MA ANANDA SARITA - ECSTATIC SEX

Our Journey in creating this book has been helped by the following people, to whom we would like to offer our grateful acknowledgements.

The staff of Gaia Books, particularly Joss Pearson, director, Lucy Guenot, designer, Katherine Pate, editor, Steve league, photographer, and Jo Godfrey Wood, who initiated the project.

Simon and Schuster who made this book possible with their enthusiastic participation in the publishing of it.

Our amazing models who graciously offered their beauty and charm to these pages, Gitika & Steve, Jivan & Agyana, Anne & Champaka, Pemba & Devi, Niten & Sharona, Al & Kay and Jake.

Our students, whose loving appreciation of our work and whose questions and comments have inspired us to write this book. Our students, and friends, who have through their interviews and quotes enlivened the text: Jivan and Agyana, Les and Sally, Valerie and Vernon, Tim and Lindy, Kamla and Andrew, Mita and Ajay, Michael, Anne-France, Rachel, Charaka, Archan. With a special thanks to Divyam and Keerti who also helped with research, and special thanks and appreciation also to Al and Kay, who have offered research and inspiration in so many ways. Jake and Rob, thank you so much for giving us quotes to use in the section on childhood. You guys are super! And also to those who gave us quotes on their experience of orgasm, who remain anonymous. Our lovers; each one of you has given a priceless treasure through your presence in our lives. Each one of you has contributed to this book by enriching our experience of sex and relating on all levels.

Helena Vistara, who helped enormously with the chapter on childhood with her valuable expertise.

Anke Mai, who has offered valuable research for the chapter on adolescence.

Margot Anand, renowned pioneer in the development of Western Tantra, who has prepared the ground for a Tantra renaissance. We are honored that she has endorsed this book.

Naturopath Peter Mandel, whose tremendous insights into healing have benefited us and thousands of others. We have used two of his maps on how human energy functions, in chapter 3.

Glynn Braddy, who has helped with research on mens cycles, and who has also supported the renewal of our health with his alchemical wisdom.

David Wagner, teacher and friend, whose contribution to our wellbeing and to the world is a great blessing. We are ever grateful for his marvellous invention and insights, some of which we have written about. Korogisan, Zen and Ito-Thermie Master, for his inspiration into the heart of meditation and healing.

Osho, our spiritual master, whose presence is a continuous reminder of our unlimited potential. This book owes its existence to the profound understanding of Tantra offered to us by Osho.

Osho International, for permission to print excerpts from some published and some unpublished works by Osho, from their website: www.osho.com

Ravi, who has composed wonderful music for the Chakra Dance Meditation CD, in time for simultaneous publication with this book. Supragya and Prasthano, a lovely Tantric couple who also happen to be our office managers. We are so lucky to have them supporting our work in innumerable ways, with so much love and dedication. They are certainly angels in disguise.

Publishers acknowledgements

Gaia Books would like to thank Deborah Pate for research, Christine Haseler for acting as medical consultant, and Lynn Bresler for the index.

All photography by Steve Teague except pp. 5, 8, 11, Shivananda; pp. 65, 185 Samarpan; pp. 84, 148, 151 Jan Jacobsen; pp. 134, 136, 137 Patrick Lederc.

your body is sacred

My Dove, in the cliffs of the rocks, the secret of steep ravines Come let me look at you, come let me hear you Your voice clear as water, your beautiful body

From the Bible, The Song of Songs, translated by Marcia Falk

Your body is a miracle. There are millions of cells in the human body, all working together moment by moment like musicians in an orchestra, in eloquent and harmonious communication. It is through our bodies that we experience all the pleasures life can bringall the sensory experiences, including taste, smell, sight, emotion, orgasm, and ecstasy.

In fact, to talk about the body is inaccurate, since the body and mind are one integrated networking system. What you think or feel emotionally affects your body, and how you experience your physical energy affects your mind. We often think that the body is simply a mechanism, but really it is an extension of the brain and carries a highly refined quality of intelligence. Whether you are awake or sleeping, it goes on functioning in the best possible way without much awareness on your part.

Because the body functions so smoothly, you may give it little thought unless you feel pain or sickness. But your happiness and enjoyment of life depend on your bodily wellbeing. Health and happiness go togetherit is very difficult to experience much pleasure or love if you are ill, in pain, or just not feeling your best. Candace Pert, a scientist who has made breakthrough discoveries on the body/mind connection says: I believe that happiness is what we feel when our biochemicals of emotion, the neuropeptides and their receptors are open and flowing freely throughout the psychosomatic network, integrating and co-ordinating our systems, organs and cells in a smooth and rhythmic movement. I believe that happiness is our natural state, that bliss is hardwired.

Your thoughts, your emotions, what you eat and drink, and your living environment, all affect the functioning of your body. All these elements enter into the communication stream, where incoming information is passed on to every body cell. As conscious human beings, we have free will. We are only partially programmed by instinct. A large part of our body/mind is programmed through our physical and psychological environment. This brings tremendous freedom, making us adaptable to all kinds of conditions. But it also brings great responsibility. Through the environment we choose, we are simultaneously programming our physical and mental functioning.

This is the basis for Feng Shui, which creates positive changes in all aspects of life by bringing harmony to architecture and interior design. Certain approaches to food, including Ayurveda, macrobiotics, and instinctotherapy, help to nourish health, emotional stability, and a sense of happiness. The need for loving touch is something we never grow out of. Touch, or lack of it, is also a crucial environmental factor.

Mental stimulus is another important aspect. Your mind is a bio-computer, easily programmed by what it is subjected to. For example, if you watch violence on television you are installing a tendency toward violence in your brain. However, if you nurture your brain with exquisite music or scenes of beauty, you are refining your mental capacity. Your mind will respond by opening toward sensitivity, creativity, and love.

The more you give yourself an inner and outer environment of nurturing and love, the more you will encourage the fullest flowering of what you can be: vibrant, ecstatic, and wise.

Loving yourself is a far stronger force than will-powermore women should try it. I stopped eating cakes and fries and burgers because I believed my body deserved much better. Now the whole idea of putting a cream cake into my system is just gross. Why would I want to clog myself up with all that fat?

Jennifer Lopez, singer and actress

Your fullest potential becomes activated as you learn to love yourself. Self-love starts with the body and is the beginning of all other kinds of love. If you cannot love yourself, how can you love and be loved by others? A person who hates their own body radiates that energy in their aura, and will therefore appear repulsive to others. A person who loves their body radiates such delight that they are magnetically attractive to others.