Everything about tantra is in a way a speculation. It is not a religion, yet, there are deities, especially Mother Goddess, worshipped as part of some tantric rituals; it is not a cult, yet there are some sect-like rituals and initiations overseen by a “spiritual leader” or shaman. Say the word tantra to an average European or American and I bet that s/he has heard the word in connexion with some sexual rituals.
Is tantra a sect, religion, shamanism or groupies?
Unfortunately all of it and more. Like any other physical and spiritual practice, tantra has been used as an excuse to control others (such as dictators and authoritarian rulers in a less sectarian world) or focus narrowly on giving vent to one’s carnal desires (such as polygamy advocated even by prophet Muhammed) in a “holy” intercourse. Sounds familiar even in other religions or shamanistic rituals, doesn’t it?
Some “tantric” spiritual leaders expect everyone or every female to sleep with them. Even I have received an invite from a “spiritual leader” once upon a time. Did I accept it? Of course not, I’m not stupid. But there are many male “tantric gurus” around telling women what is right and how they should succumb and surrender to men. Others introduce practitioners to strange rituals to connect the microcosm with the macrocosm, usually in the darkness or by the fire (hopefully not in the fire). Like the Christian church used religion as an excuse during crusades, people have also used tantra to be partners in crime.
According to Wikipedia (Sanskrit meanings in brackets): Because it elaborates (tan) copious and profound matters, especially relating to the principles of reality (tattva) and sacred mantras, and because it provides liberation (tra), it is called a tantra.
I rather subscribe to the definition that tantra is an accumulation of practices and ideas. So true and yet so difficult to comprehend. Moreover, tantra originates from a land where Hinduism and Buddhism were widely practiced and certain beliefs and deities and rituals/ceremonies are borrowed to/from each other. Today, about 1800 years after tantra’s birth, it is too late to ask who borrowed from whom.
A long intro to a complex topic but I I’d like to stress that in the wider world of tantra, it is NOT a sexual practice. Otherwise I would not have my 200 hr Teacher Certificate in ISHTA yoga, ISHTA being an acronym for Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantra and Ayurveda. I am sorry to see the meaning of tantra often disgraced and it does not help to have so many different interpretations. In the end of the day tantra boils down to using and channelling one’s energy in the best possible way to balance the body and mind.
I have picked up the following “tantric” things for my yoga practice – visualisation, using mantras and some physical yoga techniques supporting my female organs (tantric knowledge is as a rule passed from a woman to woman and in a very sexist India until up-to-date this has probably been the most liberating practice for women). In tantra a woman is equal or superior to a man because of her ability do give birth to life. But after giving birth several times, some muscles need special attention. In gender neutral yoga practice men and women are treated with gender neutral yoga poses. But being able to adjust a class so that our physiological differences are taken into account, will greatly benefit both. Just an example – due to women’s pelvis being proportionally bigger, the centre of gravity for women is located somewhat lower from men’s. And when a woman flexes her hip, the hip rotates inward but this is not the case for men (noticeable in the lounge pose for example). For a yoga teacher this means that you may need to give different cues to men and women to make adjustments. This is very rarely done, mind you. Alignment taught in “gender-neutral” yoga poses tends to honor men’s body more than women’s.
But back to visualisation, vibrations and mantras. What are they?
If you are to meet a teacher who uses tantric tools which are not only about working with sexual energy but just energy, you could use different sounds during the class do a practice where the vibrations of sound together with different asanas help release tensions in the body. Sound is a powerful ally. You could also experience a class where shaking body or limbs extensively or swaying/swinging movements are used. Or moving some limb or the whole body back and forth repetitively together with a mantra/sound. You could also experience a class with different visualisation techniques – from flames and energy pillars to hindu gods or Buddha.
At worst, you could end up in a ritual with black magic and occult practices or ritualized sexual practices. Again, remember that tantra originates from a country where it was practiced by both higher and lower social classes or castes and the less educated they were, the more magic and occult it turned to be.
And now about mantras. Mantras are sacred words, messages or sounds if translated from Sanskrit (or just words or sounds) believed to have spiritual or healing powers. Some gurus assign special mantras to specific students and ask them to repeat those sounds during yoga practice or before meditation. Mantras are essential in tantra because the sound guides the energy paths. There are countless words/syllables regarded as mantras, mostly the Sanskrit languagw is used though. And what makes it even more complicated, in some practices the word kriya is used instead of mantra.
Kriya means “action, deed” in Sanskrit. There is one quite well-known kriya or mantra called “Sa-hum” or “Soham” (meaning “I am that” in Sanskrit). Or hamsa – an amulet symbolising the hand of God; or the sound of inhale and exhale respectively. Whatever, it is a tantric breathing technique which complements asanas (physical practice) with visualisation-breathing techniques. During ISHTA 200 Teacher Training we learnt to use “Sa-hum” both with inhale and exhale changing the order depending on what resonates during the yoga practise with the individual spirit.
Think “sa” when you inhale and let the awareness travel from the head all the way down to the sacrum or pubic bone (more advanced students down to Mula Bandha) and with an exhale think “Hum” and let the awareness radiate through the body like sunbeams; or travel with your awareness from your pubic bone back to the head.
The aim of mantras is to aid holding focus and awareness in the body and in the present moment. Sometimes mantras also aid in selecting a bodily range which is potentially less ambitions to the yoga student who wants to go too deep in poses (thanks to focusing on the present, the breath and the body). And then comes the more sophisticated part related to working with the energetic body. Or the carnal one, depending on what tantra school one happens to embrace.
Think of mantras as a language you use every day. We all describe ourselves and our actions and thoughts with certain words. The frequency of thinking/uttering “I must”, “I hate” or “I love”, “I like” can have more influence over your mind than the mantras in a language you usually do not understand (Sanskrit) during a yoga class. Your greatest mantras are your “darling expressions” which follow you everywhere and influence how you perceive the world. When you change your mantras, the world around you changes, too. This is the prosaic side of tantra, the art of accumulated practices and ideas intended not to clog the mind and reduce the visibility. But every time it turns into a sect-like practice, there is no visibility and there is no clarity.
More reading:
Tantra (Wikipedia)
Female lower back has evolved to accommodate the strain of pregnancy (Harvardgazette Dec 12, 2007)
Women’s Health and Fitness Guide, Michele Kettles, Colette L. Cole, Brenda S. Wright
Olympic differences in the way men and women move (Huffington Post, Dr. Douglas Field 8 May 2012)