7 myths about Tantra to stop believing NOW!

O Tantra in the west it is surrounded by mystery and admiration. For some, practicing Tantra is almost the same as practicing the Kama Sutra, for others it is synonymous with debauchery, group sex or polyfective relationships.

To practice Tantra is to be a naturalist in its essence, to know yourself and face your shadows in order to overcome them and become aware of your being and feeling.

Here are 7 rumors about Tantra and why you should not forget them. It's time to bring that transformative philosophy into your life.

Myth 01: Tantra is about spending hours having sex.

THE TRUTH IS: The length of the relationship does not define the quality of the relationship.

You can use Tantra in your sex life by having a quick fuck or a sex marathon. While in most relationships we only connect our bodies, resulting in a mechanical, limited and often empty and unpleasant act, in Tantra the couple connects not only in body, but in mind and spirit. Being in the present moment and aware of your sensations and the sensations of your partner is much more important than the time you spend having sex. For Tantra, sex is a meditation, you have to be connected body and soul with your partner.

Tantra practices teach you how to establish that connection through connection exercises with your body, breathing and connection practices with the other.

Although there are breaths that help maintain erection and increase sexual energy making ejaculation control easier, the goal is not just to prolong sex. When you enjoy and respect the other's body as a whole, you begin to spend more time enjoying moments of pleasure instead of wanting to reach orgasm soon. Tantra helps to reach new levels of pleasure and new sensations through a deeper connection between the couple.

Myth 02: You need a partner to practice Tantra.

THE TRUTH IS: Tantra is not about having sex. But be aware of your body, your pleasure and cultivate your energy.

Practicing Tantra is like learning Yoga or some martial art: You start by understanding your body by practicing breathing, relaxing and meditation. All of these practices make you more confident and make you adept at controlling your body and your sexual energy. We all have a kunda, where our sexual energy is stored and we are generally not taught to contact it.

Tantra is a path of self-knowledge. When you empower yourself, melt your blocks, overcome your limitations, you become more confident, more energetic, with more energy and vitality. This radiates to the environment you live in and people start to feel brighter and more attractive.

Myth 03: Tantra is only for those people who can spend hours meditating and energizing themselves with crystals.

THE TRUTH IS: To practice Tantra is to awaken your senses. And to meditate is simply to calm the mind and make room for its essence, whatever it may be.

Anything that helps you to decrease the frequency of thoughts is a form of meditation, which in turn is a form of yoga. There are literally thousands of ways to meditate, not just the traditional pose sitting on the floor with your eyes closed and silent.

Running can be a way of meditating. Just like dancing, singing or playing sports. All of this can lead you to a meditative state, which involves your body amid sound, movement and pleasure.

Tantra can take you through this through hundreds of dynamic meditation techniques. And no, you don't need to receive a 200-hour yoga certificate to do so. All are welcome.

Myth 04: Tantra is only about achieving unbelievable orgasms.

THE TRUTH IS: Yes, you will probably have very intense orgasms, perhaps even multiple of them, but Tantra is not just about sex.

For Tantra, sexual energy is the most potent energy in our bodies, because it is the only energy that can create another life. But it is also the door to understanding your own life and dreams.

Yes, sex is a sacred act for Tantra and can be the path to a meditative and enjoyable state, as well as a soul connection with your partner. You can feel the enlightenment that it is to be connected with the whole universe.

But Tantra first of all treats your body, which is your sacred Temple, born out of an equally sacred act. And that Temple experiences the whole saga of your life. Tantra helps you to open your heart, allowing you to feel and accept its light and shadows so that you can follow in a more natural and intuitive way, free from the fears that usually block us.

Myth 05: Tantra is a religion, or a cult.

THE TRUTH IS: Tantra is a philosophy because it does not preach anything like "right" or "wrong", it does not hold commandments or taboos and its practices do not go against the principles of any belief.

Seeing life in a naturalistic way, practicing yoga, taking care of the body, eating, meditating, reciting mantras and reconnecting with yourself, your body and your pleasure through these practices is not against any religion.

You can counter-argue and say: But Tantra preaches that sex is natural and sacred while Christian religions say that sex is sin. Jesus never said that sex was a sin, but the communion of two souls and that he should be blessed by his father. We have to be careful how the Church can distort a discourse.

Although there are Tantric strands that include idolatry to Hindu gods, their day-to-day practices have no connection with them. Reciting mantras like "Amen" or "Shalom" has the same effect as "Om Nama Shivaya" when chanted with faith.

Myth 06: Tantra promotes casual sex and open or multi-affective relationships.

THE TRUTH IS: There is a tantric expression that says: Everything in this world can be a medicine or a poison, depending on how much you take and how you use it.

Some people who call themselves "tantrics" can use their knowledge to romanticize relationships that are actually toxic or abusive. They can try to look like they have some magical power, that all the people who sleep with them are enchanted and transformed. That the ideal world is a world of freedom where everyone can have sex with everyone (and after you get involved you realize that this argument only applies to the other side).

These people are completely mistaken and have a false perception of what Tantra is and what philosophy promotes (or simply distorted it for convenience).

It doesn't matter if you have a monogamous relationship or not, there is nothing casual about this practice.

What Tantra does is practically tear us apart. It makes us get used to feeling vulnerable to others, to wanting to connect in body and soul, not to be afraid to love, be it one or more people.

Tantra destroys that part of us that is afraid to try new things, it warms our hearts and shows us what we really want. And we create a full capacity to communicate in a safe and objective way. We want what is authentic to our desires and our relationships.

During this process we can find ourselves lost and confuse "liberation" with "steal away". We can begin to have the courage to experiment and express our wishes. But if after trying them we see that it is not for us, and everything is fine. The important thing is not to force yourself into something that does not suit you.

For Tantra, there is no right or wrong. Anything can be allowed, as long as there is no dominance and ego relationship that can harm you or your partners. Tantra is love. Love for you and others.

So if you're a monogamous person, that's fine, if you like having multiple partners, that's fine too. If you like having casual sex that's fine or if you prefer to have more contact with your partners it's also fine. When you allow yourself to, break your barriers and get to know each other, it is much easier to find out what suits you and show it without fear.

Myth 07 - It is very spiritual.

THE TRUTH IS: Tantric techniques are not at all strange, intangible or mystical.

Tantra is a practical and tangible philosophy, for thousands of years it has worked with the physical manifestations of its practices. Tantra does not work with the ethereal, with the subjective. So much so that much of what was preached 5 years ago today is being proven by medicine, psychology and quantum physics.

Freud and Jung proved that most of our neuroses are of sexual origin. Bioenergetics has been proving how our energy circulates and influences our health states. Science proves how meditation and yoga helps in states of anxiety and stress. Physics has already proven that everything is made of energy and is interconnected.

Tantra is perhaps the least spiritual of philosophies. A simple Tantric Therapy, a yoga or meditation class is enough to make anyone feel different. And against facts there are no arguments.

Tantra is about understanding that sex is the most natural and sacred thing that we can experience. It helps you to break your blocks regarding the empowerment of your body and your pleasure. Tantra is about joining body, mind and spirit. What can be more beautiful than that?

* This article was based on the article “7 myths about Tantra” with adaptations made by me from my point of view.