What is kundalini?

Kundalini is a divine power of mysterious origin present inside the body and also spread in the entire universe. The invisible kundalini power present in a dormant state in all human beings as a spiral snake coiled three and half folds at the base of the spine.
This mysterious power can be awakened by many spiritual techniques and a common man wakes up completely with pure divine consciousness and integrates completely with God and receives many psychic and spiritual powers.
Kundalini awakening can also awake the different chakras which directly operate upon the dormant and hidden centres of brain.

What is epilepsy?

• Epilepsy which is commonly known as seizure disorder is a neurological condition affecting nervous system in which a sudden burst of electricity in the brain causes partial or whole body parts involuntary movements.
• A normal brain constantly generates electrical rhythms in a very systematic and organized ways. In epilepsy the normal rhythmic order is disrupted by some inappropriately neuron discharging signals causing uncontrolled shaking and jerking in body.
• In partial epilepsy a partial part of the brain neurons discharging signals inappropriately then a part of body like arm, leg may shake on its own but if there is sudden burst of electricity in whole brain, the whole body may shake or may fall asleep for a shot time ranging from few seconds to few minutes which is known as grand mal epilepsy.

What is kundalini epilepsy?

• Kundalini yoga is a science of self realization by constant physical and mental purification. There are five different types of energy forces working in the body they are prana, apana, samana, vyana and udana. These subtle forces work in a harmonizing and synchronizing way to influence the body, mind, emotions, attitudes and consciousness. When these forces work on a chakra which is not yet open there will be some physical movements in the body called kriyas which purify the physical, mental and casual bodies.
• Kundalini epilepsy is presented as an unusual neurological complex or syndrome appearing among some mediations and spiritual techniques.
• Sometimes these kriyas in their extreme form may manifest in severe convulsion and seizures misunderstood as pathological epilepsy. These kundalini kriya as seizures are non- epileptic convulsions which are auto- corrector, they not only eliminate physical diseases but also, purify our karmas.

Different Reasons for kundalini seizures:

• Many meditative techniques have tremendous potentiality for evolution of latent human nervous system. These techniques trigger some latent brain areas causing something strong, unusual, spontaneously bodily reactions and psychological states like convulsion or seizures in the seeker in a very dramatic and unexpected manner.
• Stress or negative emotions are accumulated energy patterns being stored in cells and tissues causing different physical and mental ailments. With higher vibrations of kundalini yoga the cellular level stress and toxins are converted and eliminated from the body with strong kriya like spontaneous seizures or convulsions in order to unblock and restructure the tissues to greater consciousness and systematic evolution of nervous system.

Signs and symptoms of kundalini epilepsy:

• Electrical sensations in whole body is felt which further produces involuntary bodily movements like shaking, jerking and tremors and may be misdiagnosed as epilepsy or convulsion.
• The aspirant can experience transcending sensation.
• Low breath frequency of 3-8 per minute is observed.
• Higher sinus arrhythmia amplitude is seen.
• Higher EEG alpha brain waves were seen during kundalini convulsions. Sometimes there is increased activity of theta waves in certain circuits which were different from those theta waves found during normal sleep stage.
• Spectral analysis of EEG during kundalini seizures indicates blissful states of aspirant correlated with coherence of anterior mid line frontal areas and posterior association areas.

How to differentiate between kundalini epilepsy from pathological epilepsy:

• Sometimes the kundalini epilepsy syndrome is misdiagnosed as neurological epilepsy. Particularly in the case of uncontrolled and sudden awakening of kundalini, the physical symptoms are so intense and profuse that they may be falsely diagnosed as illness.
• The kundalini epilepsy syndrome produces the sensations or tiny electric impulses moving in the body from the feet, up the spine up over the head and then down to abdomen and pelvis while in neurological and psychiatric epilepsy the electric impulses originates from the brain and travel down towards the feet’s.
• In kundalini epilepsy the EEG shows higher vibration waves particularly alpha waves patterns while in neurological epilepsy slow brain waves like delta waves are seen in EEG report.
• Sometimes in kundalini convulsions the seeker are given anti-seizures medication which either has no effect on their continuing conditions or make them feel worse. They feel much better when they stopped all medication.
• Kundalini seizures are painless electric-shocks generated by activated brain cells which are not life threatening and if left without any resistance doesn’t hurt in any way.
• With the advancement in spiritual practices the frequency of kundalini convulsion drastically decreases with time and after reaching a certain higher level the seeker becomes steady and quiet.

• Sometimes during pathological seizure the person may foam at mouth which is caused by the buildup of saliva and slime in the throat, while in kundalini epilepsy mouth foam is absent.
• Pathological epilepsy lead to loss of consciousness while in kundalini epilepsy the aspirant sustain his consciousness and much aware of his body conditions.

