BIO

Steps towards healing and awakening.

In Pink Tantra Towards Awakening and The Path Yoga Shala we find a spiritual path through working with our life energy. It is gentler than Red, more playful. For while Red is highly sexual in nature and so alluring, it can come across as a form of gratification that keeps us locked in our neurosis. White, meanwhile, can get fixated on transcendence and disconnected from reality. Pink is a Heart Centred path.

Pink's Journey

I came across Tantra in 2018 in the form of Neo-Tantra through T4GM . I had just come out of a long-term relationship and was looking for something new and exciting, and if truth be told, as a distraction. Tantra has introduced me to a more considered and reflective, relaxed and yet expressive stance, that has fed into my self-confidence, self-worth and self-expression. I no longer feel the need to justify (or intellectualise) that something which I am an interconnected part of. The journey towards awakening might be to transcend the mind-body, but only so we can bring 'that' something back to heal or lives, recognising our Oneness.

Lineage and Experience

Connecting to something bigger, consciousness that transcends the individual me, my vital energy, the divine me and oneness, have enabled me to access and experience things that go well beyond anything I could have imagined prior to coming into contact with tantra; ecstasy, orgasm, bliss. Immersion is key for me. The Tantra Diploma and Teacher Training programmes through T4GM was instrumental, as was the Diploma in (Classical) Tantra, connecting as it does to works of Christopher Wallis, Adyashanti, and Rupert Spira. This combination enables me to connect knowledge and experience.

The practice sessions I ran on the T4GM Tantra Love Academy App helped bring these aspects together. This, I feel, really offered me a grounding that is helping a deeper shift in my mindset and practices. Practices I had taken from Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Lama Yeshe, OSHO, and Daniel Odier. Odier’s approach is very different to someone like Christopher Wallis, but they both descend from the Shaiva Tantra tradition, crystalised by Abhinavagupta, which I now recognize to be very much related to the left-handed stream, where we are all innately divine, able to attain liberation in our lifetime, and is transgressive.

Indeed, it is interesting to note that tantra is similar to Advaita Vedanta, in that it is a union of two aspects: awareness and energy. Awareness is generally symbolised by the colour white (of semen and Shiva) and energy by the colour red (action and Shakti) resulting in Ananda (often referred to as Bliss, but more appropriately Tranquility - thrice peace, 'Shanti, Shanti, Shanti). This union is, partly, where Pink Tantra derives from; a Heart Centred practice.

As part of my tantric practices kundalini energy has played a key role. This further developed through my Kundalini Diploma and the practices I undertook through the Kundalini Yoga School. However, it was the Kundalini Tantra Yoga teacher training, through the Mukta Tantra Yoga School in India descended through the Agama lineage (registered with The Yoga Alliance) that crystalised my Yoga practices, which in turn has led to a focus on Classical Tantra in the form of Trika Tantra, Kashmiri Shaivism, through the teachings of Gurutva Amitabh Sharaha of Shiva Shakti Vigyan (who’s teacher received his Gurutva blessing direct from Swami Lakshmanjoo).

Kashmiri Shaivism forms the basis of my practice now, and it is this practice, flavoured by my interest in trauma release work, that has now become the focus for my own awakening, heightened through the Hatha Yoga teacher training I undertook through the Sanskar Yogashala in Rishikesh, transmitted by Guru Naveen and Himalayan Yogi Ajay (registered with The Yoga Alliance, USA), which has a strong philosophical component that has crystalised my thinking around the yogic life and the therapeutic benefits of the cleansing / purification aspects of the spiritual journey.

But irrespective of whether I take a rishi or tantric stance, based on Kashmiri Shaivism, Kundalini Tantra Yoga through the Agama lineage, or a Neo-Tantra approach, what they offer, for me, are four key common factors.

1.     Our non-dual nature. This concurs with most thinking on ancient and indigenous spiritual traditions, Trika Tantra, neo-traditions and practices, and Deleuze and Guattari’s take on Queer Theory; oneness with all; connecting and offering devotion to the divine within (Ichha and Bakti Yoga).

2.     The place of direct experience in Tantra and Neo-tantra, where oneness is to be experienced rather than intellectually known (Gana/Jnana Yoga). This is reflected in most ancient, indigenous, and contemporary practices of altered states of consciousness where we come to listen to our own inner truth.

3.     The place of the body, and how this relates to embodied practices as a form of spiritual practice of losing the ego, going beyond the mind (Kriya Yoga). There are strong connections here to the Wisdom Goddesses (Divine Consciousness) and our feminine energy.

4.     The place of transgression. This can certainly be seen in the left-handed stream of Tantra, and in Queer Theory, and through non-mainstream readings of ancient and indigenous practices.

There are numerous paths we can take as an aspiring Tantra Yoga devotee. However, the steps towards becoming a devotee, of whichever path, is fairly well understood, where we shift through various stages of questioning, from the curious to the receptive to the devotional. I can see this reflected in my own journey above, from an interest in neo-tantra, to a seeker through classical tantra, to a follower of kundalini tantra yoga, and now as a devotee of tantra yoga.

