Are You Learning Genuine Tantra?

If you are like many seeking souls on the planet today, you would have heard of the healing and transformative powers of ancient tantra. This science of life and love, evolved and developed centuries ago by Indian sages, has restored thousands of relationships and opens up the spiritual realm for countless people even today. Under the tutelage of a genuine tantra teacher, human beings can discover their fullest spiritual and sexual potential.

Because the secrets of tantra are only transferred from one generation of genuine tantric sages to the next, they are not openly available in the public domain. Nevertheless, there is no shortage of charlatans who poach on people’s ignorance and gullibility. They teach some form of counterfeit tantra which makes a big deal of so-called ‘sex secrets’ as a means to make a quick buck. Many Internet portals offer the ‘services’ of a ‘tantra goddess’ in a thinly disguised form of online prostitution.

If you have availed of such services, you would by now have suspected that something is amiss. Tantra is not merely about sexual gymnastics. If a so-called tantra instructor does not ensure that his students are learning spiritual principles and traditional yogic techniques, he is most assuredly a fraud. There is no shortcut to learning tantra. It is true that in modern times, the ancient tantric lore must be adapted for contemporary minds and time tables. While this means that a certain amount of the traditional discipline must be sacrificed, a genuine tantra teacher will not skip the most essential tantric techniques.

Today, a tantra master must ensure that his students are getting the full benefits of ancient tantra despite their pressing schedules. In ancient times, students of the tantric arts could devote years to learning the secrets of tantra. These days, tantra lessons must fit in with business meetings, commuting schedules and family time. Nevertheless, it is still possible to learn the secrets of harnessing tantra energy to boost sexual performance and increase intimacy in relationships. It depends on the skill and dedication of the tantra teacher, as well as the commitment of his students.

It is also possible to learn tantra online. Thanks to the proliferation of the Internet, a tantra master can now instruct his pupils over great distances. Online tantra courses are all the rage today, but the student must ensure that there is a proper, wholesome component of spiritual instructions involved. A tantric master who focuses solely on pandering to the baser desires should not be trusted.

Remember that even if you choose to learn tantra over the Internet, your tantric teacher should teach you how to raise your kundalini energy, help you in revitalizing your chakras and inculcate in you  reverence for the divine feminine – which is the true meaning of ‘tantra goddess’. It is understandable that you may have approached a tantra teacher because you yearn for more excitement n your intimate relationship. However, you must also be willing to embrace a path of spiritual 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.

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.