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| ARTICLE AND BOOK REVIEW ARCHIVES |
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- By Chris Gladwell
- Kavida Rei
- Kavida Rei
- Kavida Rei
- Rundy
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| Tantra Yoga |
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| By Chris Gladwell |
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In the beginning she rested as Shakti, the formless unmanifest, floating like a golden egg on the ocean of the silent, still and eternal Void.
Endless and awesome power spontaneously flickered within her as she as both latent and undifferentiated continued to rest, containing within herself the power seeds of all universes and all time.
Spontaneously she explodes into manifestation as she flowers into the evolved cosmos of separate vibrant dancing parts, then slowly reaching the completion of full blossoming withdraws herself back into her centre in the process of dissolution or pralaya.
Throughout all of eternity, like cosmic day and night the multiverses alternately expand into energy and matter and resolve back into herself as primal energy, the hiryanagharba.
Within her great heart rest her forms of Lakshmi, Kali and Saraswati, these energies of matter and form (tamas), movement and transformation (rajas) and serene grace (sattvas) weave in a balance of harmony.
In manifestation her forms both create, sustain and destroy as they permeate the whole cosmos, woven through the heart of all energy, matter and life, so this universe as we know it rests in, unfolds from and returns to her awesome heart.
From the Sabdabrahman or soundless sound reflected in the human heart chakra as anahata or the unstruck sound arises the causal sound or Nada as the vibration of undifferentiated wisdom and intelligence that sparks into evolution this cosmic unfolding. From this vibration of OM, there arises a deep primal shudder running through the resting equanimity of Shakti and rajas arises and the process of manifestation begins.
Out of this movement and cosmic vibration Shakti splits into two fields of force as being, Nada and Bindu. Bindu is the male pole, Shiva the centrifugal ground of being as consciousness from which Nada operates. Nada as vibration expands outward in centripetal flow, female, she is nature unfolding the manifest million forms of this universe.
This polar duality in unity provides the forces of magnetism, gravity, levity that hols together the phenomenal world in their state of vibrating molecules.
Cosmic evolution flowing from the superconscious, unmoving, beyond knowing and un-manifest into both the unconsciousness and conscious of the moving, knowable and manifest universe.
The journey of the individual in Yoga is a stepping into greater consciousness and beyond the beyond into super-consciousness. It is always a return from perceived separation to that source which is in our hearts, reflected as a balance of Shiva and Shakti with the upward and downward triangles in Anahata (heart) chakra of the six pointed star.
In Tantra, since all is a facet of the divine there can be no impurity, everything, every event, every experience can then become grist to the mill, an opportunity for greater and endless awakening into eternal super-consciousness.
The first practices of Tantra include Yoga asana practice as initiated by the Lord of Yogis Shiva (consciousness) and initiated again through his re-incarnation as the great Tantric master Adinath. Adinath taught Matsyendranath who taught Gorakshanath. These famous Tantric masters of the Nath lineage formulated many practices and techniques to assist the knower to step into greater wisdom and love.
Yoga asana is the first of these.
Tantra can mean weaving, the experiences of life being an opportunity for awakening. Tantra can mean liberation or awakening through expansion, this is different to the ascetic practices of denial, abstention and belief in impurity.
Tantra can also mean technique, in this way teachers outline parameters within which the students as knowers then engage with and explore, experiencing in their own mind and body the results of their exploration.
Tantra uses Mantra as a prime tool. Mantra meaning both Mind expansion and also protection from mundane or small mindedness is the use of specific vibratory patterns to free the limited small mind into greater and more expansive awareness. Traditionally a teacher will empower a mantra and then initiate the student into its use.
Tantra also uses Yantra as its tool. Yantras are geometric often colourful diagrams that represent the sacred geometric movement from the source through the bindu or seed into manifestation. The movement flows from one-point (bindu) into the first possible enclosure of space the triangle and from there into the wide circles of possibility before manifestation in the square of the earth element. Different Yantras represent different feminine and masculine energies.
Tantra uses visualisation as a means to embody and actualise, to remember ones existence as divine.
