The Path Of Sri Vidya
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Perfect for healers, therapists, yoga practitioners and teachers. Also useful for anyone who wants to slow down or stimulate their energy body. Students learn both objectives in this two phase curriculum of sound and touch.
The essential curriculum for Mastery of Tantra begins with seed syllables (bīja) and the placements of sound in the chakras. This highly specialized chakra practice is foundational. Books or the internet do not reveal the secrets to this process. You can only learn only through close association with an adept. In this sophisticated track, we present a systematic process that begins with "Healing the Throat Chakra", which then progresses more in-depth into other chakras using a combination of sound and sacred touch together with methods of perception that we develop rather characteristically in Tantra. These powerful methods are not easy to explain. One arrives at them only through application.
Each simple-to-learn phase requires a dedicated application. You must indeed be passionate about Tantra, which is about non-ordinary methods of perception and the cultivation of direct awareness. And you must be patient. While you may begin your study of this foundational aspect of Tantra at any phase (as a beginner or advanced student or teacher), there are layers and levels of understanding that will reveal the deeper dimensions of Tantric practice. It is in this context that the process of private, one-on-one coaching is pertinent. The two phases of The Mastery of Tantra are the foundation for more profound exploration levels in Tantra, although each is complete.
The practices of Tantra closes the gap between body and mind. You develop an intimacy with your body through sacred touch as you learn how to affect the chakras through sacred sound powerfully. You also learn how to slow down in our fast-paced world so you can tap into deeper dimensions of your energy field.
This initial phase begins with "Healing the Throat Chakra". Students who have studied this previously will find that we have developed the practice to a high degree of sophistication since our 12 years of Yogic Mystery School. You progress into "Empowering the Chakras" while still using your throat chakra and sound as the medium.
The goal of this phase is to practice "Chakra Viśeṣa Upāsana," which is a powerful way of affecting the chakras through sacred sound combined with other practices. This practice also serves as a prelude to the Shodasha Upacara, a healing ritual built around the feminine that senior students study and practice.
This is a relatively advanced and involved practice, although it is an aspect of our intermediate level programs. These placements using mantras fortify the energy body and help create a strong energy field for the Tantric practitioner.
While the practice is self-sufficient, it is also part of a more substantial and more extensive practice that serves as the epilogue for the Shodasha Upacara healing ritual built around the divine feminine that many of our advanced students study and practice.
Nyasa is one of the hallmarks of the Tantric Path. It helps us slow down so we can tap into the experience more deeply, but it also facilitates alternate forms of perception.
What is Tantra?
The word Tantra derives from the root "tan" meaning, "to weave" as in weaving cloth, or weaving a web. We teach a form of Tantra known as Sri Vidya, but we integrate this tradition with psychology and the world's great spiritual traditions.
What is the Sri Vidya tradition of Tantra?
Tantra has been documented for about 1500 years in sacred texts, although it is quite ancient. Sri Vidya is a highly respected tradition that is revered even by orthodox Hindus. It is a wisdom tradition (gnostic) that integrates the spiritual revelation of the Vedas. It is a path of spiritual liberation and enlightenment, of personal self-transformation and deep healing.
Can anyone do this kind of Tantra?
Anyone can do this kind of Tantra because you begin wherever you are. Tantra is a powerful path of liberation and spiritual enlightenment for those who have not renounced the world. It is a house-holder's path, meaning, it is intended for those with families, living a healthy life in the world. Of course, you could be single and living alone as well. So yes, anyone can do it, meaning, you do not need to be a renunciate.
Are there psychological benefits to Tantra?
Tantra can be quite useful in dealing with the residual effects of trauma, healing forgotten emotional wounds, calming restlessness in mind, satisfying yearnings deep in the soul, addressing issues of spiritual disempowerment, and transforming challenging relationships. Tantra can also help with grief, depression, anxiety, anger management, and other psychological conditions, provided the practitioner is not looking to Tantra to replace professional medical treatment or licensed psychotherapy.
What does Tantra involve? Does one evolve through it?
In our Yogic Mystery School, Tantra is the process of integrating all parts of the self into cohesive wholeness. It is an ongoing process of transformation by which we learn to live with vibrant, awakened spiritual consciousness daily. As long as one is committed to continuous change with integrity of character, and as long as we are honest about our process, we will continue to evolve.
Are there levels to Mastery of Tantra training?
Yes, there are levels to the training. We recommend the Mastery of Mantra as a foundation for the advanced levels since we use mantras as a form of sacred speech and magic in the higher levels. To say the mantras a certain way helps create a spiritual "effect" that is important in Tantra. Students may also enter into The Mastery of Mantra after completing The Mastery of Tantra. If you prefer not to study mantra pronunciation, that will not prevent you from exploring the deeper levels of Tantra through our Yogic Mystery School.
Can Tantra be adapted to fit a person's specific needs?
Yes, it can be adapted to address specific needs. For instance, we are working with deeply lodged energy patterns (samskaras) that continue to have a negative influence upon our day-to-day consciousness, the quality of our relationships, our capacity to excel in what we do in the world: our lifework.
Is Tantra a form of Yoga? Does it involve postures and stretches?
Yoga is an aspect of Tantra. It is not required to learn Tantra. The study of Tantra can significantly enhance your yogic experience if you are a yoga practitioner or teacher. We do not teach specific postures, although we might recommend them for those who are yoga practitioners and teachers. Those who are not yoga practitioners can do the same practices in simple positions, even seated on a chair. Hand gestures, called mudras, together with mudras related to other parts of the body and breath practices (pranayama), and sacred movements that facilitate energy flow characterize the Tantric Yoga we teach that anyone can practice.
Does Tantra work with the chakras? Will it increase energy flow?
Yes, the chakras are an integral aspect of Tantra. Every Tantric practitioner evolves in understanding and the control of the flow of energy in the chakras. There are many levels of knowledge of the chakras and many dimensions to working with them. The chakras guide us towards our enlightenment, help us with our healing, and monitor our transformation.
Is there a daily practice? Does it develop into a lifestyle?
Yes, we try and practice every day a little bit. As we grow in our application of the practices, we begin to experience a palpable enrichment in our consciousness. As our understanding of the practices deepens, it becomes a lifestyle. In the advanced levels, we practice all of the time because of the enhanced quality of consciousness we consciously enjoy.
Unlike the Mastery of Mantra, we do not focus on mantras in this program, but on the most basic building blocks of sacred sound. In the Mastery of Tantra, you learn the Sanskrit alphabet into order to enter into the living power (Shakti) of each letter, to know the ocean through the drop.
Note: This program has been refined over 25 years!
Scandinavian School of Mantra & Tantra: Copyright 2022 © Yogic Mystery School, USA and Gavle Yogaskola, Sweden