What is tantra

But, this does not define Tantra. Tantra is not concerned with sexuality or its suppression. Sexuality and lovemaking are seen as a divine means for spiritual growth.

Tantra does not promote them for ordinary gratification. So why, in the West, is Tantra commonly understood to mean great sex? The answer is simple: so-called Western Tantra was not introduced by Tantric sages, but by Western travellers who encountered Tantric practices on trips to India.

Of course, after centuries of Christian domination and suppression of sexuality, encountering a system that perceives sexual energy to be as normal as any other energy and offers practices that enhance and harness this energy was something very precious and willingly grasped. Unfortunately, the sexual practices were removed from the devotional and ritualistic context of the Tantric tradition and they received the materialistic touch of the Western mind.

However, Tantra has maintained the dignity that it deserves. Tantra has been judged to be primitive polytheism because of the numerous feminine and masculine deities that are worshipped in the tradition. But, it is necessary to take a closer look to see that Tantra is not an idol-worshipping tradition. In Tantra, the goddesses and gods are just personifications of universal subtle energies. Tantric practitioners understand that all the deities are pointers to the ultimate Truth, called Brahman the Absolute in the Hindu tradition.

Tantra is a practical system, deeply devotional and highly ritualistic. It was designed to help us reach the goal of moksha. Tantric rituals are the means to train in the Tantric vision—to see and experience all of life and its energies as divine manifestations. This equates to Self-realization. In light of the above, my approach regarding left-hand Tantra is a devotional and ritualistic one.

I am dedicated to teaching men and women how to see themselves, their sexual energy, and the practice of lovemaking with Tantric eyes—through which everything is sacred.

I teach how to use our magnetic, powerful sexual energy for Union. We explore how deep, intense love blurs the boundaries of individuality and allows the dawning of Oneness. I adore you continuously washing with the sprinklings of the essence of my astonishment the support of all that has been made. I adore you with the spiritual flowers of the innate being; I adore you with the priceless goblet of the Heart, which is full of the ambrosia of bliss.

The triple world, full of various tastes and flavors, is cast into the apparatus of the nexus of the Heart. I squeeze it, casting it down from on high with the great weight of the spiritual discrimination. The supreme nectar of consciousness, which removes births, old age, and death, flows gushing from Thy. Opening the mouth wide I devour it, the supreme oblation, like clarified butter, and in this way, O Supreme Goddess, I gladden and satisfy you day and night.

Antoaneta will be offering a 3-day Tantra is Love workshop December , You can find more information and book your place here. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. So, no two yoga practices should be the same either! There are a thousand and one factors that influence what your yoga practice might look like. Your experience, aspiration,.

Free Online Course on Self-Awareness. Skip to content. What Is Tantra? Blog Post. Share this. Share on pinterest. Share on twitter. Share on facebook. Share on whatsapp. By Antoaneta Gotea I have been a practitioner and teacher of Tantra for about twenty years, and I have been asked the question many times, What is Tantra? Tantra Is Love Tantra has captured the fascination of the Western world, but few Westerners actually know what it means.

The Divinization of Life In Tantra, the universe is alive, not illusory. In practice, tantra is about enlightenment: to transcend both the sexual and spiritual planes by engaging in deeply meditative, spontaneous, and intimate sex.

When you learn and practice tantra, you become more in-tune with your body, what gives it pleasure, and the way it feels pleasure. Plus, the energies you channel during tantric sex flow throughout your body and can intensify your orgasm.

It can also be about creating a deeper, more harmonious bond with your partner. Tantra also allows you both to explore and expand all aspects of your personalities, so that you begin to truly know the other person inside and out. Sofia Sundari, a writer and sex empowerment coach, suggests the following tips on her blog:.

A clear mindset and willingness to step out of your comfort zone are important to uniting those parts of yourself. Some people find that spending 10 to 15 minutes in meditation can help prepare your mind for tantra practice, as it allows you to go inward and examine your thoughts.

Tantra is a holistic practice. Your environment has a direct impact on your mindset and your ability to relax and enjoy that journey.

But instead of letting the energy flow out of you, ground yourself. As you meditate, let your energy flow downward into the earth. Let that energy build and spread throughout your body, giving you strength.

Make your self-massage a full-body experience. Get your favorite oil or lotion and pour it all over your skin. As you rub your oil or lotion in, spend time massaging your belly, groin, inner thighs, arms, neck, and chest. Instead, take the time to really explore your genitals, and what gives them — and you — pleasure. Touch yourself in new ways. Slow down your strokes.

Soften the way you play with yourself. Remember, tantra extends beyond sex — you can work up to that or choose not to go there at all. You and your partner can implement tantric principles into other practices that can build up the moment. Foreplay can be anything you want it to be — oral, a massage, taking a shower together. But whatever you do, make sure you and your partner are fully present.

Sit in front of your partner. Start to move your bodies slightly as you breathe. After another five minutes, begin to kiss — and only kiss. This challenge to the caste system made Tantra especially appealing to women and the socially marginalised. The Tantric worldview sees all material reality as animated by Shakti — unlimited, divine feminine power.

This inspired the dramatic rise of goddess worship in medieval India. Tantric goddesses challenged traditional models of womanhood as passive and docile in their intertwining of violent and erotic power. Their characteristics were tied to a uniquely Tantric tension between the destructive and the maternal. The seductive but dangerous Yoginis were shapeshifting goddesses who could metamorphose into women, birds, tigers or jackals as the mood took them.

Initiated Tantrikas sought to access their powers, from flight and immortality to control over others. The Yogini above is part of a group that would have once been enshrined in a Yogini temple. Her earrings are made of a dismembered hand and a cobra, and she has fangs. The Yoginis were believed to offer protection to kingdoms against epidemics or enemy forces and assist in the acquisition of new territories. Most Yogini temples were circular and unique in their roofless design — you can see an example below.

The exhibition will feature an immersive and imaginative recreation of this space. The allure of Tantra, with its promise of longevity and invulnerability, retained a hold over those in positions of power between the 16th and 19th centuries, including Rajput, Mughal and Sultanate rulers. Yogis used complex postures and muscular contractions to direct the flow of breath. Around her is a network of energy centres known as chakras , each of which contains a deity.

Through breath control, Kundalini rises like a current, infusing the chakras with power. This is what is being visualised in the painting below, a loan from the British Library. This is very much about transformation in the world, via the body, rather than transcendence of it.

Buddhist monasteries studied and taught the Tantras, and attracted pilgrims from across Asia. This led to the rapid transmission of Vajrayana teachings.

Tibet saw the founding of major monasteries which became the new political players and often rivalled one another. Their life stories are filled with miraculous events and they became especially popular in Tibet. Many engaged in sexual rites and carried out practices involving impure substances in cremation ground settings.

Their goal was to confront limiting emotions such as attachment, fear and disgust. Most are shown as semi-naked and shaggy-haired yogis. Some carry skull-cups and wear human bone ornaments to imitate Tantric deities. Six are shown here, including Saraha in the centre.

He holds an arrow, symbolic of single-minded concentration and a reference to his guru, who was a female arrow-smith. One of the themes the exhibition explores is the role of divine union.

Tantric Buddhist texts and images use gender to articulate the two qualities to be cultivated on the path towards enlightenment, wisdom and compassion.

These are visualised as a goddess representing wisdom and a god representing compassion in sexual union, as we see with this Tibetan bronze. In Tibet this is known as yab-yum or father-mother. The goal is to internalise these qualities by visualising the deities uniting within the body through meditation. The Tantric goddess Kali was widely worshipped in Bengal.