The two key things that have helped me grow are;

1.    Finding the path that feels right ‘for me’, and sticking with it, rather than jumping from one path to another. This does not mean I haven't grown or developed. As you can see from my journey above, it is important we expand and focus our practices, but the basic path stays the same.

2.    Staying open, curious and questioning throughout, without falling into a literalism or fundamentalism about ‘my’ path being the only path, or the right path. It is only the right path for me. The need for this kind of approach is only too obvious when you see the strife there is around the globe, when people stop seeing with empathetic eyes (the true practice of darshan).

Tools and Techniques

For me, spiritual practices work through three aspects;

(1) Kriya, which is the potency of action, technologies and practices that are prescriptions for action. This is very much in line with the thinking behind Kundalini Tantra Yoga, and is important for people like me who spend so much time in their heads. You DO tantra. It evokes psychosomatic forces (interactions between the mind and the body) through the doing of things like breathwork, asanas, mudras, meditation, visualisations and all forms of personal interactions.

(2) Right action (Kriya) fuels our knowing (Jnana), supported through the utilisation of rituals and devotion, incorporating things like mantras and sound, and movement and dance, to encourage patters of vibration, and yantras to enhance our visualisation that can help produce ‘fields of energy’ and enhance physical sensations.

(3) This, in turn, strengthens our will (Iccha). Iccha is transcendental will, without which there could be no spiritual practice. We do this through tapping into our life force / energy as ‘spiritual rocket-fuel’ of the desire for devotion (Bhakti) and spiritual growth, the power to sustain our bhakti practice, and to transform worldly desires into the greater desire for union with the divine (the true self).

From a tantric perspective, if we tie our powerful sensations and emotions (energy in motion) to our life energy we can start to bring wholeness (healing). This aligns to an embodied trauma informed approach. Pleasure is the raw material for our transformation; the steppingstones on the journey towards awakening; ultimately shifting from pleasure to joy to tranquility (Ananda).

Pink, then, for me, is celebratory and fun, a spiritual and authentic place for where and who I am. Not only this but it chimes with the association Pink has with gayness or men-who-love-men-ness, or simply 'love'. It is fully centred in the heart. In our pinkness we can aim for something better. We can take steps towards awakening.

This is a place I can imagine bringing ‘That to This’.

Bio and CV

Pink Tantra (Robert Adams) is a multi-disciplinary practitioner, bringing together over 20 years’ experience in leadership and personal development through coaching, psychometrics, mindfulness, stress management, creativity, Reiki, tantra and yoga.

Pink first came across yoga over 30 years ago, but it wasn’t until his encounter with tantra that Pink came to understand what yoga was really all about. He initially undertook training in neo-tantra, gaining the diploma and teacher training qualifications through Tantra 4 Gay Men (T4GM). He also did a diploma in classical tantra, subsequently gaining instruction in the form of Trika Tantra, Kashmiri Shaivism, through the teachings of Gurutva Amitabh Sharaha of Shiva Shakti Vigyan (who’s teacher received his Gurutva blessing direct from Swami Lakshmanjoo).

Pink’s kundalini yoga practice took him to India, where he gained a teacher training qualification in Kundalini Tantra Yoga through the teachings of Jivan Mukta, descended through the Agama lineage, at the Mukta Tantra Yoga School in Goa (registered with The Yoga Alliance), and then to the Sanskar Yogashala in Rishikesh where he gained his hatha yoga teacher training qualification through Guru Naveen and Himalayan Yogi Ajay (registered with The Yoga Alliance, USA). It is a combination of Kundalini Tantra Yoga and the three yoga’s of Kashmiri Shaivism (Kriya, Jnana, Bhakti) that now form the basis of Pink’s practice.

Qualifications

Healing and Spiritual Growth

·       (300 hrs) Hatha Yoga Teacher Training Programme through the Sanskar Yogashala in Rishikesh, India, as transmitted by Guru Naveen and Himalayan Yogi Ajay (registered with The Yoga Alliance, USA) Feb/March 2025.

·       Intensive Kundalini Programme through Shiva Shakti Vigyan & Shaktipat Acharya (based on an unbroken lineage of masters of Trika Tantra / Kashmiri Shaivism as transmitted by Gurutva Amitabh Saraha), August 2024.

·       (200 hrs) Kundalini Tantra Yoga Teacher Training Programme through the Mukta Kundalini Tantra School in India, as transmitted by Jivan Mukta (registered with The Yoga Alliance) April 2024.

·       Diploma in Kundalini Yoga, Centre for Excellence, 2024.

·       Tantra Diploma and Tantra Teacher Training Programmes, Tantra 4 Gay Men, 2019-2022.

·       Trauma Informed Certificate for Coaches, The Centre for Healing, 2022.

·       Reiki Master (L1, 2 and 3), The Infinite Healer, 2022.

·       Certificate in (Classical) Tantra, The Centre of Excellence, 2022.

