Guide To The Authentic Path of Tantra

Guide to the
Authentic Path
of Tantra
The way of Supreme Bliss
Summary
INTRODUCTION: THE TANTRIC PATH TO BLISS ....................................................................................................... 5
CAN SEX LEAD TO ENLIGHTENMENT? .................................................................................................................... 5
TANTRIC METAPHYSICS: A RADICAL NON-DUALITY ............................................................................................... 7
THE DANCE OF FORM AND FORMLESSNESS ........................................................................................................... 7
BEYOND THE ILLUSION OF SEPARATION ................................................................................................................ 8
TANTRA AND ASCETICISM ..................................................................................................................................... 9
THE HISTORY OF TANTRA: ANCIENT ROOTS, MODERN PRACTICE ....................................................................... 10
BRANCHES OF TANTRA ........................................................................................................................................ 10
KASHMIR SHAIVISM: THE JEWEL OF NORTHERN INDIA ........................................................................................ 11
TRADITIONAL ELEMENTS OF TANTRIC SADHANA ................................................................................................. 12
CLASSICAL TANTRA VS. NEO-TANTRA .................................................................................................................. 13
WHAT IS TANTRIC SEXUALITY? ............................................................................................................................ 15
BRAHMACHARYA: A SACRED APPROACH TO SEXUALITY ..................................................................................... 15
OJAS, ORGASM, AND EJACULATION .................................................................................................................... 16
ROLES OF THE MASCULINE AND THE FEMININE ................................................................................................... 17
SUBLIMATION ...................................................................................................................................................... 18
CHAKRAS AND SEXUALITY ................................................................................................................................... 19
EXPERIENCING THE WORLD OF THE ELEMENTS FROM WITHIN ............................................................................ 20
Copiright© 2022 All right reserved Aum Tantra Yoga 2

MULADHARA ....................................................................................................................................................... 20
SVADHISTHANA ................................................................................................................................................... 21
MANIPURA .......................................................................................................................................................... 22
ANAHATA ............................................................................................................................................................ 22
VISHUDDHA ......................................................................................................................................................... 23
AJNA .................................................................................................................................................................... 23
SAHASRARA ......................................................................................................................................................... 24
SHIVA AND SHAKTI: THE FUNDAMENTAL POLARITY OF EXISTENCE ..................................................................... 26
DIVINE PRINCIPLES OF MASCULINITY AND FEMININITY ....................................................................................... 26
POLARITY AND SEXUALITY ................................................................................................................................... 28
DIVINE FEMININITY .............................................................................................................................................. 29
FEMALE ORGASM: THE GIFT OF THE GODDESS .................................................................................................... 29
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EXPLOSIVE AND IMPLOSIVE ORGASM? ....................................................... 30
ALL WOMEN ARE MULTI-ORGASMIC WOMEN ..................................................................................................... 30
MENSTRUATION .................................................................................................................................................. 31
REGAINING YOUR MYSTERIOUS FEMININE POWER ............................................................................................. 31
DIVINE MASCULINITY........................................................................................................................................... 32
TANTRA AND SACRED SEXUALITY FOR HOMOSEXUAL COUPLES .......................................................................... 32
GROWING THROUGH RELATIONSHIP ................................................................................................................... 33
KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE GOAL............................................................................................................................ 34

CULTIVATE THE POLARITY BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR PARTNER .......................................................................... 34
TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN GROWTH ................................................................................................ 34
THREE PILLARS OF TANTRIC SEXUALITY ............................................................................................................... 36
CONSECRATION ................................................................................................................................................... 36
SUBLIMATION ...................................................................................................................................................... 37
TRANSFIGURATION .............................................................................................................................................. 37
DEVELOPING YOUR OWN PRACTICE .................................................................................................................... 37

Introduction: The Tantric Path to Bliss
In the 21st century, tantra has become a fashion among practitioners of yoga and
holistic disciplines. Although tantra comes from an ancient tradition, traveling around
the world at the speed of the internet age, it has mixed with different disciplines:
various types of psychological therapies, bodily and psychosomatic exercises, shadow
work, and healing practices.
Often the word tantra is associated with genital massages or particular erotic
practices. In fact, for most people, “tantra” is just a sophisticated word for “sex.”
There is a lot of confusion on this subject and our main intent is to make things clear.
Tantra is first of all a philosophical approach to existence.
In tantric philosophy any separation between what is human or earthly and what is
divine ceases to exist, everything is One. To experience this is the only true goal of
this discipline.
According to the tantric vision, when a human being feels identified with the ego, he
or she thinks they are separated from everything that surrounds them, but this is only
an illusion. Our true nature is universal, infinite, and eternal. The individual is only a
drop in the ocean of existence. Recognizing your universal and divine nature is the
purpose of any authentic spiritual path.
Can Sex Lead to Enlightenment?
Any energy available to us can be used to experience the One, and what energy is
more powerful and involving to humans than our sexual energy?
Sexual energy is one of the most potent forces we have available, so powerful that it
can generate life through procreation. Isn't it incredible? What alchemy, what nuclear
power lies in the encounter between masculine and feminine!
We can use this atomic energy in all areas of life, from the intellect to the physical
strength, from creativity to the spiritual search—this is tantra, a spiritual way of
experiencing our divine reality.
Nothing less than that!

Gurus and spiritual masters of all ages have taught that to reach the spiritual goal it is
necessary to control sexual energy, because it is so powerful and engaging that if
misused, it can lead the human being to the worst version of himself, but if used in the
correct way it can act as a real propeller for the realization in all the aspects of life.
Are you sure that to be spiritual and to seek out the deep mysteries of existence it is
necessary to retreat in a cave-like a monk and give up life?
The tantric path demonstrates you don’t need to isolate yourself completely into a
life of renunciation to connect to your center and to discover your true essence. In
tantra, your own body is your temple, and pleasure—like many other forms of energy
at your disposal—can become a way to dissolve the ego and can lead to states of
expanded consciousness that are truly beneficial to your spiritual evolution.

Chapter 1: What Is Tantra?
Tantric Metaphysics: A Radical Non-Duality

If you look at life in a certain way, you might notice that although there seem to be a
multitude of things and different movements, behind all of it there are only two basic
principles.
One we can call form. It is everything that you see, hear, feel taste, or smell, as well as
everything you know with your mind. It is your emotions, your memories, your
patterns, thoughts, and beliefs. It is your perception of having a body, a mind, a name,
and a personality associated with a feeling that “yes, that’s me.”
What do all of these have in common? They arise, abide for a while and then dissolve
as your attention moves to something else. They are all objects that you perceive.
Then, who is this “you” who is perceiving?
This is the essential question at the heart of tantra, and actually at the heart of all
authentic spiritual paths. It is a divine mystery, and as you go further into tantra, I
hope you will fall in love with this mystery. It does not become more clear or
graspable with practice, but rather deepens and expands, as you learn to live in
intimacy with this profound unknowing at the center of your existence.
The Dance of Form and Formlessness

So, we have the world of form, everything that is perceived. And then there is
something else, something which is always present, even when the forms dissolve in
deep sleep or death.
The forms are myriad and in constant flux. They never repeat; if we could see at an
atomic level, we would see that even the most solid-appearing material objects are in
perpetual movement. We would also notice that these material objects are mostly
empty space, proportionally vast expanses of nothingness between particles, which
themselves are blinking in and out of existence. We find that matter is made of
vibrations. Matter is energy. Everything in the universe is energy.

