In the shala (a Sanskrit word meaning “home”) in India, tantra yoga classes started with students lying on the floor, eyes closed. We would wait until the teacher came into the room, only knowing to start by listening to their words from the back of the room. They did not introduce themselves, nor did they explain anything about what was going to happen, or how to execute the asanas. They simply spoke the words—many of them unfamiliar to me. At first I was confused and a little angry because I didn’t know what was going on. I had to look at the other students to see what some of the asanas were. Over time I began to find peace in the voice resonating from the back of the room. I found freedom in being able to close my eyes and focus fully on my practice without the distraction of a teacher’s cues. What I learned over time was that this form of yoga is more a moving meditation than a physical workout. Traditional tantra yoga focuses on internal connection and reflection, with physical flexibility, strength, and prior knowledge of the postures taking a backseat to the primary intention of self-knowledge and empowerment. Eventually I was able to find in each asana exactly what my body needed, because no one was telling me how to do it or how long to do it. I found strength in this freedom and came to consider this form of yoga far more powerful than what I’d personally experienced in the West. Upon returning to mainstream yoga classes, I was confronted by how much emphasis is placed on the teacher. The teacher stands at the front of the room, introduces themselves, and leads you through a sequence of poses that they created paired with a playlist that they made. There is nothing wrong with this kind of practice. Yoga is about taking the journey that you need, and no one else can tell you what that is. But having experienced another kind of yoga, I found myself asking, “Is this really my practice? Do I feel empowered by following, or do I need to cultivate personal freedom and strength in a different way?” When I lead tantra yoga classes, I am there to support and gently guide my students. I help them rediscover their personal power and freedom and receive all the pleasure that yoga has to offer. The role of a tantric yoga instructor is to encourage you to discover what feels good to you in each moment of your practice and trust that. In tantric yoga, your instructor is tasked with creating a space in which you can truly connect with yourself—mind, body, and spirit. A longtime student of mine once said, “I love coming to tantra, because I don’t have to do yoga; I can just be yoga.” That is exactly the point. In tantra classes, the teacher urges you to relax and simply listen. As the teacher, I will lead you into a yogic state—moving body and breath. From that point, there is no right or wrong. We will guide you in proper alignment and form if a posture might injure you, but we honor the agency of each practitioner to choose what is best for them. The true purpose of yoga, at its core, is to facilitate meditation. Pattabhi Jois, the father of yoga, said that “The moving asanas are only a way to quiet the body for meditation.” Traditional Tantra is a moving meditation. We believe that once you release the belief that you can’t put your legs behind your head, you’ll find you actually can. What are you thinking about before going into a backbend? “My wrists hurt; I’m not strong enough; I’m too old.” What are you feeling? Panic? Fear? Pain? Tantric yoga is about quieting this mental chatter to allow students to flow into challenging asanas with ease. Personal empowerment is one of tantric yoga’s greatest gifts. If we can help our students trust their own intuition, they will become their own greatest teacher. Forcing ourselves to keep running on empty means our bodies start to use up our reserves. That’s what makes us tense, stiff, depressed, and anxious. Traditional tantra yoga classes are designed to facilitate total relaxation. Once we find a way to release the tension in our bodies and minds, we will reach new heights and depths in our practice and in our lives. Pleasure is often associated with sex, because pleasure is a feeling of enjoyable sensation in the body. But tantric principles state that all things in life should give you pleasure. Everything you do should give you pleasure. Therefore if you are in a class where the teacher is insisting that you stay or come out of an asana before your body has received all the pleasure it can, then you are not in control of your reality. And if you are not in control of your reality, who is? By tapping into the subconscious we can rediscover our true selves. When we know our true selves, we can live our best lives. We must breathe and release the conditioning that keeps us from our true pleasure. We must learn to stand on our own and take back our lives.