Tantra uses the focus of one pointed concentrated mind (dharana)to step beyond limiting conceptual frames into greater freedom of awareness.
Tantra uses massage and also spontaneous dance. The dance is the counterpoint of the linear Yoga asana practice and unfolds the tensions of perceived or felt separation into greater spaciousness.
Experiencing oneself as space, knowing one self as empty of concept, as empty of separate inherent existence, the whole of life becomes the play of practice and presence with no outcome and no goal.
Sitting in sacred silence, one just sits, there is nothing to be attained that is not already here, sitting merely rests us in this spacious presence.
Sacred sexuality may also be used as a playfulness and tool to rest in deeper presence, yet like licking honey off the razors edge, such practices can easily drop beings into greater egoic belief in their own power, their own magic, their own strength. In truth, from a place of ‘realised emptiness’, power, strength and magic are all possible manifestations of love and wisdom and merely flow as functions of the all pervading divinity. They rest exclusively in no-one and belong exclusively to no-one. So as no-one we may freely play with licking honey off the razors edge.
Tantra is a means to bring into everyday presence, into the marketplace, into the home, into the whole world the super-conscious.
Christopher teaches the various aspects of TantraYoga on his retreats, the foundations are asana practice, dance and silent sitting.
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| The Adventures of a Temple Fairy |
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| By Kavida Rei |
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| One of the great pleasures I enjoy in this life is to assist my teachers, Sarita and Geho on their consistently ground-breaking and consciousness-expanding Tantra courses. In the trade this is known as ‘ temple fairying’, and is a strange kind of modern day devotional worship. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to continue my training as a practising Urban Tantrika. I make the distinction here between the kind of Tantrika who might reside in a Himalayan cave or Nepalese temple, and one who has to deal with western practicalities such as speeding fines and washing machines that break down. Living in Hertfordshire, I fall into the latter category.
Being a Temple Fairy involves such exotic activities as arranging cushions, burning incense, handing out bottles of massage oil for example, but more importantly, supporting the participants, offering a helping hand or caring support if issues arise, or jumping in if someone finds themselves un-partnered for an exercise.
If it sounds a little peculiar that a hard-working, single mother of two, who is a therapist in her own right, would organise her schedule around volunteering in unpaid service on someone else’s workshops, you have to understand the impact that being around these two extraordinary people has had, and continues to have on my life. Some people march for the ending of war, some raise money for charity. I go on Tantra courses. This is my bit for world peace.
Not only do Sarita and Geho have the ability and resources to offer profoundly transformational residential retreats, but are able to create, on the spur of the moment, warm and intimate Tantra weekends with groups of total strangers in decidedly un-Tantric spaces in the middle of manic cities which appear to have no heart. How do they manage to do this?
It’s always difficult to talk about the magic of Tantra – it’s an experiential thing, beyond words, rather like meditation. One can talk about meditation, but that is not meditation. Words can never do justice to the experience, but I shall attempt to describe a recent ‘taster’ weekend and see if I can, through the meagre means of my computer keyboard, convey the exquisite sculpting of a beautiful journey into the world of Tantra for a group of novices and Tantra junkies like me, who can’t stay away. Of course, if I described in detail the weekend, it would take you a weekend to read it! So I shall try to do justice to the whole event by describing, as sensitively as I can, random snapshots from the workshop.
Upon entering the hall the participants notice an altar against the far wall, with a painted canvas hanging above, depicting a yantra. This is a symbol representing the twelve pathways of Tantra, each of which utilises many methods. One of the pathways uses the ‘senses’ as a doorway, and this is the path that the group is going to explore during this particular weekend. The participants settle nervously on the hundred chairs that are placed in a huge circle. There is some tension in the air as many people arriving know little or nothing about Tantra and are, understandably somewhat anxious.
It doesn’t take long for Sarita and Geho to change the energy in the room. Sarita’s voice, and Geho’s warmth and humour puts everyone at ease in no time. We go round the circle, each sharing one word to express what we’d like to get out of the weekend. Some of the qualities described are simple, some poetic, some esoteric. One man says “sex”. There’s appreciative laughter from the group, glad of the comic irreverence, but there is also some uncomfortable fidgeting. After all, the world ‘out there’ associates Tantra with sex. It’s a dumbed-down definition perpetuated by the media. This weekend isn’t about sex, although sensuality will be explored in a myriad of ways, but at this point the participants haven’t a clue as to what the workshop’s going to be about.
