Although it carries multiple meanings, the word Tantra can be translated as “rules” or “framework.” Its root tant means “to stretch” or “to weave,” directly referring to a certain quality of relationship and interconnection.

Tantra is a spiritual tradition originating from the Himalayan–Indian region. It encompasses a body of texts, doctrines, rituals, yogic practices, and initiatory methods that influenced many branches of Hinduism, Taoism, and Buddhism.

Its origin is difficult to date precisely, but scholars trace Tantra as far back as the 7th or even the 5th century BCE.

At its core, Tantra sees the universe as founded on two complementary principles: the masculine (Shiva, the Consciousness) and the feminine (Shakti, the Energy). It is a path of complete transformation of the human being, one that embraces the body and the five senses. Awakening comes through activating and uniting these inner masculine and feminine energies. Tantra also invites us to observe and welcome everything that arises within us, untangling physical, emotional, mental, and behavioral knots.

The West only became interested in Tantra much later, particularly at the end of the 20th century through the teachings of spiritual master Osho and Margot Anand, who led the first neo-Tantra groups in India.

Western approaches have often been criticized for reducing Tantra to ritualized sexual practices aimed at merging with a partner. Yet this aspect resonates with us in the West, where many of us live primarily “in the head” (through intellect, concepts, representations, and fantasies) while neglecting the wisdom of the body.

Tantra brings us back into full awareness of the body, its energy, and its rhythm. It helps free us from dualistic visions of life and sexuality (sex versus love, life versus death, spirituality versus sexuality). By releasing mental projections and fantasies, Tantra opens a direct path to authentic connection with oneself and with others.

However, reducing Tantra to sexuality is a mistake.

Tantra is much broader than sex. It is a state of Being. It reminds us that we are more than our bodies, and that relationship itself is much deeper than appearances. Pleasure is not limited to a localized orgasm, it can expand to embrace the whole body, in what is known as a Tantric or energetic orgasm.

Because everything is interconnected (humans, animals, plants) Tantric sharing can be experienced with a partner, with nature, or even with the Universe itself. Tantra asks us to step beyond hierarchical visions of the world and of social relationships.

Ultimately, Tantra is an invitation to welcome life in its entirety, to embrace all that we are and all that surrounds us without judgment. In doing so, the knots that hold us back loosen, and we discover a new quality of relationship with everything that exists.

In Hinduism, this is beautifully symbolized by Ardhanarishvara, the fusion of Shiva and Shakti, the masculine and feminine energies united in one form. Tantra becomes a way to link heaven and earth within us, to spiritualize matter and materialize spirituality.

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Ardhanarishvara, the Tantric fusion of masculine and feminine energies, represented in Hinduism through the union of the god Shiva and the goddess Shakti.