One Woman's Journey to Kundalini Yoga
What is Tantra?
By Lisa Sahakian
Nov 4, 2006, 01:30

What is Tantra?  The Path to Absolute Self Love

When people hear the word Tantra they automatically think of SEX when sexuality is only one aspect of the Tantric philosophy or lifestyle.  Over the past two years I have personally experienced a great personal awakening through tantric breath work.  And, while it certainly has enhanced my awareness and experience around my own sensuality, ultimately tranta has brought me to a splendor of self-love that is beyond any love I have ever experienced.

Tantra is a lifestyle-philosophy where one learns to embrace all aspects of the self by clearing the mind and letting go of all fears and inhibitions.  It is the path to total self-liberation and freedom of expression.  It is an ancient teaching brought to us thousands of years ago (approximately forth century A.D.) in Kasmir.  Great tantric initiators (also know as tantrikas) brought the practice throughout the rest of India, Nepal, China and Tibet. A trantrika is one who performs an initiation into the tantric life.  Both women and men are considered tantrika’s because it is a genderless expression.  Tantra embraces the Great Goddess without reversing the power between women and men.  Great male masters have often maintained the custom of initiating female disciples as a way to draw from the very source of power – the divine feminine itself.  In Tantrism, there is no Temple, God, dogma or belief system.  In fact, once any kind of “system” is established it is said that the Tantric spirit is lost.  The tantrika must learn to let go of all teachings once they have been learned them.  Because everything is always changing a tantrika must learn to rest only in the Divine.  This is when the awakening occurs.

In the west, some claim they can “certify you as a tantra teacher”.  However, I subscribe to a more purist point of view believing that no one person can “teach” you how to find absolute love for the self within a given framework of time.  The path of finding absolute self-love happens in it’s own unique way and time within each of us.  One must absolutely shed all aspects of the old self that contain judgments expressed commonly as fears.  This can take a lifetime or one moment in time.  One can participate in a series of rituals that are somewhat similar to a self-improvement workshop that include sexuality  – but ultimately when an awakening happens it is an experience that transcends academic description & western limitations.  Imagine being in a state of oneness with anything and everything around you.  Imagine seeing and feeling pure love and bliss with everything.  Imagine feeling strong, soft, vulnerable and invincible – yet without ego.  All scenes heightened, every pore of your body open, every aspect of your being at one with everything around you…..and then beyond.  Some call this enlightenment, God, oneness, etc…but I feel it is beyond description and trying to describe it almost minimizes it.

A book I highly recommend is “Tantic Quest” by Daniel Odier.  Odier humbly shares his journey to quench his curiosity while he makes his way through India seeking a Tantrika.  He beautifully describes his quest and how he faced and released his fears. Eventually, the tantric lifestyle allows you to step out of every box that you or society has ever imposed.  You may ask yourself, “Is it possible to live in the world in this state of pure bliss?”  Absolutely.  I invite you find the purest and greatest love you will ever know.  You.

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Lisa Sahakian, Yoga Practitioner teaches Transformation Tantric & Energy Release workshops weekly as well as private sessions.  The Divine Feminine are designed specifically for women, and at her Co-Ed Tantic classes both genders may attend.  It is her intention to facilitate freedom  of expression through the magnificence of the body temple.  Lisa believes that as of us is liberated - we automatically liberate all.  Lisa’s teaching philosophy, “I believe that every moment is a new opportunity to live life in its fullest  expression.  The ability to experience and accept each moment with a balance of spontaneity and stability provides great freedom of expression.  As we learn to move freely from this space we find our authentic self and live in our natural state of grace.  Through breath, yoga, meditation, and mantra we can shift paradigms, free ourselves from thought patterns and remember the joyous state of our being - awake, aligned and alive.”  Contact Lisa at: lisasahakian@earthlink.net or 323-662-3303