The chairs are stacked away, and we’re partnered-up to talk about what we want and need from an ideal ‘relationship’. This simple structure is designed to experiment with the sense of hearing, and we’re invited to listen with our eyes shut to heighten our awareness of the sound. What’s extraordinary is how quickly the sharing reaches great depth and intimacy. People who have never met before are describing their most heartfelt desires to each other, there are tears and laughter and I notice with amusement that some participants are already hugging by 11.00 in the morning. This is not normal behaviour for a large group of virtual strangers in the centre of London!
Sarita and Geho have a knack of getting the most stuffy cynic to let their hair down, and everyone in the room finds themselves ‘dancing the desire’ with wild abandon, to the most deliciously atmospheric music pumped through a large speaker system. One thing I notice at this point is how casually, and dare I say it, ‘conventionally’ everyone is dressed. There is obviously no ‘dress code’ for School of Awakening Tantra – no crushed velvet nor a Balinese sarong anywhere in sight. This is contrary to the general image of Tantra, portrayed in books and documentaries. It’s quite a relief for most people when they discover that one can achieve tantric ecstasy in a pair of jeans. I also notice that there are people dancing who have possibly not moved their bodies for years. At the very least this dynamic gyrating creates a healthy appetite for lunch!
After lunch, where everyone seems to be socialising amicably around the place, we return to continue our journey into the senses, this time delving into visual. This is experienced through a subtle but nonetheless engaging, eye-gazing exercise. The room is completely silent – you can hear a pin drop.
The sense of smell is explored through scented tissues being wafted by half the group over a giant, human mandala created by the other half laying in a particular formation on the floor. The weekend is full of ingenious methods such as this one, designed to sensitise the body. The mind is generally driven to sabotage the experience of being truly in the ‘now’, but on this roller-coaster of sense overload, there is little time for the inner saboteur to do its dirty work. Mine has most definitely gone on vacation, and I’m not eager for it to return.
Before we know it, we’re dancing wildly to the scent of sandalwood. There are one or two weary people sitting out, but not looking uncomfortable in the slightest. It certainly beats Brent Cross on a Saturday afternoon.
We pair up to indulge in the most exquisite meditation to investigate the sense of feeling (kinaesthetic). This ‘Caressing Meditation’ is done in a respectful and sensitive way, using the face only, and I’m sure I’m not the only one there to find myself sinking into a deeply hypnotic and blissed-out state.
On the Sunday morning, there is time made for sharing in the whole group and although no one is ever put on the spot and pressured to speak, quite a few people seem eager to describe the shifts that have been occurring for them. Some speak of concerns they have, and others have challenging questions. Sarita and Geho answer each person with understanding and compassion. Their knowledge of Tantra and male/female relationships is obvious, but what shines through in their speaking is genuine love. They seem to inspire, without giving ‘advice’.
We play some more with the visual sense, and then before we know it, it’s time for the great Tantric Picnic. I won’t go into detail here, I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise, in case any of you after reading this article feel compelled to sign up on a course immediately. Suffice to say, for me it’s the piece de resistance of the weekend. Well ok, I love food anyway, it’s true, but the Great Tantric Picnic takes my passion to another level. I’m in Chow Heaven. Through sheer cosmic coincidence I’ve also been partnered with a chef (my Tantric angels at work) and my personal picnic is nothing less than gourmet. This structure is not to everyone’s taste though, and a couple of participants are having a less than pleasurable experience. As well as laughter there are tears, as some people find unexpected emotions coming up. It’s quite clear that everyone present is respected, no matter what else is going on in the room. No one’s ever forced to participate in something against their will, and if anybody finds themselves in upset, they’re taken care of immediately, with sensitivity and tenderness. This ‘allowing’ seems to engender a deep sense of trust within the group.
