Tantra Yoga is a type of yoga that weaves together many different techniques, such as mantra meditation, visualization, mudras, pranayama, and initiation to study the inner-universe through our human body. It is a relatively modern revamping of the ancient Vedic and yogic spiritual practices. The Tantrics developed innovative yet unorthodox techniques for allowing one to experience the reality. These Tantric techniques and rituals primarily focus on the cultivation and build-up of kundalini energy. Once the kundalini energy has been activated, it is encouraged to flow up the nadis and chakras to eventually the crown chakra to “spill from the top” and create samadhi or enlightenment.
Tantra yoga is not just about sexual practices, although it is often associated with tantric sex, which is a sensual, spiritual form of sex. Rather, it is about connecting with your own energy to establish a deeper understanding of yourself. While some of that energy is sexual, not all of it is. Tantra yoga may include asanas, meditation, breathing exercises, mantras, mudras, physical and ritual cleaning, visualization of deities, and yantras.
Tantra yoga was introduced to the west in the nineteenth century as exotic sexual-spiritual practices to deepen connection and intimacy. However, it is a limb of Yoga called Tantra Yoga, and it is not any different from Yoga. The compulsive and cyclical nature of the body and mind render themselves a barrier for higher possibilities. Tantra is to go beyond, so that compulsiveness of the body and mind does not keep us trapped in our limitations. It is about learning to use the body, not as oneself, but as a stepping-stone to deliver this being to the highest possible dimension.
If you want to do a deep dive into classical tantra yoga, it is recommended to work one-on-one with a tantra guru. Tantra yoga originates from a worship of the Hindu deities that represent the dynamic and static principles of the universe: Shakti (dynamic, creative, feminine) and Shiva (static, destructive, masculine) . Tantra yoga practitioners seek to comprehend the continual play between these principles.
