Traits of a Good Tantra Teacher

What to Look for When Beginning Individual Lessons

If you are considering working individually with a Tantra Yoga teacher, I feel there are certain important aspects to look for. There are of course many schools of Tantra, and they vary widely, including the Buddhist and Hindu forms and those such as Ipsalu which go back to the shamanic roots and have no claim to be either of those. As regards sexuality, they vary widely also, some advocating celibacy except for householders, some advocating only ritual sex, generally with a spouse, and only on rare and prescribed occasions. Other forms of Tantra are a little more lax with sexual allowances, but traditionally, sex is only to be for the sake of enlightenment. Some forms of Tantra have been used more vampirically, with sex being used to draw energy from the partner, leaving him or her drained. These days, much is made of sex and Tantra, and it has been mistakenly associated far more than it truly is. Sex is only a small part of Tantra Yoga, and in many schools of Tantra, such as Ananda Marga, it plays almost no part at all. Tantra is a practice of using the body in ways the ancient seers of India have found to have specific effects on the subtle anatomy. The subtle anatomy is paid more attention in Tantra than any other form of practice other than Taoism, but the Tantric anatomy is specifically working with the nadis, or astral pathways, specifically the sushumna, which may be the eventual path of the Kundalini for those few for whom it rises. It also deals with countless other nadis, especially the Ida and Pingala, which cross on either side of the sushumna, crossing at the chakras. The chakras are also a strong study specific to Tantra Yoga, and the means of awakening, cleansing, connecting, and developing them are a large part of the practice. A very specific kind of sex is one way of doing this, and having sex Tantrically allows these pathways and the chakras along them to be transformed and the energy moved upwards rather than outwards, and circulated, rather than lost. This fosters cosmic consciousness, being a tool of the Divine, experiencing communion with the Divine and feeling the oneness with bliss.