Benefits of kundalini epilepsy

• As we progress in mediation we may face many spontaneous and systematic evolution of nervous system. This eventually changes the nerves, brain and cells until the whole body and consciousness is transformed to a higher purified state.
• The convulsion discharges are basically the letting go of freeze responses from the motor area of brain.
• The stress are negative energy patterns stored in cells, nerves and systems, the spontaneous convulsions or seizures converts and release the stored stress in order to unblock and restructure the cells for greater consciousness or higher vibrations.
• In the advance states of kundalini awakening all the symptoms of stress gradually diminishes and the aspirant begins to enjoy a feeling of inner peace and tranquillity. He may feel very pleasurable and blissful sensations all the time.
• The kundalini seizures eliminate all kinds of psychosomatic illness and mental diseases of the aspirant.

BY

GEETA JHA [SPIRITUAL HEALER]

INDIA

About the Author

Geeta Jha is a spiritual healer, an astrologer and a dedicated disciple of reiki-pranic and huna mystics. She has been helping people with spiritual healing and astrology for over ten years.

http://www.dwarkaparichay.com/

For centuries, various forms of Tantra have been practiced in many eastern cultures as a means to reach enlightenment.  Tantra is an ancient yoga that is perhaps best known in the West for its celebratory inclusion of sexual energy as central to the practice.  This powerful meditation can be experienced solo or with a partner.  It involves being consciously aware of all your heightened senses, especially through breath and movement.  Tantra is about sensing sexual/creative/life force energy; building it and moving it throughout the body for healing and pleasure.

The word Tantra means “to manifest, to expand, and to weave.”  In this context, sex is thought to expand consciousness and to weave together the polarities of male (represented by the Hindu god, Shiva), and female (embodied by the Hindu goddess, Shakti), into a harmonious whole.  It is intended to achieve a state where opposites cease to exist, where yin and yang are in perfect balance and duality is eclipsed.  Couples need not adopt the Tantric pantheon in order to benefit from the sexual wisdom of this ancient art.  They can simply enjoy the process of co-creating intense energy to bring about harmony, as well as increase sexual pleasure and a deeper level of intimacy within their relationship.

On a spiritual level this condition is considered a state of bliss, of ecstasy, of unity.  On a worldly plane, couples seek a perfect balance where their differences are complementary.  They aim for an ecstatic combination—the experience of bliss, love and unity—in their relationship.  Psychologically, Tantra is a healing art, as sexual energy is one of our most powerful energies for creating better health.  By consciously directing sexual energy, we can tap into a pure source of youth and vitality. Through consistent tantric practice, you will discover energy you never knew you had – a creative energy that will refresh your mind, replenish your stamina, and restore your enthusiasm.

Tantra suggests the interconnection or the ‘interwovenness’ of things and actions – an interdependence of all that exists is the continuity within the interaction of cause and effect. The essence of Tantra is invariably of a mystic nature, i.e., trying to establish an inner relationship of things: the parallelism of microcosm and macrocosm, mind and universe, ritual and reality, the world of matter and the world of spirit.  In Tantra, the human body is seen as a microcosm of the universe; all that exists in the universe, exists also in the human body.  Through the intimate connection of body and universe, we can understand how sex and orgasm can be seen as a cosmic and divine experience.

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.  Sex may be used to heighten energy and conscious connection to the universe which can bring healing, peace, wholeness, power, bliss, and growth, as well as a profound intimate connection with your partner.  Tantric sexual practices teach us to prolong the act of making love and to utilize potent orgasmic energies more effectively.

Tantric sex promotes the experiences of orgasm without ejaculation.  This does not mean that a man is never to ejaculate, but that he can control his climax.  The essence is to catch a wave of energy and to surf the edge without going over – riding the wave of ecstasy as long as possible.  Although they often happen at the same time, men are capable of having orgasms without ejaculating.  By holding back, men can experience a series of “mini-orgasms.”  Ejaculatory control is what makes it possible for Tantric lovers to capture and extend the magical energy of orgasm.

In the Tantric model, the sexual experience is seen as a dance with no beginning or end.  There is no goal, only the present moment of exquisite union.  For this reason, lovemaking is meditative, expressive and intimate. Tantra teaches lovers how to extend the peak of their sexual ecstasy so that women and men can experience waves of orgasms during an extended lovemaking session.  With love, trust and mutual respect, the magic of Tantra is available to couples of all ages and levels of sexual experience.

“Tantra embraces the natural energies of the bodies and connects you with cosmic, universal energy.  It is becoming one with the other, and the very cosmos itself.” –Swami Nostradamus Virato

*In part 2 of this article, we will discuss more in depth about how to practice Tantra as an art of conscious loving.

About the Author

Allura

Currently, Allura works for a fabulous company, Oceanus Naturals based in Phoenix, AZ that manufactures all-natural products to support sexual health & overall wellness. Most of the Oceanus Naturals product line can be found across North America in over 80 retail chains including GNC, The Vitamin Shoppe, Fred Meyer, Zellers, Albertsons, Meijer and Duane Reade. Receive a 10% on-line discount with coupon code: ALLURA.

Allura Joy has consulted women and couples for many years in the areas of personal relationships, sexuality, natural health & wellness, and various holistic therapies. Allura has facilitated various women’s groups, retreats, conferences and special events for women to come together in community to share, connect and support one another.

