Go to the Source: Shakti
According to the Tantrics, the universal exists due to a force called Shatkti; it is the energy which animates all life, movement and change everywhere. The system of spiritual refinement that is Tantra is based on the activation and movement of this Shakti within an individual. The way our Shakti moves, gathers and dissipates is the sole cause of our existence and all our experiences within that existence.
It might seem like a far-out concept but it’s really quite simple. For example, consider what you would feel like if you had a huge day, full of actions and events and at the end of the day you were quite tired. Your ability to do things would be decreased (you will probably want to have a big meal and a sleep) and your perceptions and feelings would be strongly affected by your lack of energy. You probably would not have much enthusiasm for socializing or deep thinking. You might even feel grumpy or short tempered. Due to your energy over-expenditure, your entire experience of life is affected.
Acknowledging and working with this ‘cause and effect’ relationship is the essence of Tantra and energy-based yoga practice. It works on the simple maxim “What you do surely comes back to you.” How we spend and gain Shakti is the primary cause of our perceptions, feelings and choices in life.
Shakti is the source of our life and the qualities of our Shakti will determine how our life flows and the experiences we have. This is why Tantric practice focuses mainly on changing the quality of our personal life force. Working directly with energy is the way to take conscious control over our lives. Without the ability to play with Shakti, we are subject to the winds of energetic change, which blow our lives here and there and everywhere.
So, what do Tantrics do to change the quality of the personal energy (and thus the experience of life)? Firstly, they try to be aware of the energetic qualities of every part of life, from working, socializing, sleeping and sexual activity to meditation, yoga and other spiritual practices. Tantrics understand the subtleties of energy, so they try to keep all their activities healthy, balanced and in harmony.
More specifically, these people use spiritual practices to refine their Shakti in a conscious way. Many of us use the Hatha yoga practice of asana to move energy. For most people, yoga postures are their main inroad into energetic practice. Yoga practices that work with breath such as Swara and Pranayama are more direct energy practices, for they go straight to the main source of Shaktiin us: the breath and respiration. The breath practices help yoginis to stabilize and expand their personal energy and learn more about the essence of energy.
The pranayama gradually expands into more energetically intense and challenging practices such as kumbhaka (breath pauses) and bandhas (energy locks). All of these are meant to change our personal Shakti in a positive way, so that we have a greater influence over every aspect of our lives and our life experiences and perceptions.
When the breath practices are incorporated, gradually the Tantric meditations come into play. In this part of the Tantra, the mind creates the movement of the Shakti in special and specific ways. This conscious movement of energy takes the yogini to the higher heights of energetic practice through concentration and mental power, eventually culminating in the practice of Kundalini Yoga. Once this most powerful Shakti is activated the practitioner becomes a Swami, a master of their own life.
It is upon these foundations that we teach our 200 Hour Teacher Trainings and 100 Hour Modules on Prana and Pranayama, Meditation and Yin Yoga and others. We take the essentials of basic yoga and add practices that take you to the source, the Shakti, that will change the essence of your life, your emotions, your mind and your health. Join us on a course and learn a powerful yoga based on tradition and wisdom. See you on the mat!
