The Kamasutra carries more than just sex positions, though that is it’s modern ‘claim to fame.’ Similarly, Tantra is not all about sexuality and sexual escapades, either. Tantra Yoga encapsulates asana, mantra, mudra, bandha, and chakra work. Tantric practices invite contentment, joy, and pleasure into a practitioner's life as clarity, bliss, and change are facilitated through daily practices. The Kamasutra details ideas regarding the relationship between two people, too, beyond the aspects of their sex life.
Most everyone has heard of both of these, Tantric sex and the Kamasutra book, but not many have dived beyond the surface. Whether you’re looking for sex advice or a more holistic approach, both Tantra and the Kamasutra can aid in your spiritual growth.
The Kamasutra sexual positions are often referred to as “bedroom gymnastics.” Which is fair, especially at first glance when skimming the pages of sexual descriptions. The book is mostly rooted in exploring the depths of love in a relationship, and can aid in one’s understanding of human nature, as a whole, or of their specific partner(s).
Tantra, as is detailed by Rod Stryker, holds three main ‘goals’ - to thrive, to prosper, to bring the spiritual world and material world into one. Both a Tantric practice and a reading of the Kamasutra can alchemize your life so as to bring about a greater understanding of self, sturdier foundations and depths in relationships with all, and a world in balance. Further, both will enlighten practitioners as they begin to awaken to inner blockages on an energetic level and can come to shed what is no longer serving them, step into what will aid in their growth, and challenge themselves to fully show up for self through such practices and readings on a daily basis.
They work hand in hand - Tantra and the Kamasutra - even more so when considering how Tantra Yoga works with five different bodies - physical, energetic, mental/emotional, wisdom (inner guide), and bliss. By coming to understand and explore these different bodies, how they all work together or where some lack connection, one’s overall sense of self and identity can become more grounded and balanced.
The Kamasutra might act as a teacher of sorts, as well, as it guides one through their physical relations with others, as well as energetic and emotional links. Sex is, after all, an energetic exchange and a dance of yin & yang energy.
Beyond the sexual reputations both hold, they are deeply spiritual, ancient, and incredibly rewarding practices to partake in with proper teachers (or more specifically, partners, in the case of the Kamasutra). Tantric practices and the Kamasutra can bring connection, a potent understanding of one’s physical vessel, and love into practitioners days.
Yoga & Tantra. Tantric Yoga. How do the two systems work together? Where are they different? That's a conversation that I could dive into for hours, but this is a fairly one-sided talk, so I'll keep it simple.
Enlightenment seekers often find themselves on one of the two paths, perhaps the paths converge, perhaps one ends & the other begins. Either way, both paths offer space for introspection, self-realization, and potent growth in the realm of spirituality.
To put it in the simplest of words, yoga is a path of control, while tantra is a bit more 'freeing.' Again, these are the simplest of words to describe the practices in the hopes of shedding light on the differences between the two.
So, tantra being a bit more 'freeing' is to say that it allows for indulgences, whereas yoga suppresses some of those indulgences. Both actions, of indulging and suppressing, are done with awareness that is thought to aid in a student's growth and walk them further down their path.
Of course, as mentioned, tantra is known for being rather sexual - one might even use the word 'promiscuous.' For the most part, yogis don't entirely abstain from sexual activity, but they do suppress the desire to act sexually if they feel it is taking away from other aspects of their practice/path. Tantra is not overwhelmingly sexual, either, as it asks students to go beyond the confines of modern, normative sexuality so as to expand consciousness and understanding in that way. In this sense, I think it's clear how yoga and tantra are not two linear paths that exist on opposite ends of the spectrum. They are two schools of thought, ancient and deeply studied, that have benefits to all, though some might work better for one student compared to another.
The path home, to Spirit or Source energy, to another cycle, whatever your belief may be, is not linear. Neither is the spiritual path, and that likely needs not be said if you're already there. Still, the relationship between Tantra and Yoga is one worth exploring so as to see which aspects of each might be of benefit to your path.
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