Tantra: A Wide Web of Practices

Tantra: A Wide Web of Practices

Tantra: A Wide Web of Practices

Tantra is a Sanskrit word that literally means “loom” and is associated with weaving. Tantric yoga is an approach to yoga that developed to help men achieve self-realization by weaving their own individual selves with the greater cosmic Self. Sexual tantric practices can help a man to achieve self-realization by sexually weaving himself in a sacred union with a sexual partner.

The origins of tantra are obscure, although some scholars believe its roots are very ancient and formed part of both Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Because it is comprised of many and varied practices, it is difficult to define Tantrism in simple terms. According to some, Tantrism flourished most fully from 500 to 700 C.E., and represented an alternative to traditional yoga practices, which had, until then, been reserved for the priestly class in India. Tantric yoga allowed ordinary laypersons to practice yoga.

For many men, tantric yoga is synonymous with sexual yoga. However, sexual practices make up a relatively small part of tantra—about only 10 percent, according to some authorities. The majority of tantric yoga is devoted to mantra recitation, or the recital of certain sacred sounds, as a way of weaving the individual self with divinity Tantrism pays tribute to the sacred divine feminine principle of cosmic energy known

as shakti. A basic precept behind the sexual practices of tantric yoga is that each man and woman is divine. By recognizing and worshiping the divine principle in your sexual partner, you can come closer to achieving unity with the divine. This union is characterized by a deep spiritual connection, not just the physical release of orgasm. In fact, in some esoteric sexual practices, men are encouraged to explore and enjoy their sexual energy without having an orgasm with ejaculation. In many Eastern traditions, it is a commonly held belief that men are born with a fixed, predetermined store of vital energy. Each ejaculation results in the discharge of some of this energy, leading to physical decline.

Tantric yoga can help a man send energy from the area of his sexual organs to higher energy centers, such as those of the heart and mind. The practices of tantric yoga are intimately related to kundalini yoga. Kundalini yoga attempts to awaken the divine feminine energy that resides in each individual—man and woman—in the form of kundalinishakti, where it lies stored at the base of the spine. Awakening this latent energy can help a man achieve self-realization (see Chapter 7). The divine feminine principle is believed to exist not only in human beings, but it also pervades the entire universe, and is the source of all of creation. In some approaches to tantric practices, a man can cultivate the arousal of this creative energy by igniting and maintaining his sexual energy at heightened levels for prolonged periods of time without ejaculating.

Tantric yoga in the West has become interwoven with a host of other practices. If you are thinking of attending a class, workshop, or retreat in practices advertised as tantric yoga, the old adage applies: “Buyer Beware.” Some teachers of tantric yoga are steeped in the Indian tradition of tantra, with many years of training and experience; however, many teachers of tantric yoga are really putting together a number of ingredients from a variety of practices—bodywork, psychotherapy, and the human potential movement—and applying he now generic and trendy term of tantric yoga to their work.4 So if you’d like to explore tantric yoga classes or programs, find out beforehand what the one you are interested in actually entails. Some tantric yoga classes may include explicit training in various tantric erotic practices. Others may focus on the teachings and philosophy of tantra. Others may be geared more toward opening your heart so that you are more fully able to give and receive love.