In today’s episode we explore how Tantra shows up in the Runes of the early Vikings and Old Norse traditions. The beauty of Tantra is that its perspective can be used to help in understanding other spiritual traditions. Today we’re looking specifically at the Thurisaz rune. This powerful rune represents the focused and directed energy that can be summoned as a result of the polarity between the spiritual realms and the dark side of human nature. This rune reminds us that when we are stuck in a dark, unconscious, stagnating state, we can cry out to the opposite polarity of the Divine presence within us, and use that passion to rise up stronger than ever. This rune is all about polarity, and so too is Tantra. Tantra teaches us to cultivate polarity in different arenas of life, to embrace both the light and the darkness of human experience, and in so doing we become more integrated and more powerful.

In today’s episode I talk about how emotions are an integral part of Tantra. It’s easy to forget that we also have an emotional body, which needs just as much self-care as our physical body.

Tantric Yoga teaches that the emotional body, Chitta or Heart-Mind, digests emotions and experiences, in much the same way that the physical body digests food. The problem is that most of us receive zero education or training about how to deal with our emotions in childhood, or even in adulthood. So much of our emotional experiences remain undigested, in the form of what are known in Sanskrit as “samskaras”. These samskaras are past wounds or traumas, and also our conditioned beliefs that are associated with those experiences, that remain unresolved and hang around in our emotional body, draining our energy and life-force.

By giving yourself the the time and space to sit with and feel your emotions, you allow them to digest in your emotional body, in a natural and healthy way. And when we are accustomed to being connected with ourself in this way, the other people in our life will feel more connected with us, resulting in better relationships.

Here you can find the RAIN guided meditation and other Mindfulness teachings from Tara Brach: TaraBrach.com

Continuing in this series about semen-retention 101, today I talk about how the Heart Chakra is one of the Tantric keys to successfully maintaining your non-ejaculation practice, even when you are having hot sex with your partner! I also share a version of the Adi Mantra I recorded which can help to activate the Heart Chakra.

This week's Tantric Fun Fact is about the numerous chakra systems that were originally in use from the early Tantric texts. For a more comprehensive discussion on this, check out the excellent article written By Christopher Wallis (Hareesh): The Real Story on the Chakras.

Today I talk about the importance of self-pleasuring for healthy semen retention practice. Semen retention is a really wonderful practice that has amazing effects... more pleasure, longer-lasting sex, extended periods of sexual ecstasy, as well as more energy and focus for other areas of your life, and more fulfilment in general.

But it's very important to know what you are doing when starting out on the path of semen-retention. There's a healthy way and an unhealthy way to do this. Make sure you do your research and are well-prepared to practice non-ejaculation correctly in a way that benefits you.

For a very comprehensive guide to semen retention check out this great article by Steffo Shambo: The Power of Semen Retention - Debunking the Prostate Cancer Myth

I have spent the last two months in an intensive tantric coaching program called The Tantric Man Experience, studying and learning with Tantra Yoga teacher, Steffo Shambo, about what it means to truly be a Tantric man. Becoming a Tantric man is so much more than what I had thought previously. In this episode I share some of my insights and experiences on this journey. I talk about how the path to becoming a Tantric man (or woman) will take you to new dizzying heights of living your full potential at a level you never imagined you could achieve.

Steffo Shambo | Male Masculinity and Tantra Coach | TantricAcademy.com

During this Covid 19 crisis many couples are being strained by the lockdown. Being stuck together for days on end puts pressure on a relationship. Today we explore some tips for how to bring more joy and fulfilment into a relationship.

From a Tantric perspective, a healthy, vibrant, joyful and juicy relationship is based having your needs met and also on polarity. It is this polarity of masculine and feminine energies which makes a relationship exciting, interesting, and fulfilling. Creating that polarity means being in your confidence as a man or woman. Tantra provides us with some great tools and mindset to help you find that balance between your need for connection with your partner and your need for freedom/independence.

Classical Tantra gives us a beautiful and practical description of the nature of God, referred to in tantric texts as the Five Powers of God. These five characteristics describe how the Divine flows from formless consciousness into dynamic manifestation. We, as humans, can embody and apply these divine characteristics in our everyday life. From the bliss of our inner Divine connection arises the impulse to create something unique. When we create something unique, no matter how small, we are fulfilling our innate purpose to express and manifest a small part of God in this world.

In this episode I talk about three specific techniques from Tantra which can help us to have better quality orgasms. These tips are great for both women and men, and the benefits include things like being able to have deeper, more fulfilling orgasms, being able to last longer in love-making, and awakening all the chakras of our being. As a man, I share my perspective and personal experience of how we men tend to have "low-quality" orgasms by default. Through Tantra and these three specific techniques men can learn to have deep, whole body orgasms, just as much as women can. I also talk about how learning to have quality orgasms is an important step if you want to practice semen-retention in a healthy way.

In this episode I talk about the Tantric five-layer view of Self. In Tantra our true Self is not something that is separate from our body, emotions, and thoughts. Some approaches to spirituality hold that we should reject or deny those “lower” aspects of ourselves, which obscure and block our vision of our higher Self. The Tantric path, on the other hand, teaches that our true Divine Self permeates every level of our being, and we can work with, heal, and enjoy all those facets of existence which make us human.

Tantric teachings talk about three "impure" or ineffective motives for spiritual practice which can impede our progress. Rather than blocks, I see these more as ongoing steps that are necessary for us to mature in our spiritual growth. These three steps deal with our healing, our experience of higher states of consciousness, and the role of our ego. Ultimately the goal or "pure motive" is about discerning the absolute truth of who we are.