Allura is a published author, certified Hypnotherapist, Life Coach, NLP Master Practitioner, Licensed Massage Therapist and Yoga Instructor. She enjoys writing articles to support and empower women in their sexual wellness, promoting a healthy fulfilling sex life – with or without a partner! Check out Allura’s blog, Straight UP Girl Talk!

A symbolic fictional story about the kundalini Rising inside all of us, by the Scribe.

Once upon a time, in a far away land, a dragon was formed. This dragon was a creative aspect of you because, energetically, you are a serpent of life. You are the womb of all creation. You were born from the egg.  You are destined to be the fire breather, as the raging beast that you are.

Sometimes the energetic part of you resides in the ruptured mounds of your heart cave, sleeping and lying dormant. This is because you can exhibit self-contempt and laziness, hiding like a hermit in your cave, dreaming of all things. But when the day is finally sunny, the kisses of gold parades throughout your cave, tempting your dragon eyes open, and then everything changes.

The rays warm your mystical little scaly potbelly and in one moment, the dragon of you decides to waddle outside and greet this merry light, whether to scowl or embrace that light.

The sun directly warms your whole body and melts the chill coming from the cave. This light makes you feel rejuvenated and you dance in the light that you recognize as bliss. This light is the reason for your joy, and in light you breathe your fire, as your tail combats all that comes your way, a leering smile catching on your face, because you are bold and daring.

This is the radiance that you truly seek, as a dragon only becomes a real dragon in this pure light. But indeed, the cycles in nature are inevitable, and you must be strong for all outside conditions.

You are one of the half-breeds of existence and formed from the duality of the universe: the yin and yang, the hot and cold, the good and evil. You are but a metaphysical dragon which is your spiritual soul. But it also has a physical half that keeps your soul alive, sheltering the dragon just the same. The physical aspect of your serpent is you as a human being in a different plane.

The other half of you is the human living a mundane life on a war-inflicted earth at this year of 2010, in the middle of buying groceries, snacking on food, or mechanically driving away to your 9-5 job. And this human you, doesn’t really know too much of its other exotic dragon half, but you sense it, as it is a part of every living fiber, every tiny cell of your existence.

Meanwhile, living in the split realities of time-space, your dragon energy within lives inside you, eternally, and of a different parallel universe, existing without really knowing why, dreaming your very same dreams, feeling your ever emotion, instantaneously, innocently.

It lives in a world where all things are possible, just like earth, as it’s dark cave is actually your own heart, glimmering in the very light of your soul, and sulking in the very darkness that shadows your mind.  As you walk, it breathes, incidentally stretching its long tail the older you get. The more you mature, the more the dragon’s tail spirals around every little thing you do.

Every bubble of thought, every spoken word, even the trinkets you create are touched by your dragon’s tail, in connection to the body of magic that waits.

Sometimes the tail can be wound so tight around you even, the creativity and magic building so greatly that you can barely breathe, you can barely stand it.

Other times that wound-up coil of tail suddenly releases the tension, giving forth a birth of infinite creation, thrusting out the great potential within the creation of all things. This burst is like an explosion that shakes the universe, reverberating throughout all of time, transcending everything. But this type of letting go is hard to do for your dragon.

It’s the dreams that make its tail grasp every so tight, unwilling to let go.

But the moment the dream is unleashed, the magic of all things unleashes to the wilderness, and you reach the ultimate potential -in this single, perplexing moment. As this happens, the dragon you can be found outside of the dismal cave of restlessness. It is dancing in the light of all things, playing in creation. In just one moment of this splendor, the balance unlocks your true destiny.

Creation gives birth to more creation. Meanwhile, the physical half is dancing too.

At exactly at the right moment of abundance, you as a person smile like a mad hatter, feeling your burdens of life lift like a bag of bricks. The cave vanishes in thin air, and in a parallel world, your cubicles fade to dust. The walls of your confines for both are no more. Instantly, you are free to breathe your fire as the duel creatures of both living, unites into each, to become whole. But once the sun shudders its flock of colors and ducks into the grave of the earth. The stars invite the cold black night to begin a new cycle. Cold sets in and this cold is inevitable. It always gets dark in both worlds. The cold becomes unbearable at a point.

You, as a dragon, begin to grow weary, for there is no fun dancing in the cold dark. At the very same moment, you as a human being, slouch back into a couch to watch television. You, as a dragon, slink back into your cave, to embrace the darkness lurking inside, and this is where you sleep at home, waiting for the dawn to arrive, always dreaming for all things to come.

Every time the light leaves you as a dragon, sadness approaches the end of your tail. It crawls right into the very muscles of your heart, and as you breathe a heaving chest, the sadness weeps.

To keep it company, you feed in the loneliness that the sadness expresses to you, and you swallow the bitter isolation, munching on the splintering pain even when it hurts you just as much. You can’t help but feel sympathetic so the feelings that enter make your magnificent body weak. This darkness bleeds into the very bed you sleep in, as it is an essence that is just as alive as you, waiting for someone to listen to its stories, needing a warm body, wanting love.

This is the hole where your dragon tears drop, staining your ferocious cheeks a pale mildew color. As the color drains, the pain that now lives inside you -sings a soft lullaby, tucking you in, as you seclude yourself for the next cycle of dark years ahead.