Science is saying this now, but the tantrikas and yogis have known this for millennia.
Another word for “form” is “energy.” Because tantrikas view the universe as
inherently sacred, they don’t talk about energy like just a mindless force but give it
the name of the Goddess Herself: Shakti.
Going back to this “something else,” the one who is perceiving. This one, unlike the
things it perceives, is just one and it is always the same. It is timeless and absolute,
unaffected by anything that arises within it.
Try now to feel this something. It is ineffable yet completely intimate, closer to you
than yourself, as St. Augustine said about God. It is that feeling of me, I am, I am here
right now, which is there at every moment and has been there for your entire life,
exactly that same as it is now.
A feeling of being alive, being awake; we can call this awareness or consciousness.
Again, the tantrikas would give it a more sacred name: Shiva, or one of many other
names of God.
So then, what is the relationship between these two principles, Consciousness and
Energy?
Beyond the Illusion of Separation

Beyond superficial differences, all spiritual traditions offer essentially the same
message. One common point is that reality is not how it ordinarily appears to us.
There is a deeper truth, which can be experienced directly.
Some traditions, such as Buddhism, classical yoga, and Advaita Vedanta, refer to the
world as an illusion. In modern culture, many people are hardly convinced that God is
real. These teachings, to the contrary, posit that only God is real! Or in non-theistic
terms, only consciousness, the formless transcendental principle. The world, the
entire domain of forms, appears only as a kind of wrong perception, like an optical
illusion superimposed on the formless Reality.
Spiritual realization therefore must come from detaching completely from the
manifestation, breaking through the illusion and leaving it behind.
Tantra begins with a different premise. The world is seen not as a mistaken
perception but as a manifestation of pure Consciousness, and essentially not different
from it. Shiva and Shakti, Consciousness and Energy, the transcendent and the
immanent, are not opposites but two sides of the same coin.

After all, if consciousness is absolutely free and all-encompassing, this world could
only exist if this Shiva-principle chose to create it, or rather, create itself as the world.
This view of radical non-duality demands that nothing, even a world in which God is
nowhere to be seen, could ever exist apart from that Reality.
The only illusion is the appearance of separation. Things appear to exist as solid,
independent objects. You feel yourself as a bubble of individual identity—my
thoughts, my feelings, my experiences—bumping against other bubbles, other egos
and personalities. Sometimes you seem to understand each other, sometimes you feel
very far apart. This is suffering itself. But it is not the reality. In truth, your ego-bound
existence is only a condensed representation of the entire universe. You are how God
appears when God views itself through a certain lens.
This world is deeply, beautifully real. It cannot be separated from God any more than
heat or light can be removed from fire. Form and formlessness are intrinsically and
eternally woven together, which is the literal meaning of the word tantra.
From this metaphysical basis, all the unique practices and spiritual “technologies” of
the tantric tradition emerge. The tantrikas discovered that since the manifestation is
not separate from consciousness, everything and anything can potentially lead back
to it. They learned how to use all the energies available to us as human beings, the
huge potential abiding in our bodies and psychology, up to and including sexuality,
the most powerful and difficult energy we have.
Tantra and Asceticism

The tantric path is often seen in contrast to ascetic paths such as Advaita Vedanta,
Theravada Buddhism, or Christianity, which may be more familiar to spiritual seekers
coming from the West. In reality, tantra is both like and unlike these traditions.
Tantra and ascetic spirituality have a single purpose: the revelation of the Self. They
both are intended to bring practitioners to union with the Divine, pure consciousness,
or however else you would like to describe the transcendent essence of reality.
Through practice, on either a tantric or ascetic path, you will come to realize that
everything in the universe, yourself included, is only God.
Ascetic traditions work through a kind of denial, as in the famous “neti neti” of Advaita
Vedanta: “I am not this, I am not that.” By disconnecting from the senses and the
world, all forms start to fade and the Absolute is revealed. This approach might seem
harsh but has proven very effective across human history, and eventually comes to
the same expansive expression of love and beauty as we discover through tantra.

Tantra might initially seem more friendly because it allows you to enjoy the senses
and continue engaging in life in the world. However, for this exact reason, it is actually
a more difficult and demanding path. Because it is so easy to get lost in pleasure and
intense energies, practicing tantra authentically requires a single-pointed
commitment to truth. You must constantly remember why you are practicing, with
enough intensity that you could drop everything in an instant.
Being a tantrika means that you can find God without shaving your head and taking a
vow of celibacy, but also that you are willing to do it if this is what life calls for.
The History of Tantra: Ancient Roots, Modern Practice

Tantra is not one single thing but a blanket term under which you can find a wide
variety of lineages, practices, and philosophies, ranging from the most refined and
elevated metaphysical traditions to essentially shamanic magic.
The tantric lineages did not emerge in a vacuum but in constant dialogue with
Buddhism, Vedanta, classical yoga, Islam, and the multitude of traditions alive in
medieval India. Part of what made spirituality so vibrant in this time and place was
that practitioners were not afraid to engage with traditions outside their own.
Debate, engagement, and mutual exploration were not only accepted but
encouraged, and the fruits of this can be seen in the vigor and diversity of tantric
teachings.
What we would now describe as tantra emerged in the middle of the first millennium,
though its roots go back much further. Goddess worship and shamanic honoring of
the elements were inherited from Vedic times or even earlier. These, when
systematized and internalized, provide the foundation for tantric practice.
Branches of Tantra
Over the centuries, many lineages formed, distinguished by their specific teachings
and which deity their practices are connected to. Some are Shaiva tantra, referring to
the Supreme Reality as Shiva, the god of dissolution, while others are Shakta tantra, in
reference to Shakti, the Goddess or the Divine Mother. Still others are Vaishnava,
connected to Vishnu or Krishna (though few of these lineages survive), Ganapatya
(worshipping Ganesha), or Surya tantra (worshipping the Sun).

While in AUM Tantra Yoga we are transmitting primarily the teachings of Hindu tantra,
Buddhism also developed an extremely profound tantric path in the Vajrayana
teachings of Tibet.
Tantric practice can be divided more generally into “left-hand” or “right-hand” tantra.
In left-hand tantra, practitioners use sexual energy in a very literal, embodied way,
making love in sacred rituals to embody the union of Shiva and Shakti. (In some rituals,
tantric yogis would also consume substances forbidden in mainstream yoga and the
Hindu religion, such as eating meat and drinking wine.)
Right-hand tantrikas also practiced a form of sexual union with a deity but internally,
without a human partner. From a Western perspective, if you read St. Theresa of
Avila’s accounts of her highly erotic relationship with Jesus, this can give you a very
good idea of the essence of right-hand tantra.
Kashmir Shaivism: The Jewel of Northern India

Kashmir Shaivism, the branch of Shaiva tantra that flourished in northern India from
the 9th-14th centuries, was in many ways the shining star of this family of traditions. It
provides the clearest and most sophisticated system of tantric metaphysics, of which I
have already outlined the basics, and which we draw deeply from in AUM Tantra Yoga
courses.
The four major schools of Kashmir Shaivism—Spanda, Pratyabhijna, Krama, and

Kaula—each had distinct approaches and practices, though they were closely
interrelated and shared a philosophical core of radical non-duality, as well as a certain
flavor: love of beauty, refinement, and naturalness blend with a profound and at
times dizzyingly complex metaphysical understanding.
The most influential text from this tradition is Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, which
appeared sometime in the middle of the 9th century. This unique and precious text,
without any theoretical speculating or extra information, offers roughly 112
techniques for Self-revelation, or an experience of expanded consciousness in which
the normal sense of a limited ego dissolves into oneness. “Vijnana Bhairava” means
“the knowledge or consciousness of Bhairava,” Shiva or God, and the practices lead
you to recognize this consciousness within yourself.
It sounds lofty and abstract when put into words, but this experience is absolutely
natural—actually our natural state, as Tibetan Buddhists describe it.