·       Spirituality Coaching Diploma, The KEW TRAINING ACADEMY; Accredited by CTAA  (Complementary Therapists Accreditation Association), 2019.

·       Master Mindfulness Practitioner, The Academy of Applied Psychology, 2019.

·       Coaching Diploma, The Academy of Applied Psychology, 2018.

·       Certificate in Stress Management Training, The Stress Consultancy, 1999.

·       RSA Certificate in Counselling in the Development of Learning, RSA, 1998.

 Academic

·       MA in Diversity, Culture and Identity, specialising in Queer Theory, University of Hull, 2010.

·       MA in Education, specialising in Leadership and Management, University of Brighton, 2005.

·       Post-Graduate Certificate of Education in Further Education, specialising in Creative Arts, with supplementary in Creative Writing, University of Greenwich, 1998.

·       Master of Fine Art, Edinburgh College of Art, 1993.

·       B.A. (Hons) Degree in Drawing and Painting, 1st Class, Edinburgh Collage of Art, 1991.

Career

Pink Tantra Towards Awakening: July 2020 – Present.

·       Tantra and yoga group facilitation (online and in-person), coaching, and retreats and workshops to support healing and spiritual growth:

o   Developed and facilitated Kundalini Tantra Yoga programme (for students), and Leadership Development (for the leadership team) at SGT University, New Delhi, India, 2025 (I have since been offered Adjunct Professor post for 2026).

o   Coaching with individual clients, including both trauma release and spiritual enquiry, 2020-2025.

o   Facilitation of online and in-person tantra and yoga workshops, initially through T4GM, and latterly via Pink Tantra Towards Awakening, 2020-2025.

o   Facilitated ‘Group Healing’ and other workshops at the Tantra Love Festival, run by Tantra 4 Gay Men (T4GM), 2024.

o   Assisted on the ‘Practice and Experimentation’ retreat in Deal, UK, based on Himalayan Tantra, 2024.

o   Co-Facilitated Healing and Connection Retreat Cortona, Italy, 2023.

o   Assisted on the T4GM Coaching Diploma in San Deigo, USA, 2022.

Organisational Learning Partner - University of Leeds: Feb 2018 – July 2022

·       Developed, implemented, commissioned and evaluated university-wide Learning and Development Policy, including Leadership, EDI, Coaching, and Wellbeing.

Consultant – Creative Coaching Creative Cultures: Dec 2015 – Feb 2018

·       Worked with large and small organisations across the public, private and 3rd sector, designed and delivered a range of educational workshops and coaching.

Quality Improvement Manager – ERYC: May 2009 – Dec 2015

·       Development and implementation of workforce, learning and development strategies at all levels in the service, including design and delivery of leadership and management programmes.

Director Business Development – YCC: May 2007 – May 2008

·       Took the college out of Notice to Improve through successful people development / capacity building and quality improvement interventions.

Director Skills and Standards – CCBH: July 2003 – May 2007

·       Drove culture change that took directorate from 'inadequate' to one of the college's 'key strengths' as identified by Ofsted.

Prior to 2003 I was in various leadership, management, teaching and research positions.

Creativity

Written:

·       Fermented Spirits, historical fictional novel was published in April 2022 through Austin MacAulay Publishers Ltd. ISBN-13: 978-1398437159.

·       Winner of the Stanley Wilson Monologue Competition for ‘Gavin’s Revenge’ through the Scarborough Writers Circle in September 2018, subsequently published through The Selkie in December 2019, https://theselkie.co.uk/gavins-revenge-by-robert-adams/

·       Published short story ‘The witches of the wood’ in an anthology ‘Terror Tales for a Winters Eve’ through Phantasm Press, December 2018.

·       Published flash fiction ‘Time to think’ in Reflections magazine, Autumn/Winter 2018 Edition.

·       Published flash personal development / personality profiling book DISCover the Power of You through John Hunt Publishing Ltd, 2017. ISBN: 978-1-78535-591-2.

·       Published short stories prior to 2000, in Queer Words (quarterly paperback of new lesbian and gay writing);

o   ‘The Protégé’, ISBN 1900950022,

o   ‘Client/Transcript’, ISBN 1900950057,

o   ‘The Wait’, winner of the GlaxoWellcome Write for Life competition, displayed on London Underground,

·       See Here for my short stories.

Visual:

·       The Bench, and Myths and Moral Action - Virtual show in 2020.

·       Drawings and Paintings. Westgate, Brighton and Hove, 2006.

·       Drawings and Paintings. The Studios, Bristol, 2001.

·       Exhibited extensively prior to 2000 in Edinburgh, London, America and Italy.

Connect on Twitter / Facebook / Instagram

Email me direct if you are interested in mindful, trauma-informed, intimacy or spiritual coaching robert.pinktantra@gmail.com

See my personal development / personality profiling book DISCover the Power of You published through John Hunt Publishing Ltd, 2017. ISBN: 978-1-78535-591-2

And for a bit of light reading, see my first historical fictional novel Fermented Spirits published through Austin Macauley Publishers, 2022. ISBN-13: ‎978-1398437159