You are still a young dragon and your human body is still maturing. You don’t know all things yet, so you battle everyday to gain more understanding.

The mission is to survive in the light and dark of all things true in the nature that exists, for both halves to unite and awaken to your ultimate potential, to fulfill your destiny that waits. The halves are the magical key to unlocking the potential of all things. That is the reason for the existence of the dragon you, the slave of your eternal torment.

Its’ curse is to slumber while only able to experience part happiness, until you are truly awaken yourself on the physical plane, so you can live outside your caves –confines, forevermore.

One day, both dual aspects of the soul and body will learn to fly. You will have the strength to follow the sun wherever it goes and be strong enough to sleep in the dark without being won over by it completely. You will dance in the balance of the universe, rain or shine, confinement or utter freedom, and create more creations of infinite potential by letting go.

Until the day you fulfill this ultimate balance of light and dark, to achieve your own enlightenment, you will harbor this sleeping giant, smoke winding out of volcanic nostrils as it dreams of more. And until you learn how to finally lash out, and become fearless in the unearthly power you hold, to become the half-breed turned whole, you will only treasure momentary bliss.

We are all lairs of these legendary dragon serpents, embodied in skin canvas and preserved as a diamond in the rough. Throughout eternity our energy will be impenetrably contained, fluctuating from releasing to hiding again, moving about and stirring with a flickering tail.

Both will forever waiting to be whole one day, dreaming of freedom at last.

About Author

the Scribe is a secret mystic .  A spirituality writer from the U.S, currently living in Mexico and can be reached on  www.spiritualworks.weebly.com

Black tantra is a lesser known sub-division of ancient tantra. Its rather ominous name derives from the fact that black tantra always concludes with orgasm and ejaculation in order to awaken consciousness, whereas tantra and its practices oppose any loss of sexual energy and favour spiritual pursuits (tantra sadhana). Black tantra is about altering mental reality through a series of techniques, and it involves an advanced form of mental projection. As your tantra teacher will inform you, scriptures such as the ‘Virat Kaula Sutras’ state that the pursuit of orgasmic release can sometimes trigger cravings and suffering. In other words, black tantra may sometimes lead people further away from enlightenment rather than bringing them to it. To prolong sexual intercourse with the sole objective of enjoying physical pleasure, without regard to achieving higher awareness, may lead one astray. The proper role of this offshoot of the ancient art is to help those who have fallen in this trap by engaging their subconscious creative power, which can be accessed during sexual arousal and eventually lead them to tantric ‘samadhi’. Some people erroneously consider the sexual side of tantra as ‘black tantra’. This is an example of the wide-spread ignorance surrounding the art of tantra, resulting in the general rejection of this esoteric variant as dangerous and unusable. The art of tantra, which has been passed down from one tantra teacher to another in the ‘hands-on’ oral tradition, admonishes that we must never use energy to manipulate others. Rather, a practitioner should seek to experience an expansion of his or her higher consciousness, and to recognize the interconnectedness of existence. Under the tutelage of an accomplished tantra teacher, the student learns to conserve and sublimate sexual energies. This is in stark contrast to black tantra, where the sexual energies are allowed to spill through into orgasm. ‘Rati Rahasyam’ states that tantra awakens consciousness to the absence of our desires, while black tantra awakens consciousness to our inner-most desires. In other words, this path can put one on a slippery slope towards ignorance, as it concludes with orgasm/ejaculation in order to awaken consciousness. However, it must not be seen as an aberrant offshoot of the original discipline. Rather, it worthwhile viewing it as a means to engage in profound love-making rites with deities via meditation. After years of such advanced practice, we begin to experience siddhis or supernatural powers that can help us on our journey to samadhi – or spiritual realization. What emerges is that the practice of tantra or any of its variants without proper tutelage from a qualified tantra master can lead to much distress. There are no shortcuts, and every variant has its place in the overall scheme of things. However, only an accomplished tantra master can chart the journey for you for optimum spiritual benefit.
Black tantra is a lesser known sub-division of ancient tantra. Its rather ominous name derives from the fact that black tantra always concludes with orgasm and ejaculation in order to awaken consciousness, whereas tantra and its practices oppose any loss of sexual energy and favour spiritual pursuits (tantra sadhana).

Black tantra is about altering mental reality through a series of techniques, and it involves an advanced form of mental projection. As your tantra teacher will inform you, scriptures such as the ‘Virat Kaula Sutras’ state that the pursuit of orgasmic release can sometimes trigger cravings and suffering. In other words, black tantra may sometimes lead people further away from enlightenment rather than bringing them to it.

To prolong sexual intercourse with the sole objective of enjoying physical pleasure, without regard to achieving higher awareness, may lead one astray. The proper role of this offshoot of the ancient art is to help those who have fallen in this trap by engaging their subconscious creative power, which can be accessed during sexual arousal and eventually lead them to tantric ‘samadhi’.

Some people erroneously consider the sexual side of tantra as ‘black tantra’. This is an example of the wide-spread ignorance surrounding the art of tantra, resulting in the general rejection of this esoteric variant as dangerous and unusable.

