Exploring Pranayama Techniques

I'm always bringing up the topic of tantric massage and how breathing is one of the ways massage can calm and relax a person. Pranayama, also known as breath work, is vital for Tantra practitioners to calm our own minds so that we can allow energy to flow freely. We also use it to synchronize our breathing patterns in order to connect more deeply with each other, allowing us to better intuit needs and wants.

The act of breathing is so important and many people really don't know how to breathe properly to deal with their emotions which is why often people who are unhappy keep it all inside themselves or explode in anger or sadness. This can lead to horrible things like panic attacks, depression and uncontrollable anger. So when you are able to control your breathing, you are not only controlling your emotions, you are actually learning to deal with them and release them properly.

Imagine that your emotions (negative and positive) are currents of water and when they stir, you have two options: you guide them through your body to make sure they are under control, or you can allow them to take over and wreak havoc. in your way. The technique that is used for this is deep breathing, which also goes by the names of diaphragmatic breathing, abdominal breathing, rhythmic breathing. When you take a deep breath, the air that enters through your nose completely fills your lungs and your lower abdomen rises. Deep abdominal breathing increases total oxygen exchange. This means that the valuable trade of incoming oxygen for outgoing carbon dioxide is intensified. And that means that, with just breathing, we can slow our heartbeats and lower or stabilize your blood pressure.

Of course, you can practice deep breathing on your own, but what Tantra offers you is the benefits of deep breathing plus the added benefits of an encounter with your awareness. It is an overflow of heat, sensuality, touch, breath and pleasure. It's a perfect combination to help you learn to live a more relaxed life with better control over your emotions and sexual enlightenment.

The Tantric Therapist is trained to guide your interactants through breathing techniques that will ensure greater relaxation and promote better mindfulness, skills that are beneficial to you long after the session is over. These techniques, of course, have the added benefit of serving to increase pleasure and arousal during the massage itself. By bringing the focus inward, you are able to more fully connect with them in the moment, which in turn increases the pleasurable nature of the physical sensations you are experiencing.

As we wrap up the massage, we remind ourselves to reconnect with that sense of peace and unity we felt before our arousal levels took over and this leads us into the practice of mindfulness, allowing us to take the benefits of tantric practice with us into our daily lives. It also grounds us in this intimate connection with our body and gives us the space to gently return to mother earth in a nourishing way.

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Namaste,