Tantra Yoga Demystified
Tantra Yoga 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 of the true Self, the oneness of the entire cosmos. The
Tantra Yogis emphasis on personal experimentation and experience
led to radical techniques to cleanse the body and mind to break
the knots that bind us to our physical existence. The famous “Left
Hand” schools of Tantra used unlawful practices of consuming sex,
alcohol and meat as powerful tools for transformation. Tantra Yoga
encompasses a huge range of techniques, yet its underlying focus
is on using the body as a temple to worship the all-encompassing
oneness of life as sacred.
In
Tantra Yoga, the subtle bodies of energy and spirit are
developed to create a bridge from the physical to the Devine. The
development of energy is focused on the purification and
cultivation of prana and the activation of
kundalini. The physical
body is used to activate energy through the practices of asana,
pranayama, mudra and
shatkarma. Thus, the Tantra yogis developed the yoga postures
(asana) and breathing exercises (pranayama) that are most commonly
used today in Hatha Yoga. Mudras include hand gestures and an
intense fusion of asana, pranayama and bandha. Shatkarma (often
referred as kriya) are esoteric exercises and techniques to purify
the body and cleanse the energy pathways.
The devotional practices of
mantra, yantra and puja
are used to develop the spiritual body. Mantras are sacred
Sanskrit sounds that are manifestations of the divine power.
Yantras are sacred geometric forms used for concentration and
visualization in Tantric rituals. Puja is the active devotional
worship of a chosen deity through offerings of food, incense,
light, water and gems.
Tantra enables the practitioner to directly experience the Divine
and to taste the oneness of the cosmos. Tantra offers a
smorgasbord of yogic techniques to bring one into the state of
ecstasy representing a vast synthesis of spiritual knowledge.