The art of tantra, which has been passed down from one tantra teacher to another in the ‘hands-on’ oral tradition, admonishes that we must never use energy to manipulate others. Rather, a practitioner should seek to experience an expansion of his or her higher consciousness, and to recognize the interconnectedness of existence.

Under the tutelage of an accomplished tantra teacher, the student learns to conserve and sublimate sexual energies. This is in stark contrast to black tantra, where the sexual energies are allowed to spill through into orgasm.

‘Rati Rahasyam’ states that tantra awakens consciousness to the absence of our desires, while black tantra awakens consciousness to our inner-most desires. In other words, this path can put one on a slippery slope towards ignorance, as it concludes with orgasm/ejaculation in order to awaken consciousness. However, it must not be seen as an aberrant offshoot of the original discipline. Rather, it worthwhile viewing it as a means to engage in profound love-making rites with deities via meditation. After years of such advanced practice, we begin to experience siddhis or supernatural powers that can help us on our journey to samadhi – or spiritual realization.

What emerges is that the practice of tantra or any of its variants without proper tutelage from a qualified tantra master can lead to much distress. There are no shortcuts, and every variant has its place in the overall scheme of things. However, only an accomplished tantra master can chart the journey for you for optimum spiritual benefit.

About the Author

Acharya Subhojit Dasgupta is a Tantra Teacher with an in-depth knowledge of traditional Indian sciences and Sanskrit literature. Visit his tantra online guide to read about tantra for women, learn tantra exercises and technique and from this young Tantra Master.

Acharya Subhojit Dasgupta is a Tantra Teacher. Visit his tantra online guide http://www.tantrasadhana.com to read about tantra for women, learn tantra exercises and technique and from this young Tantra Master.

When I started practicing Tantra with my husband, I was thrown for quite a dizzying loop! In the midst of the breathing and the movements, I connected to him in a way that I never had before. Mind you, we’ve been together for more than a decade, and we’re very close. But in our meditations together, we somehow reached a whole new plain of intimacy and understanding. His eyes were the same ones I had been looking into for many years, but now they were tinged with a new kind of depth and color. It was like we were creating an entirely different language; like we were ploughing across a fertile and exhilarating new land.

It is with much excitement that I share this Couples’ Meditation with you! You and your partner can use this whenever you like. It’s a good one to help you plug into one another after a long day apart. It’s also a good way to energize and start the day, and on the opposite end, it can be a relaxing thing to do before bedtime. And if you do this meditation right before lovemaking, it can really strengthen your chemistry!

Whenever you choose to do it, be sure to approach the meditation with complete awareness and an open mind!

Here we go…

1. Find a comfortable place for you and your partner to meditate. If you want to play some music, be sure to turn on something that is nice and soothing!

2. Sit back to back, whether it’s cross-legged on the floor or on your bed. Wherever you choose to go, make sure that your backs are touching.

3. Feel your spines come together and take a nice deep breath here.

4. Now, close your eyes and start to synchronize your breathing, inhaling and exhaling together. It might be tricky at first, but be patient, and you will find that you’re soon in-step with one another! Keep up with the synchronized breathing for a few minutes.

5. And, still breathing together, pull your shoulders back about an inch and hook your arms together. Your left arm should be hooked into your partner’s right arm, and your right arm should be hooked into your partner’s left arm.

6. With your arms hooked and your breathing still synchronized, start to sway side to side together. As you move to one side, inhale together, and as you move to the other side, exhale together. Be sure to keep your eyes closed, and just allow yourself to get lost in this union with your partner. Drop all thoughts from your mind, and just focus on slowly moving as one single unit. Do this for a few minutes.

7. Now, start to slowly move forward and backward. (As you go forward, your partner is moving back; and as you move back, your partner is moving forward.) As you move in one direction, inhale together; and as you start moving in the other direction, exhale together. Be sure to keep your arms hooked, and continue with the breath synchronization! The slower the movements, the better. This way, you can really feel every subtle shift in your body, and you’ll be able to put more pointed focus toward breathing with your partner. Do this for a few minutes as well.

8. When you’re finished, unhook your arms, and adjust yourselves so that you’re both facing each other.

9. Make gentle eye contact, and as you do so, try to get your breathing synchronized again. You might want to inhale and exhale through your mouths, so it will be easier for you both to match your breathing throughout. Try and keep this going for five minutes. It may feel kind of strange to hold eye contact for this long, but trust me, it’s worth it!

While you’re breathing and making eye contact, you may feel any number of emotions coming up. You may feel like laughing or crying or making noise. Or you may not feel like doing any of these things! Know that wherever you are is where you should be. And trust that completely. Surrender to it, and just allow your body to guide you. Leave your mind out of the equation for this entire exercise.

After the eye-gazing and breathing, give one another a nice, long hug.

And there you have it!

A super easy way to connect, grow, experience, and love, as an ever-evolving couple!

About the Author

Rhoda Jordan Shapiro teaches Tantra/Meditation sessions and workshops in Los Angeles, CA. In her work, she seeks to empower people with the tools to live ecstatic lives. As well as teaching, she works as an actress and writer. Her journey as an artist has been enhanced significantly by not only practicing Tantra, but by living it from moment to moment. In all of her work, she thrives on co-creating spaces where everyone is inspired to look outside the box and toward the budding potential that grows there.

