Tantra says yes to life. It is not a belief or a faith but a way of living and acting. On this path, pleasure, vision, and ecstasy are celebrated rather than repressed. The Tantric path encompasses beauty, sensitivity, and exhilaration through eating, drinking, tasting, smelling, touching. It embraces and enhances all forms of creative expression, such as movement and dance, massage, martial arts, the fine arts, healing, and music. Through experiencing and glorying in the delights of the body, the body becomes a temple in which you experience the sacred. It becomes a doorway to spiritual evolution.

People who practice Tantra are called Tantrikas. They view sexual energy as a divine, all-encompassing life force that sleeps within the individual, permeates the universe, and affects everything we do from birth to death. As sexual beings, we have the ability to raise that energy within ourselves and use it to directly experience alternate or mystical states of consciousness. In effect, we become “gods” and “goddesses,” our bodies transformed into temples of male and female divinity.

As you follow the Tantric path, you will learn new ways to open, develop, and refine your senses. These techniques are part of the ancient science of Tantric Yoga, the spiritual discipline that works directly with sexual energy. They include awareness exercises that involve focusing attention on all the sensations that are available to you moment by moment. In the beginning, techniques are helpful because your mind, body, and past experience often interfere with your awareness and ability to love. Who you think you are and how you think you should be often hampers your freedom to change. So the structure of a discipline is useful because it helps you move out of old mental, emotional, and physical habits that restrict your aliveness. But in the end, the ultimate form is no form. The ultimate technique is spontaneity.

More and more people are beginning to inquire into Kundalini practices such as Tantra and Kundalini Yoga as paths to Spiritual Evolution and Enlightenment. As the pace of technological innovation and life in general seems to be increasing exponentially, there is a desire among those seeking to balance their worldly and spiritual lives for increasingly efficient tools to achieve that all too elusive balance. Studying and practicing the Kundalini arts holds such a promise.

What is Kundalini?

Physicists recognize that the universe is constructed of energy bundles known as quanta. We laypersons can think of these in one sense as particles with an electrical charge. Particles can be either positive, negative, or neutral. All energy or material phenomena observed by our senses are based on the interplay of these particles. In the esoteric traditions the positively charged energies are known as Shiva (solar, male, heavenly); the negatively charged energies are called Shakti (lunar, female, earthly); and the neutral is Kundalini. In the Tantric cosmology, all the myriad forms in the universe are created through the union and interplay of the god Shiva and the goddess Shakti. With the balance achieved in their unity, Kundalini is freed.

In the human realm Kundalini can be thought of as the primal energy of the body. We all have some degree of Kundalini activation or we wouldn’t be alive. However, the degrees of activation and the consciousness of this energy can vary widely. Kundalini practitioners are seeking to consciously connect with and amplify their basic life force for the purposes of improving physical health, strengthening the body, and achieving enlightenment through transcending Karma or self-limiting patterns.

What is Karma and enlightenment?

In physics it is well known that for every action there is an equal reaction. This is the basic precept of Karma: what goes around, comes around. Our actions, thoughts, and emotions create effects within and around us. Sometimes these effects are dramatic, sometimes subtle. They can be manifested immediately, or sometimes take many years to make someone become angry. The energy of this anger may at first affect your thoughts and emotions, then rapidly it creates physiologic effects. Your body produces adrenaline, your heart rate and blood pressure increase, your stomach begins to churn. If you “stuff” these feelings, the energy is driven deeply into your core, creating emotional and physical illness. If you seek to vent this emotion indiscriminately, other people around you begin to feel the effects of this energy which creates reactions within them. In a chain reaction, this “karmic event” can be spread far and wide from its source, affecting many people, thoughts, emotions, physiologic response, perceptions and actions.

In considering a larger cosmological view of this process, consider that all functions with a connection to the physical body (including thoughts and emotions) have an electrochemical aspect. Associated with these electrochemical processes are electromagnetic waves (such as radio frequencies, etc.). These waves produced by our bodies travel without limit, at the speed of light, through the entire universe. Modern physics acknowledges that in actuality our very material bodies are composed of structured energy. We are dense, focused energy interacting with and exchanging energy with this cosmic energy “soup” we call The Universe. Each thought, each emotion, each bout of indigestion creates it own particular frequency of electromagnetism which will travel the entire universe for all eternity! It is not too difficult, from this perspective, to recognize the link between the individual and the universal. In our own way, great or small, for good or ill, we are Creators.

Enlightenment is sometimes regarded as the goal of the spiritual path. In actuality, it is a process, an evolution towards increasing awareness of our awesome responsibility for our actions, thoughts and emotions. This is in contrast to the prevalent social consensual reality, where we attempt to externalize and project responsibility on to others. We do others and ourselves a disservice by adopting this view, in that we perceive that the external world controls our lives. While it may, at first, feel comfortable to blame others for our circumstances, we are de facto abdicating our empowerment, our very control over our own lives. Conversely, by bringing our unconscious mental, emotional and behavioral patterns into the light of full awareness and responsibility, we reclaim our power as co-creators of our world. Once we own the tremendous power of self-responsibility, we can begin to create what we want rather than what we fear. In Tantra it is often said that if we want to invite ecstasy into our lives, we must be willing to abandon the security and comfort of our pain and fear.

