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By Lona Garner
What makes your soul sing?! Have you ever felt like what you were doing was flowing abundantly and perfectly from your body into this world? Like time stopped around you and you were enveloped in some action? I love this feeling. I call it FLOW. And when I discovered Tantra, more of these flow moments started popping up in my life. I asked myself why. What was changing? How was it different? Tantra delivered the answers.
But let’s start with your first question. What is Tantra? This is the most common thing I am asked. The answer is hard to give, which is probably why Tantra remains in such mystery. But it’s not a secret. Tantra just can’t be put into words because it is a state of mind. Try explaining joy, love, desire. They are hard to explain, but we try anyway. However, you won’t fully understand love until you try it. The same applies for Tantra. But I’ll go on trying to use words to describe it, in hopes that you’ll give it a shot.
Tantra, to me, is penetrating deep into the present moment. Removing all that is not serving the now. Uncovering our birthright that is bliss and pleasure. Let me put it this way: Tantra is the ultimate bliss that can be experienced in every moment only if you choose to accept it. Tantra is about working on yourself, so that you can remove all the programming that is not serving us. Then it is about surrendering to the now, so that you can tune your radio into the frequency of bliss that pervades every single moment of life. Yes, bliss is available to us whenever we choose to see it. It’s a choice we make. And it’s beautiful.
So how do we rid ourselves of programming to enter into the present moment? For me, a ritualized morning routine has helped me immensely. I start each day with 20-30 minutes of yoga, for the body. Then move to 20-30 minutes of meditation, for the mind. Next, I do at least 3 pages of journaling, for the soul. Body. Mind. Soul. Each day opening to the new possibilities of the world. Each day burrowing into my own self, first. When thoughts intrude about my schedule or my past or future, I quietly and gently remind myself that this is my time designated for me. I also read at least 10 pages of a book each day to help me see new perspectives and gain new wisdom. These simple practices have been a game changer for me in reducing that programming.
Making any moment Tantric is simpler than it sounds. Using proven techniques to deliver us to the moment is what Tantra is all about. It’s as easy as adding breath, movement, and sound. Learn to calm the mind. If the mind is overactive, then it will continue to impede the bliss of the moment. The mind wants to take us elsewhere, but the body wants us to be here. So, we will use the body to gently coax the mind into relaxation through breath, movement, and sound. The soul needs no help. The soul is always able to be in this exquisite state of bliss.
Breath. The first step is to acquaint ourselves fully with the breath. Breath is more necessary than food or water, and yet it often gets relegated to the back burner. You can live maybe a week without food, a few days without water, but only minutes without air. When was the last time you really thought about the quality of your breath? For many of us, it is a rarity. The lost art of breathing. But if you go back to ancient civilizations, they all celebrated and honored the breath. They knew how important breathing was, and knew how to breathe right. I’ll give you the optimal breath, but please don’t stress about perfection. Moving in the direction of the perfect breath is good enough.
Inhale. Your nasal cavities are optimally designed to take in and filter the breath. There are so many contaminants in our air, so much pollen, with plenty of viruses, and bacteria. The mouth is not designed to filter these out. The mouth is more of a back up plan for the nose, an emergency valve in case the nose gets clogged. Mouth breathing has been proven to cause all sorts of ailments including sleep apnea, sinus infections, caved in palettes, seasonal allergies, and so much more. If you want a deep dive into this topic, check out the book Breath by James Nestor. Inhaling through the nose, as simple as it sounds, can solve all these problems. Sit up straight, so you aren’t compressing the lungs and inhale deeply through the nose. Inhale until your belly is full. Allow your belly to be relaxed and full.
