After two days of asana (postures) and pranayama (breathing), today was Tantra Day - six hours devoted to the study of Tantric Yoga. Originally popularized by Sting's famous brag heard-round-the-world about eight-hour sex sessions with Trudy, Tantric Yoga is often associated with unbridled sex in a variety of contorted positions. While that may be a (fortunate) outcome, it's far from the foundation of Tantric philosophy.
Tantra celebrates and holds sacred all aspects of life. Tantra seeks to expand awareness of the divine in all states of consciousness. Because tantric tradition views sexuality as the source of life itself, and sexual ecstasy as a taste of the divine, extending and expanding the peak of sexual ecstasy is viewed as a natural vehicle for exploring altered states. (HOW awesome does that sound?)
The practice of tantric yoga, therefore, embraces techniques and rituals for achieving this altered state.
In short, it's the polar opposite of a quickie, and a hell of a lot more work.
Sign me up, right? Not so fast...
