Frequently Asked Questions
- Self Evolution -

This question often brings a smirk or two.

I join you in that, because it is not what you might think it is.

TANTRA is a sanskrit (an ancient language from the Indus Valley) word.

Tan = to expand, to move beyond
Tra = a technique, to protect

Tantra = to move beyond limitation, while being protected. to weave

Tantra is very large umbrella term under which yoga, ayurveda, philosophy, psychology, cosmology, (among other things) fall under.

Tantra is a worldview which believes that everything is divine. It is a fine dance and interweaving of a dual and non-dual perception of existence.

This means that there is a perception that you are separate from the world around you, which provides opportunity and friction for you to Self Realize ( understand that you are God ) AND at the same time the deeper understanding is that everything is made of the same consciousness and energy, that nothing is separate - simply your perception of separateness is an illusion, you have forgotten your truth.

The practice of Tantra is essentially cleaning and clearing the lenses or blocks in our body, mind, energy that inhibit you from knowing this truth. It is a path of self empowerment, energy management, and ultimately dissolution.

Tantra is an energy management system.

Another Sanskrit Term.

Ha = Sun, Solar, the force of becoming, compare to yang, feminine
Tha = Moon, Lunar, the state of consciousness, compare to yin, masculine

All of these aspects are alive within all of us, we each have a unique expression or combination of them.

This word loosely translates to strike.

Hatha is a path of creating balance and uniting these complimentary forces, so that we move through life gracefully, with ease and skill.  So that we respond to situations instead of reacting to them. So that we may be calm and luminous, expansive and aware, strong and inspired. 

Yoga in the contemporary west has been largely misinterpreted as a primarily physical practice.

(This is an entire conversation in and of itself, check out my blog if you want to read further)

Yoga is the cultivation of self knowledge, it is a practice if self inquiry.

According to Patanjali’s (sage who wrote the Yoga Sutras, a definitive yogic text) 8 limbs of yoga, Yoga is a systematic process of preparing the body for a more refined and real awareness of what is. Once this is mastered we train the mind to concentrate and focus, this is Meditation. Beyond that we furthermore refine our awareness to (hopefully and ideally) arrive in a state of consciousness wherein we realize that we are simultaneously inherently and integrally connected to everything. In this state we feel at peace, in complete acceptance of all that is and at the same time, completely accepted by all that is. Union, another translation of the word yoga.

Tantra is the cultivation (and management of) energy or power, which on its own can be dangerous.

Yoga is the cultivation of self knowledge, on its own can be inert.

Hatha is the balance of the two.

Let me tell you, it’s the full meal deal.