The calling to teach Yoga classes can reach into any of us, but what about obstacles which hold each of us back. A shy person may want to become a Yoga teacher, but how can he or she develop the voice of a Yoga instructor?

For an aspiring Yoga teacher, shyness is like a prison which stops him or her from life’s rewards. This person knows what to do, but feels serious anxiety when having to address a person or when having to speak in front of a group.

So what is a shy, but aspiring Yoga instructor to do, when confronted with this impasse? Should he or she give up the dream of becoming a certified Yoga teacher? Some trainers of Yoga teachers would agree, but the truth is there is a solution for the shy, but aspiring Yoga instructor.

Luckily, we are surrounded by recording devices. You can record your voice or film a mock Yoga class to develop your Yoga teaching skills. Watch the recording of yourself teaching Yoga, and later, practice along with the film or the audio recording. Then you can make corrections as you deal with the learning curve involved in becoming a Yoga teacher.

If you have some areas in your video or audio recording that need work; you will find a solution, but you must be patient with yourself. We are our own worst critics. This is just a part of the learning process in becoming a Yoga instructor. It is guaranteed that if you try, you will succeed, and you will not be let down.

Many of my best Yoga teacher training graduates spent their lives under estimating themselves, but found independence and a better quality life, teaching Yoga. The harshest judge many of us face on a daily basis is ourselves.

This is not an exercise in self-criticism, but a proven method for developing your Yoga teaching skills. Do not “beat yourself up,” but do take a constructive look at ways you can improve the range of your voice, cueing skills, and your Yoga lesson plan.

You should also seek out a trusted friend or an experienced Yoga teacher for constructive advice. Some Yoga teacher mentors will tutor you through any part of learning process.

Later, you may need at least one student and you can film your lesson plan in any open room. Some Yoga instructor interns have filmed a Yoga class outside, depending upon the season. Teaching Yoga in different settings will also build new found confidence.

You will learn to develop your own lesson plan. This is not acting, but a way to see your personality evolve into a Yoga teacher. This evolution of personality knows no boundaries. Most Yoga teachers are very confident and make the most out of enjoying life to its fullest potential every day.

To be honest, I was nervous when I taught my first Yoga class. I never thought I would be a public speaker, and I never considered that I would some day train Yoga instructors from every part of the earth. The raw skills are within all of us, but your dreams will not be realized without positive action by you.

Life happens, and hopefully, most of us change for the best. As a result, you will help others and have a tremendous feeling of job satisfaction, when you become a Yoga teacher.

Copyright 2007 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

About the Author

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center in, Attleboro, MA. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995.

http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org

Kundalini seems to be one of the schools of yoga around which there is an air of mystery and mysticism. Some might even say there is a hint of danger in it. Kundalini is different than some of the more popular and mainstream types of yoga most commonly practiced in the United States, but I’m not sure how it has earned the reputation it has, for being a more eccentric yoga practice.

Some of the information that you can find on the internet about Kundalini yoga enhances its mystical reputation, with prominent references to coiling snakes, even large pictures of cobras on the front page of the website. I think Yogi Bhajan, the man responsible for bringing Kundalini yoga to the United States, would be disappointed to see this lovely form of yoga characterized in this way.

Kundalini just happened to be the first type of yoga I practiced. It just happened to be the class that was most convenient. For months, Kundalini was the only yoga I knew, and I loved it. I loved the connection of the breath to the movement, and the repetitive motions, like moving mediations. I loved that my teacher set an intention for each class for a certain spiritual goal, or the opening of a certain chakra, and all of the poses and motions throughout the class were meant to work toward that goal. This yoga was unlike any other exercise I had done before, but afterward I felt physically tired and spiritually uplifted and opened in a way I had never experienced before.

It wasn’t until I began attending other classes that I realized how different Kundalini was from other types of yoga. While some poses and practices were similar, the other yoga classes I tried lacked the explicit connection between the physical work of the body during the practice and the mental and spiritual work associated with it. I have tried many styles of yoga over the years, and enjoy many of them, but Kundalini is still a favorite.

When Yogi Bhajan gave his first public lecture in the US in 1969, he explained that it is everyone’s birthright to be happy, healthy and holy, and that Kundalini Yoga was a powerful way to claim that birthright. Kundalini was created as the “householder’s” yoga, the yoga for the common man. While other forms of yoga required endless hours of practice and a withdrawal from society, Kundalini was designed to offer the same benefits in a fraction of the time. The working man’s yoga, Kundalini provided a path to enlightenment for people with families to take care of and work to do.

Far from spooky or kooky, in my experience, Kundalini is a challenging and rewarding practice that leaves me feeling both invigorated and nurtured. Though I have found few teachers over the years, I refer often to the first book I purchased, “Kundalini Yoga for Body, Mind and Beyond” by Ravi Singh and I enjoy the many Kundalini Yoga DVDs by Ravi Singh and Ana Brett. Kundalini Yoga may not be for everyone, but if you’re willing to open your mind and try this empowering form of yoga, you just might enjoy the results.

