What Is Tantric Meditation?
Tantric Meditation: What Does It Involve? This is a technique that blends movement, breathing, meditation, and music in order to aid us in opening the chakras that are contained inside us. When the chakras are opened, they make it possible for energy to move unimpeded across the system of seven chakras.
What is the concept of tantric meditation?
Tantra is as misunderstood in the West, where it has become synonymous with sexual rites, as it is in the East, where it is regarded magic alchemy. This is because both regions misinterpret the meaning of the term. Tantra, on the other hand, is a broad scientific field that incorporates knowledge from a variety of other Vedic disciplines, including Ayurvedic medicine, Samkhya/Yoga philosophy, Vedanta, Jyotish astrology, and spiritual activities that make use of yantras and mantras.
- Tantra’s ultimate objective is to enable its practitioners live lives that are fuller, more satisfying, and more meaningful by the methodical use of as many different techniques as possible in order to hasten the process of change.
- The removal of any and all impediments to one’s independence in the quickest and most efficient manner possible is the primary emphasis of this system.
Its primary objective is to provide the appropriate strategy and particular methods for achieving this end. “Tibetan Buddhism, the philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism, and shakti sadhana (worship and practices centered on the Divine Mother) are all examples of the diverse faces that Tantra can take,” says Sandra Anderson, a senior faculty member at the Himalayan Institute.
- “[T]he term ‘Tantra’ encompasses a wide range of practices and beliefs.
- ” Tantra can be practiced in one of three distinct ways: the Kaula route, which is predicated on performing rituals in the external world; the Mishra path, which combines internal and exterior activities; and the Samaya path, which is focused only on practicing meditation inwardly.
In the end, the practice of Samaya Tantra is more akin to a profound contact with Shakti, the cosmic creative power, than it is to worship in the traditional sense. Yantras, which are geometrical shapes, and mantras, which are vibrating sounds, provide a space in which the shaktis, or universal powers, can materialize in both our inner and outward life.
Chapter 3 of the Yoga Sutras contains Patanjali’s teachings on Tantric alchemy. You may find them there. In its most basic form, Tantra may be understood to mean “to extend beyond constraints.” Its doctrine acknowledges the fact that every force, or shakti, in the cosmos may be found in a single person: tatha brahmande, yatha pindande (“As in the macrocosm, so in the microcosm”).
Tantra considers the human body to be the ultimate yantra, and it is through the practice of asana, pranayama, bandhas, mudras, and mantra that we may awaken our self-realization potential, also known as kundalini shakti, which refers to the tremendous forces that lie latent inside us.
- The practitioner awakens the latent kundalini by harnessing prana shakti, the creative lifeforce, and guiding it through the seven chakras while it rides the river of the central channel to the crown, where it can merge with pure awareness.
- This “waking” ushers in a profound and unexplainable joy that exists beyond of time, place, and the chain of events that led up to it.
We experience a sense of empowerment, healing, and fulfillment. Tantric meditation, on the other hand, would make use of a wide variety of tools and methods to assist us in “through the veil” that obscures our awareness of boundless potential in the simplest and most efficient manner possible.
- One’s capacity to stabilize the pelvic floor, strengthen the sacrum, and promote flexibility and stability in the spinal column may be improved by performing even the most basic of asanas.
- The purpose of pranayama is to refuel the brain and neurological system by energizing the solar plexus, entering the center of the heart, and entering the center of the eyebrows, also known as the third eye.
After that, one is able to participate in the samyamas, which are Dharana, which means concentration, Dhyana, which means meditation, and Samadhi, which means union or merging with the infinite. If you want to have a direct experience, you should check out the guided Tantric meditations that I offer on this platform: Tantric Meditation for Clarity and Wisdom – The third eye, also known as the ajna chakra, is the spiritual center in which clarity and wisdom are housed.
- Combining specific breathing exercises (known as pranayama), chanting, specific visualizations (known as kriya), and vibrating sounds (known as mantra) in order to enter Turya, the fourth dimension, access the knowledge of the third eye, and rest in a pool of calm, easy awareness.
- Clearing Difficult Emotions Through the Practice of Tantric Meditation – Tantra is a meditation practice that focuses on the alchemy of change.
During this heart-centered meditation, you will work on transforming challenging emotions by focusing on your breath, visualizing the flow and color of energy, and meditating. Tantric Meditation as a Tool for Personal Development – Make a connection to the creative powers of will, strength, and determination that reside in your manipura (third chakra), also known as the city of jewels, by employing breathing methods, visualizing, concentrating prana at the center of the navel, and reciting mantra.