OK, I want enlightenment, empowerment and ecstasy in my life – how do I get there? Enlightenment is not so much a final destination as a continual exercise in cleaning up our perceptual filters and the resultant judgements and actions that derive from assumptions based on our perceptions. It is more like routine maintenance. One cannot expect to clean one’s house once and have it remain clean forever – dirt will eventually seep back in. The tricky part is that our perceptions are based on our senses, nervous system, and past experience, including social conditioning. Our experiences are received by our perceptions. A neat cosmic Catch-22, eh?

“Does a dog have a Buddha nature?”

- Zen Koan

One might question whether enlightenment and true objectivity is possible given the limitations of our human state and social conditioning. Wars have been fought over the definition of the “One True God”. From individual relationships to spiritual communities, to entire nations, we have clashed over what is proper ethical conduct. We indoctrinate ourselves and our children in what we believe as true. We anthropomorphise our perceptions of the divine. We arrogantly assume we know what is right, proper, and desirable, and this varies from culture to culture! From the inside, it doesn’t look good. Yet, if we entertain the concept that humanity is created in the image of the Divine, that everything from the smallest sub-atomic particle to the largest galaxies are connected by a nexus of energy, cause and effect, even consciousness, then it might appear that the sky is the limit! In our continual process of clarifying and expanding our consciousness and self-definition, we can move ever closer to reclaiming ourselves as the Divine.

The vehicles we can use for this journey are numerous. It has always been the intent of all religions and spiritual paths to bring the individual seeker into harmony and consciousness of the Divine. The tools used vary greatly from era to era and culture to culture. It might at first be difficult to see the similarity of Castaneda’s Don Juan, Lao-Tze, Christ, and Buddha, yet the truth within each tradition remains eternal. (Moreover, these guys probably get together occasionally, have a beer, and chuckle over our insistence on there being One True Path, all others being inferior or wrong. To a higher entity, we must seem like a religious version of the Keystone Kops: policing our dogma with a great sound and fury, and continually running blindly into each other and falling down!) The question is: what path is most efficient for a given culture and time. This question is becoming more urgent as we insist on moving through our lives at ever-greater speeds.

Most spiritual paths evolved in simpler, slower times. To reach the highest spiritual attainment, one removed oneself from society to live a solitary or monastic life. The purpose of this was to remove oneself from the unconscious reactivity due to constant external stimuli bombarding our senses. Spending hours every day in contemplation and spiritual ritual limited the amount of stimulus taken in by the seeker and allowed for adequate time to internally process one’s Karma under the guidance of a master. It is easy to see that our Western, externally-focused culture doesn’t exactly support this. When was the last time you put rice in the bowl of a penniless sadhu standing on a street corner? How many of us have ever taken off a few months, let alone years, to claim our birthright of clarity, peace, and joy? We are increasingly driven by our careers, status, family obligations, and material desires, and we are expending more and more time, energy, and peace of mind to maintain this.

So, it would seem that for most Westerners, there is a conflict between our desire to live a worldly life and the rigors of a traditional spiritual inquiry. Yet, if we recreate our world daily, we can create a middle path that allows us access to both worlds easily, even simultaneously, by utilizing some of the more powerful Eastern and Western techniques.

Tantra and Kundalini Yoga

These are sciences which use various exercises, breathing patterns, and visualizations to activate, balance, and transmute our primal energies. As the polar energies (Shiva/Shakti, heavenly/earthly) come into balance, Kundalini begins to flow much more powerfully. Typically visualized as a coiled serpent residing at the base of the spine, this energy begins to rise and activate each Chakra in turn. There is a tendency for this energy to be attracted to whatever needs to be healed emotionally and physically. As we heal our fear, pain, and anger, we begin to experience more abundance, pleasure, and empowerment. Our bodies become stronger, our minds live in more peace and bliss. As Tantra enrolls the enormous power of our senses and sexuality in this process, this requires some delicacy in fine tuning the practices for the individual. Too much energy too fast can emotionally and physically unbalance the practitioner. I have even seen some teachers of these arts, particularly those who adopt aggressive cathartic techniques, damage their bodies, emotions, and relationships permanently. On the other hand, with judicious and sensitive energy management, these traditions remain among the most effective technologies for transformation that we have.

Taoism

When we include T’ai Chi, the various form of Qi Gong, and Taoist Sexology, this tradition encompasses all of the important Tantric techniques while adding grounding technology. Grounding gives us access to the tremendous strength and stability of the planet. It allows us to become a spiritual warrior, affording us the empowerment to deal with our own internal demons and external stresses. We can have our cake and eat it too: becoming able to reach the heights of spiritual bliss while walking in the world.

Taoism does differ greatly with some teachers of Tantra in its approach to processing Karma. While some Tantra techniques encourage cathartic emotional release, Taoism recognizes that this approach has little long-term benefit for most people, and can actually be harmful. Aggressive energy stimulation for catharsis is predicated on:

1.Activating primal energy and directing it towards emotional patterns, 2.Fully releasing this energy physically, emotionally, and mentally, and 3.Being able to hold “Witness Consciousness” to observe yourself re-experiencing a given pattern and how it has affected and controlled your life.

This is a tall order and unlikely for the practitioner to be truly successful at. Although the catharsis can feel effective, even blissful immediately afterward, the patterns tend to re-assert themselves over the long haul. If you have one unit of ability to release and witness, and you activate three units of emotional trauma, you have effectively reinforced the karmic pattern by a factor of two. Recognizing that often “less is more,” Taoism tends toward working on grounding and strengthening empowerment while allowing karmic patterns to rise into consciousness more gently and naturally. The BodyMind can then more easily witness and integrate this experiential knowledge without the potential perils of a more aggressive energetic assault.

