What is Tantra? Tantra vs Tantric Sex

Defining Tantra is a challenging task; not only because of how old of a practice it is, but because it has traveled the world all the way from the East to the West.

Meditation Teacher and Coach Gustavo Monje mentions how “Tantra was created during a time of human history when there was no written language, which makes it difficult to scrutinize academically.”

Tantra can then have several definitions that vary slightly depending on, at minimum, the geographical region and type of tantra you choose to look at (among which you can find left-hand and right-hand tantra, and more traditional types of it). Common cornerstones seem to be:

🟢 A connection with the DIVINE

🟢 An acknowledgment of the HUMAN EXPERIENCE as relevant for the spiritual path

🟢 An emphasis on ENERGIES

🟢 A deeper sense of INTIMACY with the self, others and the environment

All in all, however, we shouldn’t mix up tantra’s concept with tantric sex.

“Tantra in itself is not necessarily a sex practice, it’s a way of life. And it’s a way of life that looks like expansion through awareness,” says Sex Educator Mitchell Steven Tepper.

Even though tantra was born as a spiritual practice, only the sexual aspect of certain varieties of the ancient tradition seem to have made it through to the West with such popularity. The equation of tantra with sex is a common misconception that flows from the simplified Western understanding of it.

This, however, isn’t totally without merit. Since tantra takes the human body and experience as a way to understand the universe (or the divine), the human sexual experience becomes just one of many meaningful experiences on the spiritual journey...an appealing perspective when the norm was (and in some cases continues to be) sex for reproductive purposes, or sex as a shameful or sinful practice.

What’s your definition of tantra? Let us know on our social media