within! Something for everyone from the novice to the experienced player. This is an excellent foundation for the ForteFemme: Women’s Dominance Weekend Intensive.

How To Create Amazing Scenes Workshop 
Learn to get in to Their Heads!
Friday, April 1, 2016. 7:30-9:30PM
Want to create mind-blowing scenes that leave you and your partner in a state of bliss and pleasure? Do you want to feel confident in knowing what to do next in a scene? Feeling like you might be missing the mark on full satisfaction with your play? Come to this class to find out what’s between the lines and under the skin, the anatomy of a truly hot experience. There’s so much more to amazing scenes than just knowing how to use the tools. Whether you are a seasoned top, experienced bottom, novice to topping or new to bottoming, this class will share with you what you can do before the scene to maximize scene success and increase confidence. 

Spring Workshops!

Female Ejaculation And The G-Spot workshop with Shannon Bell
Sunday, April 10, 2016. 5:30-7:30PM 
Shannon Bell is one of the first producers and image creators of Female Ejaculation. Unique among female ejaculation pioneers is Shannon Bell’s focus on demonstrating the extreme power and technique of female ejaculation in a safe and fun atmosphere. This popular workshop begins with a live demonstration followed by a fast female ejaculation genealogy. Bell will conclude with anatomy, step-by-step instructions, positions, toys, communication between partners as well as answer any participant’s questions. Join us for an enlightening and inspiring tour that finally contextualizes both personal and historical g-spot (female phallus) knowledge. People of all genders and orientations welcome.

10 Rules For Happy Non-Monogamy Workshop with Andrea Zanin
Thursday, April 28, 2016. 7:30PM-9:30PM
So you’d like to be romantically involved with more than one person at once? Or maybe you’d just like to sleep with someone other than your one-and-only? Whether you’re considering your first steps into non-monogamy or polyamory or you’re an old hand looking for a fresh perspective, you’ll find valuable tidbits in this common-sense approach to enjoying love and sex in the plural. This is an interactive workshop with lots of room for beginners and experienced poly folk alike to share their questions and experiences.

BDSM 101: Kink Basics Workshop 
with Andrea Zanin
Friday, April 29, 2016. 7:30PM-9:30PM
BDSM often starts in the world of fantasy… but how do you make it into a reality? This workshop will explore the basics of healthy, happy, consensual BDSM. We’ll talk about ways to create hot and safe kinky experiences, go over basic communication skills and explore ways to build a sexy scene. Then comes the fun part: learning about the psychological and the physical sensations you can play with! We’ll touch on sensory deprivation, restriction (i.e. bondage), scratching, clamping, temperature play and impact play, and brief demonstrations will be given of a number of techniques. Kink can become a huge part of your life or an occasional escapade… come and learn how to take the first step!

BDSM 201: Exploring Edge Play Workshop 
with Andrea Zanin
Saturday, April 30, 2016. 7:30PM-9:30PM
If you’ve attended “BDSM 101: Kink Basics” and you’re hungry for more, come have a bite. This workshop is aimed at people who already have some familiarity with the basics of BDSM but want a place to explore a little deeper. Here, we’ll explore the allure of edge play – the kinds of physical and psychological play that get hearts pounding and go a bit outside the norm, even for perverts. What types of play are we drawn to, and why? How do we build the practical and emotional skills we need to go there? What risks do we want to take, and how do we assess them and manage them? There will be lots of time for questions and discussion as we ease into a new level of kinky exploration.

5 (Dirty, Little) Secrets From The Science Of Sex Workshop with Emily Nagoski, PhD
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2016. 7:30PM-9:30PM
We all know that pretty much everything mainstream 
culture has to say about sex is a lie; everything from whom we’re “supposed” to have sex with to what we’re “supposed” to do in bed and how often, all of it is bullshit. Well, it turns out the “lie” goes even deeper than that: it goes all the way to the very nature of pleasure in the brain. The last ten years of sex research have revolutionized our understanding sex, so that everything we thought we knew about sexual arousal, desire, and pleasure... has been turned on its head. This workshop is an empowering crash course in the new sex research and how you can use it to maximize your sexual potential and map out more of your sexual landscape. Please bring your thinking cap. Everyone looks sexy in a thinking cap! Check out Emily’s New York Times best selling book Come As You Are: The surprising new science that will transform your sex life.

Please remember, we do require pre-registration for all of our workshops!