Bioenergetics

Originating with Alexander Lowen, and based on the work of Wilhelm Reich, Bioenergetics contains aspects of both Tantra and Taoist practices. Like the masters of the East, Reich identified the primordial energy that resides within us and links us to the cosmos and called it “Orgone.” As fascinating a character as you’d ever want to meet, Reich was able to concentrate the Orgone and use it for everything from healing cancer to making it rain. He once ticked off Freud by claiming that one’s analysis wasn’t complete until one was able to have a full body orgasm.

Reichian based techniques are similar to Tantra in recognizing the central role played by activating and amplifying these core energies, however they differ in the order of opening the various components of the BodyMind to these energies. Many Tantra teachers aggressively stimulate sexual energies and Kundalini then attempt to have them rise safely up through the body’s Chakras to the head and outward into the energy bodies. Reichian traditions start with cognitive work, gentle energy channeling and lots of grounding positions to fully prepare the practitioner for increasingly higher amperages. Generally, the bodywork aspect begins with the head, while pelvic and sexual work comes later in the process. This order of release opens the body’s channels gently to prepare oneself for the safe rise of Kundalini and the efficient release of somatic and psychic blockages.

So, to properly equip our evolutionary “vehicles” for this spiritual roadtrip, each traveler must select the correct options for that individual’s comfort and safety. Then, sit back and enjoy the ride!

Rev. Keith Hall has studied, practiced, and taught Tantra, Taoism, and meditation for over 25 years. He has studied at the Arica Institute, and with Professor Yung-ko Chou, Ma Premo, Sunyata Saraswati, Dyanyogi Mahasudandas, Margot Anand, and others. He is the Director of the Jade Garden Tantra and Learning Center. © 1998 Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.

from the book: The Essential Tantra

Tantra is an Eastern spiritual philosophy. Initially coming to us from approximately third and fourth century C.E. India, this experiential examination of existence evolved from many roots in antiquity and was adapted and modified in a myriad of subcultures and religions. Both India and Tibet, both Hinduism and Buddhism, have many variants of tantra. Chinese Taoism and tantra have many resemblances. Indeed, in their popular evolutions in the modern West, these two philosophical systems are often mingled into a single framework.

Tantra, a Sanskrit word, is similar to our concept of weaving. “The web of life” and “the interconnectedness of all that is” are useful connotations for understanding tantra as a philosophy. My simplified version is “embracing all” or “acceptance of all.”

In general, this philosophy emphasizes practical, experiential approaches. Central to the many variations is this teaching: Rather than being obstacles, our sensory experiences can be a path to spiritual wholeness, to atonement.

In stark contrast to beliefs of atonement, so dearly held in our modern Western religions, tantra teaches neither the flesh as inherently evil nor the spirit as inherently good.

In tantra, it is the body and the senses that provide vehicles for us to go beyond the duality of evil and good. Learning to perceive and transform subtle energies, we can rediscover essence, which is the sacred connection of everything.

A story about the three main schools of thought in Buddhism conveys the meaning of transformation.

A practitioner of one school is walking down the path of life. Upon seeing a poisonous plant in the middle of the path, the practitioner turns around to follow another route.

A practitioner of the second school is walking down the same path and also sees the poisonous plant. Instead of turning back in the opposite direction, this practitioner cautiously detours slightly around the poisonous plant, sort of like letting a sleeping dog lie, and continues on down the path.

A practitioner of the third school, also on the same path, upon seeing the plant says, “Yes, now I can learn about this poison.” He or she then sits down and begins to consume the plant.

Applying powerful transformational skills gained over many years of meditation, the practitioner is able to become at-one with the essence of the plant and the poison. And the poison is no longer poisonous, for the poison and the practitioner are no longer different or opposite. They are no longer in disharmony.

Here we have transformed our emotions into a willingness to connect with what we are avoiding (the poison). We have also transformed our emotions into a willingness to let go of what we are grasping (continued life).

Moreover, we have transformed ourselves so we have the ability to resonate our energies in harmony with the essence of others’ energies. Even potentially harmful energies (here the poisonous chemical) cease being harmful because with conscious intent we are able to vibrate our energies in the same patterns as the poison’s. Energetically, we become the same as the poison.

from: Tantra: The Art of Conscious Loving

The word Tantra refers specifically to a series of esoteric Hindu books that describe certain sexual rituals, disciplines, and meditations. These ancient Indian books, over two thousand years old, were written in the form of a dialogue between the Hindu god Shiva, who is “the penetrating power of focused energy,” and his consort, Shakti, who represents the female creative force and is sometimes called “the Power of Tantra.”

Ancient Tantra is a spiritual system in which sexual love is a sacrament. We are not teachers of ancient tantric traditions and rituals, but we have developed a system based on tantric philosophical concepts and techniques that we have found applicable in our life and in the lives of our students. It is a system that can elevate a couple relationship to the level of art. We refer to it as the Art of Conscious Loving.

Unfortunately, and contrary to what we would like to believe, we are not born naturally good at sex or at relationships. Few of us have benefited from a formal education in sexuality or sexual love. Even though we are children of the sexual revolution, we are still largely conditioned by belief systems that may have instilled in us guilt or fear or insecurity or shame. Such negative imprints, although they may reside quietly in the subconscious and cause only minor or occasional disturbances, rarely allow us to journey into the spiritual potential of sexual love. Tantra can help us do just that because a spiritual goal is as important to the tantric couple as their love.

