Tantra is the ancient art of using the body as a tool for reaching higher states of awareness, using breathing exercises, mantras, movements, visualizations, meditations, and the sexual arts. Tantra has commonly been misunderstood as being primarily about sex, but that is only one aspect which some Tantric practitioners engage in, but many have been celibate, and focus entirely on the other aspects.
One of the most important aspects of Tantric sexuality is semen continence, which allows men to have much more powerful orgasms which are more full bodied, more cosmic, longer lasting, spreading through the entire aura, the entire universe, it seems, certainly above their heads, fountaining down. These orgasms can then be repeated as often as desired in one session. Ladies love it when their men can be there for them, not wanting to turn over and go to sleep after an orgasm, but keep going, or stay just as interested, while being relaxed and satisfied. And this leaves more energy for doing the exercises which lead to more equanimity, strength, communion with the higher self, a sense of oneness with everything, blissful merging with the source of all, and exchanging feeling between partners.
But how can you find someone else interested in Tantra? And how can you learn more? How can you find partners for Tantric sexual experiences, share your Tantric stories, engage in forums, watch Tantric videos, find workshops and teachers in your area, meet friends who experience the joys of Tantric sex and the rest of Tantra yoga?
OneTantra.com is a very new online Tantric social and learning site that is growing very quickly, a good place to kick around ideas about polyamory and monogamy, yogic exercises, Kundalini raising, longer orgasms, retaining semen in order to have as many orgasms as desired without a loss of energy or libido, divine communion through breathing, chanting, sharing energy, and making love, and much more.
I can be found at One Tantra and moderate a forum on the benefits of sustained intense practice, which can often be seemingly supernatural. I can be contacted through messages there, and my LucidPlay workshops and specials, which include some non sexual Tantric exercises, will be found through that site. But I am only one of many instructors who are part of One Tantra, and there are several on the faculty as well. You can watch their videos to get a sense of them. You can even upload your own if you like. I have included some of mine on there, such as Tantra and Dreams, Tantra and Activism, Tantra and Physics, and many more. I’m not looking for romance online, but to be of help to people through text. I offer my services on OneTantra as a resource completely free.
To learn more about my approach to Tantra specifically, see my articles in Oysters and Chocolate magazine, or my website, www.freewebs.com/LucidBody. You can also order my book, Tantric Metaportals, or my DVDs in the set Tantric Lucidity. And you can study some Tantric exercises with me in the context of my LucidPlay sessions or group events if you will be in the Bay Area, www.LucidPlay.com. I have taken an innovative approach to expanding beyond the traditional non-sexual Tantric exercises I teach at the beginning of each session.
You can join OneTantra through my link. This will allow you to join first for awhile, a free month, and check it out. Let me know if you join through that link, and I can pay extra attention through OneTantra, with added teachings in emails and guidance in the forum.
It’s a mixed bag that Tantra is not traditionally as much about sex as many people are starting to think it is. That misunderstanding has brought many more people to Tantra than would have become interested otherwise. But it does dilute what the term “Tantra” means so much that many people don’t look into it, thinking it is just about female ejaculation, perhaps, which isn’t actually part of traditional Tantra.
Many Tantric practitioners are celibate. Many schools of Tantra ignore sex, or minimize it. Conventionally, Tantric sex is very ritualized, controlled, only engaged in at certain times, is certainly not hedonistic. Tantric writing, videos, advertisements, or events that you may come across could often be called Neo-Tantra, as it is something more sensationalized, looking at only one part of it, making it more interesting to the instant gratification desires of our modern society. This isn’t necessarily wrong, just a misnomer to label slow sexuality Tantra without a more holistic reference, so can confuse people.
I’d recommend really delving into Tantra as a whole rather than simply looking at one part, or getting carried away with the sensual aspects at the expense of the rest of the lifestyle, meditations, mantras, pranayamas (breathing exercises), activism, visualization, devotion, energy circulation, and more. If you do delve into it more fully, exploring the concepts, doing the exercises, relating Tantrically to your environment, your diet, your friends and family, yourself, rather than just your lover, you will find more value in it. And when you do make love Tantrically, or masturbate Tantrically, you’ll find the experience far richer than if that’s the only part of it you learn.
You can start by first getting in touch with your chakras, which are energy whirls found in the subtle bodies, the levels of the auric field surrounding your body. The chakra you can start with is the first one, at the base of the body, the pelvis, grounded at the perineum, and root of the spine. Chakras are associated with aspects of the self. The first one is related to survival, shelter, elimination of waste, feeling part of the earth, the animal nature, the individual, separate, limited self, the ego, sexuality.
