For most people, sex is something to do purely for pleasure, but for those who practise the ancient art of Tantra, it is a religion and a way of life.
In the west, sex is definitely not something you are encouraged to think about in church. Passion and erotic coupling are often thought of as totally the opposite of being ‘good’ – of following God’s law. To those who practise Tantric sex, however, it is the ultimate way to experience God.
Shiva and Shakti
The cult of Tantra (or Tantric yoga) goes back to around 5000BC in India, where it developed as part of the cult of the Hindu god Shiva and his consort Shakti. Shiva was worshipped as the embodiment of ecstasy, and Shakti as pure energy. Hindus believe that Shakti gave form to the universe through uniting both sexually and spiritually with Shiva. To some Hindus, the creation of the world was the result of highly charged erotic love, and they believe that every creature on the earth is capable of experiencing beauty and ecstasy through the act of sexual union.
Unfortunately, Tantra got a bad reputation from the very beginning. Straightlaced Hindus and Buddhists thought that Tantric masters were involved in all sorts of nasty practices from vampirism to necrophilia, and to this day many mainstream eastern religions avoid the whole subject, finding it just as shocking as Christians and Jews in the west do.
The word ‘Tantra’ means ‘weaving’, referring to the aim of the practice, which is to bring together and unite many different and even contradictory parts of your inner self. Another definition is ‘expansion’, because Tantra sets out to make your soul expand with joy.
The sacred orgasm
Tantra promises a rapid, direct path to God via sex. The idea is that the universe started out blissfully whole, but was then split into two opposites of male and female. In eastern thought, this is also seen as Yin and Yang, or named Shiva and Shakti after the gods. Tantrics say that only by uniting in sexual ecstasy can the polar opposites be made whole again, and in that moment you can have a deep, mystical experience of being made one with God. Unlike mainstream Hinduism and Buddhism, which teach that you have to rid yourself of all bodily concerns to become truly enlightened, Tantra sees sexuality as essential for people to understand themselves and their place in the universe. In Tantrism, the couple are aiming for ‘cosmic copulation’, and in order to reach this stage they will have to undergo intensive, lengthy training (albeit spiritually and sexually gratifying) over a period of many years.
The end result is supposed to be the release of the female Shakti energy, sometimes callled the Kundalini. This energy rises from its normal place at the base of the spine, up through the invisible energy centres, the chakras, to the top of the head. Once there, it unites with the male energy, Shiva, and the couple feel intense bliss.
But in practice…
That’s the theory, but in practice this ecstasy is somewhat more difficult to achieve than you might think. In the stricter Tantric schools in India, the sadhaka, or student, has to spend at least a year meditating and doing exercises to strengthen the muscles that will be needed for sex itself. The techniques for the fusion of mind and body can be taught, but only by qualified and disciplined masters.
Maithuna
Only when the teacher is satisfied that you have the mental and physical capabilities will you be allowed to move on to the next stage: maithuna, or ritual sex. This is not just bonking in a haze of joss sticks, however. It involves the man keeping his penis erect and inside the woman for at least 32 minutes without any thrusting at all – and without giving in to the desire to ejaculate!
To most men, the whole point of sex is to have an orgasm and release semen, but not to the Tantric male. In this kind of ritual sex, the man is supposed to have an orgasm without letting a single drop of semen escape at the crucial moment.
Muscle control
The key to this astonishing feat is control of the muscles that cause erections. The man’s partner can help by gently massaging his penis every day, but the real hard work is his alone. He has to be able to relax his erection completely, then will it to come back – at least four times. The best Tantrics can keep this up for hours without any sign of exertion.
Such is their muscle control that many adepts are also supposed to be able to ‘suck up’ a glass of water with their penis – a clever trick that would be guaranteed to break the ice at office parties!
Women don’t get off completely scot-free, however. A woman must learn how to control her own muscles so that she can keep the penis motionless in her vagina for ages. One way of doing this is by contracting the pubococcygeal muscle – the one that stops you urinating.
One of the more difficult exercises involves the woman gripping one end of a three-pound weight using the muscles of her vagina and swinging it for minutes on end.
The more spiritual exercises include the vital raising of the Kundalini, the ‘fire-serpent’ that is believed to lie coiled up and asleep at the base of the spine. One way of doing this is said to be concentrating on expanding and contracting the anus. This ‘treads on the Kundalini’s tail’ and wakes it up. But the warnings against trying this without due training and precaution are extreme. If Kundalini is permitted to rise by itself without any preparation, it is believed to drive people insane. Some even speak of spontaneous combustion!
Some Tantric exercises are a lot easier and less dangerous, however, and can be practised by anyone who is willing. The ultimate aim is to unite more satisfactorily with your lover and to find yourself experiencing a deepsense of bliss and peace afterwards.
Tantra for all
The simplest exercise is Soul-Gazing, which is based on the idea that the gaze of the beloved has a magical quality. It is said to ‘harmonise people’s energy fields’. Lie down facing your partner and begin to synchronise your breathing. After a few moments, you will begin to feel much more relaxed and more in tune with each other. Gaze gently and directly into your partner’s eyes. Most people find this strangely off-putting to start with – we’re not used to staring at people in our society – and you may find you drop your gaze or start to giggle. But if you persist you will eventually experience a very odd sense of drawing closer to your lover, almost as if you were joined to him or her by an elastic band.
Another simple Tantric technique is to watch each other masturbating after spending time stroking your own body with an increasing sense of erotic play. You have to imagine what it is like being his rapidly hardening penis, or being inside her vagina. Tantra works best when it is taken slowly and involves the imagination as well as the body. Apart from the religious aspect of blissful union with God, the other result is greater respect for yourself and your partner.
Devised to maximise the subtle sexual energies, the bio-electric Tantric technique is said to alleviate health problems such as high blood pressure, skin diseases and sleeplessness. It is also reported to be extraordinarily relaxing.
Human skin has an electromagnetic character, and bio-electric Tantric sex originates from this knowledge. Electricity is power. The female body and the male body are of opposite electrical polarity. Via prolonged contact of the skin, particularly between the moist area of the genitals, the bio-electric quality of the skin is changed, attracting the unique bio-energy in the cells of the male and female to the surface, where they can be exchanged, resulting in benefits and ecstatic experiences.
Start by taking a shower or a bath, then, completely naked, cuddle, kiss and gently turn each other on. Adopt the scissors position – the man and woman at right angles – and place the man’s penis, erect or otherwise, just inside the outer lips of the vagina. Lie this way for at least 30 minutes, focussing intently on genital sensations, and on the exchange of male and female energies. After 30 minutes, have regular intercourse in the scissors position. Stay in position for 30 minutes after male ejaculation.