Tantra is a school of many courses in which there are many levels of study and an unlimited degree of potential for spiritual gain, for sexual delight, and for worldly success. In our workshops and seminars we use techniques that we have developed from some of the ancient tantric lessons. These techniques are designed for the uninitiated, for the beginner. We share them with love and with deep respect for the potential for pleasure, for healing, and for spiritual growth they can provide.

It is one of the tenets of tantric philosophy that the discipline, the tantric lessons is reborn age to age. We hope you will share our excitement over how extraordinarily well-suited to our modern age and culture these ancient Eastern lessons are. They are important tools for today’s couples who are searching for a significantly different way of relating to each other, couples who want to sustain love and sexual passion for a lifetime together. We have seen men and women leave our seminars and workshops in a heightened state of awareness of themselves and of their love, and we have been gratified to learn from the many cards and letters we receive that this heightened awareness between them was not just an anomaly, not just a fleeting occurrence, but has become a permanent part of their relationship. Tantric sex does not promise instant results; it is not a “one minute” technique for achieving sexual prowess. But for couples who want to enrich their relationship, it can release a particular kind of energy that can bring about harmony between them and increase their sexual pleasure and intimacy. In sum, tantric sex can create an extraordinary partnership.

by Suzie Heumann

In our rush to categorize and assign meaning to our experiences, we often elevate the spiritual above the events of our normal lives. Yet what we find most moving is spiritual. When we are deeply affected, able to let go and banish our always-assessing egos, we are having a spiritual experience.

Many people able to reach deep ecstatic sexual states liken these to transcendental spiritual experiences. They discover that the distinction between the physical and the spiritual is not as clear as they were taught. They may even feel that they have come to know God, or ultimate reality, through sex. Tantra Yoga and the Kama Sutra both view sexuality as vital aspects of the path to enlightenment.

The approximate Sanskrit definition of “Tantra” is “web” or a union of opposites that, when united, becomes one with everything in the universe. Tantric practice unifies the many contradictory aspects of the self (e.g., masculine and feminine, spirit and matter, dark and light) into a harmonious whole.

Developed in India, Tantric practices were at their height between 500 to 1300 AD. Today Tantra is a living system designed to promote rapid growth towards enlightenment. Tantra’s components include yoga, meditation, deity worship, whole-body health, and Ayurvedic medicine.

There has been a renewal of interest in Tantric practice in the West. Many couples are looking to improve their sex life. Perhaps because our society is maturing or because of a widespread awakening of consciousness, we seem to be gravitating towards the lessons in conscious intimacy that Tantra has to offer. Most of us know very little about our own bodies and our potential for pleasure.

Though most of us won’t seek out a guru to guide us in our Tantric practice, learning even the simplest of the techniques can bring a sense of greater communion with our partners, our natures, and, ultimately, with our souls. One’s love life may dramatically improve when tantric practices are learned. Our spirits open when we engage in more trusting sexual relationships that involve communication, the spirit of playfulness, and being open to discovery.

Meditation, Yoga and Tantra

Like meditation and yoga, Tantric sex is a spiritual practice. It is not aimed at self-indulgence or pleasure as an end in itself. Tantra uses sexuality, with all of its rawness, social stigma, fear, and vulnerability to crack open our egos so that we can be present with our lovers, and ultimately, with ourselves.

The modern seeker may find that many of the components of ancient Tantric practices integrate well with our daily lives. In fact, the experiences one has practicing Tantra can give one tools for being more present and aware in all aspects of one’s life.

Tantra is sometimes called the sexual yoga, though this concept can be misinterpreted. Yoga is another term associated with practices that help to unify apparent opposites. When doing yoga, you are actually performing an active meditation, focusing your energy on internal, as well as external, points. You bring much more awareness to the body and mind with yoga. In Tantric sexual practices the same is true.

The beauty of Tantra is that it is a partnered path of learning. Trusting another with your personal growth is the ultimate act of surrender–and surrendering is where breakthroughs can happen. Two people taking conscious risks that gently stretch the limits of their comfort zones can realize great growth—individually and as partners.

One must be willing to risk “doing it wrong,” not looking good, being stuck emotionally, facing one’s own shadows, and other life challenges. If you discover, for example, that you fear intimacy, Tantra can help you move toward the fear with courage and trust.

How you face your sexual fears is a great metaphor for how you deal with fear in general. In sex, you cannot hide from the truth–the feedback is immediate. If your body feels pleasure, it feels pleasure. If it feels numb, it feels numb, and you know it. Once acknowledged, many of our fears lose their ability to hold us back from the wholeness in life that we deserve.

The Male and Female Essence

“Being well practiced at the art of sexual ecstasy and having entered the divine realms of ego dissolution over and over allows for the veils and boundaries of separation to fall at our feet. We open again and again, each time allowing more in – friends, lovers, family, nature, abundance, light, dark, spirit. Nothing seems separate anymore, including our own selves. At times we can even experience our own divinity – our own true nature. This is when transformation and transcendence occurs.” – Suzie

Tantra originated in Hindu India. Though it is not a religion in itself, it is based on the Gods and Goddesses of the Hindu pantheon. The Gods and Goddesses represent the male/female, yin/yang qualities of all humans. Healthy individuals are a unique blend of female and male traits.