It’s hard to believe that there’s more to enjoy. Lunch has left me feeling satiated in every way, but on we journey into an interesting story-telling exercise, where we utilise all senses, one after the other. We’re put into groups of four for this structure, and I find myself laughing uproariously with three of the most endearing raconteurs I’ve ever had the fortune to share anecdotes with. The descriptions become more and more Technicolor as we voyage together into our respective reminiscences. By the end I feel as if we’ve known each other for years, not merely for the half an hour we’ve been sharing the same rug.
Although it’s hard to imagine anything topping the Tantric Picnic, the finale is, in fact quite awe-inspiring. The whole group places itself (alright, it doesn’t place itself. Geho orchestrates the ambitious production, accompanied by snorts and giggles as the hundred bodies are manoeuvred painstakingly about the hall) in a rather complicated geometric pattern, creating a body mandala symbolising the yantra and we’re taught a ‘mantra’ which we will chant together. Someone cracks a joke about it being a Tantra Yantra Mantra. My inner comedienne starts making her presence known, as she begins to visualise, perhaps inappropriately, a spoof New Age sit-com, a sort of Sex and the City for hippies. We start to sing, gradually settling into a unified harmony and rhythm, and my inner Ruby Wax is silenced. Suddenly it all makes sense. The chant is subtle and mesmerising. For fear of using a well-worn cliché, there’s a point, deep into the meditation where to me it feels as if we’ve ‘become one’. Well, I’ve ‘become one’ anyway, with what I’m not sure exactly, perhaps just with myself. This feels right, this feels good, this feels most decidedly Tantric. I come away from the weekend with a feeling that I’m always left with after working with Sarita and Geho – no matter what uncomfortable or painful moments may occur, Tantra is without a doubt, the most fun you can have whilst residing on Planet Earth. And there’s no hangover. |
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| THE IMPORTANCE OF MUSIC IN MASSAGE |
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| By Kavida Rei |
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I have combined a life-long passion for music with my experience as a trained counsellor and massage therapist. My fascination with people and their inner and outer journeys has been equalled by a fascination with all aspects of sound.
Being massaged and listening to music are two of the great pleasures in life, but there is a radical difference between a massage conducted to a randomly chosen New Age CD full of Musak and one given to the selections of a music loving therapist who wants the recipient to leave the session and rush home to log on at Amazon. A custom-made musical journey is one of the things I specialise in, whilst at the same time giving a healing and therapeutic bodywork session.
I trained as a musician and at sixteen, left home for a place in music college where I found myself purchasing an ever-increasing pile of new albums from the local record shop in Totnes high street (I wonder if that Aladdin's cave is still there?).
My musical taste has always been eclectic. It's easy to recall the first time John Martyn's "One World" or Joni Mitchell's "Hejira" took over my body and soul from the moment the stylus hit the groove, inducing an altered state of consciousness.
In the world according to Kavida Rei the great listening public would get as excited by a Jon Hassell/Brian Eno collaboration as they do about football transfers and Hollywood gossip. In my world people would be dancing in the street to John Scofield, and every Blue Nile release would be celebrated with a national holiday.
A little more on the content of a massage session; part of the therapy focuses on chakras. A chakra is an energy vortex that lies in and above certain areas of the body. They are affected by any kind of stimulus, all forms of 'energy', even thought. Certainly music has a profound and direct impact on the chakras, and one can heal many wounds and traumas through conscious balancing of these areas. For example, rhythmic drumming or the steady beat of a rich bass line can stimulate the base chakra in a particular way. This can cause the energy to rise up through the body and out of the crown of the head, resulting in an orgasmic sensation. Try a few minutes of Jaco Pastorious whilst in a euphoric state and you'll know exactly what I mean.
The creation of the perfect music/massage session hinges on choosing the right music for client A and the perfect selection for client B. The lover of Jazz and the connoisseur of Progressive Rock are often one and the same, but once on a massage table Lyle Mays stroking the Steinway might just be more preferable to Robert Fripp abusing his Mellotron (although I know someone who would relish the thought). A chilled jazz trio or almost anything from the ECM catalogue would probably be more conducive to muscle relaxation than "The Light" by Spocks Beard.
