“When you understand who and what you are, your radiance projects into the universal radiance and everything around you becomes creative and full of opportunity.”
Yogi Bhajan
When many people in the West think of Tantra Yoga, they often associate it with a sexual practice. This idea was widely popularized by a particular branch of Tantra, Vama Marga, the left-hand school of Tantra. These groups focus on combining sexual life with yoga practices in order to explode the dormant energy centers in our physical bodies. While sexuality is an aspect of all Tantra, it’s not necessarily the focus. What you will find, is an emphasis on personal experimentation, and techniques to cleanse the body and mind to break the barrier between our physical existence to enlightenment.
The word “tantra” means to weave or expand. It implies “interweaving of traditions and teachings as threads” into a text, technique or practice. It is a relatively modern revamping of the ancient vedic and yogic spiritual practices. The idea with Tantra yoga, then, is to weave together many yoga practices and spiritual teachings, in order to connect with others and the universe. It’s underlying focus is on using the body as a temple to worship the all-encompassing oneness of life as sacred.
The Practice
In Tantra Yoga, the subtle bodies of energy and spirit are developed to create a bridge from the physical to the Divine. The physical body is used to activate energy through the combination of asana, prana, mantra, mudra, and bandha (energy lock) and chakra (energy center) work for the activation of Kundalini. Through the exploration of these energies, the purpose of life and the connection to others can be understood in a new dimension. Tantra also layers on astrology, Ayurveda, chanting, gemology among other techniques and mystical teachings. These practices are used to build strength, clarity, and bliss in everyday life.
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