Why did Plotinus consider bodily desires a barrier to philosophical ascent?

For Plotinus, the philosopher’s goal is to ascend from the material world to a mystical union with the One, or the Good. He viewed this ascent as a process of "waking" to a higher intellectual awareness, which requires a rigorous program of moral and intellectual self-discipline.1

Plotinus considered bodily desires a barrier to this ascent because they anchor the individual to their "lower nature." By focusing on the experiences, concerns, and appetites of the body, a person isolates themselves on a lower level of existence, effectively "weighing down" the soul and hindering its return to its true, higher self.1

While Plotinus did not view the material universe itself as evil, he maintained a dualistic attitude toward the individual, earthly body, regarding it as a hindrance to spiritual life. Consequently, philosophical conversion requires a "tremendous intellectual and moral effort" to turn away from the life of the senses, dominate bodily desires, and transcend the discursive reasoning of the soul to grasp eternal realities.1