Glossary

 Acupressure Points. Acupressure points lie along the natural channels which run throughout the body, through which energy flows. Applying manual pressure over these points for a minute or more will release neurotransmitters like endorphins and also release the trapped energy at those points. This causes elated sensual feel and results in relaxation, elevated biomagnetism and more passionate intimacy.

Amrita. By Sanskrit literature it means ‘Beverage of immortality.’ In Tantric terms it refers to ‘female ejaculate.’ This fluid biochemical and in nature totally differs from female urine and it resembles the male prostatic fluid. It is considered as a powerful healing substance in Tantra.

Ananda. Extended happiness, spiritual delight.

Asana. It is the positioning of body in various poses that is said to influence the mind and energy centers of the body.

Ayurveda. In Sanskrit it is called as the ‘Science of life.’ It is one of the traditional systems of medicine in India which has its origin thousands of years ago.

Bandhas. These are muscular exercises of the pelvic region that is structured to tone up the pelvic muscles, especially the PC muscles. The purpose of practicing Bandhas is to intensify the sexual pleasure and to have a greater deal of ejaculatory control.

Brahma. Of the 3 Gods for ‘Creation, Maintenance and Destruction,’ Brahma is the name of the God responsible for Creation while Vishnu is the God of Maintenance and Shiva is the God of destruction. In Tantric terminology, Brahma is the creator of worlds and He is the epithet of creativity.

Chakras. Chakras are the energy centers from which energy flows to all over the body. The term ‘Chakra’ in Sanskrit means ‘wheel’ which denotes the center where energy flow is regulated. There are 7 major chakras in our body along the area of spinal cord and many other minor chakras to govern the energy flow.

Chi (Qi). In Chinese, the ‘Chi’ denotes the stream of energy that flows through specific pathways called meridians. Streamlined flow of energy through the meridians ensures beaming health, good eroticism and perfect bonding.

Dakini. It is the female embodiment of enlightened energy. Poetically Dakini is described as ‘sky dancer or sky walker.’ She is a Tantric deity and she is essential for a tantric practitioner to attain fulfillment.

Devi. It is the Sanskrit word for ‘Shakti’ or ‘Energy of God.’ It literally means ‘the shining one.’ It refers to the female counter part of the God Shiva and She is the Goddess for love, maternity and death.

Dhyana. There are 8 steps mentioned in the ‘Yoga suthra,’ an Indian text, to attain enlightenment. Of the 8, the 7^th one is called as Dhyana. It is the Sanskrit word for meditation.   

Feng Shui. It is an ancient Chinese way of rearranging the furniture and surroundings to balance the ‘Yin-Yang’ and cosmic energy to create a surrounding that is harmonious with our life.

Ganesha. He is the God of wisdom and son of Shiva and Parvati. He has an elephant-head and he is worshiped while starting any new work or event. He removes all physical and mental blocks while starting a work or event.

G-spot It is the rugous soft area present in the anterior vaginal wall that engorges when a woman is sexually excited. G-spot is the shortened form of Grafenburg spot, named after the discoverer Dr.Grafenburg. Tantric texts describe about G-spot well before Grafenburg time. Many women say that the G-spot orgasm is better than the clitoral orgasm. When properly stimulated, women can have multiple orgasms which increase in intensity from time to time and with performance. Men have their G-spot up in their anal canal and when they are stimulated, men can too enjoy better orgasms.

Guru. The Sanskrit word ‘Guru’ means a person who is wise, knowledgeable and able to lead his followers from unreality to reality, confusion to realization and from bonding to freedom. ‘Gu’ means darkness and ‘Ru’ means sun. The term ‘Guru’ refers to someone who dispels the darkness through the light of knowledge.  

Hatha Yoga. ‘Hatha’ in Sanskrit means ‘forceful.’ The word is coined using two words ‘ha,’ the sun and ‘tha,’ the moon which means fusing the channels of sun and moon of the body. Fusion of the two energy channels invigorates life and thus the word is attached to its meaning ‘forceful.’ The meaning of ‘forceful’ in this context is similar to the word ‘powerful.’

Kali. Literally it means the ‘dark one.’ It refers to the eternal energy of God. The term Kali is also associated with the Divine mother, wife of Shiva, who fights evil and destroys ego.