And in fact, although some of the practices in Vijnana Bhairava Tantra are highly
esoteric, others are refreshingly simple. Lie down and watch the sky, eat delicious
food, laugh, sneeze, make love, all while keeping a depth of awareness.
This approach exemplifies the beauty of the tantric path, weaving together the
profound with the mundane, the simplest and the most sophisticated.
Kashmir Shaivism declined over time (perhaps too refined a vision to persist for long
in this troubled world). The last great master was Swami Lakshmanjoo, who was
widely responsible for a 20th century revival of interest in the teachings, inspiring a
generation of scholars but also many practitioners. However, he left the physical body
in 1991 without appointing a successor, and few if any unbroken lineages are still
active today. Yet the teachings and many of the practices remain for our guidance and
inspiration.
Without going too much into history or theoretical details, hopefully this very broad
overview provides a sense of the great diversity of expression contained under the
umbrella of tantra. “As many monks, so many paths,” the saying goes, and nowhere is
this more available than in the world of tantric yoga.
Traditional Elements of Tantric Sadhana

So, we’ve seen more or less what the tantrikas believed. Now, what were they doing?
Tantric practice is distinguished by a few defining features.
• Deities: In tantra, you can connect directly with universal energies taking
the form of different deities, and through this connection go beyond all
form into the Absolute. Deity yoga is a hallmark of both Buddhist and Hindu
tantra. It is a way of honoring the manifestation as an expression of the
Divine, not only an illusion but a path back to the source. The teachings of
the ten Mahavidyas (Cosmic Wisdom Goddesses) is one of the most
profound examples, which we offer initiation into during the Advanced
Tantra TTC.
• Mantra: “There’s no tantra without mantra,” is a well-known tantric saying.
A mantra is a phrase or syllable that channels a specific energy, or rather a
specific frequency of divine energy, purely through the vibrational quality of
its sound. Although mantras are used in many spiritual traditions, they are
another cornerstone of tantric sadhana.
• Yantra: Another tantric saying: “Mantra, yantra, tantra.” A yantra is a
geometric expression of a mantra. If a mantra is an energy or deity in

auditory form, a yantra is its visual form. Yantras are commonly used in
rituals or in meditative practice.
• Rituals: Classical tantra is replete with rituals, usually in connection with
forms of the Goddess or other deities. Although many traditional tantric
rituals are highly complex, simple versions that touch on the same essence
are accessible also to newer practitioners. When performed correctly, with
consecration and pure intention, these rituals can bring an extremely
powerful movement of energy and deep transformation.
• Hatha Yoga: Today in the West, the physical branch of yoga is pretty much
the only one known, and even that mostly in a very distorted and diluted
form. Yet it derives directly from esoteric tantra! Asanas, pranayama, and all
the rest work with energy, especially the universal energies of the elements
and ultimately kundalini shakti. Although it’s harder to see the connection in
western yoga, traditional hatha yoga is clearly based on the tantric
perspective and map of the subtle body.
Classical Tantra vs. Neo-Tantra

What we’ve looked at so far is tantra from a more classical perspective, the authentic
way it was practiced for centuries.
However, this is a far cry from the way tantra is now widely known in the West!
Much like how yoga has degenerated into mere physical exercise, when tantra was
introduced into Western culture it became little more than a codeword for open
sexuality with some spiritual window dressing. Not in itself a bad thing, but not at all
what practitioners of past generations would recognize as tantra.
“Neo-tantra” has its place. Many people are deeply in need of healing around their
sexuality. Feeling freer and more open at a personal level, connecting with others,
connecting with your own body and releasing trauma…. These are all very good and
very important, and often neo-tantra can help.
Still, these practices do not necessarily point towards the transcendent dimension of
reality, that infinite ocean of consciousness and bliss beyond the body, mind, and
emotions. This deeper aspect was always the center of tantric theory and practice. If
the goal isn’t Self-realization, it can’t really be called tantra.
Neo-tantra is usually quite shallow, lacking a strong metaphysical foundation or clear

understanding of energy and the dynamics of the subtle body. Anyone can make a
website and claim to be a tantra teacher. If you don’t already have experience, it’s

difficult to tell what is authentic and what is just made up by someone with good
marketing skills.
Not to say that new innovations can’t also be valid, or that teachers shouldn’t adapt to
changing times. Still, there’s something to be said for practices that come from fully
realized masters, and that have been tried and tested for centuries.
Kashmir Shaivism yantra

Chapter 2: Yoga and Sexuality
As you start on the path of yoga, one of the first things you might notice is that there
are yogic teachings for just about every aspect of life. Outside of asanas and
meditation, there’s yogic diet, yogic sleep, yogic ways to clean your teeth, etc. When
the great yogis of the past looked so carefully at every aspect of life, of course they
would not forget one of the most important: sexuality.
What Is Tantric Sexuality?

If you look at spiritual traditions from around the world and throughout history, you’ll
find an amazing diversity of teachings, practices, and beliefs. From the stark
minimalism of Zen monks to the extravagant festivals of Hindu devotees, the sweet
poetry of the Sufis, the mind-melting logic of Tibetan Buddhists… How wonderful and
mysterious that these are all pointing to the same truth!
However, in all religions and spiritual paths, there’s one thing that just about
everyone agrees on: humans are sexual beings, and we have to do something about it.
The incredible power of sexual energy is impossible to overlook. This energy drives so
much of our lives, even our everyday decisions like what we wear and how we talk to
our friends, coworkers, and strangers, as well as our deep passions. This often
happens in a very unconscious way, which is why it can become so destructive.
In many spiritual traditions, people looked at the uncontrolled power of sexual energy
and essentially said, “No, this is too much.”
Hence so many ascetic teachings advise celibacy. If you are serious about spirituality,
you must choose that over sexuality. Become a monk or nun, or a celibate priest, or a
hermit living far from society and its temptations.
Brahmacharya: A Sacred Approach to Sexuality

In yoga, control of the sexual energy is called brahmacharya, or “living in God.” It is
one of the five yamas, or ethical guidelines for harmonious behavior as a foundation

[1]
for yogic practice. In ascetic branches of yoga, this is interpreted as a
recommendation for celibacy.
The tantrikas took a different approach.
They also recognized the power and challenges of sexuality, but instead of seeing a
problem, they saw potential. Sexual energy doesn’t have to be repressed, denied,
dried up or ignored. It can be embraced, channeled, and elevated, an unmatched force
that drives towards union with the Divine.
Imagine all the passion and desire that you feel with your lover, that fire, that
desperate need to be united, needing to dissolve yourself into them like you need to
breathe—and now imagine that intensity directed to God! Like Krishna and Radha,
enacting the cosmic dance of love between the soul and the Infinite, in the most
direct and embodied way.
This is possible! Sexual tantra is a practice in itself, and like any other practice, it has
certain fundamental elements and conditions that must be fulfilled.
In AUM Tantra Yoga, we identify three “pillars” of tantric sexuality, that distinguish it
from ordinary lovemaking:
• Consecration
• Sublimation
• Transfiguration
We’ll talk more about these as we go along. But in defining tantric sexuality, there’s
an even more basic component that has to do with the dynamics of lovemaking itself.
Ojas, Orgasm, and Ejaculation

Distraction isn’t the only reason why the ascetic paths recommend celibacy. Yogis also
observed (and you can look into this for yourself) that people, especially men, lose a
lot of energy through sex.
For the men reading this: what happens after you ejaculate? Do you feel fresh,
excited, revved up and ready to go? Or are you more interested in closing your eyes
and passing out for a few minutes?
For women, how do you feel after having a shallow orgasm from your clitoris? How do
you feel during your menstrual cycle?