Clench the muscles around that area, bringing your attention to it, turning your eyes downward, most likely closed, as if you could see that area psychically, inhabiting it. Be your individual self. Celebrate how much you are not really omniscient, and how that allows all kinds of interesting stories to unfold in this lifetime. Be strong in being an individual, with boundaries, unique traits.
Enjoy your sexuality, your desires, your lust, your heat. Move your pelvis back and forth, breathe into that area, grunt, let sensual thoughts come into your mind if you like, feel the muscles in your body ready to move athletically. Bend your legs a bit, getting closer to the earth, engaging the muscles in the butt, lunging a little, swaying, dipping, dancing your own sexuality.
Breathe in and out of that chakra, clenching the muscles still, and you may start feeling arousal build. Imagine a line of energy going between that chakra and the ground, down into it, aligning you with the earthly plane, with the solid, intense, warm, dense reality we live in so vividly. Make more sounds that arise spontaneously from your first chakra. Though the second chakra, which is above that one, is also sexual, this one is the more animal one, the most dense, fierce, passionate, physical part of you. Enjoy it. Feel free to read my other articles that explain in detail how to then connect that chakra with the seventh one, at the crown of your head, to create a glowing, ecstatic conduit of flaming love and explosive euphoria that extends out into infinity!
I’m familiar with some of these concepts as the Chinese internal arts I study have similiar practices. You would have had a much stronger article if you hadn’t blatantly marketed your sites and book so early on–you should have left it for the end. It would have shown a little class. Information first; pimping second. That kind of shit is responsible for the deteriorating quality of articles that have been appearing on this site in past months.
Bob
[...] International Online Magazine where people can finish their thoughts. Here is the original: Understanding Tantra, and One Way to Meet People Interested in … Tags: international, magazine, online-magazine, tantra, their-thoughts-, [...]
I have to agree (yet again) with you, Bob. Although I too offer fabulous tantric sex training for only $999 per session – money back if you can still walk out of the room at the end of the session – just contact timroux@infinitetantricorgasm.com, I would never dream of advertising my services here. The trouble is, what do I do? YouTube bans full-on nude infinite sex from its site (besides clips are limited to under 10 minutes) and I refuse to use Twitter and be associated with having a Tiny URL. I know what! Perhaps Bob can set up yet another spin-off site called Sex Without Interruption, or SWIZ. Now, can I sell you some books?
Tim,
Make that six Bass ales.
Bob
Bob, we are going to have to address your drinking problem.
Would you consider switching to some decent Belgian beers – Leffe, Wesmalle, Gordons (believe it or not), Grimbergen, Affligem, Duvel, Orval (+ 600 more)?
Get on a plane and come sample * **
* This comment is sponsored by the Belgian Breweries
** No infinite tantric treatment is specified for this package
Tim,
I’ve had Duvel, Orvel and other Trappist beers and ales–they are indeed the best in the world. Expensive here in the U.S.A.
I’m off to practice Tantra with my bedpost.
Bob
I have to say, I’m very surprised at the comments here. To quote from my article: “I’m not looking for romance online, but to be of help to people through text. I offer my services on OneTantra as a resource completely free.” is to me not marketing, and not about sex, but letting people know that I am available to be helpful with coaching on an ancient spiritual practice on a volunteer basis if they decide it’s useful to them to join the site.
I feel letting people know about a new site does have some value, so this is a kind of news that seems worthy to let people know about in a site that is supposed to be about being able to speak uncensored. I have had countless people ask me where they could connect with a Tantric community, and now I have a place to tell them to look.
What I do on the onetantra site is primarily coach people about siddhis, the dramatic, and sometimes, puzzling, seemingly supernatural, intense and and transformative effects people have from doing a lot of Tantric exercises. Tantra, as my post says, is not traditionally about sex, but about breathwork, mantras, energy circulation, meditation, clean diet and lifestyle, devotion to being of service, healing, etc.
I’m certainly not in ANY way looking for something sexual from this, as I am in a very strictly monogamous committed relationship with my fiance. The Tantric exercises that I teach are non-sexual, part of a system I innovated that moves beyond Tantra, and allows people to be involved in it without any sexual overtones.
Because I have a book and DVDs, people may therefore understand more easily why I would be someone they would possibly want to interact with one OneTantra. I’m sorry that mentioning those things early on in the article seemed crass. That was not my intention. I’ll take that as constructive criticism
While normally I am paid for my articles, I have written a lot articles for free for magazines–which are not in any way promotion of myself. I have noticed even on here, writers who spend a lot of time writing for free apparently at times have some motive of promoting their work, and that is understandable, considering their time is valuable.