Exhale. Exhale is important because it expels all the toxins in our blood. In your lungs, there is a magical process going on. Carbon dioxide is getting replaced in our red blood cells by oxygen. Carbon dioxide is a critical ingredient to our health. It rids the body of unwanted toxins through the blood. If we are exhaling short sputters then we are not actually getting rid of all the carbon dioxide we need to. Even when inhaling short breaths, we will still get all the oxygen we need. But it’s the exhale that’s more important. A full exhale will allow all those red blood cells to get rid of the carbon dioxide. This makes us healthier just by exhaling. A full, deep exhale all the way to the last drop is ideal. Squeezing the stomach in to push the diaphragm the last bit up will help you rid the blood of carbon dioxide. I like to exhale through my nose as well, because I accidentally forget to close my mouth again after exhaling. But do what feels right to you. If exhaling through you mouth feels more natural, do that. Just remember to close your mouth before you begin to inhale.
Circular Breath. When diving into the present moment, we want to use circular breath. This is a breath pattern that does not pause between the inhale or exhale. This is a breath that keeps moving in a circular motion all the way through without waiting. So, inhale deeply all the way to the bottom of the belly. Then, without waiting, exhale all the way out to completely empty the lungs. No pause between either. Ideally, the inhale would last 5.5 seconds and the exhale would last 5.5 seconds. But this is less important when you are beginning. Focus on a deep, progressive inhale in the nose. Followed by a full, progressive exhale through the nose or mouth. With no space between the two.
Movement. Now move. This can be done in any way. Get the arms involved. Get the legs involved. Try standing. Try walking. Try dancing! Put on your favorite music and let your body flow to the sound. You are not at a club, there is no one to impress with your moves. Impress yourself with how quickly you can surrender your body to the music. Allow it to move you. Shake. Twist. Jump. Run. The more body parts you incorporate into the movement the easier you can be in the present. Don’t keep your feet still. Don’t allow your torso to be rigid. Move from you center and let that movement emanate to the rest of your limbs. Loosen the grip you have on your head. Let your head become like a jelly fish, moving and swaying with the movements of your body like the ocean does to the jelly.
Sound. The final step to embody the present moment is adding sound. I know it might sound wild, but let out sound from your throat. Allow your vocal cords to really vibrate. The more they vibrate the more you will enter the present. You don’t have to make any specific words, unless some come to you. The point of importance is that you allow the sound to vibrate you. Just saying Ahhh is perfect. Or humming Ohhh. Maybe even just allowing your exhale to become a big, juicy sigh is what you need. No matter how you let the sound come out don’t hold back. It won’t always be loud, sometimes a medium sigh is what your body wants. But don’t let it be medium because you are afraid of letting it be loud. Feel the vibrations in your throat. Feel the freedom from allowing it out. So many of us are uncomfortable with the world hearing our voices. This could come from not feeling like we should take up so much space. Take up space. It is your birthright.
Breath & Movement & Sound. Queue up the drums, maestro! Now, we put it all together. Find a place you can do this comfortably to start. Maybe somewhere private, where just you can experience this magic to yourself. Put on some music if you choose. Start with the breath. Inhale through the nose deeply. Don’t pause. Exhale completely through the nose or mouth. Now let the music move you. Don’t think about the move, feel the move. Move more of your body. Move your core and let the vibrate outwards. Finally, let sound come out on your exhale. Let the sound vibrate your body. Let each of these play off each other. Keep breathing, keep moving, keep making sound! Close your eyes if you like. Try it for 10 minutes, and maybe work your way up to 30 or 60! Then try it with friends or lovers! Share this magic with the world. It’s possible you will be transported to the bliss of the now if you allow it. Let time and space fall away to reveal the beauty of the now. What I call FLOW.
If you would like more simple ways to connect to the now follow my website at www.makespaceforinfinity.com or I’m most active on Instagram to bring you quick, easy bites of information to make your whole life more tantric one day at a time @makespaceforinfinity.
About the Author
Tantra called to Lona each step in her life. When everything fell apart, Tantra is what put her back together. Now she wants to spread the potent message to all who are ready to listen.
My website is www.makespaceforinfinity.com and I'm most active on Instagram @makespaceforinfinity .