Receiving Touch, Naked Edition
Overview
What happens when you let yourself receive touch without earning it or performing?
Many of us learned to be givers who focus on others’ desires and perform for them, often at the expense of our own needs. Saying what we want can feel vulnerable.
This playful workshop invites you to explore what it’s like to listen inward, name the touch you desire, and allow yourself to receive.
Expect simple touch-based games as opportunities to practice receiving touch and experiencing pleasure in a supportive container. This workshop is clothing optional. There will be opportunities to request touch to any part of your body, including the genitals, within a structured, guided container. All touch practices are optional. You can participate as partner or observer in each activity.
Several of the workshop games will be based on Betty Martin's Wheel of Consent, you can read more about that modality here.
Bring a towel or cloth to sit on. Yoga mats and cushions will be provided.
Open to anyone who identifies as male or non-binary. This is a trans-inclusive space. All bodies are welcome.
This workshop is offered through Men in Touch (https://www.menintouch.org/).
The last offerings of this workshop reached capacity. Please RSVP if of interest.
At this Event, You’ll be invited to:
Practice identifying and naming what you want
Practice receiving touch and affection, without obligation to reciprocate
Notice your nervous system responses to giving and receiving
Accessibility is Sexy:
Sensory environment: Low volume speaking, soft music, dim soft lighting, possibly scented candles.
Occupancy: ~15 people in a large open dance/yoga studio
Interaction intensity: Optional guided partner talk+touch practices. Participants are welcome to opt-out or take breaks.
Sexual content: Low to high based on what you and your touch partner in each activity agree on. Clothing optional. Some of the games will involve the choice to receive or give touch to any body part, including genital touch.
Physical access and mobility: The practice room is on the second floor, we are confirming details for accessibility. Activities are primarily seated or standing in place with minimal movement. Yoga mats and bolsters are available for sitting, and chairs are available on request.
If you have access needs or anything that would support your full participation, please don’t hesitate to reach out in advance — we’re happy to explore accommodations together.
Facilitator
This workshop is hosted by Matthew Cooper (he / they), a facilitator, writer, and entrepreneur who loves unlocking people’s innate play and pleasure.
Matthew brings more than a decade of experience leading workshops and conversations on masculinity, body image, and touch. Their work draws from several modalities, including Authentic Relating, the Wheel of Consent, and queer theory, with an emphasis on embodiment and play.
Matthew is also the co-founder of financial health startup EarnUp (acquired by Array in 2026), a former national champion athlete, and a longtime builder of community spaces. Their writing and interviews explore themes of addiction, healing, and spirituality, and can be found at misfit-monastery.com. They are based in Vancouver, Canada.
Acknowledgement of Territory
This gathering takes place on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We offer gratitude to the caretakers of this land, past, present, and future.