How to live life through tantra yoga

I am often asked, and I remember asking the same question when I started on this journey myself, what should my practice look like? When told my practice was my life, I was left confused. What does that mean? What do I actually do? So, here are some suggestions for those asking the same question.

·       Kriya Yoga – the yoga of action, has two aspects (1) through our asanas and pranayama (incorporating Kundalini Tantra Yoga) which brings us into tune with life force (Prana), and (2) living in accordance with Yamas and Niyamas (to develop right action), which help de-programme and re-programme our patterns, to develop discipline in all actions.

·       Jnana Yoga – the yoga of self-study and knowledge (meditation and self-enquiry) to develop inner awareness and wisdom, which is applied to Kriya (the development of right action) which creates a shift in our karmic momentum.

·       Bhakti Yoga – the yoga of surrender and devotion (including rituals of devotion to the divine – Deity Yoga, Guru Yoga – core consciousness) to develop sattva and bring tamas and rajas into balance, which helps us gain and maintain clarity of intention; an absolute focus on liberation through simplicity. This gives us the passion and desire that drives right action (Kriya) and turns knowledge into wisdom (Jnana).

What might this look like in your daily life?

Start your day by giving thanks for this day. It is a day you have never experienced before and never will again.

Use mantras throughout the day, connected to visualisation this is especially useful. The Vigyan Bhairava Tantra offers the Cosmic Orbit. When combined with HumSa we bring a union of the inner /outer; mantra and tantra together. Breath in, visualise the breath moving up the back of the body, chant HUMMM. Breath out, visualise the breath moving down the front of the body, chant SAAA. Do this when you make your bed, when you do your ablutions, when you make your breakfast, when you do the dishes, when you … when you … at home and at work.

Start a regular Kundalini Tantra Yoga practice. For many people Kundalini Tantra Yoga can be difficult. It is not ‘active’ like some other yoga practices. It is slow. It is called the yoga of inner awareness and presence. It takes us on a journey through the three bodies, the physical, the subtle (energetic) and the causal (Karmic shift). Each asana is like a mini guided meditation. It allows us to let go of the ego, of our discomfort, and unblocks our energy channels.

Have a healthy breakfast, especially sattvic foods, such as, fruits, seeds and nuts, quinoa porridge, oatmeal and vegetables. Become mostly vegetarian (because non-veg foods take up more energy to digest). Take a walk in nature, do some gardening, touch planet earth, or go for a swim. Have sex and/or intimate connection. Tantra is about embracing all aspects of our life. But whatever you do, do it with conscious awareness.

Read or listen to spiritual teachings. How do these teachings relate to your life? If you have a ‘practice’ does it include your day-to-day activities? How does your life and actions relate to the Yamas (the principles of self-regulation; non-aggression, clarity and truth, not wanting, align our creative energy with universal intention, and dis-attachment from desires, likes and dislikes) and Niyamas (the principles of attuning to universal intelligence; cleansing of mind and body, acceptance, discipline and surrender, self-awareness and deep investigation, and devotion to the divine)? Does your meditation practice include self-enquiry?

Tantra is a system and that system is us! When at work, are you in service to others, and to something bigger than yourself? We are often driven by external demands; emails, texts, calendar pings. When you can, turn off your mobile, your pings, put everything onto silence and choose when to look at them.

Engage in creative expression (art, writing, music, singing, dancing … sex and energetic streaming, so long as it is creative and engaged in with full awareness).

Sleep well. To support this, if possible, sleep in a quiet room that is cool (not cold, but not warm either), don’t eat before going to bed and don’t drink anything with caffeine in it. Create a pattern with the time you go to bed and get up. This will enhance your vitality (life force).

End your day by giving thanks for this day. It was a day you have never experienced before and never will again.

Bringing it all together

Our practice is our life, and our life is our practice. Tantra offer us a way to live life to the full, embracing all its ups and downs in a more detached, impersonal, simple and yet joyous way. Combined the three Yogas of Kriya (our worldly activities), Jnana (knowledge that is applied to Kriya) and Bhakti (surrender to consciousness) bring us to stillness (Raja Yoga), reflecting the saying, when doing stops, grace descends.

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Message me direct if you are interested in mindful, embodied, trauma-informed, or tantra-spiritually-informed 1-1 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 those who enjoy historical fiction, stories of underrepresented life’s, see my first novel Fermented Spirits published through Austin Macauley Publishers, 2022. ISBN-13: ‎978-1398437159