Kama Sutra. Kama sutra by Sanskrit literature means ‘the rules of love.’ It is an Indian text that describes the art and techniques of love. It was written by a 2^nd century sage called Vatsayana. Inspired by Kama sutra, later 2 scripts arose which were called as Ananga Ranga and Koka Shastra.

Karma. Karma is the collective effect of a person’s actions in the past, present and future.

Krishna . He is the 8^th avatar of Lord Vishnu and he offered the Bhagavat Gita which literally means ‘the story of God.’ He is portrayed playing a flute and he symbolizes divine love, joy and male eroticism. The end of Krishna marked the start of Kali Yuga, the age of our being.

Kundalini. It is a dormand energy which resides at the base of the spine like a coiled serpent. Tantric practices help the practitioner to awaken the Kundalini and reach spiritual perfection. In the body the Kundalini behaves like an electrochemical bio-feedback part of the neural system and on proper stimulation it brings swift changes in the body and mind resulting in altered states of consciousness. You will be able to go beyond your self at these stages and see the interconnection between all objects and life. The Tantric techniques help the practitioner to safely release the Kundalini power through spiritual, physical and emotional mastery. This practice unites the Shiva and Shakti (Yin and Yang) and lets the practitioner to experience supreme consciousness.

Lingam. It is a Sanskrit word that denotes the male sexual organ. It means ‘wand of light’ in Sanskrit. Lingam is symbol of Lord Shiva in Shiva worship.

Lotus Flower. In Tantric terms, the lotus flower denotes the Yoni. It is also a symbol for purity, conscious expansion and self-transcendence. Lotus is a symbol for purity because it grows in muddy water but still remains clean indicating that we should remain detached to the worldly pleasures and activities even though we live in this world.

Meditation. Meditation is single continuous thought extending into thoughtlessness.  It is used as a tool to go beyond thoughts and mind and open gateway to cosmic consciousness. It can be practiced through Yantra or Mantra. It is also done through repetitive actions like free form dancing, running or silently sitting like in Zazen, etc.

Maithuna. It is a Sanskrit word used in Tantra to refer to the sexual union. It is considered as the ritual union between Shiva and Shakti. This rite intends to raise the Kundalini through sexual union.

Mantra. Mantra is a sound or syllable that is made of powerful pattern of group of words in a particular rhythm. The sanctified syllables are transferred through generations in religious traditions. It is considered as the basis of spiritual power. In the Hindu religion, Om Shakti is an accepted mantra which means ‘praise energy.’

Nadi. In Sanskrit it means ‘River.’ There are invisible channels throughout the body and chakras through which psychic energy flows like a river. The ancient Yogic texts state that there are 72000 such conduits of prana in our body. According to the Tantra, Nadi and the Chakras together form the subtle body.

Namaste. The word in Sanskrit means ‘I bow’ and the gesture could mean ‘The God/Goddess in me greets the God/Goddess in you.’ It is a common salutation practice in India to greet and recognize the sacredness in others. It is the traditional Indian form of salutation, a respectful greeting to the equality of all and the sacredness of all. The Namaste gesture is made by bringing both palms together before the chest in the centre and this gesture is called as ‘Anjali mudra.’

Orgasmic Waves. At the peak of sexual excitation, orgasmic energy is released and it passes throughout the body and through all chakras as multiple waves called as orgasmic waves. 

OM. OM is the top mantra in many religions like Hinduism, Buddism, Jainism, etc and it has 3 component sounds a-u-m. It is said that it is the sound of the inner most divine consciousness. Some religious experts say it represents the three Vedas and some others say it represents the three stages of life, viz. birth, life and death. It is the first ‘sound’ that is made at the onset of all creation and it is the ‘sound’ of God creating all the realities we see and feel.

Parvati. Parvati is the ‘daughter of the mountains ( Himalayas ).’ She is the wife of Shiva and she is the gentle representation of shakti both in physique and spirituality.

PC muscles. PC refers to the Pubococcygeus muscles. In both men and women, they form the pelvic floor between the pubic bone to the coccyx. They have a pivotal role in male and female sexual activities. The PC muscles helps to increase the pelvic region blood flow, and it accentuates the sensual feel, increase the orgasmic intensity and helps women to enjoy orgasmic and ejaculatory control.