Tantric Meditation to Awaken Sushumna – One definition of a yogi is “one whose prana,” which is another word for energy. Tantric meditation is used to awaken sushumna. Through the use of breath, chanting AUM several times, visualization, and meditation, one may connect to the energy channel known as sushumna in the spinal column, therefore paving the route for Kundalini to ascend.
By Inge Sengelmann Somatic psychotherapist and certified ParaYoga instructor Inge Sengelmann was initiated in the Himalayan Tantric lineage of Sri Vidya. She practices in the tradition of Sri Vidya. The practices of yoga, meditation, and tantra are centuries old, but ParaYoga maintains a vital connection to them.
What are tantric beliefs?
Tantric Meditation Explanation – What is Tantric Meditation?
The Tantras Tantra is a school of thought practiced in both Buddhism and Hinduism that acknowledges all parts of the material universe to be imbued with the divine force of the feminine. Tantras are sacred instructional books that began to be authored around about the sixth century and continued to be written down after that.
Many people describe practices that violate social and religious norms that are considered to be mainstream within the religions of Buddhism and Hinduism. Tantras can be divided into two categories: those that describe sexual rites and those that do not. These are able to be interpreted literally as well as figuratively.
If followed to their logical conclusion, a couple takes on the role of deities when they engage in sexual activity, with the woman frequently serving as the object of adoration. When understood metaphorically, a practitioner visualizes this union occurring within their own body, with the deities representing characteristics like as wisdom and compassion in place of the literal human counterparts.
- The ancient Sanskrit Tantra that is depicted here makes a recommendation for the union of the “thunderbolt” and the “lotus,” both of which can be interpreted as the phallus and the vulva, respectively.
- One of the leaves from the Vajramrita Tantra (Nectar of the Thunderbolt Tantra).
- Palm leaf, Nepal, 1162.
referred to as the library of Cambridge University. The Tantras were originally translated into English in the 19th century, during the time that India was ruled by the British. During this time, many Christian missionaries, Orientalist professors, and colonial authorities misread the Tantras in an overly simplistic manner.
What does tantra literally mean?
Tantra’s etymology may be traced back to the Sanskrit word, which literally means “loom, warp, weave.” Tan is a verbal root that can indicate “to stretch,” “to spread,” “to spin out,” “to weave,” “show,” “put out,” and “assemble,” according to Padoux.
- As a result, depending on the context, it may also refer to a “work,” “system,” or “doctrine.” It was during the time of European colonialism that the term “tantra” came to be associated with the meaning of an esoteric practice or religious ritualism.
- According to Ron Barrett, the origin of this phrase is rooted in the metaphor of weaving, and the root tan in Sanskrit refers to the process of winding threads onto a loom.
The “interweaving of traditions and teachings like threads” into a book, technique, or practice is what this term refers to. The hymns of the Rigveda contain occurrences of this term, which has the connotation of “warp (weaving),” as seen for example in 10.71.
- It is mentioned in a great number of other books that date back to the Vedic period, such as the Brahmanas and section 10.7.42 of the Atharvaveda.
- Tantra is defined as the “primary or key portion, major idea, model, structure, or characteristic” in these post-Vedic literature as well as in the Vedic scriptures themselves.
The phrase can imply “doctrine, rule, theory, method, technique, or chapter” in the Smritis and epics of Hinduism (as well as Jainism). The word appears both as a single word and as a common suffix, such as atma-tantra, which means “doctrine or theory of Atman (Self)”.
- After approximately 500 BCE, the term “Tantra” came to be used in Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism as a bibliographic category, similar to how the word “Sutra” was used (which means “sewing together”, mirroring the metaphor of “weaving together” in Tantra ).
- Tantras and sutras are both terms that can be used to refer to the same Buddhist scriptures; for instance, the Vairocabhisambodhi-tantra can also be referred to as the Vairocabhisambodhi-sutra.
The attached table provides a summary of the many contextual interpretations of the word Tantra, which can have a variety of meanings depending on the Indian source.