The yogis recognized a kind of subtle energy, a fundamental life force, that allows our
bodies to live and function. When this energy is depleted, we become weak and
unhealthy, and age faster. Losing our vigor, our sense of joy and inspiration also fades.
This precious energy, named ojas, is strongly associated with sexuality.
Men lose a lot of ojas through ejaculation, which is why they often feel so depleted
after sex. For women, some energy is lost through external orgasm, but the main loss
comes during menstruation. We’ll cover these topics more in the next chapter when
we go in-depth into female orgasm and menstruation, so for the moment let’s focus
on men.
At this point, there’s no more avoiding it. We have to state the most important point,
and if you’re a man, I would recommend first taking a few deep breaths.
Ready? Ok. To practice tantric sexuality, you must learn not to ejaculate.
But before you close this file and run away, tantra has another truth bomb for you:
orgasm and ejaculation are not the same! In fact, orgasm without ejaculation is
infinitely better, for both you and your partner.
Yes, as a man, you can experience oceanic states of deep orgasm that last for far
longer than the little blip on the radar of an ordinary ejaculative orgasm. Waves of
pleasure that build and build, the energy going higher and higher, in blissful union
with your partner as you go together into that divine dissolution.
When you learn to make love without ejaculating, you can make love as long as you
want, matching your female partner’s orgasmic curve. Women usually take much
longer to “warm up” and come to orgasm, so by refraining from ejaculation, you’ll
avoid the common problem of the man finishing when the woman is just getting
started!
Roles of the Masculine and the Feminine

Men and women play complementary roles in tantric sexuality.
As an important parenthesis, this isn’t to say that sacred sexuality is exclusively the
domain of heterosexual couples! Love is love, and although classical tantra developed
very much within a heteronormative context, there is no reason you can’t apply these

teachings with your partner of the same or any gender. Just a few modifications
might be necessary, which you can find later in this text.
Masculinity and femininity do have different expressions and functions, and because
these principles generally correspond with what we call “men” and “women,” I use
these terms here out of convenience. But the reality is beyond gender; more on this in
the next chapter.
In tantric sex, women provide the power. As I mentioned earlier, women are usually
much stronger in the lower chakras, the “battery” of the human being. They are more
naturally connected to Shakti, universal divine energy.
Men, on the other hand, often are much stronger at controlling and directing
energies, the Shiva-principle of consciousness. So, it’s a match made in Heaven! The
tantric woman, with her huge energy and capacity for surrender to the Divine,
channels vast and expansive orgasmic power through her body. The tantric man,
through his unwavering presence and ability to sublimate raw energies, directs all of
this enormous potential into the upper chakras.
With this combination of surrender and sublimation, both partners can experience
internal orgasm, resulting in profound spiritual experiences without any loss of vital
energy.
Sublimation
Sublimation is the key to the alchemy of hatha yoga and tantra.
Simply put, “sublimation” in yoga means to take energy from the lower chakras
(sexual energy, for example, or raw vitality) and move it into the upper chakras, where
instead of expressing in the ordinary mundane way, that same energy becomes fuel
for spiritual awakening.
The early hatha yogis noticed that as humans, we have a lot of energy in our lower
chakras and it’s easy to accumulate even more energy there. But we don’t naturally
have so much energy in our upper chakras, which are associated with higher states of
consciousness, and it’s much harder to gain energy at those levels.
If there was something inherently different or wrong with the lower energies, this
would be a big problem. But every energy is sacred, every energy is a manifestation of
Shakti, and essentially just a different modulation of the same primordial vibration.

So, the obvious solution is to use the energies from the lower chakras to fuel the
higher!
Hatha yoga includes many classical sublimation techniques that we share in our Yoga
Teacher Training and Tantra Teacher Training Course. Uddiyana bandha and the
inverted asanas, for example, are essential practices, staples of any tantric yogi’s daily
practice.
For yogis who engage in sexual practices, these techniques are invaluable because
they teach the control of sexual energy. When this precious life force is lost through
ejaculative orgasms, it’s impossible to reach the deep states of meditation that are
the goal of tantric sexuality.
Instead of discharging their energy through sex, tantric men and women learn to
redirect this enormous potential inwards and upwards. Both men and women
(through different paths) can learn to ride the waves of multi-orgasmic pleasure into
bliss states of union, a union between lovers and with the Divine.
With these tools and understanding, sexual energy isn’t a “problem” anymore, like it is
in so many ascetic approaches to spirituality, but an incredible gift. No energy is a
problem! Some energies are more harmonious, some more challenging; some more
light and refined, some dense and heavy; but all have the same divine essence and the
same potential.
Sometimes the more dense and difficult energies, such as sexual energy or intense
emotions, are the ones that bring the most profound transformation once we learn to
harness them.
Chakras and Sexuality

The chakras: mysterious, esoteric, and so iconic of yoga itself!
This fascinating map of the inner world is fundamental to yoga and tantra. It takes
different forms in different traditions. In Tibetan Buddhism, for example, we find only
five chakras, rather than the system of seven that has become the most well-known,
and which we practice with in AUM Tantra Yoga. Yet the essence is the same.
To give a concise definition, a chakra is a psycho-energetic center resonating with a

specific frequency of universal energy. The chakras cannot be seen or felt with
physical senses, although their energies do govern certain physical organs and

processes. They exist across every level of the subtle body: invisible but very much
real, and possible to perceive through practice.
Experiencing the World of the Elements from Within

The science of chakras and elements is subtle and profound, much more complicated
than I can present in just a few words here, and to fully understand it you must
experience it from the inside. These teachings provide the core of the hatha yoga we
share in our Yoga TTC, as well as many of the techniques in our tantra workshops and
TTC. With consistent practice, you will begin to feel them more clearly and
intimately—not only the chakras but your whole subtle body, with all its nadis (energy
channels) and increasingly refined layers.
Associated with the elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether, plus the principle of
cosmic mind), each chakra is a portal into a complete world. The chakras are mapped
onto the physical body, and through them, we give and receive energies related to
these elements. Going deeper, we can discover the mental and emotional world of
each chakra: specific patterns, beliefs, concerns, a unique perception of self and
reality.
The seven chakras (or rather, six chakras plus sahasrara, a gateway to transcendence
beyond any particular energy) represent both the journey of human evolution, from
the most basic to the most profound, and the complete spectrum of experience that
is already available to us as human beings.
We all have all of the chakras, only some are more easily accessed than others. Most
people live most of the time in the three lower chakras, with ordinary concerns of
survival, social integration, pleasure-seeking, and self-advancement. Yet the domains
of the upper chakras—unconditional love, intuition, wisdom—are also always
available, waiting to be discovered.
Each chakra also has its unique expression in sexuality. Let’s take a look at the chakras
and how sexuality manifests in each of them.
Muladhara
Stability. Vitality. Connection to nature, to the essential life force that enables our
existence in this physical form.

