A Visit to a Tantric Sex Therapist

Lucy Cavendish visits a Tantric sex therapist to see if he could really rekindle her middle-aged libido.

As I arrive outside Mike Lousada's house in North London, I am so nervous I am almost tempted to walk straight past, cancel my appointment and forget I'd ever heard his name.

This is hardly surprising because, though I have never met him before, I have come to him to rediscover my libido. Mike is a tantric sex therapist. He charges £95 a time to help women reach heights of ecstasy they never imagined existed.

His methods involve conversation, meditation and - ahem! - sensual massage, which can (if the client requests it) become rather startlingly intimate. It sounds, if not sleazy, then somewhat suspect. After all, what sort of woman would pay a stranger to rekindle her sex drive? Read more

Practical Samadhi

A Living Tantra reader asks Shambhavi the following question: "I have been to the mountain top…nirvikalpa. Two and a half years ago. And since I have experienced other levels of samadhi. Yet lately I feel I am whithering on the vine. For 5 and a half years I have lived in an apartment complex that is entirely out of sync with my life, who I am. Two years ago a new neighbor moved in and since I have been falling further and further away from satya. There is such a feeling of discontent."

In his answer, Shambhavi points out:

The litmus test of any spiritual experience is what did I learn about Reality, and how am I showing up in the world now. Can I stabilize and integrate new understanding into my everyday life? This is where regular sadhana and the guidance of a teacher are crucial. Read more