What Is Shakti?

Anyone who reads anything about Tantra comes across the term Shakti. What is Shakti?

Shakti is the ultimate creative power of the universe. Shakti creates, she is not created. To be able to tap into this creative power is one of the goals of yoga and tantra. The realization of this power in us leads to freedom from limitation and the awakening of a higher life.

Shakti is pulsating, vibrating, throbbing creating power or force. These vibrations create the universe, the Big Bang, and all names and forms. These vibrations are represented as mantras, and when a series of sounds, a garland of letters, is infused with Shakti, the sound is transformed into a potent tool that can awaken the higher mind and reveal knowledge which leads to higher experience. Read more

Using Conscious Breathing to Explore Your Sexual Awareness

Conscious breathing is probably the oldest technique you can use to bring your attention to your body. Cory Silverberg describes a four-step process for using conscious breathing to explore your sexual awareness.

Breathing and sex have a lot in common. There are the obvious connections (we need to breathe to have sex and we can’t have sex if we aren’t breathing). And there are more subtle connections. For example, many people assume that both breathing and sex are activities that come naturally and that we shouldn’t have to ever think about. An assumption that’s not exactly accurate. While it’s true that for most of us breathing is involuntary and something we don’t have to learn, it’s equally true that if we never pay attention to our breathe we probably aren’t getting the most out of it. Of course the same can be said for our sexuality.

Breathing can be energizing or relaxing. Sex can also be energizing and relaxing. One of the great benefits of sex play is how it relaxes us afterwards, and much of that relaxation comes from the way we breathe when we're having sex.

Because our breath is fundamental to both our overall health and our awareness, it can be a powerful tool for sexual exploration. Read more

Burning Incense Is Psychoactive

Burning incense is a staple of Tantric ceremonies and meditations. Science now tells us that burning incense is not just good for the soul, but also good for the brain.

Religious leaders have contended for millennia that burning incense is good for the soul. Now, biologists have learned that it is good for our brains too. An international team of scientists, including researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, describe how burning frankincense (resin from the Boswellia plant) activates poorly understood ion channels in the brain to alleviate anxiety or depression. This suggests that an entirely new class of depression and anxiety drugs might be right under our noses. Read more

Tantric Sex Techniques to Reinvigorate Lovemaking

Though the Tantra teachers and students who want to feel special and superior don't like it, Tantra continues to become more mainstream. Discovery Health has an article by Amy Painter "Tantric Sex Techniques to Reinvigorate Lovemaking" that provides a good introduction to Tantric sex.

Have you ever experienced a moment of sexual ecstasy? How did it make you feel? Exhilarated? Luminous? Deeply connected? Intense sexual experiences are one of our greatest sources of pleasure.

At the same time, sex is often regarded with an equal measure of fear and fascination. We may crave sexual intimacy to the core of our being, yet also take great pains to avoid it. We may wish to be touched with all of our heart, yet fear our own vulnerability. We may long to rekindle lost passion, but have forgotten how to light the fire.

The practice of Tantra shows us how to reclaim the sexual intimacy that is our birthright. And through this most ancient of arts, we may discover new joys of the erotic and expand mere moments of sexual ecstasy into a lifetime of sexual bliss. At a time when the stresses, fears and distractions of daily life threaten so many relationships, the age-old practice of Tantra shows us how to open our hearts, our emotions and our sexuality. Read more

Sex Makes You Feel Closer to God

The Naughty American looks at Arthur Versluis's, book The Secret History of Western Sexual Mysticism: Sacred Practices and Spiritual Marriage.

Outdoor orgies bring people closer to God.

It sounds strange, but humans have been using sex for centuries as a way to get closer to God, according to Arthur Versluis, author of "The Secret History of Western Sexual Mysticism: Sacred Practices and Spiritual Marriage" (Inner Traditions & Bear).

In his research, Versluis uncovered religious sects that made radical sexual practices part of their worship, including engaging in group orgies in the wilderness and having sexual intercourse without allowing men to ejaculate. Read more

Male Multiple Orgasm: Tantra Energetics For Longer Lasting Lovemaking

Francesca Gentille interviews Somraj Pokras about The Four Cornerstones of Supreme Bliss: breath, sound, movement, and presence as well as about at-home exercises to increase vital sexual energy. Somraj reveals a 6-Step Formula to teach men to shift to Tantric lovemaking so that they can last all night. Learn how to use the 10-point scale of sexual arousal to pace your arousal level and synchronize with your partner. Listen to the podcast

Some Tantric Exercises to Increase General Well-Being and Sexual Abilities

Knut Holt presents a Tantric exercise routine that promotes a healthy anal and genital area, which is important to both general well-being and sexual abilities.

A healthy anal and genital area is of great importance both for the general well-being and for the sexual abilities. The same is true about a healthy respiratory tract and breathing apparatus. Here are presented three poses and three breathing exercises that have the following effects when done together in a series:

• They stimulate the physiological functions of the genital and anal area.
• They correct muscle weakness and anatomical problems of the anal and genital region.
• They increase the sexual drive and abilities.
• They produce a stimulating response that spreads upwards along the spine and revitalizes the whole body.
• They stimulate the physiological functions of the respiratory tract and help against infections in the airways.
• The exercises are very good to start each day with, or to do before going to bed in the night. Read more

5 Tips for a Perfect Tantric Massage

Stela at Tantra Yoga Techniques gives her top five tips for a perfect Tantra massage.

You are no doubt very excited about experiencing the benefits that Tantric Massage can achieve. Before you jump in, you must ensure that you are focused on what you are practising and be prepared for your practice.

I am now going to tell you my top tips that I use which allow me to get the most from my practice. Read more

The Foreskin, Thrusting Patterns, and Slowing Down

Suzie Heumann at Tantra and Kama Sutra Blog with Suzie explains how to use thrusting patterns to take advantage of the foreskin's ability to enhance women's pleasure.

Ever wonder why the penis has a head on it? Why isn't it just a smooth surface all the way to the body? Yes, the foreskin has to attach somewhere and foreskin does protect the sensitive tissue there but the Taoists have another idea about it. It’s there for more pleasure – a woman’s pleasure. Read more

Kama Sutra Love Sounds

Suzie Heumann, founder of Tantra.com, tells how to make sounds during sex that will move your sexual energy and enhance orgasm.

The Ultimate Fine-Tuned Male Lover

What does a man need to know to perfect his lovemaking skills? To begin with, he needs to remember that "one size does not fit all."

Men should know that just because some techniques drive one woman crazy, the same technique could irritate another or even the same woman at different times.

So what does a man need to know to perfect his love-making skills? Read more