Tantra as a Key to Finding Love

In this new age of psychobabble, open sexual expression, and deeply rooted need for healing the Earth and ourselves, Tantra is a perfect practice for finding love. Unfortunately, it is so misunderstood. Contrary to popular belief, Tantra is not sex and sex is not necessarily Tantric- yet sex is a fundamental piece of the puzzle. To put it simply, the practice of Tantra meets sexuality at the cross road with the Divine. These practices can support you in finding love in every moment ‘and’ in finding your Beloved.

Tantra is one of the most ancient philosophies and practices of our time. It was born in India and the two practices today extend from either Hindu or Buddhist lineage. Hindu Tantra, as an integrated yoga practice, focuses on freeing the obstacles that prevent us from loving ourselves deeply and knowing the Oneness that exists between us all. When we love ourselves deeply – feel our own pleasure and bliss - our inner light shines brightly. It’s this inner light that reverberates and attracts others to us.

Tantra is a Sanskrit word of two parts. The first part – ‘tan’ means “to expand, weave together or join” and the second part of the word ‘tra’ means “tool”. So very clearly we are offered ancient tools to support us in expanding and joining with ourselves, a partner, and the Divine (and not necessarily at separate times.)

Michael Mirdad, international spiritual leader, healer, and author has taken care to discern Tantra from sacred sexuality. He says, in his book , An Introduction to Tantra and Sacred Sexuality, “Sacred sexuality is about experiencing levels of ecstatic bliss and unconditional love (usually only attainable through prolonged practice of advanced meditation techniques) and, most importantly, bringing these experiences into our daily lives. It’s ultimately about living bliss, not just feeling it.”

Tantric healing arts, or practices, are just that: daily steps that support us in opening up to love and ultimately meeting our Beloved. Let’s face it if we meditate, practice yoga, eat purely and exercise regularly we will achieve a sense of wellness and balance that feels good to the body and soul. Yes, this is the basic foundation of creating an inner feeling of wellbeing and balance. Feeling healthy and balanced and free from emotional obstacles, is the starting point to finding love that lasts.

And we don’t want to miss a very significant part of ourselves – our sexuality – our vital, life force that provides us with a fierce sense of who we are at the core of our being. So Tantra includes the art of sacred sexuality as one of the maps where we can explore our inner terrain (know ourselves in the deepest recesses of our hearts) and join with another (and share our hearts.)

Tantra offers us specific healing arts that can be done individually along with a way of being in the world energetically -- both are keys to finding love. The physical, emotional and spiritual benefits to living Tantra and creating a regular practice are immense. Squeezing our pubococcygeal (PC) muscles while doing specific breathing techniques brings more vitality and blood flow to our sexual organs. Yoga postures (asanas) strengthen our physical, emotional and spiritual body. Hands-on sexual healing helps us to release emotional blocks that are in the way of us joining in love, while meditation and breathing (pranayama) that bring us into the joy of this moment (rather than the anxiety of the past or future) enable us to connect deeply with the masculine and feminine aspect of ourselves.

Tantra addresses the keys to finding love at a very deep level – where healing happens as it needs to, and light begins to shine so brightly that the happiness you find there is the LOVE you are looking for!