Red, White and Black Tantra. . . Freedom to explore all aspects of you

If you have begun to dip your toe into the world of tantra you may have encountered the above terms. They describe different flavours of tantra and each practitioner has their own emphasis, each creating their own cocktail from the things they have learned, experienced and enjoyed on their own journey.

I felt it may be helpful to offer an outline of these broad terms which is based on my own understanding in a very general sense and is based on my personal experience. These terms are not mutually exclusive and often interrelate.

Every practitioner is unique but this overview is intended to support those who are brand new to tantra to map out the different areas and possibilities.

Red Tantra:

The focus here is on sexual pleasure, either solo or partnered.

• You may learn ways of communicating your needs and desires to a partner in order to create a more fulfilling sexual connection.

  
  

• Workshops may teach erotic styles of massage and breath work techniques to regulate or build arousal. You may explore different pathways to feeling pleasure in the body, exploring and including all the senses and discovering what turns you on, and what you need in order to feel safe to go deeper into pleasure.

  
  

• An overarching ethos may be finding freedom through sexual liberation or healing from sexual trauma.

  
  

• A practitioner of Red tantra may offer intimacy coaching for couples or individuals, some may be hands off and offer teaching and guidance, others may allow mutual touch including intimate touch of each other. If they offer massage they may work naked, offer body to body massage and perhaps use feathers or other props to give exciting physical sensations.

  
  

• People exploring this path may feel more confident in their body and begin to explore new things in and out of the bedroom, You might find them researching polyamory, going to a sex party or exploring an open relationship.

White Tantra:

The focus here is on tantra as a path of personal growth and spiritual enlightenment.

• Often the focus is on the individual, but two people who have reached a level of enlightenment may then travel further on this journey together.

  
  

• You may learn mediation, visualisation and energy practices to increase your sensitivity to subtle energy (this can in turn enhance your sexual experiences).

  
  

• Practices for men may include semen retention as a way of consciously channeling energy internally to enhance creativity or motivation.

  
  

• Women often practice energetic shields and womb healing practices to clear the residual energy from past lovers.

  
  

• An overarching idea is to understand the energetic nature of connection and intimacy. Practices may develop your intuition and direct connection to spirit. It may take you beyond the desires of the body to experience higher states of consciousness.

  
  

• A practitioner of white tantra may be a tantra teacher, they may support you to embrace the spiritual path of tantra, this may involve practicing non-ejaculation and learning to channel energy.

  
  

• People exploring this path may begin to notice an increase in psychic sensitivity. They may begin to connect with spirit guides or a stronger sense of intuition. You might find them talking to trees, communicating with animals or journalling about their dreams.

  
  

Black Tantra:

The focus here is freedom from shame and welcoming the repressed or ‘shadow’ elements of you.

• This may include uncovering fetishes or exploring power and control dynamics.

  
  

• Often workshops encourage you to explore roles that are subverting usual gender norms or taboo in other ways.

  
  

• The intention is to give you permission to explore who you actually are, without the confines of societal expectations, so that you may become more fully individuated and authentically you. Allowing all aspects of you expression in a safe space is deeply healing and frees up energy the energy you have been using to suppress these desires as well as freeing you from the guilt you may have been carrying about these unusual turn’on’s.

  
  

• Workshops may use toys, props and role play to offer participants the opportunity to try out a different aspect of themselves and see if it opens up new avenues of pleasure and excitement.

  
  

• A term you may here is ‘conscious kink’, I understand this to mean using kinky play to create opportunities for people to connect with past traumas or parts of themselves they have pressed having full permission to express whatever feelings it stirs up.

  
  

• An overarching idea is to bring out a person’s shadow so that they can play with it, rather than allowing it to fester or control them in unconscious ways.

  
  

• Practitioners of Black tantra may offer Conscious Kink and use a range of props, commonly ropes, as a path for clients to heal trauma and broadening their sexual horizons. Some Pro-Dommes may work in this way but not necessarily call it tantra, however whether or not this is ‘tantric’ would depend on the consciousness of both parties, the energy of the interaction and the overarching intention.

  
  

• People exploring this path may enjoy safe spaces where they can let out their dark side in a Shibari class or Kinky Temple night. You might find them researching kinks on Fetlife, attending a munch or taking their play partner to a local 'swingers' club.

When I began offering tantra the majority of my work was Red with a little black and white here or there, as this helped me to enter the market and maintain a stream of income. My work has evolved with me over the last couple of years  and I am happy to say that it is more reflective of me as a person… I am deeply spiritual and White tantra has been the foundation of my personal journey, with a fair bit of Red and I have dipped my toe in a bit of Black for good measure.

I am now attracting more and more clients who are looking to embark on a journey of personal development, and use tantra as a way to learn about themselves and who they are at a deep soul level. They may come for Red tantra which unlocks their curiosity about the other flavours. Red, White and Black tantra all have a different role to play in increasing self-awareness, healing from past relationships or trauma and recognising what our soul needs at a deep level.

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In Practice:

A lot of my clients come to me with the intention of discovering themselves sexually. They want to feel pleasure, learn what they enjoy and experience deeper fulfillment. Some want to switch off and be touched, without the pressure to perform.

Sensual Touch is perfect for this as clients can relax and feel nurtured, experience a meaningful connection without the need to reciprocate and be fully in their body, not in their head. The focus of these sessions is Pleasure, and therefore I focus on Red tantra, (however, as I work in a holistic way, if something comes into my awareness during a session I may offer healing with your consent.)

I now offer some beautiful spiritual ‘extras’ that are becoming popular with clients to tag on to sessions, such as Reiki, or simply extra time to talk. This creates space for more spiritual reflection and time to connect with your feelings and inner world before or during the massage.

For clients who are on an individual journey of self-exploration, they are often looking to explore their spiritual side as well as their sexual side. They may be looking to heal from past relationships or trauma, or to learn how to ask for what they want. We might do a mixture of sessions including Healing Touch and Conscious Touch and my spiritual ‘extras’ including past life regressions, cacao or card readings can bring an added dimension to their experience.

Existing clients may also request more kinky elements to be included during a massage.

I might use light impact and restraints, which are tantric techniques for ‘Raising the energy’, or I might restrict choices and be more direct in my manner. These experiences are always client-led and I have your highest healing and growth in mind. If I don’t think there is healing to be gained, I will not agree to include it in the session.

For more on Black tantra, see my blog post ~ The Kinky Side of Tantra.

My Virtual and Self Touch sessions sit firmly in the Red tantra zone, as the focus is on waking up the sexual body and bringing more aliveness and joy to your experience or self touch.

I often share White Tantra practices to bring a new dimension to your experience. For some clients who are seeking to explore submission, I can bring a little Black energy to my Self Touch sessions, to give you an experience of relinquishing control.

Every client comes with a unique set of needs and desires, and by mixing the Red, White and Black elements of my practice I intend to create a session that is tailored to you as an individual, to support the next step of your healing journey.

If you are feeling called to explore tantra in any of it's flavours, give me a call, and let's see what's possible.