Nadesha Hernandez, licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Hypnotherapist, is making board games sexier. With her new game ‘Love the Yoni’ players have the opportunity to test their own comfort zone in a safe and fun space.
According to her website, “Love the Yoni is a sex positive game that provides an environment of light-heartedness, flow and connection with self and others.”
The concept of the game is to open up and be your authentic self. The game is set up so that players have several different avenues to connect with their beliefs and experiences and to express their own sexuality in fun and daring ways.
With card categories like, ‘Blessed Body, Sensual Sharing, Fucking Facts and Joyful Gestures, ‘ players get multiple opportunities to learn, grow and share.
No matter how comfortable people are in their own skin this game will challenge them to be more open, more authentic and to have more fun.
The game is designed for couples and singles alike and doesn’t currently have an age rating, although it is geared more towards adult players. However, discussions are currently underway for a young adult version that could be used in schools to compliment sex education programs.
Through the course of the game players get asked questions like, “How comfortable are you with public displays of affection?” or true or false questions like, “For a woman to experience an orgasm a man must insert his penis all the way into her vagina.”
Halfway through the game participants have learned about their fellow players earliest sexual encounters, sexual orientation and philosophy towards their own sexuality.
Although this may sound intimidating to some, most people who agree to play the game already have a sense that it’s going to get sexy and revealing.
However, the game is intentionally designed to honor people’s boundaries and each player is allowed to pass on a card twice.
When it comes to some of the more intimate actions such as massaging another player’s shoulders, stroking their hair or tickling, players are given opportunities to engage with one another but even if the player who is asked does not consent, both players get the point.
Hernandez said, “We want to be sure that everyone feels comfortable to be honest and open and not coerced to say yes to anything they don’t want to do.”
According to Hernadez, “The game is still in development and the next version will be a little bit more challenging.”
She added, “I grew up very conservative and the game has grown with my growth, and typically it will get to the point where it’s stretching my comfort zone but not to the point where I’m overwhelmed.”
Cami Romero, of ‘The Tea Experience’, held a special tea ceremony to open up the night and help players connect with themselves.
She said, “The tea I chose was a gaba oolong. Gaba is supposed to help relax and I chose it because it was going to put us into a more meditative state and it was a green tea so it would still give us that energy so that we’re not going to be falling asleep.”
