We had a very lively discussion of Tantra here a couple of weeks ago (mostly under the "Sue" thread, but also in a couple of others as well), so I thought it might be interesting to pass this along. It's a note I received from an experienced Seattle Tantra practitioner. I think that most of her comments are universal rather than just being specific to Seattle. Here's her mini-essay, with my minor clarifications in [brackets].:
From an insider on the Tantra practitioners/advertisers scene in the Greater Seattle area here is the Real Truth, the Scoop, the Lowdown.
Bottom line: there is nothing they all have in common, and no way for you to know ahead of time whether you will have a good experience or not. Ya just gotta try them all.
That said, here are some thoughts to guide your search:
Some practitioners advertise in the Tantra section of the Seattle Weekly Adult Classifieds [just as they do in Vancouver papers]; some advertise in other sections of the Weekly; others advertise in various online sites; some of the best don't advertise at all.
If you know nothing or only a little about what the heck Tantra is about, read up on some websites like tantra.com, goddesstemple.com, sourcetantra.com, skydancingtantra.com, tantramagazineonline.com. You will see the diversity!
The short history is, Tantra (pronounced TAHntrah, not TANtrah!!) originated in/near India about 3000 years ago as a way of using all of daily, earthly life as a spiritual practice. Techniques were designed to turn cooking, gardening, flower-arranging, relationships, sexual activity, and 57 other activities of living, into ways of expanding consciousness of our whole Being--body, mind, and spirit. Funny, how only two of those areasmade it to the West: relationships and sexuality.
Anyone can learn and use the techniques in relationship Tantra and sexuality Tantra to improve their life, even if they don't use the techniques as spiritual practice.
Here is the range of backgrounds of those who advertise they do "Tantra."
Some of those advertisers have never read a word about Tantra, they are just doing what someone told them was Tantra, or using the word because it's a currently "hot topic." Some have read a book or two or a website, gotten enthusiastic, and started using techniques on their clients.
Some have taken a weekend workshop for couples on relationship-oriented Tantra.
Some have had a few days of training and done some reading. A very few have studied extensively from books, videos, teachers and have been teaching Tantra techniques for many years. One or two of those have also been through apprenticeship programs with Master Tantra Teachers and earned certification, which might or might not mean they are better FOR YOU. That's an individual matter.
Remember that more education or a "higher" perspective does not necessarily translate into a better experience for you, because what you want might not be compatible with what the practitioner/advertiser is like, or offers. It's a highly individual matter of "chemistry." There is no way to predict whether you'll like your experience or not.
Some are in it just for the money, others have a more social or spiritual perspective on their work. Some simply offer pleasure experiences; others offer what you might call "healing" experiences; others teach. Some are good "teachers" and others poor at teaching.
You might just have an experience, or you might also learn something you can take home and practice and that will improve your life of pleasure.
Another big difference is whether the things you learn are for relationships or for "solo" experience. You might learn some techniques that can enhance your erotic relationships, and you could also learn some techniques that can transform your own erotic, sensual experiences beyond your wildest imaginings--with or without a partner. There are a very few Tantra practitioners who can be helpful to you if you are seriously into your spiritual growth.
Some ladies will just bring you to the edge several times before the final finish, and that will be your experience. You won't learn anything, but hey, it could be a fabulous experience, just what you were looking for. This is really a kind of FBSM with a "Tantra" label on the outside of the bottle.
Others have learned a few Tantra techniques and can give you a greater variety of pleasure experiences than just a few buildups. Some can coach you in a few techniques you can learn, to enhance your pleasure during the session, and that you can practice at home. Others offer many techniques you can learn over time, to absolutely transform and upgrade your own pleasure experiences and your relationships as well. Some practitioners are teaching classes in Tantra; some practitioners are training other practitioners. None of that means YOU will have a great experience with any particular one.
Some practitioners/advertisers offer 1, 1 1/2 or 2 hour sessions, others offer only longer 2-3 hour sessions. You can find some who incorporate wonderful bathtub experiences, some who use videos, some who do a lot of bodywork or just a little, etc. etc.
You can also find the usual range of the kinds of services discussed on TRB. Some offer erotic massage, others do not. Some forbid a release during the session, others don't. Some of the sessions are relaxing and stress-reducing, and some are high-energy, focused learning sessions.
The good news and the bad news is that you can't have one "Tantra" session with one advertiser/practitioner, and assume you know ANYTHING about what a session with someone else would be like. Nada, zippo. They are all different styles, different techniques, different ages, different personalities, different settings, different services, just about nothing in common. So go explore, and never generalize from one to another. Ya gotta try them all!!!!!!!!!
Like a lot of minority groups, there is a lot of infighting, so many people who say they do Tantra will tell you that no one else does The Real Tantra.
The truth is, you are not likely to encounter The Real Tantra, and who cares anyhow, as The Real Tantra might or might not be a great experience for you!!
