TANTRA

WHAT IS TANTRA?

Tantra is a path of transformation that connects humanity with the Universe, through an awareness of the Divine inside of us. In Tantra, the Divine is not separated from existence, it is existence itself: the energy dancing in every life form.

Nothing external is needed to connect with that infinite source. When it happens, the sensations of vitality and bliss expand and flow more freely in the body. It can be a true experience of ecstasy.

Unlike some other spiritual paths, in Tantra there is no need for isolation. On the contrary, the Tantric approach is about embracing life and experiencing it with all our senses. This encourages us to become aware of our emotions, so that we can ultimately transcend them.

WHAT IS NEO-TANTRA?

Tantra is an Indian initiatic tradition that is more than 2,000 years old. Although it is articulated in the Sanskrit scriptures, known as the “tantras”, the essence of it was transmitted orally and it is based on experience and practice.

Tantra is not a religion, nor a dogma or a philosophy (although some forms of Tantrism, such as the Kashmir Shaivism, built great metaphysical systems).

We can define it as “a constant dynamism of the Indian culture” that influenced those in other countries like Tibet and China. It is a color, a scent, a joyful attitude to play with forms so that we transcend them.

Thanks to the work of Osho and some of his followers, like Margot Anand, Tantra has been adapted to Western culture to incorporate some therapeutic techniques such us Gestalt and body-mind treatments. This is what is known as Neo-Tantra.

IS TANTRA A HEALING PROCESS?

Tantra can be considered to be therapy because it involves a deconditioning process.

In order to experience the most sublime parts of ourselves, we first need to clean our inner basement: our body-mind. The use of specific therapeutic tools can help to bring awareness to our unconscious patterns, beliefs and illusions related to the self and the ego.

Although these tools help us to self-regulate, Tantra is not intended to heal anything. Instead it is meant to bring consciousness so that we can access higher levels of perception of the world.

IS TANTRA ALL ABOUT SEX?

No other Eastern tradition has been more misunderstood by the West than Tantra. There are two main reasons for this.

Firstly, Western scholars’ lack of interest in the study of tantric literature. In some Tantric practices like the exaltation of the body, they wrongly identified a “scandalous derivation” of the pure and mystical Vedanta scriptures.

Secondly, as Tantra arrived in the West during the sexual liberation of the 1960s and 1970s, some groups associated all of Tantra with pleasure-seeking. In some forms of Tantra, sexuality is indeed used as a tool to train awareness, but it is not merely a hedonistic practice. Tantra recognizes the roots of the being in sexual energy and utilizes this energy without any judgment.

WHAT IS SHIVA AND SHAKTI?

Shiva (the Awareness, represented by the masculine principle) and Shakti (the Energy, represented by the feminine principle) are the basic polarities that Tantra tries to connect to reach non-duality.

Awareness leads us to the perception of Energy and the expansion of our consciousness.

WHAT IS NON-DUALITY?

Non-duality means that there is no separation between things, people or other components of the Universe. All are linked. Self, ego and individuality are illusions. There is no right or wrong, the individual and the world are inherently connected. Everything is just a part of the self.

WHAT IS SEXUAL ENERGY?

Sexual energy is the ultimate biological expression of the intelligence of consciousness. It is energy itself, present in every human being and the source of our creative potential, as well as personal power.

HOW CAN WE BUILD AND EXPAND OUR ENERGY?

Because of social programming, past traumas or repression, some people are so disconnected from their own sexual energy that there is no fluidity or control of it. So the first step in changing this is becoming conscious of our sexual energy.

Once we are aware of it, we can discover how to increase our own energy. Breath, Movement and Sound are the key elements:

• Breathing fully at a dynamic level increases sensitivity in our bodies and allows our energy to expand.
• Movement supports our bodies to keep our energy flowing and it is a gateway to start releasing emotions.
• Sound provides the opportunity to express our repressed emotions out loud and eventually release them.