Yoga and Tantra

It may be unexpected but the ancient art of physical yoga actually comes from even more ancient art - Tantra. Contrary to the stereotype, Tantra is much more than a collection of sex techniques, while yoga – or certainly the physical yoga as we know it today – is rarely mentioned in the ancient texts.

The first description of physical yoga, or asana – comes from an eleventh century Indian saint, Goraknath. His guru, Mysendrath, was a revered Tantric master. Goraknath went on to found a yoga lineage which later produced the first book on asanas – the Hatha Yoga Pradipika.

Tantra has been widely misrepresented in the last few decades. Usually it's seen as a collection of techniques designed to promote sexual ecstasy, but in fact it's much more than that. Tantra teaches that we accept ourselves as we are – we don't have to leave the body to find happiness. Happiness is already within us, we just have to find it since it's been obscured (the metaphor of a dirty mirror is often used).

It's not hard to find elements of today's western yoga practice in Tantric practices. Yoga Nidra – a relaxation at the end of a class where students mentally scan and relax their bodies – is based on the Tantric technique of Nyasa, which does much the same thing.

While many yogic teachings state that the goal of yoga is to transcend the body, Tantra, most famously elucidated by the 70s guru Osho - teaches that the body and all its senses, impressions, feelings and thoughts should be revered. While high levels of yoga teach that life is a distraction, Tantra teaches that life is to be celebrated.