Shiva is the supreme God in Tantric beliefs. He represents the male principle and the control and movement of time and all material things. His penis, or Lingam in Sanskrit, is upright, action-oriented, and powerful, commanding a “nerve center” of worldly power.

Shiva’s counterpart is Shakti – the female essence. Shakti’s energy runs the universe. Without Shakti, Shiva would have no power. She is the creator, the sustainer, and the destroyer all in one. Consider that a woman gives birth, sustains the child with milk (the equivalent of Mother Earth feeding her children), and takes back her child in death, as does Mother Earth.

These two deities form a union that keeps the universe in perfect harmony, and their story is a metaphor for each of us. According to Tantric philosophy, life is a journey to become a balanced blend of both of male and female, that is, to become whole or unified. With practice, your sexual nature can lead you to this perfect balance.

Subtle Energy

In Eastern medicine, the chakras are seven “energy centers” situated along the spine in what is called the subtle body. Practitioners of Eastern medicine treat the subtle body as well as the gross physical body; the health of the chakras is essential to the overall health of the individual. Each of the chakras is associated with one of the basic core energies that we work with in life. The energy that flows through them up the spine is called Kundalini Energy.

As you extend your practices of Tantra and other sciences relating to the body, you begin to see where you flow easily and where you get stuck in life. As you sense the energies in your chakras through Tantric practice, you can discover where you need to put your attention in order to revitalize yourself.

The First Chakra – Muladhara

The first chakra resides in the pelvis area. It represents being grounded and secure in the physical necessities of life: food, shelter, and the needs of our animal nature. Its element is Earth and its color is red. A secure first chakra enables us to feel confident in our abilities to care for ourselves. We have a realistic concept of our needs and a sense of being grounded.

The Second Chakra – Svadhishthana

The genital area is the seat of the second chakra. It represents our sexual urges and fantasies, creativity, and procreation. Its element is water, its color orange. Sensation, pleasure, sexuality, and emotions are associated with this chakra. When it is “open” and healthy, we are likely to experience stable emotions, gracefulness, and self-acceptance.

The Third Chakra – Manapura

This chakra is situated at the solar plexus or navel area. It represents our power, will, energy, authority, and longevity. Its element is fire and its color yellow, as the sun is yellow. Ego identity and self-esteem are the products of a healthy third chakra. Confidence and autonomy without the need to dominate or manipulate kindle the fire necessary to live a powerful and compassionate life.

The Fourth Chakra – Anahata

The chest area and specifically the heart are the home of the fourth chakra. It represents all that is associated with heart: sharing, love, service, compassion, and devotion. Its element is air, its color green. We can all recognize the times when our heart feels shut down, often when we are mad, hurt, pitying ourselves, or when we don’t feel loved. We feel it as a stuck or tight area in the chest. Jealousy has been called the Green-Eyed Monster in honor of the heart chakra and its color.

The Fifth Chakra – Vishuddha

This is the throat area, which represents knowledge and speaking the truth of that knowledge. Its element is ether or space, and its color is violet. The throat chakra builds upon knowledge taking what we have learned and helping us to speak what we know. When was the last time you had a “lump” in your throat? That is your fifth chakra telling you that you don’t know all of the facts, that you are afraid to speak up, or that you aren’t in integrity with what you are saying. Stop, breathe deeply, notice what you are avoiding, and tell the truth.

The Sixth Chakra – Ajna

Located at the pineal gland or “third eye” of the forehead, the sixth chakra symbolizes enlightenment and self-realization. It has no element as it is beyond the elements. Its color is bluish white. Self-mastery, intuition, and insight are signs of an open sixth chakra. We can get past old, recurring patterns in our lives when our sixth chakra is healthy. Often this chakra opens up through a “spiritual” emergence or awakening.

The Seventh Chakra – Sahasrara

This chakra is located at the fontanel, the soft spot on a baby’s head. It is the open conduit to God and the guru within. Golden white light and a lotus flower with a thousand petals are the symbols of this chakra. A supremely conscious person exhibits compassion, self-awareness, mindfulness, and awareness of the world; that person would have a very evolved seventh chakra.

Balancing Body, Mind, and Spirit

“Correct practice of sexual intercourse can cure every ailment and at the same time open the doors to liberation.” –Taoist Master, from Passion Play, by Felice Dunas.

Tantra offers many easy-to-learn practices to help you and your partner evolve spiritually while enjoying great sex. Many of the lessons come from Tantric theory and have been refined by modern psychology. Focus your mind on your heart and your partner’s heart when you are making love.

Connecting the Heart and the Physical Orgasm

Here is a simple practice you can try the next time you are making love. Both men and women need to learn to connect the genitals and the heart. Touching these two areas at the same time can help a person experience this connection, which carries the potential for immense healing.

During foreplay or oral sex and while you are stimulating the genitals of your partner, place your hand on his or her heart. Think about experiencing a pure heart orgasm or extending the orgasmic release from the genitals up to the heart. You may want to wave your hand over your partner’s body with a special focus on the heart. Remind your partner that orgasm can spread up to the heart.

Meditation

Meditation brings focus and quiet to the mind. As little as 20 minutes a day can bring relaxation, concentration, and lower blood pressure to most people.

Practicing meditation will teach you how to focus your attention when you’re making love. Most people at some time or another during sex have found their minds wandering or worrying about whether they are doing it right or about what they wish their partners would do. The highest honor you can give your partner is truly focused attention. When you bring that quality to your loving, it doesn’t matter what techniques you know – you simply are a great lover.

