Tantra Yoga And The Seven Chakras

There is a lot of misunderstanding about what chakras really are, and how they are pertinent to learning tantra. To begin with, it is important to understand that chakras are not real in a material sense. Rather, they are psychic centres in our body that the ancient Indian yogis identified in the course of their studies. As your tantra teacher will clarify, these chakras are in fact centres of incredible consciousness potential.

The chakras are repositories of psychic energy that are hard-wired into the overall state of the body and mind. Though chakras are often represented as lotuses on charts, the actual translation from the Sanskrit word ‘chakra’ is ‘spinning wheel’. These wheels represent a system of seven energy centers located along the spine, and each corresponds to an area of the body, a set of behavioral characteristics and stages of spiritual growth.

The technical names of the seven chakras are as follows – Muladhara (at the base of the spine), Svadhisthana (in the abdomen, genitals and lower back), Manipura (the solar plexus), Anahata (in the heart area), Visshudha (in the throat), Ajna (at the brow) and Sahasrara (at the top of head, or cerebral cortex.)

As already explained, each chakra is associated with a particular body location. However, each of them is also associated with a colour, a central emotional or behavioural issue and also many other personal aspects including identity, goals, rights, etc.

Practicing tantra yoga under the guidance of a tantra teacher can help you focus your energies with the help of different postures and tantric breathing techniques. It then becomes possible to align your chakras and get all the wheels spinning in the same direction, at the same speed. An experienced tantra master can help you understand how to fine-tune and control these energy centers via specific yoga and tantric meditation techniques. As a result, you will experience spiritual balance and complete harmony at the mind, body and spirit levels.

The spiritual energy that is in question here is also called kundalini energy. In its dormant state, kundalini energy may be seen as a coiled snake resting at the base of your spine, or the Muladhara chakra. Since the chakras act as valves or pumps regulating the flow of energy through your system, the controlled and purposeful movements of tantric yoga can help realign your chakras.

Through the movements and postures of tantra yoga, you can learn to concentrate and direct your kundalini energy to and from the various chakras in your body. In this way, you can compensate for areas that may be inactive or out of synch with the rest of your body. By balancing the energy among all seven chakras, complete physical, mental and spiritual balance can be achieved.

Acharya Subhojit Dasgupta is a Tantra Teacher with an in-depth knowledge of traditional Indian sciences and Sanskrit literature. Visit his tantra online guide for Tantra Lessons, kriyas and mudras from this young Tantra Master.

Self-Inquiry Is A Necessary Ingredient Of Tantra Practice

Many who have discovered tantra cannot wait to go ahead with the much-hyped promises of greater sexual gratification it holds. Such aspiring tantra students wish to learn the tantric arts for this reason alone, and they completely miss the point. Learning tantra is not about having better sex, even if that is one of the promises of this ancient art.

The most important step in learning tantra is finding a qualified tantra teacher who can properly initiate the aspiring student. Without a tantric master, the student will do little more than embark on a wild goose chase and wind up disillusioned. It is no more possible to learn tantra from a book than it is to learn a language in the same manner. A knowledgeable guide who can chart the course of instructions and make necessary corrections when the student veers off course is absolutely essential.

One of the main reasons why it is necessary to learn tantra under a tantra teacher is the fact that learning this science effectively requires considerable self-inquiry. Though this is a process where the student delves within himself or herself, the process itself cannot take place unsupervised. Self-inquiry is not within the natural bounds human nature. In fact, our natural reflex is to avoid self-inquiry because what we tend to see within ourselves makes us extremely uncomfortable.

Why is self-inquiry a prerequisite to learning the tantric arts? The reason is that in order to experience true freedom – spiritual, emotional or sexual – we must first identify what enslaves us. Our ingrained faulty beliefs about ourselves, others and things such as sexual intimacy hold us back from exploring our fullest potential. A tantra teacher will guide his student in the process of self-examination compassionately, but he will not allow the process itself to be avoided.

Various tantra meditation techniques and rituals are employed in the process of self-examination, and these lead to self-discovery. Often for the first time, the tantric student is confronted with what beliefs and attitudes he or she is driven by. This is invariably a shattering experience. However, it is also accompanied by an indescribable sense of blissful release from the bondage of false beliefs.

As these false beliefs about oneself, one’s intimate partner and the whole issue of intimacy crumble, students of tantra become ready for the first stages of initiation. Then – and only then – will they be able to understand the full spiritual power of the tantra energy that lies within them.

Acharya Subhojit Dasgupta is a Tantra Teacher with an in-depth knowledge of traditional Indian sciences and Sanskrit literature. Visit his tantra online guide for Tantra Lessons, kriyas and mudras from this young Tantra Master.

Tantra Sadhana For Complete Spiritual Liberation

The word Tantra tends to conjure up visions of complicated sexual practices and techniques. However, as any tantra teacher will tell you, it is actually a complete philosophy, science and way of life in itself. Ancient Indian sages studied mankind as well as Nature and formulated this system so that men and women could synchronize their bodies and souls with Nature.

Ancient tantra involves various rituals and techniques. However, to practice the tantric arts, the student of tantra must first attain the spirit of sadhana. The Sanskrit word sadhana means ‘the path towards accomplishment (of a desired goal)’. The spiritual practice and attitude of sadhana requires the student to relinquish and transcend his or her ego, with the goal being spiritual awakening. It calls for meditation, chanting of spiritual intonations and invocations (mantras) and deity worship.

In tantra, worship takes the form of ‘puja’, which is nothing but a systematic ritual of worship. The student of the tantric arts learns to approach the process of instructions by a tantra master with an attitude of worship. In the sexual aspects of this ancient science, he or she also learns to regard the intimate partner as an object of worship (deity). As a result, all of the tantric student’s relationships undergo a profound transformation.

Ancient tantra is not aligned to any religion. It is an independent spiritual science which embraces the wholesomeness inherent in all religions while rejecting their rigid prejudices and repressive teachings. This is because tantra is about liberation – of the body, of the spirit and of the mind.

In the course of practicing the tantric arts under a tantra teacher, the student experiences a reuniting of Shiva and Shakti. Shiva is the quintessential tantra god, and Shakti the tantra goddess. Between them, the entire dance of life takes place. Any division between the two in a person’s and couple’s life causes spiritual and emotional imbalances.

By means of specific tantra pujas or worshipful rituals, the student gets in touch with both the Shiva and Shakti. These two deities must hold sway over every aspect of intimacy between two human beings. Only then can an intimate relationship be reborn and raised to its fullest divine potential

Throughout, the tantra master acts as conduit of knowledge and spiritual catharsis. His role is to instruct and mold his students by means of rituals and techniques that will set them free. As such, there is no substitute for an accomplished tantric teacher to guide individuals and couples through the process of spiritual awakening and evolution.

Acharya Subhojit Dasgupta is a Tantra Teacher with an in-depth knowledge of traditional Indian sciences and Sanskrit literature. Visit his tantra online guide for Tantra Lessons, kriyas and mudras from this young Tantra Master.