What is Tantra?

When people think of tantra they often think of; exotic sex, Sting, India and then the Kama Sutra. However the roots of the word mean "liberation through expansion". It is an ancient spiritual path for attaining enlightenment or union with the divine. Tantra and its relative yoga are associated with Indian spiritual traditions but tantra's origins are in ancient universal experiences of energy, the body and the mysteries of creation.

The central methods of tantra all include some way of using energy and awareness to aid spiritual evolution for the same purpose; union with the divine. What can certainly be said is that tantra is affirming of the body, the senses, emotions and sexuality. All are seen as forms and channels of energy. The body is experienced as the temple of the divine and the bridge between heaven and earth; spirit and matter.

Another meaning of the word tantra is "practices". Tantra is a practical science, tested over thousands of years in the laboratory of human experience by yogis, mystics Tibetan Lamas and ordinary householders. The practices can be of great help to all teaching us to use the energies of our body to connect with others. For couples, tantric practices can help deepen a relationship making it a communion of body, mind and spirit. For individuals, practices use the power of emotions and the body as fuel for the path of self-development and transcendence rather than a distraction, as they are often seen in most Western traditions.

So what happens in tantra workshops? The basic principle is honouring ourselves and the other as divine beings. We use movement, dance, and breathing exercises to deepen the connection with the body. We also use mantras and sound to open up the subtle vibrations within us. As we connect more fully with our bodies and our energies and bring awareness to this process it is easier to connect with another. Couples have often got in to stale habits of communicating and connecting so this brings back the vibrancy of real communion. Ritual is another useful tool for creating a space for something different and magical to happen in; taking us out of our usual state of consciousness into a deeper more spacious place from which to connect. We send couples to their bedrooms for sexual meditations (you didn't get homework like that when you were at school!)

"We have just experienced one of the most blissful, profound and life-affirming weekends of our lives. It has been wonderful to share our transformation and begin this magical journey together. It is difficult to find words to describe the experience to our friends and family, the best we can do is tell them to try it for themselves! We have been so close since we left on Sunday, spending time connecting with, and listening to, each other. Our rituals have enabled us to approach things in a different way and to honour the light in each other. It is amazing how this feeling spills out and into the world around you."

In singles workshops a great deal can be done to give the experience of deeper connections to the self and finding more self-acceptance and self-love. Tantra is not a therapy but certainly has "side-effects" which help personal development and growth. The principles of tantra can be applied to a form of whole body massage which can help heal blocks to our free flow of life energy. Finally tantra has specific forms of tantric kriya yoga which can open the chakras, energy centres in the body which transform our raw life and sexual energies into heart energy and divine love.

Martin Jelfs. Martin is the founder of Transcendence, Authentic Tantra-Yoga and teaches tantra workshops with Hanna his wife. www.tantra.uk.com 0845 345 8593. tantra.uk@ gmail.com