These are the key qualities of the Earth element, and in a human being such as
yourself, they’re expressed through the energy of muladhara chakra, the first chakra
or “root chakra” located at the base of the spine.
Sex in the energy of the root chakra is raw, earthy, and animalistic. It’s very physical
and intense, but not the intensity that flashes bright and then burns out. This is the
type of lovemaking that can last all night!
Your hands are firm and steady on each other. The rhythm is slow and steady, the
thrusts deep, like the earth itself is making love through your bodies…
It’s not about playing games with your partner, just going wild together and letting
your bodies meet according to their deepest primal instincts. If your lovemaking takes
place out in nature, rolling around in the dirt underneath leaves and open sky, so
much the better!
Women naturally have stronger muladhara than men, by a lot. It’s what gives a woman
her incredible orgasmic power (as well as the ability to create a new life in her womb),
but it means a tantric man has to work a lot on his root chakra to keep up with her!
Svadhisthana
Svadhisthana, the sacral chakra, is the home of the Water element and everything
associated with it. Sexuality, yes, but also emotionality, artistic expression, social
connectivity, and much more. It’s an intense energy, not always the easiest to deal
with, but one that we all live with closely on a daily basis.
Svadhisthana is home to sexuality par excellence, sexuality as we understand it in our

human form: this dance of masculine and feminine in its greatest polarity, creativity,
playfulness, fluidity, and the love of pleasure…
Sexuality in svadhisthana is all about pleasure, giving and receiving, from all directions.
It’s the full expression of sensuality, in all the senses: touching but also tasting each
other, enjoying each other’s beauty, enjoying music and sweet smells as part of
making love.
Flirting and playing games with your partner is an expression of svadhisthana. So is

love as romance: infatuation, that sense of sweet intoxication with the other. Take a
walk hand in hand on the beach under the full moon and you’ll know exactly what I’m
talking about.

Manipura
Behind any great accomplishment in this world, you’ll find the power of manipura, the
Fire chakra located at the navel. It’s the spark that gets you moving to embark on new
plans and visions, and the courage to carry forward despite difficulties. “Where
there’s a will there’s a way,” and manipura is the very manifestation of willpower.
The fire of manipura is ultimately a fire of transformation. Just like the digestive
“fire”—the physical expression of manipura—absorbs food and transforms it into
substances and energy for the body, this chakra allows you to turn everything in your
life into fuel for evolution. It governs an alchemical process known in yoga as
sublimation, by which energies from the lower chakras can be moved to the higher
energy centers.
In this way, manipura is like the sacred fire at the heart of a ritual, burning up the
appearance of materiality to reveal all as pure Spirit.
Imagine the movement of a brilliant flamenco dancer: passionate, intense, a brilliant

play of speed and precision in motion.
Now take that image to the bedroom and you can understand sexuality in manipura
chakra.
Sex on manipura is hot and wild. No holds barred, nothing held back. It can get a bit
rough: from scratching, biting, and hairpulling, all the way to full-on BDSM. Manipura
is all about power, so a little kinkiness should be no surprise.
The intensity of third-chakra sex is thrilling and brings some spiciness into the
bedroom!
Anahata
Anahata, the heart chakra, represents the beginning of true spiritual life and also the
ending point, the place from which you live once you’ve already gone to the top of the
mountain and seen the complete view, so to speak.
Related to the Air element, the primary qualities of anahata are very beautiful. They
are the very flowering of human life in harmony and integrity. Love, compassion,
devotion, a softness and openness of the heart that wants only to connect and
support others.

Sex in anahata truly is making love. Endless gentle touch, caressing each other and
lying blissfully in each other’s arms, melting into each other’s eyes—a union of lovers
that becomes sacred, opening into universal love. More than just bodies, it is a
merging of souls, meeting your beloved in the most intimate way.
Vishuddha
Vishuddha stands as the gateway from the personal domain of the lower chakras into
the transcendent, transpersonal realm. Associated with the Ether element (space and
time), a strong activation of vishuddha manifests in a person as a certain purity of
being, the love of silence and solitude, and deep spiritual intuition.
It brings a love of beauty in the most refined sense, as well as a clarity of expression,
especially the transmission of spiritual teachings.
More than just speech, the throat chakra brings the power to speak the truth.
Sexuality in the domain of vishuddha is highly elevated. No longer a meeting of two

individuals, sex becomes a union of archetypes in a deeper plane of reality.
Ajna
Often referred to symbolically as the “third eye,” ajna chakra represents the cosmic
mind, the universal principle of intelligence, a wisdom beyond the limits of the
individual intellect. From the perspective of ajna, you can see clearly and connect all
the dots. Insights and understanding come directly, like a complete download.
Everything makes sense and everything fits together in such a vast web of
interconnectivity it could only have arisen from the mind of God.
A person with strong ajna has an incredible power of concentration. “Single-pointed

concentration”—the capacity to set the mind on a chosen object without wavering for
an extended period—is the hallmark of an activated sixth chakra. This fearsome
power of the mind can accomplish anything, but from a spiritual perspective, its most
valuable function is its capacity for discernment. The vision of ajna pierces to the
essence of things and can distinguish the unreal from the Real. In this capacity, it truly
is the eye of wisdom.
The third eye is the eye that sees beyond duality. Our two physical eyes give a
perception of multiplicity, a world of discrete forms separated from each other and

from the one perceiving them; the vision of ajna chakra sees the underlying unity of
all existence. It is the point where the energetic polarity inherent in human nature
resolves into a simple binary and is ultimately transcended.
If sex in vishuddha was already somewhat abstract, in ajna it is even more so. Now
sexuality is the union of the most fundamental polarity of our being: yin/yang or
feminine/masculine in the most basic level.
To make love at the level of ajna chakra, you might like to sit in the yabyum position:
the man cross-legged or in lotus pose, and the woman in his lap. In this way, with
energy flowing freely upwards, you can go into a deep meditation together.
Sahasrara
The “thousand-petaled lotus” blossoming from the crown of the head represents the
pinnacle of the journey through the chakra system, although sahasrara itself is not a
chakra but a point of totality.
At this level, there is complete transparency, a state of union—the actual meaning of

the word “yoga.” If this sounds very abstract and ungraspable, that’s because it is.
Within the other chakras, we can find different energetic expressions, psychological
structures, traits and tendencies, archetypes, and characteristic perceptions. In
sahasrara, there is nothing to describe and nothing to understand. It’s essentially a
dimension of existence that can only be talked about in the negative. As the Vedantins
do: “neti-neti”, “not this-not that…”
And yet all the energies lead here, all the streams flow into this one ocean.
All duality—even the apparent contrast of consciousness and energy, immanence and
transcendence—resolves into the ecstasy of union, Shiva and Shakti making love in
their eternal dance.
So, at this level, there is no longer sex or sexuality in the way we understand it: only
Oneness.

