"Tantra is a practical, behavioral philosophy that originated in what we now call India, some 8,000 years ago. Classical Tantra is a path of meditation and spiritual connection. Its teachings are ritualistic, devotional, sensory, matriarchal, anti-repressive, naturalistic, tribal, and sexuality is rarely addressed in its scriptures. Over the years, these teachings have spread and merged with various other philosophical and religious currents, such as yoga, Buddhism, Hinduism and Vedanta, among others.
The word Tantra means "web", "fabric" or "weaving", giving a sense of the unity sought in its practices. In essence, Tantric philosophy seeks to offer its followers a fulfilled life, working on the union between mind, body and soul - a union that leads the individual to a strong connection with spirituality, achieving the transcendental state of union of masculine and feminine principles.
When Tantra became popular in the West around the 1960s, mainly under the influence of the Indian master Osho, it was realized that the level of sexual repression of individuals was enormous, people's pace of life was frantic and there was little contact with the body, sexuality and spirituality. The movement therefore merged with other therapeutic lines, such as bioenergetics, rebirthing and primal, distancing itself from its classical teachings and adapting to the demands of the modern world. This movement became known as NeoTantra.
It was Osho who added a therapeutic character to the practices, designed for the Western lifestyle and focusing on contact with the body and sacred sexuality, mainly through meditation, massage and breathing techniques. These meditative practices, which work the body in a sensory way, aim to awaken energy (Prana and Kundalini Shakti) and expand consciousness.
Today, Tantra, with its various reinterpretations and modifications, faces many prejudices, having been distorted by various groups of people who have characterized it as a practice of sexual perversion - totally distancing this philosophy from its primordial principles.
Tantric practices, when carried out correctly and in accordance with their principles, expand the energetic capacity of their practitioners, offering a new and expanded state of consciousness. The experiences provide the person with a sense of unity with the whole, pushing back their limits, getting in touch with the deep core of their being, experiencing a state of intense connection and love with themselves and the world around them."
Source: www.aoscaminhos.com translated by Juliana Lopes.