What Is Tantra Yoga? It Is Not What You Think

It is way different from pretending to be illuminated.

When I completed my intense Tantra Yoga Teacher Training, I didn't have the most joyful experience returning home. I was sad, missing nature and rainbows. It was raining and cold, and my new apartment lacked natural sunlight. I had to go back to work; back into the stressful and busy city life of Tokyo. In a word, I was depressed.

I reached out to a friend and shared my feelings, and my state of mind. Surprisingly, this was her answer:

“How are you going to be a good Tantra teacher when you are like this? It’s very hypocritical. It doesn’t show sincerity. It’s fake. That’s not yoga or Tantra”.

I took a few breaths in and out, observing her remarks and understanding the beliefs hidden behind her message. At first, I felt sad for the misconception. But, my sadness soon switched to gratitude.

I felt grateful for the opportunity to explain the core of Tantra.

I felt grateful for the reminder of why I chose Tantra!

She opened up a door that allowed me to remember the core of this ancient wisdom. Returning to a calm state of consciousness, I replied:

“Thank you for your comment. First of all, Yoga teachers are still humans. They have feelings. They are not Buddha.

Tantra is way different from pretending to be illuminated.

Tantra is acceptance of the place we are right now without judgment and with love and consciousness, compared to other yoga styles.

I chose Tantra because it accepts us as we are. There is no right nor wrong. The place we are right now is perfect. No good no bad.

We don’t make adjustments in Tantra Yoga for this reason. We let people cry for this reason. We just bring consciousness into our current state.

I know that other styles of yoga might be different and this is why I didn’t choose them, but I chose Tantra.

I know you didn’t know all that. So it’s okay; I accept your judgment and decided to tell you that. Thank you”.

I love Tantra.

I love Tantra because it is acceptance of where we are right now. It is observing, without judgment, where we are the present moment. Because, in Tantra all of life’s experiences are perfect.

In Tantra yoga — the yoga practice of Tantra — we don’t use music to cover the silence; the silence is perfect as is. We don’t judge students by telling them “your asana is wrong; let me correct you”. That is pretentious. Only them know what is best for themselves and adapted to their bodies. They are free to choose how to do their asanas — the yoga positions. And this freedom brings consciousness — they are the masters of their lives and they must act consciously.

In Tantra yoga, we don’t put power into the hands of teachers and we don’t label them good or bad. They are just here to hold a space for others and offer an opportunity for us to connect within ourselves. In Tantra yoga, the teachers themselves don’t do the asanas “perfectly”. But what does that show? That perfection is a judgment and what we consider “imperfection” is truly beautiful and accepted. When the teacher can show that it is okay to be “imperfect”, and the teachers themselves are “imperfect”, doesn’t it feel lighter to have permission to just BE without judgments? This is real freedom of the mind.

Unfortunately, other types of yoga push toward a fake idealism.

They put pressure on teachers to be role-models of an extremely healthy lifestyle, superhuman flexibility, and suppression of “negative” emotions.

They put pressure on students, as they articulate the message that “you are not enough” so “you must work stronger to reach illumination”.

What pretension! In reality, YOU are enough! Yes, YOU are enough. Coming into this state of consciousness and self-acceptance is itself “illumination”. So, as a Tantra yoga teacher, let me tell you this: being sad or depressed is okay and it is perfect. Only by experiencing this state of consciousness can you then experience and appreciate its opposite: being joyful and happy.

As a Tantra yoga teacher, I won’t hold judgments towards you, because you are pure perfection; you are life’s creativity incarnate. You should be celebrated and honored in your perfection. I will celebrate you and honor you in your perfection.

That is the beauty of Tantra.

I feel so blessed to live tantrically through every single stage of my life. Without judgment. Without fear of being myself. And without the pressure or the need to be “perfect”. I am perfect when I am love and consciousness of the NOW.

That is the essence of Tantra Yoga. I am grateful to my friend for having open this door to an explanation of this practice I hold so dear.