| Period | Text or author | Contextual meaning of tantra |
|---|---|---|
| 1700–1100 BCE | Ṛigveda X, 71.9 | Loom (or weaving device) |
| 1700-? BCE | Sāmaveda , Tandya Brahmana | Essence (or “main part”, perhaps denoting the quintessence of the Sastras ) |
| 1200-900 BCE | Atharvaveda X, 7.42 | Loom (or weaving) |
| 1400-1000 BCE | Yajurveda , Taittiriya Brahmana 11.5.5.3 | Loom (or weaving) |
| 600-500 BCE | Pāṇini in Aṣṭādhyāyī 1.4.54 and 5.2.70 | Warp (weaving), loom |
| pre-500 BCE | Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa | Essence (or main part; see above) |
| 350-283 BCE | Chanakya on Arthaśāstra | Science; system or shastra |
| 300 CE | Īśvarakṛṣṇa author of Sānkhya Kārikā ( kārikā 70) | Doctrine (identifies Sankhya as a tantra ) |
| 320 CE | Viṣṇu Purāṇa | Practices and rituals |
| 320-400 CE | Poet Kālidāsa on Abhijñānaśākuntalam | Deep understanding or mastery of a topic |
| 423 | Gangdhar stone inscription in Rajasthan | Worship techniques ( Tantrodbhuta ) Dubious link to Tantric practices. |
| 550 | Sabarasvamin’s commentary on Mimamsa Sutra 11.1.1, 11.4.1 etc. | Thread, text; beneficial action or thing |
| 500-600 | Chinese Buddhist canon (Vol.18–21: Tantra (Vajrayāna) or Tantric Buddhism | Set of doctrines or practices |
| 600 | Kāmikāgama or Kāmikā-tantra | Extensive knowledge of principles of reality |
| 606–647 | Sanskrit scholar and poet Bāṇabhaṭṭa (in Harṣacarita and in Kādambari ), in Bhāsa ‘s Cārudatta and in Śūdraka ‘s Mṛcchakatika | Set of sites and worship methods to goddesses or Matrikas . |
| 975–1025 | Philosopher Abhinavagupta in his Tantrāloka | Set of doctrines or practices, teachings, texts, system (sometimes called Agamas ) |
| 1150–1200 | Jayaratha, Abhinavagupta ‘s commentator on Tantrāloka | Set of doctrines or practices, teachings |
| 1690–1785 | Bhaskararaya (philosopher) | System of thought or set of doctrines or practices, a canon |
What is a female Tantric called?
A female master practitioner of tantra and yoga, a Yogini (Sanskrit:, IAST: yogin) is also a formal title of respect for female Buddhist or Hindu spiritual instructors in Greater Tibet, Southeast Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Yogini comes from the Sanskrit word yogin, which translates to “yogin.” While the term ” yogin ” IPA: can be used to refer to either a male or female practitioner of yoga, the term ” yogin ” is the feminine form of the Sanskrit word for the male yogi.
Who is the God of tantra?
The divine embodiment of Tantra. The Great Goddess, also known as Devi or the Shining One, is at the heart of Hindu tantra, serving as both the highest goddess and the Divine Mother. Tantric writings believe that only the Goddess is able to bestow both mukti and bhukti, which are two different types of liberation.
How many types of Tantras are there?
Tantric Instruction in the Hindu Tradition – Two Sanskrit terms, tanoti (which means expansion) and rayati, are joined together to form the word tantra. The Sanskrit name for this process is sandhi (liberation). Tantra is the practice of releasing energies and expanding one’s consciousness beyond their physical forms.
- It is a strategy for broadening one’s mental horizons and unlocking latent potential energy, and the concepts that underlie it constitute the foundation of all yogic activities.
- Therefore, the writings of Hindu Tantra allude to procedures that can be used to accomplish a goal.
- The Hindu Tantras consist of a total of 92 scriptures; of these, 64 are purely Abheda (literally “without differentiation,” or monistic), also known as the Bhairava Tantras or Kashmir aivite Tantras; 18 are Bhedbheda (literally “with differentiation and without differentiation,” monistic or dualistic); and 10 are completely Bheda (literally “differentiated,” or dualistic), also known as the Rudra Tantras Because the latter two (the Rudra Tantras and the ‘iva Tantras) are utilized by the ‘aiva Siddhantins, they are often referred to as Shaiva Siddhanta Tantras, or ‘aiva Siddhanta ‘gamas.
Tantric is regarded as the most advanced kind of yoga in India. In a similar vein, only a select few individuals are in on Aghora’s numerous well-guarded secrets. According to Hindu belief, Aghora is one of Lord Shiva’s many incarnations. Tantra may be broken down into two primary categories: agama and nigama.
What does a tantric practitioner do?
Image courtesy of Justin Pumfrey/Getty Images Rachel believes that having positive sexual energy in one’s life is beneficial for both the individual and those in their immediate environment. My friends have taken to referring to her as their “sexual doula,” and I’ve come to her flat in the West Village, which also serves as her place of business, to learn more about what that term entails.
- Tantric massage is Rachel’s area of expertise; she is originally from the West Coast and with a degree in psychology.
- According to her own words, “the purpose of my work is to assist other individuals in realizing their full potential for happiness.” It’s basically sexual activity, but with a therapeutic slant to it.
Her clients come to her with a wide variety of objectives, ranging from gaining a greater understanding of their sexuality to recovering from the aftereffects of sexual abuse. Rachel is stunning and full of life, but she also gives off the impression that she does not quite belong in this world.