“Slow down, enjoy love’s dance. Make your sexual loving a meditation, and use the moment of orgasm to affirm and empower one another.” –Charles and Caroline Muir, Tantra, the Art of Conscious Loving

Tantric Orgasm

Tantric philosophy talks about two seemingly different types of orgasm, the physical orgasm and the heart orgasm. At first appearance they may seem contrary to one another, but on closer inspection one complements the other.

Tantric practice encourages us to be in our hearts 24 hours a day. That blissful state can be equated to an orgasmic state of being with “heart energy” transferred to all that we do. In Tantra this is sometimes referred to as the “right hand path,” and some practitioners achieve this state of being through meditation, yoga, compassionate states of mind, mantra chanting, and celibacy.

In the “left hand path,” sexuality is the vehicle one rides to achieve the same state of bliss. Developing a consciousness with orgasm provides a gateway to an ability to attain higher states of consciousness. As in the “right hand path,” the bliss state can then be brought to all aspects of life. You really can “get high with a little help from your friends.”

Full Body Orgasms

Sexologists have identified several forms of orgasm. In women there is the clitoral orgasm, which tends to be localized to the genitals. The vaginal orgasm involves the G-spot and other areas of the vagina. A blended orgasm involves the clitoris and the G-spot. Men’s orgasms tend to be more general, though through Tantric practices the plateau can be extended for long periods of time. Tantra adds another kind of orgasm, the energy orgasm or heart orgasm.

As you go further into this practice you are able to begin to have full body orgasms, or energy orgasms, simply by breathing them, without any physical touch. This powerful energy is then much more available to you in your everyday life, sometimes just by breathing!

When the paths are blended, the possibilities for personal growth expand exponentially, and the duality between the types of orgasms vanishes. Just as breath is of the utmost importance in meditation, it is the consciousness of breathing that can be the tool to a transformational lovemaking experience.

from The Art of Sexual Ecstasy: The Path of Sacred Sexuality for Western Lovers

The Tantra vision accepts everything. There is nothing forbidden in Tantra. Everything that a person experiences, regardless of whether it is usually judged as good or bad, is an opportunity for learning. For instance, a situation in which you feel sexually frustrated is not viewed negatively in Tantra. But as a teaching, it provides an opportunity to understand your motivations about going into sex. What does it mean to you? When have you repeated this pattern of behavior in the past? Why you are tolerating the situation? What opportunities for change are available to you? Through this questioning you can develop a sense of how to make your sex life work better. This vision can guide you as a blueprint for the kind of experiences that you wish to create for yourself.

In Tantra there is no division between what is good and what is bad, what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. For instance, Tantra, as I understand it, places no moral judgment on your sexual preferences. In Tantra the focus is not so much on with whom you do it but rather on how you do it. Hence, Tantra can be practiced by anyone who is attracted to this path.

The Tantra vision is one of wholeness, of embracing everything, because every situation, whether pleasant or unpleasant, is an opportunity to become more aware about who you are and how you can expand your capacities. And this provides a great opportunity for integrating all aspects of yourself, including those parts that you may normally reject or hide. This vision also recognizes that within each adult human being there is a natural, unspoiled, childlike spirit who can openly and innocently explore unfamiliar territory. The innocence of this spirit remains intact and represents our natural capacity to enjoy life, to love, to play, and to be ecstatic. I call this aspect of the self the Ecstatic Self.

Because Tantra believes in wholeness, it embraces opposites, seeing them not as contradictions but as complements. The concepts of male and female therefore are not set apart, forever divided by a gender gap, but are viewed as two polarities that meet and merge in every human being. Tantra recognizes that each human being, whether man or woman, has both masculine and feminine qualities. What this means is that by discarding our gender stereotypes, we can expand our sexual identities tremendously, honoring the polarity in ourselves that until now has been largely ignored. In Tantra the man can be encouraged to explore his soft, receptive, vulnerable, feminine aspects. He can slip out from beneath the weight of his male responsibilities, stop performing, and relax, taking his time in sex, making love without a specific goal, allowing himself to receive while his partner initiates. For her part, the woman can explore her masculine dimension, recognizing that she is capable of dynamic leadership in lovemaking, taking the initiative, creating new ways of guiding, teaching, and giving herself and her partner pleasure. The man does not give up his masculinity, nor does the woman abandon her femininity. They simply expand their potential to include the other polarity.

In Tantra, when the male and female polarities merge, a new dimension becomes available: the sense of the sacred. When the sacredness of sexual union is felt, it is possible to experience your connection to the life force itself, the source of creation. This connection lifts your consciousness beyond the physical plane into a field of power and energy much greater than your own. Then you feel linked, through your partner, to everything that lives and loves. You feel that you are a part of the great dance of existence; you feel one with it.

Sacred sexuality on the other hand, holds lovemaking as a beautiful and sacred union with absolutely no guilt, shame or negativity associated with any of it. It regards sex as a celebration. And the focus is on giving and receiving, and honouring and worshipping each other. These unconditional acts of love can last for many many hours without one even realizing it. These gifts that lovers give to each other help to enhance and deepen the connections that exist between them as well as enable them to be one with each other’s sexual energy. It is this combined heightened sexual energy and the awareness of it that truly takes lovemaking to whole new levels and endless possibilities.