About the Author

Wendy is a Certified Yoga Instructor with a focus on fitness, health and well being. She shares her knowledge and experiences at MostlyYoga.com. Thanks for reading!

If you’d like to take your sex life to a higher plane, you might want to consider introducing some tantric techniques to your lovemaking. This is a way to control and manipulate your sexual energy, including exchanging energy with your partner and prolonging orgasm.

Tantra is more than just a way to more intense orgasm, however. It’s an Eastern practice that involves the whole mind, body and soul. You may want to extend the practise out of the bedroom, as Tantra includes techniques that can affect your whole way of life. By harnessing your sexual energy and directing it towards areas of the body or mind, you can boost energy and clear blockages. Tantric practise also means treating your body and your partner’s body as sacred. Sexual ecstasy is seen as a divine feeling and love making as an art that involves special skills.

Breathing

Probably the most fundamental practical aspect of Tantric sex is breathing practise. This might mean controlling your breathing during sex to bring your attention back to the present, or synchronising your breath with your lover’s. Breathing in time with your partner can lead to a feeling of merging or union that is very intimate and moving. Yoga and meditation teach breathing exercises that can be incorporated into your Tantric sessions, try focussing on a slow, long out breath to control your breathing, coupled with deep breaths from your diaphragm. While you breath in this manner, bring your attention to your partner and their breathing.

Positions

Tantra is not about turning sex into a marathon of a hundred different positions, but the Kama Sutra does form part of the teachings of Tantra. Working your way through every position is not part of the plan, though. Sexual positions are to be explored, and for the most part you’re looking for ways to prolong your lovemaking. Multiple orgasms for both man and woman are part of the fun, for him this means learning to orgasm without ejaculation. This means he needs to learn to control the muscle at the base or ‘root’ of his penis. Women can improve their orgasmic potential by contracting their pelvic floor muscles, try clenching as though holding in a pee, then releasing. Do this for cycles of around 10 seconds at a time, every time you remember.

The most important aspects of Tantra are to respect yourself and your partner. Rather than seeing sex as a ‘naughty’ or secret activity, devotees are encouraged to focus on the sacred and spiritual aspects of lovemaking. Ultimately, there is no one clear definition of Tantra as every follower has his or her own interpretation. For those who practise Tantric sex, the experience is one of constant discovery. You too will come to have your own understanding of the meaning of Tantra the more you practise the simple techniques of slowing down, paying attention and giving respect to the act of sex.

About the Author

Shayla Moore is a writer for http://www.oasislingerie.com She has many intresting topics and ideas for all to read about. Check out more of her articles.

Does the ancient art of Tantra have significance in the modern world? Many things define the times we live in today – speed, abundance, working hard and playing hard among them. In many ways we seem to have it all, but there is another side to the picture.
We also seem to be disintegrating as human beings. We seem to be turning into shadows of our former selves in our constant quest for money and self-centered pleasure. And selfishness, as any experienced tantra teacher can tell you, is a syndrome that is contrary to tantra.

Today, society is crumbling under selfishness and the hardest hit entity of this modern malaise is the institution of family. Divorce rates are higher than ever and promise to climb in the future. Studies indicate that late marriages are all the rage now, which means that there are practically no marriages taking place in the age group 20-28 years.

With the easy availability of information on sex, the highest act of love is being reduced to nothing more than a mere act … a performance, an experiment, a means to enhance one’s image and appease one’s ego. As the ancient art of love and intimacy, tantra can reverse this reduction of the sexual component of love to such a low order.

The problem lies in the manner in which people are exposed to sex, – in the way information on sex is disseminated in educational institutions, the way it is portrayed online and the discomfort parents experience while talking about sex. Today, most people have no clue on what it means to be connected intimately to another person. Thus, living with a person day in, day out in a committed relationship is hard to sustain.

Ancient tantra teaches us that the magic of sex does not lie in the mechanical, clinical, physical act but in the connection between two souls. A tantra teacher will tell you that it is this connection that keeps two people together for life, and can help you find that connection.

It is not easy, but then again, nothing worth gaining is very easy to find. To understand tantra, one must cross many levels and break many external and internal barriers that stand between oneself and one’s goal – supreme awareness. With that heightened awareness, one can expect to find the solution for many of the modern ills affecting our society today.

With a connection as strong as the one tantra helps you find, why would you ever want to leave the person you choose to be your life partner? Not only can this ancient art and science help you find that deep connection with another’s soul, it can also enhance the connections you have with your children, thus ensuring that they do not slip away into a downward spiral of degeneration.

Tantra is highly misunderstood because some people use it for highly unethical reasons. Only true followers under the guidance of an accomplished tantra master can fully understand the way it can uplift society and take it back to the days of glory, when this connection was alive and thriving.

About the Author

Acharya Subhojit Dasgupta is a Tantra Teacher with an in-depth knowledge of traditional Indian sciences and Sanskrit literature. Visit his tantra online guide to learn tantra techniques kriyas and mudras from this young Tantra Master.