Chapter 3: Masculine, Feminine, and Oneness
The tantric view fully embraces the world. In this vision, all natural tendencies are not
only accepted but seen as pointers towards the divine Reality.
When considering the human condition, even with this aspiration towards Oneness,
it’s impossible to overlook the most fundamental duality found within our being and,
in fact, in all of the cosmos: masculinity and femininity.
What is the tantric vision of these two universal principles?
Shiva and Shakti: The Fundamental Polarity of

Existence
All of nature expresses a dance of two opposite yet complementary forces. You can
call this root binary “masculine and feminine,” “yin and yang,” “emissive and
receptive,” or however you like, but the fact remains that it is present in all the
universe, in every aspect and at every scale.
Exactly opposed to each other, like mirror images, they are attracted to each other
like opposite poles of a magnet. Their interaction is the power of creation itself.
Back in the first chapter of this text, we encountered the concept of Shiva and Shakti
as Consciousness and Energy, a kind of polarity at the most profound and universal
[2]
level.
We will now explore a different polarity, already within the domain of energy, but in
the tantric tradition, we borrow the same names. While this can lead to confusion, it
indicates a mysterious interweaving of different layers of reality that can be
understood by the heart and by deep intuition, if not by the mind.
Divine Principles of Masculinity and Femininity

Within the universal energies, “Shiva” is the masculine principle and “Shakti” is the
feminine. Not because masculinity is itself pure consciousness and femininity is pure
energy—they are both energy—but because something in the masculine principle

points more towards God as consciousness, the transcendent, while something in the
feminine points more towards God as energy, the immanent aspect of the Divine.
Even the words “masculine” and “feminine” can be misleading. It isn’t that men always
and only express the masculine principle, and women only the feminine. These are
basic elements of reality itself, beyond human gender. Still, a beautiful
correspondence can be observed in human beings, where men generally embody the
masculine aspect with latent or more subtle femininity, and the reverse for women.
Although not absolute,[3] the tantrikas noticed this correspondence and found huge
potential in it, the possibility of using this basic duality to go beyond all duality.
In Hindu tantra, Shakti is the active principle. She is power (the literal meaning of
shakti), creative force, motion, and activity. She is all form, all manifestation, the
entirety of the universe ecstatically whirling around Shiva’s stable central point.
Shiva, by contrast, is open, empty space. He is the void, which allows all manifestation
to take place. He is the silence from which all sound emerges. He does not act or move
at all, but only witnesses, unaffected by anything that arises.
Their relationship is illustrated beautifully by the image of the shivalingam. The base,
in the shape of a yoni,[4] is the expansive manifestation of the universe. The lingam [5]
rises up from it as the vertical central axis.
At a more human level, this is how these cosmic principles are expressed:
Qualities of the feminine (yin)

• Soft and sensitive
• Intuition
• Surrender, going with the flow
• Receptive
• Understands through emotion and empathy
• Constantly changing
• Openness and connection with one’s environment
• Love of beauty, details, and elaboration
Qualities of the masculine (yang)

• Strong and direct
• Emissive (giving energy outwards)
• Clarity and simplicity
• Stability

• Maintaining control
• Understands through logic and rationality
• Unaffected by outside influences
• Looking to cut through to the main point of things
In tantra, we are playing the game of polarity. Tantric women cultivate their
femininity, and tantric men train in masculinity, so that when they come together, it
generates a super-charged inner explosion that carries both partners to the zero
point: pure consciousness.
The farther you go into the poles, the more powerful the reaction when the opposites
unite.
Polarity and Sexuality

Polarity is the spark of sexuality. Without polarity, there is no attraction. This is what
happens sometimes in couples who live together for a long time with no space in their
relationship: their energy fields merge until they almost feel like a single being, and
meanwhile, their sex life dries up!
So, a big part of maintaining a long-term relationship is learning to keep the polarity,
to keep that sense of otherness and attraction alive. You want to always have that
magic between you like you’re meeting your lover again after months apart! (As a
tantric couple of 17 years, we are constantly asked how we do it. Let me assure you, it
doesn’t come without effort and a lot of conscious cultivation, but it is possible! We
share everything we’ve learned about this in our Tantric Relationship workshop.)
Even if you are in a same-sex relationship, polarity is fundamental. You might notice
that between you and your partner, one of you plays a more masculine role while the
other expresses more femininity. Maybe this dynamic is stable or maybe you switch
roles in different situations. One of you might be more yang in daily life but loves to
lay back and surrender in bed, while the one who is usually more soft and sensitive
takes charge! (This happens in heterosexual couples as well.)
From this perspective, there is a special beauty in homosexual relationships because

they demonstrate how attraction really is a play of universal forces, beyond any
circumstance of biology.
So, the tantric path runs through this exploration of masculinity and femininity. To
keep the balance, remember to bring awareness also to the side of yourself which is
not expressed in your gender. If you look at experienced tantric women, you’ll notice

that while they are extremely open and embody a beautiful, deep femininity, they are
strong as iron at their core. Tantric men, while incredibly vertical and powerful, also
are not afraid to show their sensitive side, a love of pleasure and beauty. Like the yin-
yang symbol, a touch of black in the white and white in the black, this embrace of both
extremes allows you to go fully into the expression of your own polarity while staying
centered and complete within yourself.
Divine Femininity
What does it mean to be a woman?
Are you the “weaker sex,” just a smaller, more emotional version of a man?
Are you defined by your trendy clothes or your “perfect” size 2 figure?
Or is there something more?
From a tantric perspective, the answer is a resounding yes! Unlike most religions and
ascetic spiritual paths, in tantra, femininity is honored and embraced—worshipped,
even. As a woman, you are a living incarnation of Shakti, the great Goddess.
Femininity is a sacred mystery, which can take you into the heart of the mystery of life
itself. As tantric women, we celebrate our femininity in all its expressions. This brings
a profound change in perspective, especially around our sexuality. We can tap into the
incredible power of female pleasure, which was repressed for so many centuries.
Female Orgasm: The Gift of the Goddess

The first thing to say about female orgasm is that female orgasm is many different
things! Like Shakti with her 1008 faces, there are so many different forms that female
pleasure can take. So much variation, subtlety, almost infinite combinations of
different facets and aspects of pleasure… No matter how many times you make love,
you will never have the same orgasm twice.
We can describe types of orgasm according to what part of the body is mainly
involved, although of course one of the most beautiful aspects of female pleasure is
that it is ultimately a full-body experience!

Even more basic, we can talk about two main categories of orgasm: explosive or
implosive. (These apply to men too, only that unless they have tantric training, most
men will only ever experience explosive orgasm.)
What’s the Difference between Explosive and

Implosive Orgasm?
Explosive orgasm involves a loss of energy. These orgasms will take a shape more like a
man’s: rising quickly to climax, then a sharp peak and abruptly after a drop in energy.
After an explosive orgasm, you might feel depleted or oversensitive, generally losing
interest in more sex. Orgasms from the clitoris, the vaginal entrance, or the anus are
usually explosive.
Implosive orgasm channels the energy inwards and upwards. You experience waves of
pleasure, building and building, reaching a kind of plateau where it seems like the bliss
could go on forever, taking you deeper and deeper into pure love and complete
openness…
Coming from the interior of the vagina, the G-spot, or the cervix, this is the type of
orgasm treasured by tantric practitioners. It is the mystical orgasm, pleasure that
leads to divine ecstasy. An implosive orgasm naturally sublimates the energy and
takes you into a profound meditative state. With awareness and intention, this
experience can dissolve your ego into the ocean of bliss that is your true nature.
Female orgasm, especially these deeper forms, can’t be grasped at or forced. The
more you try to make it happen, the more it will evade you. The answer is to
surrender, to be present and relaxed, and allow the experience to unfold from within.
Allow Shakti to dance through you.
All Women Are Multi-Orgasmic Women

Many women struggle to reach orgasm at all, let alone these expansive orgasmic
states. But let me tell you once and for all: every woman can become multi-orgasmic!
It is a gift that Mother Nature has granted us, each and every one. For some, it comes
more easily than others, but for none of us is it out of reach. Trauma, shame, mental
rigidity, or a fear of letting go can block us, sometimes for a long time. But with
practice and healing, learning to drop these contractions and fully embody our

feminine birthright, our gift of pleasure and the incredible orgasmic power contained
within our beautiful bodies, every single woman can have this experience.
Menstruation
Menstruation is another topic where the tantric view sharply diverges from the
common perspective.
In most cultures, menstruation is considered an annoyance at best, and held taboo in

many traditional societies. Even in our supposedly advanced modern culture, we don’t
really know how to talk about it, much less approach it in a conscious and empowering
way.
As women, everything we know about menstruation is about covering it up. Use

products to absorb the blood and dispose of it without a second thought. Take aspirin
to relieve your cramps so you can go back to work as normal. Take birth control pills
that will suppress your hormones and get rid of this monthly inconvenience
completely.
The problem is that if we ignore or suppress this natural expression of our female
bodies, we lose contact with our deeper femininity. We lose connection with the side
of ourselves that is soft, vulnerable, and receptive, but also incredibly powerful and
uncontrollable: our own force of nature.
Regaining Your Mysterious Feminine Power

