Tantra
What is Tantra…
picture to let Tantra transform your life…
Path of the Goddess…Yoga of Love .. Mother of Yogas… Liberation
Through Expansion..Weaving… Science of expanding consciousness…The
sexual yoga….Attaining Transcendence Through Cultivating Sexual
energy……..Transcending all Limitations….Honoring the
body…Earth/Heart centered….Holistic…
All Embracing…LOVE
To define Tantra is trying to use the limited mind to define the
unlimited. If Tantra was a temple, the ‘definitions’ above would open
windows to see the look inside from different angles, yet only being
inside the temple would allow you to experience it in it’s full
magnificence.
Let’s open some of the windows and look at some of the aspects of tantra:
History of Tantra
Tantra is believed to be once universal, worldwide pursued
philosophical outlook of life, the oldest single source of knowledge,
concerning the energies of the Mind/Body/Spirit/Soul complex.
Archaeological discoveries reveal Tantric evidence as much as twenty
five thousand years ago. It seems Tantra has always existed as long as
people wondered about the mystery of human (and all) existence. The
sacred act of Hieros Gamos - the natural sexual union between man and woman through which each
became spiritually whole..(once openly acknowledged and exhibited,
later, in times of oppression, secretly treasured for the ‘initiates’),
seem to have played a key importance in all ancient ‘tantric’ cultures.
Although
Tantra by it’s Sanskrit name (Tanoti=to expand, Trayati=to liberate)
has been associated with practices of ancient India and Tibet, symbols
of the Tantric heritage can be found in every culture (eg Stone Age
cave paintings, Egyptian secrets of the ‘Ankh’, Chinese Taoism, alchemy
of medieval Europe…even all the major religions seem to have had it’s
internal ‘left-handed’ off-streams where the Goddess/female/sexual
energy/sexual union was honored as the means of reaching the ultimate
union with the Divine. There are valid reasons to speculate that
divinity of Jesus was a direct result of a Tantric union with his
beloved consort Mary Magdalene and played an important part in
Buddha’s enlightenment (note his famous proclamation: "Buddhatvam -
yosidyonisamsritam- Enlightenment resides in sexual parts of
women…").
It seems that Tantra flourished most in ‘right-brained’ matriarchal
or egalitarian cultures, where visual symbols and oral transmission
predominated over written word. Implementing of alphabet, rapid spread
and favoring of written language over visual symbols and spoken word
would gradually shift the culture consciousness into the left brain and
thus suppress all ‘female’ values. We are living in an exciting age
where visual phenomena is re-emerging (paradoxically so through the
creation of left brained technology) and with it a new egalitarian
vision of culture. Women are finding ways of coming back in their
power, both sexes are rebelling and releasing themselves from their
‘traditional’ roles, finding delight, empowerment and more wholeness in
this expanded way of living. With merging and evolving of male and
female values, Tantra is finally finding it’s way back, gaining more
and more interest among many and with it our hope for a more balanced,
heart-centered world.
Yoga of Love, The Sexual Path
Tantra is sometimes being called the ‘Sexual Yoga’. This, however,
this may be misleading. Tantra is not a yoga of sex. Sexual energy is
in Tantra used as a vehicle for consciousness, as a tool of expansion.
This powerful, sacred force is treated with utmost reverence.
The Sanskrit word Yoga means union. Sexual energy, the strongest
force in universe, the energy of creation, is the most powerful force
of spiritual transformation. Love, the basic wave from which everything
is created, is sexual energy transformed. Sexual union between a loving
couple (Maithuna) is viewed as the highest congress bringing the human
to his divine origin: Tantric lovers use exchange of loving energies in
lovemaking (sexual union) in order to reach loving union with one
another, the Beloved (Soul, the higher self), and ultimately, the whole
existence (Cosmic Union). Love is at the beginning and end of this
journey. Love is the vibration we are made of, love is what keeps the
Universe holding together, love is God/dess. It really is THAT simple.
