3 Super Simple Exercises for Beginners to Step into the Art of Tantra
Understand the art of tantra, fundamental techniques you can practise to start your tantra journey.
In this post, you will find out the basic facts about tantra, its fundamental skills you need to know, and practical tips for learning the skills. If you are completely new to tantra, read on.
I get excited every time I learn something new about tantra. The aim of this post is to share these facts that fascinate and excite me at this early stage of tantra journey.
This post is about the art of tantra, the fundamental techniques you can practise to start your tantra journey.
What is tantra?
Disclaimer: I am not an expert, but a person who’s just dipped her toe in the wellspring of tantra.
So, what is tantra? At the very beginning of learning what tantra really is, these three words particularly stand out to me:
Spirituality
Energy
Sexuality
Tantra was interpreted as a sex practice in the late 20th century when it became widely known in the western countries. There also seems to be a lot of misconceptions around tantra, and some people think it’s a kind of cult and dangerous.
Of course, this is not true.
“The practice is about achieving spiritual enlightenment. This may be done through meditation, mantras, and rituals, including yoga and sex. The purpose is to connect with your own energy on a deeper level.” (How Eye Gazing May Bring You Closer to Someone Else by healthline)
So, tantra isn’t a sex practice, but sex is an important part of tantra.
“Tantra is an ancient Indian practice that dates back more than 5,000 years. In Sanskrit, the word tantra means woven together. People who practice Buddhist and Hindu meditation may also practice tantric sex as a way to “weave” the physical with the spiritual.” (What Is Tantric Sex? by WebMD)
Step into the art of tantra
-the 3 super simple exercises-
art1
/ɑːt/
noun: art; plural noun: arts; plural noun: the arts
4. a skill at doing a specified thing, typically one acquired through practice.
“the art of conversation”
Definitions from Oxford Languages
1. Intention
Many things in our lives are simple, but they don’t always mean easy.
For example, eating habits.
How many times in your life have you said to yourself that you should be eating more healthy? Or, even as simple as eating slowly and mindfully? They are simple things to do. But without a good intention, it’s not easy to do, maintain or make it into a habit.
So, set intentions for your tantra practise. Setting intentions itself can be an energising exercise. Why?
Because it allows you to align your goals and greatest visions for your relationship with the simple exercises such as breathing and eye gazing explained below.
As you are about to dive into the world of tantra and start implementing simple exercises, set clear intentions. you will be able to stay positive and become more focused by doing that.
2. Breathing
Try this breathing technique that makes a whispering sound.
You can practise this on your own, it’s actually a fantastic way to bring you back to the present moment by focusing on your body.
Here’s how it works.
- Close your mouth, put slight constriction at the back of your throat
- Breath
Can you hear a whispering, somewhat sensual sound as you exhale and inhale?
Breathe deeply and slowly. You can also play around it by turning the volume up and down.
If you find it difficult, this video might help. Tantra healing sex expert Psalm Isadora calls this Bliss Breath technique and demonstrates it in the video. Psalm says that your breath becomes like hypnotic music. She says to use your senses and say to yourself, “I’m hearing the breath. I’m feeling my lungs expand.” This helps you get out of your head and into your body.
If you have a partner, try this with them.
- Find a position that’s comfortable for you and your partner, facing each other
- Hold hands with each other or have some kind of physical contact if you like
- Breath together, hear your breath and your partner’s breath
- If you can’t hear each other’s breath then turn up the volume
- Synchronise your breath
- Inhale together for a count of five… 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- Exhale together for a count of three… 1, 2, 3
How long should we do this breathing exercise? As long or as short as you like!
The main thing is that you are in the present moment and enjoying the feel of connection.
3. Eye gazing
Eye gazing is an act where two people gaze into each other’s eyes for a period of time.
It’s said that eye gazing practice helps build trust. And, it’s not just for couples. You can do eye gazing with your friends and family, too. It’s actually a beautiful practice to do with young children. Try this if you want to build a deep connection with someone.
- Find a position that’s comfortable for you and your partner, facing each other
- Hold hands with each other or have some kind of physical contact if you like
- Take deep breaths
- Look directly into each other’s eyes, don’t look away
- You can blink (just in case you’re wondering!)
- You can soften your gaze by seeing the whole room around your partner’s eyes, as well as looking into their eyes
How long will we do this?
Eye gazing can feel uncomfortable for some people, including me. When I did it for the first time, I had to try very hard not to burst into a laugh!
My partner and I have never timed how long we do this exercise. We just go with the flow. But, you can set a timer if you like. Starting as short as 30 seconds. Make it longer over time, and aim for 10 – 20 minutes.
Wrap-up
So, here’re the 3 super simple exercises covered in this post, which will help you step into the art of tantra.
1. INTENTION
2. BREATHING
3. EYE GAZING
You may be surprised that INTENTION is one of the exercises. But, as mentioned earlier, without a good intention, you could fall flat on your face practising BREATHING and EYE GAZING.
Tantra isn’t a sex practice, but sex is an important part of tantra. As I dipped my toe in the wellspring of tantra, one of the most impactful words that hit me was: “We all come from sex, so we shouldn’t have such a taboo to talk about.” – Psalm Isadora
Talking about sex is a taboo within the societies I have spent my life in. We don’t know how to talk about it. And, I’ve come to understand that it’s just a societal norm. We are comfortable talking about the wellness of other parts of our body, such as heart, lungs, stomach, brain… Well, most of our organs except sex organs and their wellness.
But, it shouldn’t be this way. We need to educate ourselves around our sexuality to have better relationships with our partners, and more importantly, with ourselves. This is the secret to a fulfilling life.
I feel that tantra is one of the best ways to achieve this. If you are interested in learning tantra, there are options to take tantra courses online. Read “3 Profound Insights That Help You Decide If You Should Learn Tantra Online” and find out the pros and cons of learning tantra online.
Sexual energy is such a powerful force of our being. Our existence would never be complete without it.
The societal norm makes us shy away from addressing our true sexuality and its power. It’s a major cause of the dysfunction and break-up of many, many relationships.
I’m delighted that I’m stepping into the art of tantra. I now have a better understanding of my sexuality. What’s more, as a mother of two daughters, I’m gradually finding my way to help my girls navigate their lives and sexuality.
The only regret? I wish I had found it sooner!
This post was about the basic facts about tantra, its fundamental techniques you can start practising today.