In tantra, we take a two-pronged approach to menstruation.
On the one hand, we honor the time of menstruation as a manifestation of Shakti, the
great Goddess. Days on our “moon” can become a kind of retreat, an opportunity to
interiorize, opening to the divine force within us and all the grace it bestows.
On the other, we recognize that menstrual bleeding is the primary way in which
women lose ojas, precious life force, similar to how men lose energy through
ejaculation. So female tantrikas practice retaining ojas by reducing their bleeding as
much as they can. This happens through a combination of yoga techniques to
sublimate the energy plus careful diet and a lot of rest around the time of
menstruation.

For both aspects, the first step in the journey is always to become more familiar with
ourselves and this process which, although it happens every month, for many women
remains deeply mysterious.
Divine Masculinity
In today’s world, it’s easy to find examples of toxic masculinity. And it’s easy to see
where the masculine principle is weak, distorted, or absent altogether. Finding
examples of strong, healthy, empowered masculinity is more of a challenge.
Men today lack a sense of sacred brotherhood and ritual initiations or rites of passage
into manhood, which were once integral to boys’ development. Cut off from nature
and the challenges that once gave meaning to life as a man, so many of us are floating
in a kind of extended adolescence, chasing after satisfaction in pornography and
shallow relationships instead of stepping into our true power.
The masculine principle is the one that uplifts and holds space. It is the protector, the
leader, the provider. Now it’s more important than ever to come into contact with this
strong, pure masculinity, which is so needed to restore balance to the world.
Tantric masculinity is very much about cultivating this sacred power. It’s about
learning to remain absolutely present and aware no matter what arises. It’s about
gaining control of your own energies. It’s about transcending all your limitations,
putting your heart on the line, and going for the truth no matter what.
Tantra and Sacred Sexuality for Homosexual Couples

So far, we’ve had a lot of talk about masculinity and femininity, Shiva and Shakti… So,
if you are not interested in heterosexual partnership or don’t align yourself with
conventional gender, you might be asking, is tantra for me?
Fortunately, tantra transcends all human conventions, and people of all orientations
can benefit from its wisdom.
The spark that ignites the sexual charge is nothing else but a kind of electricity
generated by male and female polarity. This is a universal law, like the force of gravity,
and cannot be questioned.

It is clear that masculine and feminine are present in each of us, either expressed or in
latent form. You can be born in a woman’s body and manifest this energy outside
while keeping your masculine side latent, or vice versa. The factors that determine
which polarity we naturally express are manifold, linked to our relationship with
parents and education, to social culture, to what we experience in life, and probably
also linked to karma. What cannot be denied is that both polarities, male and female,
are contained in the psychic apparatus of each of us.
Even in homosexual sexuality, the spark is born between masculine and feminine
energy. This is an inescapable universal law. If there were no such polarity, there
would be no fuse that frees this powerful energy which is sexuality. It is clear that if
there is sexual attraction between two men or two women, one of the partners is
expressing his feminine aspect and the other the masculine.
Traditional tantric teachings offer little guidance for homosexual couples. But in this
day and age, when “alternative” sexuality is increasingly accepted and celebrated,
many queer couples are also seeking ways to discover sacredness through intimacy.
To support our students, we did some research with our gay and lesbian friends, as
well as the Taoist teachings shared by Mantak Chia, to fill in this gap in the tantric
tradition.
The essence of it is about bringing a balance of the polarities, since the main
challenge for homosexual couples is falling both into the same extreme. Gay men can
cultivate yin energy, as well as take care not to lose energy through ejaculation, while
women cultivate more yang energy.
Besides some technical details, the most important thing is always love, and that can
come in any form.
Growing through Relationship

Can relationships become a part of the spiritual path?
Sexuality itself, as we’ve seen, can become a profound spiritual path. But sexuality
can’t be split from relationships, although in today’s hook-up culture, it seems like
many people are trying to do exactly that.
Maintaining a healthy long-term relationship is a practice in itself. It requires vision,

the courage to be vulnerable and authentic with another person, and a whole lot of
work.

Keep Your Eyes on the Goal
The single most important factor, the one thing which can make all the difference, is
that in a tantric relationship, it’s never just you and your partner.
You are primarily in a relationship with God! Or the universe, life itself, your own
heart—whatever you want to call it. The point is, spiritual evolution is always first
priority, and your relationship is here to support that.
Having a higher goal not only takes unhealthy pressure off the relationship—you’re
no longer depending on your partner to provide happiness and fulfillment—it brings a
deeper meaning and sense of purpose that helps you to go beyond the challenges of
life in partnership.
When two people are together on the spiritual path, their relationship can become an
incredible vehicle for growth. Yet even if only one person has this intention, still it is
an opportunity to learn unconditional love, intimacy, and authenticity.
Cultivate the Polarity between You and Your Partner

Another key factor is to cultivate the polarity. As mentioned earlier, when couples
spend all their time together, the polarity is lost. You might feel suffocated in the
relationship rather than inspired. Better for each partner to maintain their own life
and identity, to take time apart so they can come back together with renewed passion
and appreciation for the other.
Take Responsibility for Your Own Growth

Finally, it’s always a good idea to work on yourself. Don’t rely on your partner to “fix”
you! Stay strong in your own spiritual practice, plus any psychological healing work
that you might need, so you can relate authentically to your partner: heart to heart,
rather than mask to mask.

Chapter 4: Sacred Practices
Three Pillars of Tantric Sexuality

By now, I hope it’s clear that tantra is about much more than fancy sex positions and
hour-long orgasms, or even mastery of the energies. Pleasure and energetic control
are important, definitely. But the most relevant, if you are interested in tantra and not
just good sex, is to put all of those in service to your spiritual aspiration.
I mentioned earlier the three pillars of tantric sexuality as we teach in AUM Tantra
Yoga. These are very much pointing to this goal. Beyond the technicalities, it is about
opening to sacredness, recognizing your own divine nature through the very potent
and beautiful lens of sexuality.
Consecration
Every tantric ritual or practice begins with a consecration, which is an act of offering
all the results of that practice to the highest principle in the universe. It can be done
with words or as a simple intention, coming from the purity of the heart.
There’s a reason why tantrikas used to refer to their practice as “riding the tiger:” it’s
all too easy to get lost in pleasure and identification with strong energies and end up
torn to pieces! Or at least making a big mess in your life and the lives of other people.
So pure intention becomes all-important. Ultimately, what distinguishes tantric

lovemaking from “ordinary” sexuality is the motivation behind it. When you make
love, are you primarily interested in pleasure, human connection, emotional release,
or something else within this personal domain? Or are you making love with your
lover so you can make love with God?
Consecration is not a magic formula that will prevent any selfishness or protect you
from the result of selfish actions. But coming back to it, again and again, will purify
your intentions until your heart is crying out to offer itself in love and devotion.