How is Tantric bodywork is different from FBSM? What are some of the experiences and benefits of Tantra?
[Maybe our inside source will tell us more another time.]
From an insider on the Tantra practitioners/advertisers scene in the Greater Seattle area here is the Real Truth, the Scoop, the Lowdown.
Bottom line: there is nothing they all have in common, and no way for you to know ahead of time whether you will have a good experience or not. Ya just gotta try them all.
That said, here are some thoughts to guide your search:
Some practitioners advertise in the Tantra section of the Seattle Weekly Adult Classifieds [just as they do in Vancouver papers]; some advertise in other sections of the Weekly; others advertise in various online sites; some of the best don't advertise at all.
If you know nothing or only a little about what the heck Tantra is about, read up on some websites like tantra.com, goddesstemple.com, sourcetantra.com, skydancingtantra.com, tantramagazineonline.com. You will see the diversity!
The short history is, Tantra (pronounced TAHntrah, not TANtrah!!) originated in/near India about 3000 years ago as a way of using all of daily, earthly life as a spiritual practice. Techniques were designed to turn cooking, gardening, flower-arranging, relationships, sexual activity, and 57 other activities of living, into ways of expanding consciousness of our whole Being--body, mind, and spirit. Funny, how only two of those areasmade it to the West: relationships and sexuality.
Anyone can learn and use the techniques in relationship Tantra and sexuality Tantra to improve their life, even if they don't use the techniques as spiritual practice.
Here is the range of backgrounds of those who advertise they do "Tantra."
Some of those advertisers have never read a word about Tantra, they are just doing what someone told them was Tantra, or using the word because it's a currently "hot topic." Some have read a book or two or a website, gotten enthusiastic, and started using techniques on their clients.
Some have taken a weekend workshop for couples on relationship-oriented Tantra.
Some have had a few days of training and done some reading. A very few have studied extensively from books, videos, teachers and have been teaching Tantra techniques for many years. One or two of those have also been through apprenticeship programs with Master Tantra Teachers and earned certification, which might or might not mean they are better FOR YOU. That's an individual matter.
Remember that more education or a "higher" perspective does not necessarily translate into a better experience for you, because what you want might not be compatible with what the practitioner/advertiser is like, or offers. It's a highly individual matter of "chemistry." There is no way to predict whether you'll like your experience or not.
Some are in it just for the money, others have a more social or spiritual perspective on their work. Some simply offer pleasure experiences; others offer what you might call "healing" experiences; others teach. Some are good "teachers" and others poor at teaching.
You might just have an experience, or you might also learn something you can take home and practice and that will improve your life of pleasure.
Another big difference is whether the things you learn are for relationships or for "solo" experience. You might learn some techniques that can enhance your erotic relationships, and you could also learn some techniques that can transform your own erotic, sensual experiences beyond your wildest imaginings--with or without a partner. There are a very few Tantra practitioners who can be helpful to you if you are seriously into your spiritual growth.
Some ladies will just bring you to the edge several times before the final finish, and that will be your experience. You won't learn anything, but hey, it could be a fabulous experience, just what you were looking for. This is really a kind of FBSM with a "Tantra" label on the outside of the bottle.
Others have learned a few Tantra techniques and can give you a greater variety of pleasure experiences than just a few buildups. Some can coach you in a few techniques you can learn, to enhance your pleasure during the session, and that you can practice at home. Others offer many techniques you can learn over time, to absolutely transform and upgrade your own pleasure experiences and your relationships as well. Some practitioners are teaching classes in Tantra; some practitioners are training other practitioners. None of that means YOU will have a great experience with any particular one.
Some practitioners/advertisers offer 1, 1 1/2 or 2 hour sessions, others offer only longer 2-3 hour sessions. You can find some who incorporate wonderful bathtub experiences, some who use videos, some who do a lot of bodywork or just a little, etc. etc.
You can also find the usual range of the kinds of services discussed on TRB. Some offer erotic massage, others do not. Some forbid a release during the session, others don't. Some of the sessions are relaxing and stress-reducing, and some are high-energy, focused learning sessions.
The good news and the bad news is that you can't have one "Tantra" session with one advertiser/practitioner, and assume you know ANYTHING about what a session with someone else would be like. Nada, zippo. They are all different styles, different techniques, different ages, different personalities, different settings, different services, just about nothing in common. So go explore, and never generalize from one to another. Ya gotta try them all!!!!!!!!!
Like a lot of minority groups, there is a lot of infighting, so many people who say they do Tantra will tell you that no one else does The Real Tantra.
The truth is, you are not likely to encounter The Real Tantra, and who cares anyhow, as The Real Tantra might or might not be a great experience for you!!
How is Tantric bodywork is different from FBSM? What are some of the experiences and benefits of Tantra?
[Maybe our inside source will tell us more another time.]