Mother of Yogas
Tantra has given birth to many forms of yoga (spiritual
practices seeking union). You can imagine her as a magnificent tree
sprouting her branches in many directions, each branch a little
different (fitting certain conditions, certain temperaments). Some are
leaning closer to Earth (fueled by Shakti energy :more ‘feminine’
approaches, eg dance) some reaching high to the sky (’masculine, Shiva
approach, eg sitting meditation) yet all coming from the same rooted
trunk.
I like to sometimes imagine Tantra as a mother hen, holding all her
chicks under her wings…Yes, everything in the universe, physical and
non-physical, can be explained in tantric terms.
Path of Liberation
The world Tantra comes from the Sanskrit ‘tanoti’ - to expand
and ‘trayati’ - to liberate. In Tantra we expand our consciousness
beyond the boundaries of the ego driven limited mind, liberating
ourselves from the imprisonment of our mental and emotional
conditioning, from the confines of the physical level of being, beyond
the perception of our five senses. Ultimately, Tantra is about
transcending all the limitations, taboos, self-imposed boundaries, and
all the dualities of life, coming to realization that ALLISONE (in
perfect Divine order!).
Tantra is about saying YES! to life. When we come to the place
beyond judgment, beyond right/wrong dichotomy, we are opening ourselves
to a tremendous potential, expanding beyond our (self-perceived)
limits, falling in love with everything and everyone in every moment,
finding bliss both in happiness and in pain, literally living in a Namaste (recognizing the inseparable Divinity within and without).
Path of the Goddess
Tantra honors the Goddess and female
energy in her many forms. (Please note: both female and male energies
are equally important, they are the building blocks of everything we
can perceive, coming from the inseparable unity). Men, don’t feel
neglected: There is a very practical reason for this. Shakti,
the primal female (sexual, earth) energy is a dynamic energy of
creation - energy behind all manifested universe. Our planet is a
manifestation of female energy, so is nature, so are our bodies, our
sexual energy, our emotions. Everything we can see and feel is the
manifestation of Shakti. This simply is an energy that is abundantly
available to us, that we can easily tune in. Earth-Shakti energy flows
upwards, through our feet from the ground we stand on.
Shiva - the primal male (solar, heavenly) energy is
static energy of the unmanifested universe, formless. It is the pure
consciousness, clarity, the ‘dream’ of creation. This energy flows from
above. To grasp Shiva, we would literally have to go out of our bodies,
beyond concept. We can perceive Shiva here on earth only thanks to
Shakti. Shakti can ’seduce’ Shiva to come down in the body, joining her
for union, celebrating in the heart - the seat of the soul. This is the
premise of enlightenment: male and female energies in a perfect
balance.
As above, so below. The Goddess - whether a flesh and blood woman,
mother Earth - nature, or our inner female, is the initiatress into
enlightenment. Famous prophets have reached their God state by
surrendering in Tantric union to their beloved mate. Ancient
matriarchal and egalitarian societies knew this. They honored the
Goddess and her creative energy in women, in the land their lived on,
animals they tended to, in all surrounding nature. They danced in
ecstasy and made love to feel her flow. Those societies, spiritually
highly evolved, lived in peace and harmony. Collectivism was a natural
expression of their consciousness.
Honoring the Goddess is very healing for our planet, in western
‘consumer’ culture particularly significant. We are just emerging from
some 3000 years of Kali Yuga (age of Fire), where female energy was
suppressed, dominated, abused.. The much needed shift of global
consciousness from individualistic to collectivistic, caring,
nurturing, all embracing values is a must for our survival. It is the
premise of entering the Golden Age.
The process of birthing a new, heart centered humankind has an
analogy in a human birth. The process may take some time, there are
birthing pains, moments of desperation, emotions of anger, fear, pain
emerging. The ‘transition’ is the ultimate stage of letting go: when a
mother is close to pushing her baby out, she may feel like the
intensity is beyond her limits, she may even think she’s dying - yet it
is only the ego at that moment that is dying, yelding to the
magnificence of her soul to shine fully. Anyone who has seen a woman in
transition knows that ultimate beauty emerging from that kind of
surrender…
We, as humanity, are in such transition. As the collective ego
in the process of surrender strives desperately to hold on, there is a
perception of suffering coming from this strive for control (Numerous
wars have been waged to control one another in some way). At the same
time, the first magnificent rays of the soul shining through can be
seen too! Remembering this will help us to get through the difficult
times.