Sublimation
This was already discussed at length in the previous chapter, “Yoga and Sexuality.” I
will emphasize now only that while sublimation can at first seem very technical and
cumbersome to integrate into lovemaking, with patience and perseverance this
aspect of the practice brings extremely profound transformations, in sexuality and life
in general.
From a movement of the energies, it becomes an elevation of consciousness, allowing

you to involve every aspect of your being in the spiritual path.
Transfiguration
Transfiguration as a tantric ritual has now become widely known. Even in neo-tantra
settings, you’ll often see some form of it, usually reduced to a simple eye-gazing
exercise. The traditional practice is more profound: a meeting of Shiva and Shakti,
going beyond the limitations of body and personality to perceive the divine reality
within another human being and within yourself.
Beyond any formal ritual, transfiguration is an attitude that can infuse your entire life.
It is an availability to see the Divine in everything, the beauty and grace in every form.
This vision requires, in a divine paradox, the capacity to see beyond form. To see
Shakti, the sacredness of all manifestation, you must also see Shiva, the transcendent
consciousness beyond any manifestation.
The tantric “eyes open” approach to spirituality allows for this merging, embracing
both form and formlessness, manifest and unmanifest, transcendent and immanent,
as one and the same, inseparable aspects of a single unified Reality.
Developing Your Own Practice

As a blossoming tantrika, your practice and your path is in your own hands. No one can
do the work for you. As much as we encourage our students to keep coming to
courses and workshops, what makes all the difference is developing a strong
foundation of practice on your own, so you keep growing and transforming.
This foundation consists of hatha yoga and meditation, ideally on a daily basis. Trying
to practice tantra without a solid base of yoga and meditation is like running the
Kentucky Derby without a horse: unlikely to get very far!

In general, a little bit every day is better than a lot inconsistently. Find out by
experimentation how much you can manage. Even if it’s only half an hour of
meditation every day, this will build up over time.
Keep the yamas and niyamas, the moral foundation of yoga and tantra.
Whenever you can, take time in a spiritual community or in solitude to reconnect with
the core teachings.
Most importantly, as we are on the tantric path, begin to honor the Divine in every
aspect of your life. There really is no separation, beyond the stories and illusions of
the mind. Everything is sacred, everything is God, whenever you open your eyes to see
it.
NOTES
[1]
The other four are ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing), and aparigraha
(non-grasping). We cover these in depth in our Hatha Yoga Teacher Training Course.
[2]
Of course, talking about polarity with consciousness is already missing the point, since pure
consciousness is beyond any polarity: duality exists only in the level of manifestation, between
energies. Still, this image can help in understanding, and it is very dear to the tantrikas, who
approached reality as a divine erotic play between these two principles.
[3]
Buddhist tantra also works with polarity but with reversed correspondences. For them, the feminine
principle is prajna, the field of transcendent wisdom, while the masculine is bodhichitta, active
compassion. In fact, both perspectives work. There are many ways to slice the cake of reality!
[4]
Sanskrit term for the vagina or womb, literally meaning “source” or “sacred temple.”
[5]
Sanskrit term for the penis as a pillar of light.

AKNOWLEDGEMENT
Thanks to Tasha Friedman for her deep work on writing and editing of this text.
Deep gratitude to the Great Masters of the Tantrik Tradition for their endless
inspiration.
Visit our website for the lates offerings:
www.aumtantrayoga.com


Guide To The Authentic Path of Tantra

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Guide To The Authentic Path of Tantra

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Guide To The Authentic Path of Tantra

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Guide to the

CAN SEX LEAD TO ENLIGHTENMENT? .................................................................................................................... 5

TANTRIC METAPHYSICS: A RADICAL NON-DUALITY ............................................................................................... 7

THE DANCE OF FORM AND FORMLESSNESS ........................................................................................................... 7

BEYOND THE ILLUSION OF SEPARATION ................................................................................................................ 8

TANTRA AND ASCETICISM ..................................................................................................................................... 9

THE HISTORY OF TANTRA: ANCIENT ROOTS, MODERN PRACTICE ....................................................................... 10

BRANCHES OF TANTRA ........................................................................................................................................ 10

KASHMIR SHAIVISM: THE JEWEL OF NORTHERN INDIA ........................................................................................ 11

TRADITIONAL ELEMENTS OF TANTRIC SADHANA ................................................................................................. 12

CLASSICAL TANTRA VS. NEO-TANTRA .................................................................................................................. 13

WHAT IS TANTRIC SEXUALITY? ............................................................................................................................ 15

BRAHMACHARYA: A SACRED APPROACH TO SEXUALITY ..................................................................................... 15

OJAS, ORGASM, AND EJACULATION .................................................................................................................... 16

ROLES OF THE MASCULINE AND THE FEMININE ................................................................................................... 17

CHAKRAS AND SEXUALITY ................................................................................................................................... 19

EXPERIENCING THE WORLD OF THE ELEMENTS FROM WITHIN ............................................................................ 20

Copiright© 2022 All right reserved Aum Tantra Yoga 2

SHIVA AND SHAKTI: THE FUNDAMENTAL POLARITY OF EXISTENCE ..................................................................... 26

DIVINE PRINCIPLES OF MASCULINITY AND FEMININITY ....................................................................................... 26

POLARITY AND SEXUALITY ................................................................................................................................... 28

DIVINE FEMININITY .............................................................................................................................................. 29

FEMALE ORGASM: THE GIFT OF THE GODDESS .................................................................................................... 29

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EXPLOSIVE AND IMPLOSIVE ORGASM? ....................................................... 30

ALL WOMEN ARE MULTI-ORGASMIC WOMEN ..................................................................................................... 30

REGAINING YOUR MYSTERIOUS FEMININE POWER ............................................................................................. 31

TANTRA AND SACRED SEXUALITY FOR HOMOSEXUAL COUPLES .......................................................................... 32

GROWING THROUGH RELATIONSHIP ................................................................................................................... 33

KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE GOAL............................................................................................................................ 34

Copiright© 2022 All right reserved Aum Tantra Yoga 3

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN GROWTH ................................................................................................ 34

THREE PILLARS OF TANTRIC SEXUALITY ............................................................................................................... 36

DEVELOPING YOUR OWN PRACTICE .................................................................................................................... 37

Copiright© 2022 All right reserved Aum Tantra Yoga 4

Tantra is first of all a philosophical approach to existence.

Can Sex Lead to Enlightenment?

Nothing less than that!

Copiright© 2022 All right reserved Aum Tantra Yoga 5

Copiright© 2022 All right reserved Aum Tantra Yoga 6

Tantric Metaphysics: A Radical Non-Duality

Then, who is this “you” who is perceiving?

The Dance of Form and Formlessness

Copiright© 2022 All right reserved Aum Tantra Yoga 7

Beyond the Illusion of Separation

Copiright© 2022 All right reserved Aum Tantra Yoga 8

Tantra and Asceticism

Copiright© 2022 All right reserved Aum Tantra Yoga 9

The History of Tantra: Ancient Roots, Modern Practice

Copiright© 2022 All right reserved Aum Tantra Yoga 10

Kashmir Shaivism: The Jewel of Northern India

The four major schools of Kashmir Shaivism—Spanda, Pratyabhijna, Krama, and

Copiright© 2022 All right reserved Aum Tantra Yoga 11

Traditional Elements of Tantric Sadhana

Tantric practice is distinguished by a few defining features.

Copiright© 2022 All right reserved Aum Tantra Yoga 12

Classical Tantra vs. Neo-Tantra

Neo-tantra is usually quite shallow, lacking a strong metaphysical foundation or clear

Copiright© 2022 All right reserved Aum Tantra Yoga 13

Kashmir Shaivism yantra