When I receive a massage I love to take a musical journey around the world - different tracks from different genres. This might not suit everyone as the mind finds it easier to take a vacation under the influence of less complex music, than if it has to wrap itself around something that requires more conscious listening. When first treating a new 'client' the secret is to tread carefully with maybe a touch of the exquisitely plaintive sounds of David Sylvian. If all goes well, the mystical meanderings of David Torn can be added to the warm oil of ecstasy. If they are not familiar with Dead Can Dance or perhaps Nils Peter Molvaer, then this could be the perfect time for an introduction.
Compiling music has always been an enjoyable task and with over 700 albums to choose from you can imagine how many colourful and eclectic mixes lie around waiting to be enjoyed by visiting musos. So, be it Mark Isham or Steve Roach, Jan Garbarek or Rob Palmer, the massage table will always be the 'best seat in the house'.
Check out a list of that we have put together.
For more info on music and massage . |
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| Tantric Healing |
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| By Kavida Rei |
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Healing is a natural function of the body. There is a common myth floating around out there that goes like this- 'healing is something that someone 'does' to someone else to make them better'. My intention as a healer is to dispel that myth.
The body, if unencumbered by symptoms, injury, pain, limiting belief systems etc. functions in a balanced state of health. Disease is exactly that - 'Dis-ease'! The body ‘out of ease’. How does one create a state of ease? The answer to this question is a key to understanding the true meaning of healing.
As a qualified massage therapist, healer and counsellor I have witnessed quite a few cases of healing, some extremely dramatic.
If I were more ego-centric I could arrogantly assume that it is something I 'id' that caused a healing in another human being.
Fortunately, humility prevails and I am convinced that all I have ever done is provide the 'space' in which healing could occur.
Basically, I facilitated an act of healing that was generated from within that person themselves. If I manage to keep myself energetically and emotionally 'clear' and do very little, it allows for more space in that client in which they can manifest their own healing process. This has taken years to learn, and to this day I still notice occasionally my unconscious human compulsion to 'o', rather than to 'allow'.
Obviously there are factors that can influence the body's self-healing capacity, such as the right diet, enough sleep, exercise, fresh air and light. I've noticed that if a person is in a state of ease and positivity they will naturally gravitate toward these things. The body knows what is needed, and will acquire it if we are able to listen to what our body's telling us, and remain in a relaxed enough state to honour it.
Of course there may be obstacles to feeling at ease. Emotional disturbances which may cause dis-ease can originate from childhood, early life experiences, perhaps even past lifetimes. The good news is that there are many ways to clear trauma, heal a broken heart, restore balance and harmony. A good therapist will be able to guide a person in a journey of exploration that could be painful and difficult at times, but will result in the healing of wounds that have probably inhibited their self-expression or dulled their experience of life. Liberation for the client is surely the goal of all therapeutic work.
Stress arises out of resistance. A body uses up unnecessary amounts of energy whilst in any kind of resistance.
I pay a lot of attention to the environment that I invite clients into. The room is clean and free of clutter, though it still has some of my personal things in it; books, CDs, the odd photo, musical instruments. Even if it’s an unconscious awareness, the client has the sense that I’m not just a therapist in a blank, white room, but a real person. I’m sure that this is a major factor in helping a client to relax and open up. The room is the right temperature and the lighting conducive to relaxation. The music is crucial, it plays a large part in my sessions and I spend a lot of time collecting appropriate music for my therapy work. (see also: “Music in Massage” on articles page. Below the article is a helpful list of suggested music for massage and healing)
In this space, as the client surrenders and lets go, breathing slows down, the heart rate stabilises. The body has a chance to re-balance itself. It's given the chance to remember. To literally RE-MEMBER.
Surely then the true meaning of healing must be – 'allowing'. Only out of true acceptance can one allow. Accepting what is. And in that acceptance lies healing and ultimately, transformation.
Music is an essential part of massage. Read our on the use of Music in Massage. Check out a list of that we have put together.