Weaving
Tantra is often being interpreted as ‘Weaving’, or a ‘Loom’ because
of it’s holistic approach, weaving together various areas of human
knowledge in order to expand awareness in all states of consciousness.
Weaving the sacred and the mundane, the light and the darkness, the
pleasure and pain, the emotional highs and the lows, the rational and
the intuitive, the old and the new etc….is also a part of the
exquisite pattern weaved by the tantric loom. In Ipsalu Tantra you will
find authentic practices from several highly evolved tantric cultures
skilfully weaved with more contemporary tantric approaches, Pythagoras’
sacred geometry with with latest scientific discoveries concerning
mind, body and beyond, modern psychology with traditional mysticism,
streamlined, focused yogic techniques with free-form intuitive movement
and much much more….
Honoring the body
From Tantric view the physical body is simply an aspect of a soul
that can be perceived by our senses, a form in which the soul (an
immortal aspect of ourselves) can exist and operate in a physical
world. The physical body a manifestation of Shakti energy - the
Goddess. It’s made of energy-light-consciousness in a dense form,
inseparable from other universal energies. Of course, this Temple of
the Soul is totally sacred, together with all the aspects associated
with our physicality: the senses, feelings, emotions, sexuality. What
other spiritual paths may look down at as ‘lower nature’ and
painstakingly try to suppress is in Tantra being lovingly accepted,
cherished, honored and celebrated as an expression of the Divine. This
is a non-dual approach.
Non-duality
What ancient shamans, yogis, religious prophets and spiritual
seers have known all along is being in our days verified by a
conservative-nowadays progressive science: Duality is an illusion,
separation is an illusion, the whole universe - whether manifested or
abstract - is made of one ingredient: Consciousness. In Tantra, this
has been symbolized by Shakti and Shiva sitting in Yub-yum, the perfect Divine union.
Earth/Heart Centered
Enlightenment happens In a body, here on Earth, not in an
abstract space. What happens during enlightenment, can be described in
concrete physical terms (action of hormones, metabolism, spinal fluid
electrical action in the brain etc). To experience enlightenment is to
utilize fully our human potential. To be here on Earth, fully present
in the (bliss filled) body, and have an total access to the cosmic
consciousness and use it to serve the humanity is the tantric ideal.
The heart is a central meeting point between Heaven (higher chakras, Shiva descending) and Earth (Lower chakras,
Shakti ascending). This is a place of Shiva and Shakti dancing in their
ecstatic union. While many spiritual paths focus on the mind, in
Tantra, opening of the heart, finding our inner Beloved, is a key point
of transformation. When we united with the Divine, our heart knows no
boundaries, we are bathed in unconditional love. Love is sex energy
transformed. Love is our essence.
The Whole Rainbow
Just as there are many different temperaments so Tantra can be
approached from various points of view (perhaps to find resonance with
one’s personality, karmic path or individual sense of guidance).
White Tantra is primarily concerned with
meditative practices and utilizes the power of sexual energy without
the need of sexual physical contact with another. Sexual energy is
being either circulated within the individual or transformed between
two (or more) individuals on the level of their energy bodies. Yogi
Bhajan’s Kundalini Yoga contains variety of white tantric exercises.
Large portion of Tibetan tantric Buddhism translates it’s teachings
symbolically (eg during the Kalachakra ritual you are to ingest a
mixture of red and white liquid that symbolizes the blood and semen),
and integrates it withing solo meditations. White tantric practices
would often be sought by Dakhsini Marga (right handed) yogis, wishing
to remain celibate.
Red Tantra primarily focuses on sexual practice,
the domain of Vama Marga (left handed path). This is an aspects that
makes Tantra so attractive to the sexually repressed, spiritually
starved western society. While Maithuna (the sexual union) is
considered the highest form of tantric practice, it can be easily
misinterpreted. The second chakra is a place, where one can get lost.
In an attempt to heal sexual repression, red tantric group practices
may deteriorate into orgies (often with mind altering substances),
where sexual pleasure and self-gratification overshadows the spiritual
intent of self-relization. Tantra is a path of enlightenment: sexual
liberation is an important pre-requisite, but do not get sold for less.