“To most in our society, sex is a release and nothing more. However the highest sexual relationship is an absolute worship, reverence, devotion and love, where the aura and subtle bodies merge…..It can become the worship of divinity in the temple of their lover’s body.”

Guru Terath Kaur Khalsa

Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by “laying on hands” and is based on the idea that an unseen “life force energy” flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one’s “life force energy” is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.

The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words – Rei which means “God’s Wisdom or the Higher Power” and Ki which is “life force energy”. So Reiki is actually “spiritually guided life force energy.”

A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and around you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and wellbeing. Many have reported miraculous results.

Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of spiritual healing and self-improvement that everyone can use. It has been effective in helping virtually every known illness and malady and always creates a beneficial effect. It also works in conjunction with all other medical or therapeutic techniques to relieve side effects and promote recovery.

An amazingly simple technique to learn, the ability to use Reiki is not taught in the usual sense, but is transferred to the student during a Reiki class. This ability is passed on during an “attunement” given by a Reiki master and allows the student to tap into an unlimited supply of “life force energy” to improve one’s health and enhance the quality of life.

Its use is not dependent on one’s intellectual capacity or spiritual development and therefore is available to everyone. It has been successfully taught to thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds.

While Reiki is spiritual in nature, it is not a religion. It has no dogma, and there is nothing you must believe in order to learn and use Reiki. In fact, Reiki is not dependent on belief at all and will work whether you believe in it or not. Because Reiki comes from God, many people find that using Reiki puts them more in touch with the experience of their religion rather than having only an intellectual concept of it.

While Reiki is not a religion, it is still important to live and act in a way that promotes harmony with others. Dr. Mikao Usui, the founder of the Reiki system of natural healing, recommended that one practice certain simple ethical ideals to promote peace and harmony, which are nearly universal across all cultures.

During a meditation several years after developing Reiki, Dr. Usui decided to add the Reiki Ideals to the practice of Reiki. The Ideals came in part from the five principles of the Meiji emperor of Japan whom Dr. Usui admired. The Ideals were developed to add spiritual balance to Usui Reiki. Their purpose is to help people realize that healing the spirit by consciously deciding to improve oneself is a necessary part of the Reiki healing experience. In order for the Reiki healing energies to have lasting results, the client must accept responsibility for her or his healing and take an active part in it. Therefore, the Usui system of Reiki is more than the use of the Reiki energy. It must also include an active commitment to improve oneself in order for it to be a complete system. The ideals are both guidelines for living a gracious life and virtues worthy of practice for their inherent value.

The secret art of inviting happiness
The miraculous medicine of all diseases
Just for today, do not anger
Do not worry and be filled with gratitude
Devote yourself to your work. Be kind to people.
Every morning and evening, join your hands in prayer.
Pray these words to your heart
and chant these words with your mouth
Usui Reiki Treatment for the improvement of body and mind
The founder , Usui Mikao

Interested in learning Reiki? Please see my events

Every human being is inherently good and beautiful, and even though their action may seem strangely contradictory, every being is striving toward understanding of their deeper nature and desiring to move toward light, God, wholeness, enlightenment or whatever you want to call it. All the human drama is just steps along the way. Knowing this, however, doesn’t always make the human drama/trauma any easier to deal with, as I’m sure many of you have experienced first hand many times. How many of you have struggled with a particular situation knowing full well that there must be an easier way to be with it, and yet you didn’t find the way through. Sometimes it’s merely slightly annoying and other times we feel like we are trapped in hell. That’s the human experience. There is a lot of glossing over, distracting and pretending that can happen along the journey in the name of non-attachment and transformation, but that’s missing the true beauty, aliveness and depth of the process of life. Besides, many of the tricks we learn to cope with and survive life only work temporarily; even though temporary could mean a lifetime or more.

So what heals and how do we grow? Being in the profession of helping people with their journey, as well as being a journeyer myself (sometimes a struggling one), this has always been one of the most significant questions for me personally and professionally.

The best and simplest definition that I’ve ever come across of what a therapist, teacher, healer or guide is meant to be, is the following phrase by Abram Kardiner quoted by Judith Lewis Herman in her book Trauma and Recovery: “The role of the therapist is that of an assistant to the client, whose goal is to help the client do the job that he/she is trying to do spontaneously.” What’s implied here is that our being knows how to heal. Our body, our nervous system and our psyche, have the innate ability to restore health and well-being given time and the appropriate support. Our soul is naturally seeking wholeness. I especially like the phrase “being an assistant to the client,” putting my skills and resources at the disposal of the client but always honoring the fact that the client is in charge of their own process. Given enough space and support they probably know better what they need than I do.

A good therapist or guide, in my eyes, is someone who is a good listener and never insists that he/she is right. Making suggestions, offering possibilities, of course, but never forcefully pushing their concepts and opinions no matter how right or valuable they might be. No two people are alike, no two situations are the same and everyone’s journey is unique. The person and their experience is always more important than any concept of what might help them. Our souls have their own timetable and we as healers are only here to support and ease the way.