To book a healing session please call . |
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| The meaning of tantra |
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| By Rundy |
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As more and more people contact me every day about teaching classes and workshops in their part of the world one of the most confusing topics has been explaining “what is tantra?”
The word tantra is a hot topic, a charged word, and to some a taboo subject.
Obviously the word tantra encompasses many expressions, all legitimate. Its scope is broad and diverse. Some people are seeking a tantric relationship meaning: connection, sharing, integration, and deeper intimacy. Yet to others it means sexual play, exploration, non-attachment, and non-committal.
But there is also a clear distinction between someone who plays at tantra and someone who practices tantra as a spiritual path.
First of all we must remember that Tantra is a yoga. A very ancient spiritual practice using conscious sexuality as a catalyst for transformation. Virtually every culture in the history of the world has had a tantric sect, usually secret. Whether it was the Hindus, Sumerians, Mayans, Apaches, Celts, Babylonians, Atlanteans, Aztecs, Incas, etc. there were always some secretly practicing tantra. While most people believed that God would punish them for actually enjoying sex, off in the hills or jungles or caves there were lovers practicing tantra, using breath, energetic techniques, and conscious sacred sexuality to transform, heal, and evolve. Connecting and loving as deeply as possible hoping to touch God.
The role of the male was to worship the goddess in the awareness that by her fulfillment she became the spiritual light of the relationship, the family, the community and the world. His role was to be a clear container of energy, drinking her essence into his being while she danced and played in the cosmos. In her eyes he glimpsed eternity. She opened in him all the nuances and mysteries of love. She was the sigh in his heart.
The men learned energy mastery through meditation and yogic practices in order to cultivate the power to bring his goddess to higher and higher states of ecstasy, and thereby receive the blessings of her outpouring divine feminine essence.
To quote the channeled readings of Anra by Amorah Quan Yin:
Without male and female equality, love, adoration for one another, trust, and respect, and shared innocence, full communion with Oneness is impossible as are peace, freedom, and joy. The lust-seduction control games; sexual attitudes of distrust, shame, lovelessness, and separation; as well as lack of spiritual presence during intercourse are literally destroying the soul's ability to experience wholeness and health.
What we call sexual energy, or sexual expression, is the stuff of which existence is both made and sustained. When a couple in love experiences total surrenders one to the other during a heightened sexual experience, they become blended into a single consciousness, the original experience of Oneness.
The female yoni (vagina) is a geometric gateway to the cosmos. From the woman's soul the energy and light of love is sent out in waves back to her partner and through existence simultaneously. These waves create a blending of the soul of the woman and her partner. The love and ecstasy created by their union is transmitted through a spiral passageway down through the male's body into his prostate which further excites his penis to transmit the love, adoration, and joy energies passionately into the woman's yoni. This cycle is repeated in a continuum once both the male and female have totally surrendered to giving and receiving love and relinquishing all control. The two become a microcosm of the macrocosm of existence. They spin the galaxies together, hold planets in form, spiritually activate one another's souls and spirits through the dimensions, and heal each other and all of existence: and all while having a great time!
What if love were only possible by forfeiting all guarantees? What if love could only exist in the presence of surrender? What if there was no such thing as loss, only change? What if you had to let go before the other person did without knowing whether he or she will ever let go or not? You would risk disappointment; but that is all. If you have healthy self-esteem and self-love the person you love cannot devastate or humiliate you. He or she cannot make you feel unworthy; only you can! The object of love is not to win someone over, break through their barriers, and make them need or desire you, or make sure you don't lose. The object of love is to love, to cherish, to honor, to adore, to respect, and to never harm, to appreciate and never depreciate another. This type of relationship foundation is imperative in order to have the relationship be an augment to your spiritual path and that of your partner, and to achieve the type of sexual union that brings about healing and awakening of your soul. The essential nature of the unrestrained soul is tantra. This leads to being in a constant orgasmic state in your whole body. In this state, energy blocks are dissolved, emotions released to flow naturally, and spiritual experience of love and Oneness are the norm.
From My Heart,
Rundy
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| All rights reserved. (c) Kavida Rei and Andrew Vyse. |
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