Pink Tantra would be considered a median, a loving
integration of the physical and energetic. Approaching lovemaking from
the heart, reverently recognizing and honoring God-Goddess in one
another, honoring the physical dimension to reach beyond, surrendering
the ego as the beloved disciple of the soul, that’s what pink tantrikas
strive for. Ipsalu Tantra falls to this category.
Black Tantra utilizes the subconscious creative
power, that can be accessed during sexual arousal. Black magic comes
from the third chakra (ruled by ego) and does not have to do much with
heart or seeking God.
Using sex magic to manipulate others creates powerful karmic
consequences and it’s not recommended as a fast way for enlightenment.
Using orgasmic energy to surrender and become an instrument of the
Divine/ allow Divine guidance fully unfold in your life is much more
auspicious.
Heart Magic. Sex magic may help you manifest your
desires but is really in your best interest? When your heart is open,
the existence is taking care of your needs in the best possible way and
for benefit of all. Soul intentions are manifested almost instantly.
There’s nothing more magical then being in a state of surrender (in
love with your partner - symbol of the Divine), with your heart wide
open, pulsing with the infinite.
IPSALU TANTRA
Ipsalu is a sanskrit term for transcending (going
beyond) desire, to the point of full completion. Love, joy,
bliss…those are aspects of being in present.. Desires take you out of
the present. When you are in the moment, everything is perfect. As the
limited ego yields to the magnificence of the soul, ego desires all but
crumble under the great manifesting power of soul intentions.
Ipsalu Tantra is rather unique within the wide variety of Tantric
paths, distinguished by it’s comprehensive ‘holistic’ approach. Ipsalu
is an accelerated path towards mastery of your sexual, emotional,
physical and mental energies. Ipsalu skillfully delivers ancient
Tantric practices into the context of life and evolutionary stage of a
contemporary western tantrika. It is based on a ‘marriage’ of the
ancient science of Tantric Kriya Yoga (Babaji Nagaraj) with more
contemporary work of Osho, weaving in knowledge from other age old and
more recent sources. What perhaps distinguishes this path is it’s focus
on realizing our magnificence, attention to emotional clearing and
yogic techniques for safely activating our kundalini(cosmic consciousness)
The Ipsalu Formula (ASATE) is a specifically
choreographed sequence of techniques or processes to evoke the
experience of Bliss within the practitioner is a playful, yet deeply
transformative approach towards realizing your Divinity.
The ’spine’ (quite literally) of Ipsalu Tantra is the Cosmic Cobra Breath, a powerful pranayama,
a precious gift to humankind from Mahavatar Babaji Nagaraj (sanskrit
Naga = snake, Raj = king)*** This ancient breath technique was long
held secret and only been transmitted orally (originally from guru to
disciple) because of it’s great power to awaken the ’sleeping serpent’
(kundalini). Cobra Breath pulls Shakti (magnetic, sexual) energy into
the spine, changing electromagnetic properties of the cerebrospinal
fluid, allowing kundalini to move up. As the brain receives this
magnetized fluid, the dormant brain cells awaken and the nervous system
is transformed, accessing higher consciousness.
Four levels of Cobra Breath are taght by Tantrika International,
each opening a certain energy channel and certain chakras. The sequence
of opening is such that the nervous system accommodates this
transfomation gradually, allowing safe kundalini activation.
Shakti is a certified Ipsalu Tantra teacher. She deeply believes in
and honors this ingenious system of transformation, that can produce
profound changes in a very short time. Ipsalu Tantra has been at the
core of her diverse work and her own Ipsalu Tantra Kriya Yoga practice
is source of continuous joy and inspiration.
Tools of Tantra
Asanas: physical postures to remove energy blocks and purify the physical vehicle Pranayama: breathing techniques to expand consciousness, Dhyana: meditation to quiet the mind and attune oneself to Divine current, Mantras: transcendent sounds that resonate within the body and attune oneself to a particular consciousness vibration Yantras sacred symbols, visual representations of mantras, Mudras: gestures to activate body currents, Bandhas: energy locks to move or conserve pranic/sexual energy Maithuna: sexual union
Tantric Relationship: The Marriage of Energy & Consciousness
Tantra is for everyone. Tantric practices give us the opportunity
to open the door to more love, better sex and practical spirituality.
