Never heard of Tantra yoga? It’s not what you probably think…

When most people in the Western world today hear the word “Tantra,” they typically associate it with sex, and assume that Tantra yoga is something like the Kama Sutra or some form of sexual practice. However, Tantra yoga is actually simply a relatively modern revamping of the ancient vedic and yogic spiritual practices.

Tantra yoga focuses on personal experimentation and experience to allow one to experience the deeper reality of the true Self as being one with the cosmos.

According to YogaBasics.com, Tantra yoga’s main focus is on “using the body as a temple to worship the all-encompassing oneness of life as sacred.”

In order to connect the physical with the spiritual or divine energies, Tantric yoga uses both physical and spiritual exercises and techniques.

On the physical side…

The physical body is used to activate energy through the practices of asana, pranayama, mudra and shatkarma. Thus, the Tantra yogis developed the yoga postures (asana) and breathing exercises (pranayama) that are most commonly used today in Hatha Yoga.

Mudras include hand gestures and an intense fusion of asana, pranayama and bandha.

Shatkarma (often referred as kriya) are esoteric exercises and techniques to purify the body and cleanse the energy pathways.

And on the spiritual side…

The devotional practices of mantra, yantra and puja are used to develop the spiritual body. Mantras are sacred Sanskrit sounds that are manifestations of the divine power. Yantras are sacred geometric forms used for concentration and visualization in Tantric rituals. Puja is the active devotional worship of a chosen deity through offerings of food, incense, light, water and gems.

Read more about Tantra yoga at YogaBasics.com…