However, I don’t see how writing about information such as my Opposites Day, or article on Erythritol are self-promoting. They are meant to be educational simply because the information is useful to people.
I was invited to write for this site. I was also invited to write a column for Unlikely Stories Magazine, and they love the Opposites Day, so future articles in the Opposites Day series will be found there, starting in the October issue.
As I understand the Taoist internal energy arts, there is dual-path cultivation and single-path. I practice single path, i.e. standing post meditation and other qigong forms. In dual-path, energy cultivation takes place during intercourse, each willing partner using breathing and mental techniques to harness the great power unleashed to increase their energy. For the male, ejaculation is at all costs to be avoided; loss of jing, semen, is viewed as a catastrophe. Controlling his ejaculation, the man sends the energy through various gates and up the spine into the glands in his head. This can also cause a total body orgasm, which I understand is more profound than simple ejaculation. I’ve had one under entirely different circumstances. I’m not familiar with how it works for women. It’s also important for the couple practicing not to be emotionally involved with one another, as emotions confound energy cultivation. That being said, it’s difficult to not get involved with someone from whom you derive pleasure. Human nature and ego often “gum the works.”
Some Western doctors I’ve talked to take a dim view of semen retention. They believe that it could be injurious to the prostate gland. I don’t know, but when I think about it, dual-path cultivation goes against nature–the Tao. We are built to orgasm and release that energy. Hugh Hefner, who has been ejaculating into beautiful blonde 20-year-olds daily for the past 50 years seems to be in good health–he must be 80.
Tantra may indeed enrich a relationship. But I’d be careful on the Internet–creeps abound who are only interested in finding willing sex partners and will use Tantra as a hunting ground. Human nature again, sometimes twisted.
Now can I have my Bass ale?
Bob
Tantra,
I look forward to your Opposites Day articles – couldn’t agree more that the law of unintended consequences is a powerful force.
I don’t mind in the least you writing about Eastern therapeutic techniques or sex. In fact, I am enthusiastic about both. I am continuously amazed by how religions have tried to ban from discussion the primary reason we are all here and if sex weren’t enjoyable the chances are we wouldn’t be here.
Of course, everyone here is promoting themselves, and mouthing off, and having fun.
I think that some of the articles here have a “I have a promo piece, now where can I publish it?” feel to them which veers a little bit away from the idea of having a site where writers can share ideas in public, but so long as the majority of articles are genuine opinion pieces or showcases of people’s work, I am sure that the occasional blatant puff isn’t going to make much difference.
My comments on Bob’s reaction to your article was just playing around with ideas, I am afraid – no consequences intended other than possiby a giggle from a couple of passers-by.
Nice posting. Do you know about these chakra books?
http://www.YogaVidya.com/freepdfs.html
Interesting thread of comments. Thanks for sharing.
I also practice single path, as well as the dual path.
In Tantra, as well as in the Taoist arts, yes, ejaculation is to be avoided, though there is a suggested allowance for younger men to be able to ejaculate a certain number of times, lessening with aging. It is unfortunate that in the West, the medical field doesn’t look more into the Eastern medicine in which jing being lost is seen to have unhealthy consequences.
There really isn’t much out there as far as studies that show the effects on the prostate of having regular orgasms while retaining semen. The studies are only on the effects of not having orgasms, or stopping ejaculation by holding onto the tip of the penis, by not by doing Tantric or Taoist methods of having all the orgasms desired, which is great for hormones, but not losing the jing energies.
In Eastern thought, however, it’s very pervasive, not only geographically, but historically, that avoiding ejaculation allows one to have better meditation (probably better than Hugh Hefner has
), keep one’s hair, be able to satisfy a lover better and be more emotionally there for her, have more energy and mental acumen, etc. As far as men who practice retention that I have known, or talked to in any form, they find the difference to be huge in retaining or not, finding the benefits to be tremendous and very palpable.
So for men to learn how to do something so many other men find very helpful, though Tantric sites, for example seems valuable as a resource. If they’re just used as hunting grounds, that’s yucky, yes.
Truly, in some teachings of Taoist or Tantric arts, avoiding too much attachment to partners is a part of it. For example, that was considered to be helpful in military situations in which a man needs to be at any moment not distracted and ready to go into battle.
In other traditions, it’s not a part of it. It’s something that has been done regularly between married couples, as a spiritual practice that means the man doesn’t have to abandon his wife to go out to practice with a guru in the forest alone. It’s a way of continuing the attachment.
When emotions are used as part of the spiritual path, and devotion, passionate attention to being kind of the partner, it’s considered a very healthy part of Tantra.