Tantra Yoga

In classical Tantra and Yogic tradition there are three Paths: Karma Yoga, the yoga of action, Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion, and Gnana Yoga, the yoga of the intellect.

Raja Yoga, the Way of Kriya, is called the Royal Path where we bring all of the three other paths together. Under RajYog (Raja Yoga) are various branches, such as, Hatha, Kriya (specific techniques), Kundalini, Tantra, Mantra, Yantra, Lay and Nada. The most popular of these in the West are Hatha, Kriya and Kundalini. There are numerous modern versions of Kundalini Yoga, Tantra Yoga, Ashtanga Vinyasa, Yin Yoga, Bikram / Hot Yog, and branded styles, such as, Iyengar Yoga.

What is offered through Pink Tantra Towards Awakening is an authentic Tantra and Yogic Path that works through the physical, mental and spiritual bodies, connecting us to our True Nature (the Self / Atman / Soul).

The key question being, Do you practice tantra yoga, or do you live it?

Tantra Yoga is a way of life, not a practice, but rather sadhana is the repetitive practice of your life. A fundamental part of this is the cleansing process to remove blockages, offering strong healing potential for the body, the mind and the emotions.

The path offered through Pink Tantra Towards Awakening has three stages in line with The Shiva Sutras and The Yoga Sutras.

From a tantra yoga perspective, the body is the temple, our divine tool through which to take the steps towards healing and awakening. We start with the senses, connecting to who we truly are in the gross body, progressing to the energetic (subtle) body, we bring ourselves inwards rather than seeking validation and gratification externally. From here we can move to the beyond (the causal body / karmic sheaf).

Below are three key stages. (1) Through kriya, pranayama and hatha yoga we start to heal and connect the physical to the energetic body (this can include trauma release work). (2) Through kundalini tantra yoga, the yoga of inner awareness, and the practice of pratyahara we slow everything down, bringing our body, mind and emotions to a place of ease as we progress on our spiritual path. (3) Through visualisation in conjunction with meditation and mantra, we have a strong vehicle for bringing about samadhi.

Stage One (working predominantly with the body and the senses):

Kriya Yoga (PranKriya)

Prior to Pranayama we need to practice Prana Kriya’s, dynamic purification practices to create space, calm the mind, awaken the mind, bring balance, and purify our subtle energy levels. These are classical healing techniques that have laid the foundations for modern approaches to trauma release body work.

Breathwork (Pranayama)

Pranayama is a group of methods (technologies of practice) to absorb and circulate prana into the physical and subtle body. It is the right way to breath to extend your life.

Postures (Asanas, connected to Hatha Yoga)

Asana is describes, by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras, chapter 2, Sutra 46, as (sthira) steady and (sukham) comfortable, Yoga raises our perceptions and consciousness, so we are more receptive to inner messages and sensations in the system. Asanas, then, have more impact the longer we hold them, as our brain has more time to evaluate what to do with the messages, offering strong healing potential, especially when added to breathing which stabilises the body.

Creative self-expression (connect to art or writing)

There are strong connections between tantra yoga experiences and aesthetic / creative outpourings, which the great Indian philosopher Abhinavagupta writes about. He clarifies that realisation through joyous creative experiences are possible if we value these as real (and not as an illusion) as they do in Kashmir Shaivism.

“Thank you so much for teaching this. Your style and teaching points are excellent and just what I relate to.” David

Stage Two (working predominantly with the mind and our energy):

Kundalini Tantra Yoga is called the Yoga of Inner Awareness and Presence. It is about feeling our presence and awareness in the moment. It is the yoga of Ancient India. It is not fitness orientated, but meditative. The key is the quality of our ‘ease’ in the body, mind and emotions. It is the practice of union; individual consciousness with cosmic consciousness (a form of White Tantra).

Bandhas are energy locks. They are intended to create a link between the physical, energetic and mental bodies, and are there to help us release our blockages.

Mudras are the gestures that direct the energy. They are used to cleanse the channels and direct the pranic flow.

Mantras are instruments of thought, bringing together word and sound. They stimulate the Throat Chakra (which connects to the first opening on the spiritual journey) and more specifically the meridian points in the roof of the mouth, which in turn stimulate the Hypothalamus, making the Pineal Gland pulse.

Chakras are the energy centres in the subtle body, known as wheels as they are the tremoring and continuous whirling of the infinite. They correspond to nerve plexuses, ganglia and glands in the physical body. They have been called the bridge to higher consciousness. Understanding the chakra system offers us a tool to clear our unconscious blockages allowing us to make informed choices and take responsible action. There are many different chakra systems, the most commonly known in the West are the seven chakras running up the central channel (Sushumna).

Pratyahara is the withdrawal of the senses. It prepares us for the ultimate steps on the yogic path. It helps us to learn to control our unruly senses and is considered as the turning point for those truly on the spiritual path. As key practice is Yoga Nidra. What Swami Satyananda Saraswati calls ‘the systematic rotation of consciousness in the body.’ The purpose of the rotation of consciousness is transformation through the restructuring of our habits. Nidra is sleep, Yoga Nidra is sleep with awareness.

“Wow, wow, wow, when I just let you run away with your magic it really connects me fully without the mind interfering. It was so powerful this evening.” David

Stage Three (working to step beyond the mind-body to the spiritual body):

Meditation is a way to shift our consciousness from the lower mind to the higher mind. Meditation is a state, not an action.

Visualisation is a technique that helps us in this shift. Once we can bring focus, through controlling our senses, withdrawal, we can start to connect to images at a deeper level. Visualisation stimulates the Minds-Eye.

Rituals / Pujas come in numerous forms, from as simple as bowing down to a rock (Shiva consciousness) to hugely elaborate rituals with precise gestures, timings and placings. Indeed, many of the practices - pranayama, the chakra system, the nadi’s, bandhas and mudras, mantra, yantra and meditation - are likely to be combined and incorporated into rituals. They are a form of worship, they are not about superstition. It is about bringing attention onto something without distraction. It is a tool (a great technology of practice) which, when attached to heightened emotions, gives us access to the experience of universal consciousness.

Bakhti Yoga is the yoga of devotion.

“If you are looking for something that makes sense of what has gone before and gives you the tools and practices to make real, long-lasting change … then you have found it with Pink.” Jay

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