What is tantra?

In Tantra we work with all the energies that are available to us as human beings. Since we as humans are subject to a programming of categorization and separation through logic, it is difficult for us to create a complete picture of Tantra. Tantra tries to break down these categories and divisions and go beyond them in order to expand the universal possibilities of our human consciousness. In Tantra Yoga, the goal is to refine our thoughts, desires and emotions to create peace and balance. Tantra is a completely open concept in this sense. In Tantra we work with every energy that exists in nature.

Tantra, Yoga and Tantra-Yoga

The difference between tantra and yoga makes the concept of tantra even clearer. Ashtanga yoga, the eight-limbed division of areas in yoga, is about stopping processes. We stop bad behavior (yama, nyama), stop movement (asana), stop breathing (pranayama), stop the senses (pratyahara, dharana, dhyana) and stop “being” ourselves (samadhi).

ashtanga wheel — **Acht Limbs im Ashtanga Yoga @Ian Alexander**

In tantra, on the other hand, we work with energy and make no distinction in the assessment of energy. Energy can take different forms, but it remains energy. We therefore use sexual energy, raw, negative emotions or socially unacceptable forms of energy, such as excrement or blood. This openness makes tantra seem extreme and possibly repulsive to some cultures, but it depends more on the intention of the practitioner, i.e. why these things are used.

At the same time, yoga also contains tantric elements, as we also work with energy here and implement yogic practices in tantra. The smooth transition is created by the open “non-system” that tantra represents. The classification of energy systems is therefore also crucial in tantra.

Chakras, Desires and Kundalini

We can illustrate this well with the chakras, the typical characteristics of a chakra and the desires that each chakra brings with it. We naturally pass through the chakras in stages of our lives.

We start our lives with the lower chakras where we are interested in stability as babies and children – in the first and second chakras. In our teenage years we pass through the third chakra with an interest in fun and entertainment in life, as well as gaining status in society. Later in life we move to the upper chakras with the experience of giving love, accumulating knowledge and gaining spiritual connection. We go through this process naturally.

Kundalini energy is the driver of these chakras and when we strengthen Kundalini, we also strengthen the needs of the respective active chakra. This gives us the opportunity for accelerated development in our lives. However, if we have too strong a blockage in a chakra and we are not yet psychologically mature enough to deal with it, neuroses or negative emotions can intensify. In short – Tantra can enable us to undergo accelerated development, but at the same time offers the opportunity to reinforce unwanted behaviors.

Mother Nature as a goddess

We often see Hindu and Buddhist deities in Tantra. Such deities are tools to transform our gross energies into more subtle energies. The deities are aspects of nature and provide a fixed point of personal taste for the individual. It also refers to a code in white tantra that we abide by the laws of nature in tantric practices. The approach of positive enhancement and development of the human experience in a natural way.

Black Tantra is therefore about practices with a selfish orientation of the practitioner with the result of personal enrichment or harm to other people. There is a difference between supporting natural aspects with respect and love in order to achieve a positive goal and acting selfishly and harmfully.

It is also true in tantra that often nothing is as it seems. Even if someone uses blood or bone skulls in a ritual, this can be a humorous reference to our mortality. Just because a teacher sells himself as wise and profitable, we should nevertheless always remain critical. Mother Nature is a role model and therefore the ultimate goddess that we align ourselves with in order to move our consciousness from the microcosm to the macrocosm.

Mantra, Yantra, concentration and ritual in Tantra

These tools also help us to classify things better and give us something tangible to work with:

Mantra is a composition of syllables whose sounds have an influence on our human system. Mantras are a fundamental tool in transforming our gross consciousness into more subtle states.
Yantra is the visual representation of a mantra to promote the ability to concentrate.
Concentration is the essential skill in yoga and tantra. The ability to focus on an object without interruption of thought is important for success in the transformation of energy in tantric practices.
Rituals are a language to communicate with the spiritual world. In addition, rituals are performed in all cultures to support the individual in the psychological and psychic transformation to a higher consciousness.

Meditation as a tantric practice

In meditation, these tools all come together. We can use the mantra as a meditation object, a yantra to improve concentration and concentration itself to get into deep meditation. We can perform a ritual before and after meditation to strengthen the spiritual connection. As students of tantra, we are thus able to energetically charge our yogic practices with tantric practices.

Openness vs. tradition

In Tantra, the student-teacher relationship plays an important role. The teacher will give his form of tantra that he has learned himself and is subject to rules. A master may live in a cave and work with bone skulls or blood. Another teacher may work with completely different materials such as flowers and lovely objects and with completely different rules. However, both traditions have the same goal of expanding the student’s consciousness. The openness of Tantra has thus given rise to many different traditions which contain rules. The transformation of energy can accelerate our spiritual development, but at the same time we can fall further behind. That is why there are traditions, rules and teachers.

From teacher to student

Because of the flexibility and openness in Tantra, it is important to work with an experienced teacher who passes on his or her special tradition to the student. The teacher-student relationship is also very important because of the difficult accessibility of the individual to the subject and the responsibility for ourselves and others when we transform energies.

It is said that the teacher appears when the student is ready and so it was in my life. If we want to learn Tantra, there will be a way. Spirituality is a beautiful and sometimes difficult path. The signs that make themselves felt are often difficult to understand and easy to overlook. A teacher therefore acts like a lighthouse to guide us on this path.

Perfection is an illusion

But we should also not be too obsessed with our spiritual path. The desire to learn Tantra and find a teacher should therefore be a natural desire and not characterized by egoistic drives, although these are always a part of our human behaviour. Perfection is an illusion and the path of Tantra is fraught with beautiful mistakes. Especially when we go through difficult emotions and negative thoughts in these processes, we should try to adopt a relaxed attitude at the same time.

Conclusion

Tantra is an extremely open system and follows many traditions. There is a teacher-student relationship as well as tools that can be defined. The transitions between Yoga and Tantra Yoga are fluid and difficult to define. Therefore it is important to respect the tradition. If you are interested in bringing the mantra tradition or learning more about Tantra in an authentic way, please contact me.

Sven Horn