MANY PATHS TO ONE LOVE

A common question for people just starting their tantra yoga practice is: Do I have to have a partner? If they already have a partner, they often ask: Can I stay with them or do I have to practice with other people? The simple answer: It’s up to you. In truth, you are always at choice. Tantra is a spiritual, consensual, all-inclusive sex-positive practice. The only hard and fast rule on the path of personal growth is: know thyself, and unto that be true! It’s your responsibility to take a serious self-inventory and see which path nurtures your nature.

* Single practitioners often find that practicing solo helps them raise their vibration to attract a more suitable match.

* Many married couples find that practicing tantra exclusively with each other can take their monogamous relationship to another level of passion.

* Some couples in the tantra community decide to separate for an evening to practice with other individuals in order to bring more polarity back to their primary partnership.

* Some people chose to practice polyamory in conjunction with tantra to expand their expression of love and accelerate their personal growth.

* There are tantric practitioners who even chose to practice celibacy, homosexuality, swinging or BDSM.

No matter what path you chose, you'll have to face your own set of challenges and rewards. As a teacher of both tantra and polyamory, I’d like to clarify the often misunderstood connection between the two. Tantra is a practice of uniting sexual energy with divine energy. It’s also a path of Self Love. Polyamory is the practice of building honest heart-centered relationships with multiple lovers. It's also a path of self love. Polyamory includes a great degree of conscious communication and does not include anonymous sex, lying cheating or having affairs. Polyamory is often a discipline in personal growth, wherein jealousy, fear and insecurity are your spiritual teachers. In my new novel,Don’t Drink The Punch, An Adventure in Tantra, Master Das leads a tantra ritual in which all of the practitioners rotate and practice with different people. S/he then gives the following explanation of how loving multiple partners can deepen one’s tantric practice.

“I want to bring your attention to the essential objective of the Chakra Puja(tantra ritual.) You’re work is to worship the divine in whatever form she presents herself to you. Vajrayana(Tibetan tantric Buddhism) is the practice of seeing God in every sentient being. A true master takes her worship even deeper. To the extent that it is possible, she makes love to every sentient being. That may be a sister, friend, mother, wife, lover, stranger. God comes in all different shapes and flavors. “I hope by now you can see the divinity of everyone in this room. Can you imagine making love to them? This is your Sangha(community.) These are your beloveds. I want you to contemplate an environment wherein you’d feel safe enough to abandon your limitations and inhibitions. In order to give your physical body for the play and pleasure of God, ask yourself how you can become more naked: emotionally, spiritually, and physically...” In conclusion, Tantra is a practice of making love to the divine, it’s up to you to decide whether that is in the form of Self, your spouse, and/or your entire community.
Enjoy the Dance,
Kamala Devi
For more info about tantra, polyamory or Don’t Drink the Punch: an Adventure in Tantra, please visit:
http://www.partnerplayshop.com/Tantra_Book.html