Susan Hayward - Tantra and Tantric Massage: Beginner’s Guide

Tantra

&

Tantric Massage

By

Susan Hayward

Introduction

I m writing this book as I feel the time is just right to bring out a book on the ancient science and art of tantric massage, this Eastern philosophy, which for some of us has become a true lifestyle.

This book will help beginners understand the philosophy and history behind Tantra and Tantric Massage. There are many questions that people have and my hope is that this book will answer most of these queries and open your heart and soul to the beautiful spiritual world behind tantric massage and the many ways in which we are benefited by it. Everything that you may need, from the philosophy to how you can do it yourself with or without a partner, has been addressed in this book.

~ Susan Hayward

Tantra

Tantra is an ancient science from India. It has its origins in the Shakti form of the Hindu religion, which is primarily for the worship of the Goddess or female energy, and the Vajrayana traditions of Buddhism.

Ancient Hindu literature starting from the texts of Panini and Patanjali gives descriptions of this philosophy and it can be seen in various art and architectural forms throughout South East Asia. It has also influenced certain segments of other India religions like Jainism, Bon traditions of Tibet, and the Shinto tradition of Japan.

Tantra, meaning the technique of growth, is not just one thing but various different practices woven with each other. It is a beautiful amalgamation of literary texts, rituals, mantras, yoga, philosophies. Meditation is also a very important part. Yoga, meaning Union, plays a divine role in it and in fact Tantra can be said to be a form of yoga called Tantra Yoga. Practitioners of this form of Yoga get immersed into these various forms to come out refreshed with new energy.

A lot of people think it means Free Sexuality. However, It is nothing like that. Intimacy between two individuals is very important for the human race to propagate and it is a given. But it goes much higher and beyond physical intimacy. It is a way of joining the physical body (what we eat, drink and so on) and the mental body (our thoughts and feelings) with our aura or energy and then reaching upwards to that supreme energy. Orgasms and ecstasy are integral parts but they are part of a much higher platform, a much superior level of spiritual energy, rather than mere sexual pleasure.

Tantra yoga celebrates the Union of Man with the divine, the Earth with Heaven: expansion of consciousness, perception of oneself as a part of the divine. The purpose is to discover ones true identity and to communicate with the divine. A teacher or guru is extremely important. Someone who can help you reach that supreme ecstasy. This is especially helpful when you are undergoing a process of upheaval or mental crisis.

Kundalini, or conscious evolution, leads you through many levels of energy. There are over 100 chakras or levels (seven major ones) along the spine of a person, starting from the Muladhara at the base of the spine connected with lethargy ( tamas ), activity ( rajas ) and a balance between the two ( sattva ). The next important chakra is the Swadhisthana which is connected to the sexual organs. Issues connected with fear, lust, greed, anger are mostly connected to this chakra and it important that this chakra is first awakened before moving into higher levels of energy. At the level of our navel lies the chakra called Manipura . This chakra is vital for the well being of the body. We cannot concentrate on higher spheres and neglect this basic chakra connected with digestion. After the awakening of this chakra, the world appears before us with a new beauty and all prejudices are removed.

The heart chakra or the Anahata near the chest is where love and kindness rules. As this chakra opens either out of extreme love for another person or because of profound grief that you may go through, you will feel great love towards the world in general. There will be a sense of fulfillment. The next major chakra is the Visudhi. It is concerned with the functions of the thyroid, ear and nose. It is influenced with music and speech.

The Ajna or the third eye, located in the centre of the forehead is next. As it awakens upon meditation with concentration, you may see flashes of light and get a feeling of detachment. This should not be attempted with a guru or a teacher as this may cause more grief than happiness if done in an improper way.

On many pictures of kundalini chakras you will see a lotus on top of the head of the person. This is the Sahasrana chakra. As your energy moves up through this chakra, you will see life in a very different way. Your ego will be totally gone, and it is as if you see life from totally another level altogether. The process of opening the lotus chakra may cause discomfort in the upper body ranging from mild itching to severe migraine. However, as you move beyond this, you wake up to a radiant personality. There are many, many minor chakras, each needing the helping hand of a teacher, to guide you through. This was just an introduction to Tantra and Tantra Yoga because it forms the basis of Tantric massage that we are going to focus on.

Our Energy Body

Our physical body is a vessel or a medium. We also have a mental body and a body of energy. These three coexist together. We cannot have the mental body separate from the physical body or the energy body separate from the mental body and so on.

The Physical body is what we see. I t is made up of the many blood vessels, the muscles, the skin that cover it. You get the idea. It is in fact the body that we call body.

The Mental body is made up of our feelings, longings, desires, emotions. These are not just related to the present moment or present life but may be memories or reflections of many, many lives behind us. It is our ego centre, the place where our many illusions and false identities reside. Fear, greed, lust, anger are just some by-products of this self of ours.

We also have an Energy body . This is very closely bound with our physical and mental bodies. Each cell, atom, vein, filament of our physical body exudes energy. Without energy, there will be no life. This vibrating, pulsating, life giving energy makes up part of the energy body. Similarly, our thoughts, emotions too have their energy and this can be very strong in some and very weak in others. This forms the other half of the energy body.

In many religions, we come across a Triology. May be this is nothing but the union of mind (mental body), body (physical body) and spirit (energy body). There is some science behind every philosophy and there is some link between every philosophy.

Human beings are nothing but an amalgamation between these three bodies. Diseases are caused by imbalance in any or all these fields. Sometimes, when we have a headache, we pop in an Asprin and thats it. We then forget about it. But the headache is just a symptom, not the illness. Any change in the physical body leads to change in energy which also affects your mental body. Vice Versa, any change in emotions or any disturbance in your mental body leads to shift in energy levels, thus also leading to changes in the physical body.

We, each one of us, are carriers of vibrating energy. When we meet a friend or any other person for that matter, there is a shift in our energy field. This shift may be positive or negative. There are people you dislike as soon as you meet and there are those you fall in love with without saying a word. People say there is great chemistry between two lovers. What is this Chemistry? Nothing but an attractive shift of energy bodies when the lovers meet. There is so much positive energy created that it affects not just them but it reflects off on others nearby as well. Sparks fly, as they say.