Prana. In Sanskrit it means ‘Vital life.’ ‘Pra’ in Sanskrit essentially means ‘to fill.’ Prana means the vital life force that fills our body or air or breath.

Red Tantra. It is a facet of Tantra that deals with the aspects of mastery in sexual skills.

Sacred Space. A Sacred Space is an artificially created place to achieve tranquility. Great care and concern is given while creating a Sacred Space. The place will be designed in such a way that it exploits the positive energy of the surroundings and offer support, uplifting, transformation and reassurance to those who use the Sacred Space.  

Sacred Spot. This is an energetic place which when stimulated by massage gives access to the second chakra. The female Sacred Spot is placed on and around the G-area in the Yoni while in males it is located within the anterior wall of the anal canal or base chakra.

Shakti. Shakti is a term that refers to the feminine energy or power. In Sanskrit the word ‘Shakti’ means ‘potency’ or ‘the potential to produce.’ ‘Shakti’ refers to the basal creative intent of the cosmos that enervates all the force of the divinity and all life and non-life. The ‘Shakti’ is represented as a female counterpart of all male Gods in the Hindu pantheon, especially the God Shiva.

Shiva and Shakti. Shiva and Shakti are the 2 divine entities often described in elated embrace, the yab-yum. They represent the cosmic union between the male and female or the yin-yang. This unison of the male and female is one of the ultimate Tantric goals.

Tantra. Tantra is a religious philosophy which has its root in India that inspires one in the methods of transforming the sexual energy into altered states of consciousness and achievement of supreme enlightenment. It is a system where spiritual views were clubbed with physical practices stressing on various Sanskrit roots indicating: ‘body,’ because of its stressing on physical activities; ‘stretch,’ because of its influence on human body organs; ‘rope,’ because it links the human mind to divine consciousness; ‘harp,’ because of the music and rhythm in its values; ‘interiorness,’ for the mystery of its philosophies; ‘loom,’ indicating the dual cosmic theory, the female and the male, as the make up of the spiritual cosmos. Tantra is a philosophy where Divine energy is experienced through sexual energies of the male deity Shiva and the female deity Shakti.

.Tantrika. A tantric practitioner or tantric ‘guru.’

Taoism. It is an ancient Chinese philosophy, which branched from the ancient Tantra that describes the obscure scientific understandings of balancing the positives and negatives of cosmos or balancing the Yin-Yang.

Vajra. It is the Tibetian word for the male sexual organ. Literally it means ‘lightening’ or ‘staff of power.’

Vishnu. One of the 3 Hindu deities who create, protect and destroy life and objects in this world. Vishnu is the ‘protector’ of the 3 Hindu Gods.

White Tantra. White Tantra deals with the yogic or spiritual aspects alone of Tantra. It comprises of postures and exercises, the asanas. It is usually clubbed with patterned breathing, the pranayama, finger and hand gestures, the mudras, muscular exercises of the internal organs, the bhandas, reciting words in rhymes, the mantra and meditation. The skills and advantages of White Tantra is said to increase the ability of the practitioner to master the sexual Red Tantra.

Yin and Yang. The Yin-Yang is a Chinese philosophy which describes the Yin and Yang as separate and interdependent components of a single cosmic force. The Yin is recognized as an inert, internal, receptive, cool, lunar force which is considered as feminine. The Yang is identified as active, productive, warm, solar and external force which is considered as masculine. Each is complementary to each other and both are components of each other. The balance between these 2 opposing forces creates balance in life. This is illustrated in the Yin-Yang symbol which is depicted as light within dark and dark within light.

Yoga. Yoga has its etymological origin from the Sanskrit ‘yuj,’ which means to ‘to yoke’ or ‘to join.’ Yoga offers holistic way of increasing the consciousness and discipline at the physical, mental and spiritual levels of human body. The basic concept of yoga is that it approves the presence of divinity in all life, objects and places.

Yoni. It is the term that refers to the female sexual organ and the Goddess. In Sanskrit it means ‘source or origin of all life.’ It is also understood as a ‘sacred space,’ ‘sacred passage’ or ‘sacred temple.’ Tantra views the yoni with respect and love contrary to the pure sexual view of the Western world.