The tantric practitioner approaches enlightenment through the avenue of bodily and sensory experience. Tantra teaches that bliss is possible in every moment, if we only pay attention to our experience, quieting the chattering, busy mind.

The goal of tantric practice is the union of the Masculine and Feminine; since each of us has masculine and feminine energies within, Tantra can be practiced alone or with a partner. The meditative practices take one deep within the body, working with sexual energies which arise in the genitals.

Through using the breath and focused attention it is possible to draw that energy upwards, to the heart and ultimately the crown of the head, spreading energetic joy throughout the body.

While intensifying sexual experience, Tantra is primarily about intimate and present connection � with the self, and with the Beloved � and ultimately, with the Divine.

Tantra has many levels of study and an unlimited degree of potential for spiritual gain, for sexual delight, and for worldly success.

Tantric lessons are important tools for todays individuals and couples who are searching for a significantly different way of relating to each other, couples who want to sustain love and sexual passion for lifetime together".

From Tantra the Art of Conscious Loving by Charles and Caroline Muir

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What is Tantra Yoga, Really?

"Union of the mind is alignment. Union of the body is sex. Union of the heart is love. Union of the spirit is Tantra.

In its rawest form, Tantra Yoga can be used for heightened sexual experiences and for sexual healing.

In its middle path, Tantra Yoga is sacred sexuality raising love-making to a sacrament and an art form with ceremony and ritual.

In its highest path, Tantra Yoga is the union of two spirits into oneness to experience unconditional love and gratitude as the purest energy of the divine Spirit.

History

Tantra Yoga is an ancient Eastern science of enlightenment with roots as far back as the third or fourth millennium B.C.E. to the Dravidian people in the Indus Valley in India. Since the 1920s when the Harappan culture was first discovered, more sites have been found, covering an area of more than 1.3 million square kilometers, larger than any other archaic civilization. This was a matriarchic society honoring the life-cycles and the feminine principle. Although the exact beginnings of Tantra Yoga are controversial, there is evidence of its ancient existence in some form.

"Unlike most mystical paths, Tantra Yoga includes sexuality as a doorway to ecstasy and enlightenment. Tantra Yoga is not a religion, but rather a way of life." Tantra Yoga in its Western form has been called, the "Yoga of Sex". This label diminishes the true path of Tantra and has spawned many variations of the sacred-sexuality practices and spiritual path into sexual techniques for pleasure.

"Tantra Yoga is very holistic in its approach to life, health, and spirituality. The word tantra literally means 'expansion.' A tantra yogi's path focuses on expansion of all levels of their consciousness to realize the Supreme Source." The practices of Tantra Yoga awaken and balance the male and female energies within each person in order to spiritually awaken to the entire universe as the divine life force, or Spirit.

What are some of the common misconceptions about Tantra?

Because there are many taboos in our society, a majority of people in our culture still have a puritanical view of sex. There was major shift in consciousness in the 1960's, called the sexual revolution, when the youth of that time, revolted against centuries of sexual suppression and authoritarian control. Even with this revolution, our social mores tend to keep sexuality and sensuality in a forbidden black box.

"Again, there has been a historical tendency in European and American societies to exoticise and eroticise the 'East', to appropriate it by reducing it to the object of one's desires and fears. Tantric Buddhism as a religion which is cool about sex comes handy as a counter-model to one's own religion, perceived as repressive and un-erotic."
-- Prof. Christoph Emmrich in the Journal of Historical Studies, University of Toronto.

What are the benefits of practicing Tantra Yoga?

There are many, many benefits. The greatest benefit is the awakening of an inner joy that you may have never known was there, the joy of aliveness and oneness.

You become able to open your heart to yourself at a deep level and make changes in your life that are aligned with your heart's desires and for your highest good.

In addition, by gaining mastery of your sexual energy, you manifest loving and fulfilling relationships, expand your capacity for spiritual ecstasy.

Because the second chakra energy is the creative, life-giving energy in us all, this energy can be focused to use for manifesting our decrees. There are several moditations that you can do alone or with a partner in order to align energies for the purpose of manifesting a specific intention.

There are known health benefits also. When practicing Tantra Yoga, endorphins, oxytocins (and other natural hormones and chemicals such as DHEA) are released improving health and vitality. The breath work and the yoga of Tantra increase flexibility, circulation and energy flow.

So how did Tantra get a bad "rep"?

First, the prevalent organized religions held beliefs that sexuality had to be denied in order to attain enlightenment. So Tantra challenged the repressive moralistic codes of organized religion in a persistent nonconformist approach which finally influenced the major Eastern religions such as Hindu, Taoist and Buddhist traditions.

Second, many Tantric mystics used unconventional methods to teach. Their intention was to awaken people to the holistic nature of spirituality and sexuality. However, in the process, their sometimes outrageous behaviors and approach scandalized traditional society bringing condemnation upon themselves.

Third, and probably the most significant to us, is that sex sells and many people have used Tantra to sell their workshops, CDs, their services and products through titillation and exploitation. "

From Article "What is Tantra Yoga, Really?" by Maya Dolena (CTE)

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