I'm excited to bring you today's deep, beautiful, very warm and loving conversation. Today's guest, Mheena Bhasin, is a violist, mother of two and Pleasure Activist living in Noe Valley, San Francisco. Her work centers the arts as a vital part of civic life and community wellbeing. Mheena feels deep gratitude for her life, her family and her community. She has co-created a concert series with her husband, that brings world-class artists into neighbourhood spaces and sees music as a vehicle for community care and connection. Programming includes concerts for neurodivergent youth, lunchtime town-square performances, and wellbeing concerts. Pleasure activism is integrated into her work, especially with women, through music, movement, meditation and love as a source of energy. How she got here Mheena began her training in music at the age of four. Her early classical training was intense and rule-bound. Music was always her way of feeling deeply and now she teaches others to access that same inner wellspring. About ten years ago music had become a source of anxiety and pressure and Mheena experienced burnout. Moving from New York to San Francisco gave her a clean slate to rebuild her relationship with music. She learned to pause, reset and choose what to return to. Pregnancy and early motherhood planted the seeds for her current work. How did pleasure activism come into her life? Mheena was inspired by adrienne maree brown’s book Pleasure Activism and Audre Lorde’s essay Uses of the Erotic, which helped her understand that pleasure is a birthright, not a hierarchy or commodity. Pleasure is not escapism, but feeling safe, beautiful and fully alive. Society often misinterprets pleasure as indulgence or hypersexuality, when it can be as simple as sensory presence and love. Mheena doesn’t label herself an activist but sees activism as putting a stake in the ground, naming your values, being willing to be seen and going first so others feel permitted to follow. At the time of our recording, Mheena was on day 11 of a gratitude practice. She encourages building a toolbox of small, accessible ways to return to love and aliveness to yourself. On her website, www.Mheenabhasin.com, she offers a free pleasure meditation and a 75-minute meditation practice for those who’d like to go deeper. Mheena welcomes conversations with anyone exploring pleasure in their life. Hope you enjoy this one! Invitations to Play with Kay * I’m offering online workshops throughout 2026, and an in-person retreat here in Maine in September - see more at https://kaylockkolp.com/events * If community is something you value, consider joining Dreamers & Doers. Here is where you can check it out: https://www.skool.com/dreamers-and-doers-8465/about * Connect with me to talk about coaching or facilitation * Or, apply to work 1-1 with me (currently waitlisted) Cheers and lots of love to you today Art Creativity & Wellbeing is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kaylockkolp.substack.com/subscribe