We consider Tantra with a partner as the easiest, the hardest and
most sacred form of spiritual practice.
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“ | What better mirror can we look into than the soul of our beloved? How can we learn more about ourselves than in those intimate moments we share with each other? What gives us more insight into who we are than the responses we receive from our partner?” |
Hindu Tantra mythology
says that union is achieved by merging our male and female principles
— pure consciousness and pure energy. Energy is represented by
the female divine power known as Shakti. Consciousness is represented
by the male divine power known as Shiva. The marriage of Shiva and
Shakti is considered to be Divine Union, one of the fundamental
concepts of Tantra.
Each of us possesses innate male and
female aspects that are manifested and expressed in different ways
throughout our lives. Sometimes the man is receptive and feeling;
at other times he is strong and dominant. Sometimes the woman is
assertive and directive; at other times she is soft and feminine.
Divine Union is the perfect balance of male and female within us
and with a partner.
The Tantric teachings embrace the concept
that everyone has an intrinsic potential, which can unfold through
the experience of Tantric practices. In the Eastern way of religious
thought, Tantra is a pathway to enlightenment, or spiritual attainment.
With our Western mind, we can consider it a doorway to achieving
our ultimate potential — a joyful life, sharing love, celebrating
everything. The Divine Union is a powerful tool to help us get there.
Many Tantric practices can be explored
alone, and if the practitioner attains the balance of Shiva and Shakti
within, the main understanding of Tantra is accomplished. However,
studying and practicing Tantra alone is a difficult undertaking, and
can be a blind path altogether. Sharing it with a partner can be a
lot easier, as well as entertaining. However, it can also be the hardest
thing you will ever have to face!
In
the bedroom, most of us have — some more, some less — experienced
the great moments when time and space disappear, and the mere togetherness
of the two lovers remains. At the moment of merging the bodies and
souls together into the orgasmic flow, our gates open to a new dimension,
and we reach a state of altered consciousness. Shiva and Shakti
have become Divine Union, together as a couple, as well as within
each of us. This, to us, is a spiritual experience.
Some time ago, we asked an acquaintance
about her love life. She responded that she was far too committed
to her personal spiritual practice to be in a relationship. There
are many different approaches to spiritual practice, and ours is
our relationship. What better mirror can we look into than the soul
of our beloved? How can we learn more about ourselves than in those
intimate moments we share with each other? What gives us more insight
into who we are than the responses we receive from our partner?
We are inspired to new delights by
practicing skills such as conscious communication, creating a sacred
space, and exploring the interplay of our male and female sides.
Practicing giving and receiving pleasure, and honoring each other
as representations of the god and goddess can open us to profound
learning. We are infused with more consciousness and playfulness,
and the cobwebs that so easily appear in long-term, committed relationships
get blown away.
The sexual teachings of Tantra can
be enjoyed by yourself, with a casual lover or with a partner in
a committed relationship. There are benefits in all those circumstances.
Self-pleasuring can teach us a lot about our responses to physical
pleasure and how we can become more ecstatic in sex and expand our
pleasure. Tantric sex with a casual lover can take us to immense
momentary heights that may have never been reached with a long-term
partner.
In our experience, however, the trust,
love, intimacy and familiarity that exist between two lovers in
a committed, long-term relationship build a sacred and safe container
for exploring the depth of Tantra. We can reflect in each other,
experiment together intimately, and learn how the practices and
the insights we gain from them can enrich our relationship, our
personal growth as individuals, and our life at large. A basic precept
of the Tantric relationship is that first we love ourselves, then
we love each other, and finally we rise in love with life itself.
Integrating Tantra as a spiritual
practice into your life with a partner can be very simple. Consciously
begin your day with sharing a sacred embrace with your beloved before
getting out of bed, and share a special kiss after a long day away
from each other. Add more and more of these rituals to your day,
and you will find that these small, conscious moments expand into
all aspects of your life. This is what ecstatic living means to
us.
A Tantric relationship is a doorway to ecstatic
living.
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