tàn qí (Chinese) - to seek unusual scenery or place
What is TanQi?
TanQi is the collection of the more or less proven
physical activities and spiritual practices, helping to obtain and preserve the
emotional balance and well-being. It is NOT an ancient practice, having a deep
historical heritage from the East, or from the West. It is NOT the religious
program, and is trying to minimize use of the wordily expressed references to
the sounding nice, but having unclear meanings, like Eternal Divine, Mother
Nature, or similar.
We will explore, what does works to make the life better.
In some cases, we will try to bring some scientific explanation, if available,
in others we will just review the approach or activity, and explain the possible
theoretically assumed benefits, which yet to be proven by the properly staged
studies and published in the peer-reviewed magazines.
Meaning of the
name TanQi
Translation from Chinese sounds nice, but the original
background of the word is mixing two important paradigms, which are among the
essential pillars of the system: Tantra
and Qi.
There are more lifestyle components, which were included
in the system, and we will explain them in the process of the blog development
and the program popularization.
Tantra
“Tantra“ is now a buzzword in the modern Western world.
We see it on the covers of popular magazines and books, usually linked with a
vaguely suggestive and titillating notion of some kind of superlative sexual
experience. Though almost everyone has heard this word, almost no-one—including
many people claiming to teach something called tantra—knows anything about the
historical development of the Indian spiritual tradition that scholars refer to
as “Tantra.“ What these academics study as “Tantra“ bears almost no resemblance
to what is taught under the same name on the workshop circuit of American
alternative spirituality.
If we investigate the original Sanskrit sources, we find
an inclusive general definition of Tantra. Tantrik scholar and guru named Rāma
Kaṇṭha, who lived around 950-1000 CE, says tantra is:
A Tantra is a divinely revealed body of teachings, explaining what is
necessary and what is a hindrance in the practice of the worship of the Divine;
and also describing the specialized initiation and purification ceremonies that
are the necessary prerequisites of Tantrik practice. These teachings are given
to those qualified to pursue both the higher and lower aims of human existence.
Well, we promised to minimize using the “high language”
in our description, so we are bringing this original description just to
suggest, that we use word tantra, meaning the definition, like it is presented
by Urban Dictionary.
Tantra is not well understood in the western world, but is a key to
healthy living and awareness that can transform you into the person you were
meant to be.
The Sanskrit word Tantra is related to the concept of weaving and
expansion- it derives from 'tan', meaning to expand, spin out, and weave. We
weave the strands of our nature into a unified whole. Tantra takes the approach
that one should not only not reject the body and its desires, but actually
embrace them on the road to enlightenment. Tantra shares the view that sexual intercourse
can be a sacrament and a means of spiritual transformation. Tantra is the transformation
of vital energy in all its permutations ultimately toward the goal of spiritual
attunement and enlightenment. In this context sexual relations become sacred.
The common view by most western men regarding sex is that you become
stimulated, erect and ejaculate all in a short time for the relief of tension
and for pleasure sake. It is a narrow point of view and leaves a lot to be
desired for the powerful erotic energy that has the power to heal and
transform. In tantra, ejaculation control is cultivated and you go beyond sex
into a new realm of awareness.
However, we extend the tantra meaning beyond the sexual
activities to include the wider range of the sensual activities, helping to
clearly separate these two meanings, and highlight the non-sexual character of
the sensual exercises.
Tantra Sex
Tantric sex is about devotional and erotic love,
basically sex and spirit and how you can integrate spiritualty into your sex
life. Many people short-change themselves when they focus on sexual goals;
tantric sex is about pleasure, communication and connection.
Tantric sex also takes us on an inner journey that lasts
a lifetime as we learn to access within us sensations of intense pleasure, and
an incredible range of beautiful emotions. It reveals an inner place of deep
knowing.
Tantric sex is also used as a form of sexual healing.
Many people carry old wounds that prevent them from opening to the sacred,
enjoying their bodies and expressing their sexuality.
Essentially, Tantric healing can be defined as releasing
emotional wounds or armoring that manifests past traumatic experiences into the
physical realm, where they are stored in the muscle tissue of the body
including the genitals. The physical symptoms can include vaginal pain during
intercourse, inability to orgasm, numbness, premature ejaculation, inability to
ejaculate, dry vagina, burning sensations, weak or loss of erection, cramping
and loss of libido.
This armoring needs to be dissolved so that our bodies
can release tension and function properly — and so we can be free of old
memories that create unhealthy beliefs that steer our lives in directions we
may not necessarily want to go, causing us to limit our full range of sexual
and spiritual experience.
A lot of people are so used to this armoring that they
are not even aware of it. It has become their understanding of reality, and it
is only brought into their consciousness during sexual experiences that trigger
old hurts when they are with their present lover/s. Tantric healers can create
a safe space where people can go within and become aware of their wounds, and
support them in healing the shame and hurt that binds them.
People who practice Tantric sexuality understand that the
mind cannot change the mind; real change and real happiness is not a mental
process, conscious sex that achieves bliss is the greatest healer there is.
Conscious, physically and emotionally integrated sex is a powerful way to heal
ourselves and our relationships — the resulting ecstasy heals the unconscious.
Why are some
people uncomfortable about delving into Tantra?
Many people in our society have been conditioned from a
very young age to see their bodies, their sexuality, their pleasure as
something that is wrong or shameful or just something not to be spoken of.