What heals? How do we grow? What’s the way to wholeness? have also been key questions in most spiritual traditions since time immemorial. The whole master disciple relationship was centered around them. Now with modern day complexities, these questions are even more meaningful. It was a little easier in the 60′s and 70′s when there really weren’t all that many different workshops and teachers available. We all just went for what was new and exciting; everything was worth a try. And so we grew. And now here we are in the 90′s and what’s being offered has grown too. Certainly the variety is immense. “What do you think heals?” is a good question to ask the therapists and teachers you want to go to or whose workshop you’re considering joining. Especially when you are feeling vulnerable, it’s a difficult time to go out there and seek help; chances are you will find only too many people who want to give you their answer and advice instead of listening and supporting you until you find your own way. I’ve had all kinds of experiences myself in trying to get help. Many very good ones, fortunately, and some total disasters also. One danger in the growth movement is the quick-fix mentality; just like fast-food is quite tasty, this may give you lots of experience in the moment but maybe not always much nourishment or integration. We all like the idea of all our troubles gone forever in one big bang, and so we are attracted to experiences that promise this – but that’s not necessarily how things work. One of my teacher’s slogans is “slow is faster” , and I’ve seen the validity of her words many times. Sometimes taking lots of time to relax, breathe and build safety is like fertilizing the ground before the flowers can blossom.

In ancient times, every village or culture had their elders, shamans and wise women, and they were available for everyone in times of spiritual, emotional or physical need. That’s how wisdom and spiritual understanding were passed on. It was an absolutely crucial part of the social structure that kept everyone nurtured and in touch with the depth of life. I view today’s workshops as much-needed modern day mystery schools; the 20th century evolvement of ancient day teachings, rituals and rites of passage. In the development of the Sacred Loving workshops over the many years we’ve led them now, we’ve created such a learning context; a space where people are honored and deep growing can take place.

To be a conscious (or an educated) consumer in the new age world of spirituality and enlightenment is no easy task, as you are seeking to find someone who sees you more clearly than you can yourself. Since there is much to choose from, my simplest suggestion to you for choosing well where you go, is to give yourself permission to ask questions, as many questions as you want, and then to let your heart guide you.

The Sanskrit word for the male sexual organ is Lingam and is loosely translated as “Wand of Light.” In Tantra or Sacred Sexuality, the Lingam is respectfully viewed and honored, as a “Wand of Light” that channels creative energy and pleasure.

Orgasm is not the goal of the Lingam massage although it can be a pleasant and welcome side effect. The goal is to massage the Lingam, also including testicles, perineum and Sacred Spot (prostate) externally, allowing the man to surrender to a form of pleasure he may not be accustomed to. From this perspective both receiver and giver relax into the massage.

Men need to learn to relax and receive. Traditional sexual conditioning has the man in a doing and goal oriented mode. The Lingam Massage allows the man to experience his softer, more receptive side and experience pleasure from a non-traditional perspective.

Beginning the Massage

Have the receiver lie on his back with pillows under his head so he can look up at his partner (giver). Place a pillow, covered with a towel, under his hips. His legs are to be spread apart with the knees slightly bent (pillows or cushions under the knees will also help) and his genitals clearly exposed for the massage. Before contacting the body, begin with deep, relaxed breathing. Gently massage the legs, abdomen, thighs, chest, nipples, etc., to get the receiver to relax. Remind the receiver to breathe deeply and to sink deeper into relaxation.

Pour a small quantity of oil on the shaft of the Lingam and testicles. Begin gently massaging the testicles, taking care to not cause pain in this sensitive area. Massage the scrotum gently, causing it to relax. Massage the area above the Lingam, on the pubic bone. Massage the Perineum, the area between the testicles and anus. Take time when massaging the shaft of the Lingam. Vary the speed and pressure. Gently squeeze the Lingam at the base with your right hand, pull up and slide off, then alternate with your left hand. Take your time doing this, right, left, right, left, etc. Then, change the direction by starting the squeeze at the head of the Lingam and then sliding down and off. Again, alternate with right and left hands.

Massage the head of the Lingam as if you are using an orange juicer. Massage all around the head and shaft. In Tantra there are many nerve endings on the Lingam that correspond to other parts of the body. It is believed that many ailments may be cured by a good Lingam massage. The Lingam may or may not go soft as you perform this technique. Do not worry if it doesn’t get hard again. You will probably find that it will get hard, then go soft, get hard again, etc., which is a highly desirable Tantric experience, like riding a wave, bobbing up and down. Hardness and softness are two ends of the pleasure spectrum.

If it appears that the receiver is going to ejaculate, back off, allowing the Lingam to soften a little before resuming the massage. Do this several times, coming close to ejaculation, and then backing off. It is important to remember that the goal is not orgasm in and of itself. Men can learn the art of ejaculatory mastery and control by coming close to ejaculation and then backing off on the stimulation. Deep breathing is key here and will soften the urge to ejaculate. Eventually ejaculatory mastery will allow you to make love as long as you want and you can become multi-orgasmic without losing a drop of semen. Orgasm and ejaculation are two different responses that you can learn to separate. The result is a very expanded sex life.

The Sacred Spot

Find and massage the male Sacred Spot. There is a small indentation about the size of a pea or maybe larger midway between the testicles and anus. Be gentle and push inward. He will feel the pressure deep inside and it may be uncomfortable at first. Eventually, as this area is worked on and softened, he will be able to expand his orgasms and master ejaculatory control. You can massage his Lingam with your right hand and massage his Sacred Spot with your left hand.

Try pushing in on this spot when he nears ejaculation. The man may have strong emotions come up during access to the Sacred Spot. Be the best friend and healer he could have in that moment. You, the giver, are creating a place of trust and intimacy.

Ending the Massage

When he feels complete (with the massage), gently remove your hands cover him and keep him warm. Most importantly, allow him to rest quietly for at least five to ten minutes.