I can give thanks to the singer/songwriter Sting for my first impressions of Tantra, when more than 10 years ago in an interview he was quoted as saying that he used Tantra techniques to make love with his wife for 8 hours straight. This left an indelible mark on me, and the rest of the unknowing world for that matter.

Even today, mention the word “Tantra” to people and ask them to comment on what comes to mind and you will get a cacophony of responses. Though you can be certain that they will all pertain to sex, in one form or another.

At the present time, I find myself walking the Tantric path, having fully embraced its principles and techniques. As a result, I have a much more clear understanding of what it was that Sting experienced and I’m writing this article to set the record straight.

I think it’s important to start with a little background on Tantra, though describing it (and its history) is not an easy thing to do, if not altogether impossible. Grab a handful of books on the subject and you will quickly find that their authors have varied ideas on its origins, while having great difficulty in encompassing this massive topic. Simply put, Tantra is all encompassing. It doesn’t exclude anything from the realm of experience, which is why it has been called by many as The Path of Acceptance.

And this is where agreement, for those following the Tantric path can be found – that Tantra is the holistic study of the universal, from the point of view of the individual experience. We can get a better view here by breaking down the very term Tantra, which actually comes from two Sanskrit words, Tanoi and Trayati. Tanoi meaning to expand and Trayati with two meanings – to weave together and also to liberate. So it can be said that Tantra is the expansion of mind, body and soul and the weaving together of universal Truths, resulting in liberation (ie. enlightenment).

How does Tantra expand the Mind, Body and Soul? Many historians suggest that Tantrics, many thousands of years ago, were the creators of yoga, a yoga that is much more than just the demanding physical postures we have become so familiar with in the West today. This ancient brand of yoga also included (amongst other things) breathing techniques, meditation and yes, the practice of sacred sexuality in which the man is multi orgasmic yet never ejaculates. Something that our friend Sting, I believe, knows a little something about. But to say that Tantra is about sex is completely missing the point. It’s like presenting a Paella to your dinner guests and what they are served is a plain bowl of rice. Its incomplete.

Tantra presents its followers with the whole, and they must in turn take this holistic approach and weave it all together if they are to experience spiritual growth and ultimately liberation.

Interestingly, Tantra gets quite a bit of its opposition from fellow Eastern Philosophies, due to its acceptance of desire. Many (most) Eastern ideologies expound on the idea of unattachment as the means to enlightenment and many spiritual leaders teach that desire is the root of attachment and should be overcome. Though I have yet to hear a good answer to the Tantric counter point – “How does one achieve desirelesness without the desire to be desireless?”

Tantra says that desire is a natural human trait, built into the very fiber of our beings, and should not be suppressed or repressed, but expressed in healthy ways. There is a line in the movie The Matrix that goes – “To deny your desires is to deny the very thing that makes you human.” Tantra agrees with this statement. Denial in any form is a form of resistance and whatever one resists, persists. If this persistence goes on long enough it turns into repression, that if not expressed, in due time results in blocked energy and bad health.

Sexual desire is certainly one of, if not the most powerful human desire, and as such holds a key part in healing our holy trinity of mind, body and soul. Tantra (and Taoist sexuality) holds that sexual union between two people is one of the keys to deep spiritual connection and longevity. And if you are someone who has learned the techniques that lead to 8 hours of fulfilled love making, you are well on your way.

Yet, the point of this article is to redirect a world opinion that has been misguided by an interview that was taken out of context so many years ago. To show that sex is just a branch on the Tantric tree, and it appears that Sting knew this all along. I recently did some research and uncovered an enlightening interview with him where he addresses his world wide Tantra acclaim -

“”Sting is a famous proponent of tantric sex. I ask him to give the frustrated Guardian readers a few tips. He looks indignant and says it’s about “a journey”, not “fucking for eight hours”. OK, I say. “I try to be lighthearted about it,” he says, “but at the same time, there is some serious information about couples and how they can relate and sex is only a tiny proportion of it. It’s about ritualising a period of the day with your partner; it can be looking at each other, touching each other, running a bath, a massage, deeper levels of connection. Sex is only the surface. Once you really connect, telling the truth, talking, all of that. Tantra is much too complex for me to discuss. But it’s about reconnecting with the world of the spirit through everyday things. My church happens to be the person I live with. She is my connection to the sacred. I don’t know how that’s going to look in print.””
So my thanks to you once again Sting, for having at one time added to my vivid imaginations as a young man. And now, more than a decade (and one brief investigation) later, for giving me and a world full of truth seekers, the beautiful clarity we all needed.

As OSHO says – “Only Tantra allows you total being and total FLOW. Tantra gives you unconditional freedom, whatsoever you are and whatsoever you can be. Tantra puts no boundaries on you. It does not define you; it simply gives you total freedom. The understanding is that when you are totally free, then everything is possible.”

About Author

Sarvaan discovered Tantra during his extensive travels in the East and immediately knew it was the path he wanted to walk. Together with his Tantric wife Eva, they run the School of Free Flow, an organization offering Tantra massage, workshops, and training for people looking to live a “Zorba the Buddha” life. For more information please visit his website at www.schooloffreeflow.org