When I was training to become a masseuse, I researched and practiced a wide range of massage techniques in an attempt to understand and fully incorporate the different elements into my massage. It would be wrong to assume that one particular technique is superior to any other and only use that one on my customers but prefer to use a range of different techniques so suit the individual circumstances. I started off by mastering the Swedish massage which is in my opinion is the foundation to many of the more complex massages. Using a series of different stroking motions I slowly unlock the puzzle of the human body to improve and increase its natural flow of energy, which is something that really needs to be experienced to be understood.
The next massage that I aimed to master was the modern form of Tantric massage. When first embarking upon this I had no idea of the misconceptions and bad reputation it had built up. The most common mistake that people make is that Tantric massage is akin to the “massage parlour” where customers go for sex. Tantric massage is an ancient, spiritual art form, which over the centuries has been ridiculed and its secrets slowly lost but there is that small percentage of practitioners who carry on these traditions to enhance the body’s natural and spiritual energy on an overwhelming scale. I am one of these people.
The word Tantric originates from NeoTantra comes from the traditional Indian and Buddhist tantra which refer to ancient scriptures with literal meaning, ‘sacred-sex’. It was not a seedy underground business peddling sex but a spiritual form of worship practiced by high priests and religious devotees searching for inner peace. It was originally a form of meditation and a way of achieving enlightenment by using all of your senses. It is a radical way of thinking in comparison to the traditional religious concept; so why should we not celebrate sexual intimacy with the same importance as peace and meditation?
Unlike most massages which are used as a form of muscular therapy, modern Tantra is used for the transmitting of energy to our thoughts and desires and leave behind what is ever present all around us. Tantra is a state of mind and when you tap into it there is often a feeling of release and weightlessness as though you are truly in tune with yourself. Tantra shares similar traits to Yoga, Mantra and Thai Chi, which is all about increasing the natural energy in our bodies.