Tantra is a Sanskrit word which basically means ‘to weave’
What Tantra isn't
Tantra is not the Kama Sutra (sorry! Although feel free to explore and adapt)
Tantric sex is not doing the wild thing like a rock star (or a Porn Queen)
What Tantra is
Ok, get comfy, sit back and allow yourself to absorb this delicious history of sexuality that is the creation of Tantra today.
The concept of tantric
practices is that we as human male and female beings are a reflection of the
Universe (cosmos). All aspects of our mind/body/emotions are potential that can
be cultivated to align; hence in becoming ‘whole’ we ascend as divine beings.
Tantra is an art,
science and a spiritual awakening which often initiates transformation so great
that one’s views of the world can be challenged. It’s good to note here that
this is also a platform upon which yoga established its roots. Yoga enhances
body flexibility, mindfulness (if you’ve ever been in a crow pose you will relate
to how in this position your mind can only focus on the length of time you can
possibly remain balanced – no thinking ‘did I make the kids lunches this
morning’ or ‘have I done my tax, sent of that email, got back to mum about
dinner next week’ - I love it!) and opening meridian energy portals through
posture.
What happens once we
are open to expansion is that we become more accepting of our self as a
spiritual being. Most of what we
contemplate in our daily lives as important becomes less so as we experience
the value of releasing stress and expectations; often misguided and usually
ones we place upon ourselves.
Mindfulness and energy
shifts tap into a higher consciousness – so with Tantra we can go that one step
further by embracing sexual energy as a direct route to this path.
Cosmic Consciousness
is a sense based ideal, therefore Tantra supports the awakening in our key energy
centres’ known as Chakras. There’s such amazing potential for our overall health
as individuals throughout our lifetime, which is why we are becoming more open
to learning about Chakras and how they hold the key to this higher
consciousness – or spiritual awakening. [i]
Originally Tantra was
borne through the scriptures of Shiva, A Tantric Master who lived in India
nearly 7,000 years ago. He derived over 112 methods of meditation and these
were considered a way for the human experience to become a portal to spiritual
awakening. He embraced sensual love between men and women as being integral as
we ascend on the spiritual path, and also recognized that both men and women
needed to be of equal balance in their principle and coupling.
Temples in India
showed the genitals as objects of worship, further symbolizing the value of
balancing feminine and masculine principles; their names Lingam meaning ‘wand
of light’ and yoni meaning ‘sacred place.’
Sounds nice, doesn’t
it?
Mahamudra is known as
Orgasm with the Universe, which is also a spiritual awakening considered more
likely to be activated through the experience of orgasm.
Sounding even nicer?
Yes of course! So
here’s the thing. These Masters transcribed teachings based upon their
experiential practice and passed it down to those who were able to create and
appropriate higher learning. It’s within us all to implement such practice yet
it takes a teacher to support us in accessing this within our own human body.
As we begin to once
again evolve (yes our society did devolve for many years), we can ignite the
essence of our hidden (or repressed) energy centres and step back into
alignment with our higher self. The transformational process is experienced as
a memory of one’s essential nature. We’ve focused for far too long on the
sexual interpretations of Tantra most clearly due to lifetimes of sexual
repression. It’s not just a precursor to bliss (although when we hear the word
‘orgasm’ our brains scramble to that which we’ve come to know and learn so we
can, and do relate more easily to
this state), it’s a practice derived for the purpose of overcoming life’s
complexity – overcoming obstacles in general.
Tantra is a path for
each individual to honour their uniqueness. This also explains why there are so
many streams of Tantra, and why each teacher can bring something fresh to the
path. I love my Shiva Shakti path from India as it resonates with my ‘yes’ to
love, life and sex - and there’s a higher vibrational pull that I’ve
acknowledged as I surrender, ascend and accept higher learning as a rite of
passage.
I feel that within
this practice, every aspect of the human being is honoured.
In Tibetan teachings
Buddhism is combined with Shamanism; meditations having grown exponentially
from this, and I’m grateful to have studied this arm to enhance my own
experience of Tantra.
The Taoist approach
from China is more subjective in relation to health and longevity, developing
Tantric methods that utilize the vital energy source contained within the sex
act to regenerate the body; a part of their teaching which is widely known is
the conservation of semen. This too can find its way into my practice depending
on the session (not usually Tantric teachings).
I was first taught the
Shiva Shakti mystic teachings and have since studied Osho & Tao plus
Chinese and Indian Ayurveda. When I’ve experienced wholeness, my capacity to experience raised kundalini occurs. It’s a state even I’ve only been able to achieve three times in my life so far. It’s incredibly rich yet powerful to embody such ecstatic peace, and not something that I believe can be taught – it’s a transcendence that is invoked by sheer surrender to the connection of sexual energy as it makes its way up along our spine.
What does it feel like? Well, for me, I felt weightless, free from thought, an incredible peace, orgasmic; I saw silvery hues shooting through my third eye then up through my crown; my body was no longer. I was the light. It was surreal yet delicate and amazingly nurturing for the soul!
No wonder many try to repeat the experience, but often it eludes us because ego gets in the way.
Kundalini is not body orgasm – but it’s close!
Tantra cannot be
picked up like a gym membership where we fit in one session then expect to be
firm within weeks. We need to lift weights in a regular routine before we see
and feel results. The Tantric discipline is a lot nicer I must say (and I still
go to the gym).
Sexual energy connecting
to ‘source’ (The Universe) is our gift whilst remaining in our earthly body.
This is why it is imperative one seeks an appropriate facilitator who is able
to ground the energy in a safe way – because a kundalini awakening can
sometimes be a little awkward if not correctly contained.
Tantra can be learned,
yes. We can all read, understand and move on ahead with what we know. But what
about what we don’t know?
This, gorgeous ones,
comes about from sitting quietly and tuning in to our higher self because I
believe we all have the capacity to know what really serves us, and by adapting
this into our daily lives, we can heal all humanity.
We all deserve to live a Tantric way of life -
feeling orgasmic, centred and stress free every day!
[i] Releasing our connection to stressors will
deflect chronic disease so potent in our world today. Connecting to a healthy
sexual energy will also alleviate the onset of certain sexual health issues
such as ovarian and testicular cancers. What I’ve witnessed over the years with
my clients has proven just how much our human energy healing systems have been
undervalued for far too long.
Check out more info here regarding the dangers of Awakening Kundalini and the benefits within tantric sex (OSHO references)