There seem to be only a few contexts within our society where the discussion of
sexuality is considered appropriate, those being in a medical, religious or
seedy context. As Tantric sex is outside of the western medical and religious
contexts of sexuality, people usually automatically put Tantra into the context
of the seedy side of life and therefore feel uncomfortable about it.
At this point in time there is no context for ‘pleasure’
or ‘sexual healing’ to be considered as important parts of health and wellbeing
or to be considered as an appropriate treatment plan when working with sexual
dysfunction. Our society does not even honor sexuality or view pleasure as a
celebration of our humanity, which is exactly what it should be.
Some people may feel that Tantra is something only
practiced by more enlightened people, or those who’ve traversed a deeply
spiritual path. Nothing could be further from the truth: everyone has the
ability to tune in to their own and universal energy.
Another reason why people may feel uncomfortable about
Tantra is because they may have low sexual self-esteem. This is a term that
most people are unaware of even though the effects of low sexual self-esteem
may permeate all areas of their lives. During childhood is when we start to
develop our sexual self-esteem, which in turn affects how we see ourselves
sexually. We learn our sexual values from our social environment — our parents
and families, media, schooling, television and our religious background. Our
sexual values and attitudes determine our behavior and conduct, as well as our
judgements about people who may participate in behavior that is outside of what
we were taught was right or wrong as children. In other words, we use our
childhood interpretations as a way to determine our course of action in adult
life, so it is natural for people to feel uncomfortable with Tantra if it is
outside of our family’s values and attitudes to sexuality.
Some people do break free of their programming, although not
many people are living out their lives, never really being able to let go and
experience their bodies in a healthy, sexy way and to reach their full range of
sexual expression.
Many women live through their roles, i.e. mothers and
wives, suffering in silence, living in ‘mediocre chronic depression’. And it
saddens me at times to hear how many women have lived their lives never ever
getting anywhere near reaching their full potential sexually, some never even
having had an orgasm. They tell themselves they are happy in their lives or
that they are happy if their partner is satisfied, maybe saying that is enough
for them. While deep down inside, if they are honest with themselves, they know
they are abandoning themselves and probably feel a deep sense of loss from
never having come close to a spiritual experience through sex or to
understanding the beautiful power that lies dormant, waiting to be discovered,
like a majestic bird that’s never been able to fly. With awareness comes choice
and once people realize that their life experience is essentially self-created
they then have the power to choose.
How will Tantra
improve my relationships?
Couples who want to sustain love and passion for a
lifetime together, and who are open to new ways to make their sexual
relationship richer and more meaningful, may find some valuable lessons in
Tantra. We all want psychological security from one another: we want to be able
to trust one another; we want to support one another, emotionally as much as
economically; we want to share similar experiences, to be playmates as well as
responsible partners; and we want to improve ourselves through our relationship
and we hope that the relationship will improve with us.
Tantric ‘lifestyle' was designed centuries ago
specifically for householders—that is, couples. The tantric texts are explicit
on how the differences between the sexes can be used as a positive force in a
partnership, how the proper combination of these differences can produce a near
alchemical reaction, an ether in which everything flourishes, in which the
garden of your relationship bursts with color and a new life and growth, and
you and your beloved thrive.
Lovemaking in the tantric sense, conscious lovemaking,
does not come naturally; it must be learned, and couples must learn it together
and at times be teachers as well as students to each other.
Some people talk about how Tantra sounds exhausting and
not something achievable for the average person with work and other
commitments. It is true that practicing Tantra does take more time than having
a quickie once a week to keep things ticking along in a relationship. However,
in practicing Tantra we become energized, rather than exhausted and this
feeling stays with us beyond the sexual experience.
It’s important to note that Tantra is not an easy fix for
personal or relationship problems. Although practicing Tantra together can be a
powerful way for two people to deepen their intimacy, it can also magnify
existing tensions. Just as individual practice — particularly meditation — can
often help to relieve personal problems, this is not always the case,
particularly if the problems are serious in nature. That, however, is simply a
cue for healing.
Is Tantra and
TanQi all about Sex?
Sex pleasure, sex fulfillment, and intimate communication
is a large portion of the Tantra teachings even in the Western deviation from
the original practices, but it is not the only direction. You may find
mentioning on Tantra Yoga, Tantra Meditation, or other references. While TanQi
uses the Tantra word as part of is abbreviation, its lifestyle even less
focusing on the sexual practices, considering them as very important, but not
the only essential components of the physical and emotional well-being.
What is Qi?
Qi, as
mentioned before, is symbolic second pillar of our system. You can see it as
part of the well-known TaiQi or QiGong, so ancient masters also considered it
as very important concept, governing the human existence.
Qi is the Chinese term for life energy, or life spirit, a
vital force that flows through all living things. It is an essential part of
acupuncture, qigong, reiki, and the martial arts of the East, among other
things.
The nearest Western equivalent to qi energy is
inspiration. But there is a decisive difference between Eastern and Western
attitudes. Westerners tend to regard this sweet spiritual inebriation as
something that either fills us or deserts us, completely out of our control. In
the Eastern mind, though, this is something that you can control. You can
awaken, stimulate, increase and utilize the qi energy, according to your will.
We will discuss the meaning of Qi for us in more details
as we move in the practical aspects of the TanQi system.
Sources and
Additional Information:
