What is Tantra?
Most people relate Tantra or tantric rituals, with acts of sexual nature. However, you must note at the very beginning, that it is a completely wrong notion. Tantra is basically a technique. It can be defined as a relationship between the Guru and disciple, which is sacred and intimate. You will learn how to use the sacred powers of the body, through the use of Tantra. Many people believe that Tantra is also a philosophy. And that is something, which you will learn at the best yoga school in rishikesh.
It is a combination of spiritual practices and techniques, to be exact. You will be directing the inherent energies of the body, for liberation. The most noteworthy aspect of Tantra is that, you will find its mention, both in Hindu as well as Buddhist texts. According to Tantra, everything that exists have a dual nature. It is always about the union of male and female forces, so maybe that is the reason why people connect it with only sexual union. The sun and the moon, the Shakti and the Purusha, are just a few of the examples of dualities. Once you start learning yoga at the best yoga center in rishikesh, you will come across many more examples.
There are three main types of Tantra, and they are listed below.
Three Main Types of Tantra
The first type of tantra, which one may come across is Monastic Tantra. It is basically practiced by Buddhists in monasteries. It is a technique of initiation, wherein the disciples get engaged in Tantric texts. You will find such individuals engaging in fire rituals, chanting mantras, and drawing mandalas.
Next, comes the Wandering Yogis Tradition. It is mainly practiced by the sages, who have achieved an esoteric level in their life. You will find them mostly inhabiting the caves and forests. They are mostly engaged in meditation, and will often rejoice with fresh fruits, some herbal juices and concoctions, and dancing.
The last one, which you should know about is the Householder’s Tradition. It applies to all people, who are actually living in social arenas, but follow the Tantric principles for betterment. You will be able to learn about such Vedic texts in the kundalini yoga teacher training in rishikesh.
The Paths Of Tantra
Tantra in modern times, has been divided into two parts – Right-hand path and Left-hand path. The former mainly consists of the traditional Hindu practices, such as meditation and devotional rituals. You will find the same in Kundalini Tantra, Buddhism and Kriya Yoga.
In the Left-hand path, you will find that sexual energies are used in abundance, along with alcohol consumption. The left-hand path is often considered as fast and dangerous, at the same time.
A large variety of practices have come up from these paths. At Hrishikesh Yoga School, most of the Tantric traditions revolve around Kundalini energy. Some proponents also combine normal meditation with body movements. For the layman, it may be very difficult to find out, or rather segregate an original branch, from a deviation. So, you must learn about the same from the best yoga school in rishikesh.