When you first meet her, it’s not hard to see how both men and women may feel comfortable allowing her to massage their bare bodies and genital areas. However, because I’m not quite at that point yet, I ask her to walk me through the fundamentals of what it’s like to work with her. “I begin the sessions with energy work,” which, since she is also a master of Reiki, “brings clients’ emotions to the surface,” as she explains: “I start the sessions with energy work.” Following that, she will begin the “holy place” massage, which focuses on the prostate or G-spot.
Rachel will often be wearing see-through lingerie while the customer is nude in front of her. In addition to this, she always wears gloves because it is impossible to predict certain situations. “Every man will show up. The sexuality of women is associated with a greater amount of guilt and conditioning.
We’re puzzles. Some women are unable to feel, they have become numb, or they are under the impression that they are not handling it well. However, none of the objectives will be met. It is not so much about coming as it is about how one feels.” Whether or whether the service has an orgasmic component, customers are ready to spend $375 an hour for the opportunity.
Tantric massage places an emphasis on activating the nerves that are found in an individual’s sex organs in order to establish new pathways of feeling that go to the brain. Rachel claims that a lot of different things can take place during a tantric session.
- “In most cases, it is necessary to clear any obstructions in the person’s body in order to make room for an increased amount of sexual energy to pass through.
- People are able to be happier, more self-expressive, more in their zone of genius, more alive and turned on as a result of this, and it frees them up to do so.” She continues by saying that “sometimes darkness comes out, tears or wrath,” but that “the beauty of tantra is that you can allow the body to access the pain of trauma in a safe way, allowing it to emerge in a safe container, and then be changed through the magic of the orgasm.” Rachel claims that she has always had a profound interest in her own sexuality as well as the sexual relationships that exist between others, which is why she was drawn to the practice.
“My very first client sobbed after they arrived for their tantric session, and I made sure to comfort them in their state of vulnerability. I had no idea that throughout my life I had been searching for anything that was just like this.” Her customers consist of people from all walks of life, including those who work nine to five, housewives, physicians, and creative types.
- They can only find her by word of mouth.
- After going through a divorce, Sara, a successful lawyer in her 50s, began dating Rachel.
- “My spouse was very good at putting me down and putting me in my place by making fun of my sexuality.
- Therefore, the thought kept running through my thoughts, “I suck in bed, and I suck at sex.” After scheduling a session with Rachel, I had no idea what to anticipate, but she was really helpful, giving, and open.
She emphasized to me that the barrier I was experiencing wasn’t related to my sexuality but rather to my voice instead. Since then, I’ve managed to get beyond a difficult obstacle. My sense of buoyancy and independence are both directly attributable to the work that she has done.
- I’m more giggly.” All of her customers believed that the sessions were essential to their progress in whatever it was that they were doing, even if none of them could claim that the sessions had totally healed whatever ailed them.
- The testimonies from female customers who have been the victims of sexual assault were among the most powerful ones I’ve ever heard.
“These ladies are really pleased to have a secure environment in which they may talk to someone about their experience and let go of the shame, guilt, and suffering that are associated with their traumatic past. I’ve seen a lot of people have emotional breakthroughs and release of pent-up emotions “According to Rachel.
- Tess, a woman in her 40s who works in the health care industry, started visiting Rachel so that she could continue working through the sexual abuse that she suffered as a kid.
- Rachel is a therapist.
- “I had the impression that I had previously addressed it in treatment.
- But despite my best efforts, I was unable to derive genuine pleasure from sexual activity or anything else associated with it.” Tess reports that since she started visiting Rachel every three or four weeks, she has become significantly more at ease with her body and is more responsive to being touched.
“It is the most successful energy work that I have ever done, and it is a crucial element of the balance of mental and spiritual therapy that I use.” Rachel has been reticent to talk about what she works outside of her close network because she is concerned about the reaction of her family as well as the legal repercussions that may result from making her job public.
- The exchange of money for sexual contact is against the law in the state of New York, despite the fact that she had the best of intentions.
- “There is a great deal of gloom connected with this activity, and the patriarchy does not really have positive views regarding the sexuality of individuals.
- There is a significant amount of evaluation, “she explains.
Rachel received her formal certification as a tantric masseuse from a tantra school in California in the month of July. In the future, she plans to write about her experiences as a tantric masseuse and teach workshops with her partner. Despite the fact that she is aware that she would have to deal with the emotions of her family and that she will need to continue to maintain her discretion, she believes that this is the job that she was destined to have. 
What is the difference between yoga and tantra?
‘The most important distinction between historical yoga and historical tantra is that yoga emphasized attaining enlightenment through self-discipline, while tantra emphasized the incorporation of ritual, deity work (especially with goddesses), physical and energetic embodiment, initiation into esoteric teachings, and the role of guru.