ABOUT AUTHENTIC TANTRA
Heal your Pain, Find your Pleasure
WHAT IS TANTRA
So what exactly is Tantra? If you have heard the word Tantra, you may believe that it is a system of faith, perhaps rooted in some form of Buddhism. Perhaps you believe it’s just a fancy form of meditation. Or maybe you think it is all about sexual gratification. Well in reality Tantra can be all of these things... and much, much more.
Traditional Tantra is an ancient spiritual healing practice that originated in India over thousands of years ago and is used to transform and holistically heal the mind, body, spirit (consciousness), and sex! And while there are many forms of Tantra, the underlying theme is to realize a more balanced state of consciousness that is free of ignorance and suffering and of the constant traffic or internal chatter that goes on in our minds. In essence, Tantra is a path to liberation, enlightenment, spiritual realization, and ultimately freedom from suffering.
In Tibetan Buddhism, Tantra means to ‘weave light and sound with form’ where the ‘light’ represents the specific visualizations, ‘sound’ represents the chanting of the mantric seed syllables, and ‘form’ refers to the human body. The practice of Tantra uses both sexual and non-sexual practices to bring about the realization of Enlightenment.
WHAT IS AUTHENTIC TANTRA®?
While there are many forms and lineages of Tantra, I studied a form of Tantra called Authentic Tantra®, which is a trauma-informed holistic healing approach that is rooted in the Tibetan 5 Element Healing practices from the Shangpa Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Based on the Tibetan wisdom of ‘inside, outside same’, Authentic Tantra® is designed to balance, enrich, integrate, and heal the body physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually from the inside out.
Authentic Tantra® works with 4 Pillars of Healing; Meditation, Movement, Connection, and Pleasure to heal trauma and integrate our mind, body, spirit and sex so that we can awaken and access more pleasure and bliss in our lives. Our sexuality is a fundamental part of how we are and because of this, Authentic Tantra® believes that the path to spiritual enlightenment includes all aspects of our human experience including and most importantly our sexuality.
Authentic Tantra® uses a wide range of resources including Taoist healing practices, modern sexology and sexual teachings, somatic (body-based) practices, non-violent communication, movement, and many others to provide a comprehensive approach to healing for the benefit of the individual and all of humanity.
Authentic Tantra® is the only government accredited school for Tantric sexual healing in the world and offers the most comprehensive tantra training program available today. It is the ONLY lineage-based school offering sexual teachings that has been sanctioned and approved by the lineage and its Lama, Lama Tashi Dundrup.
HOW CAN AUTHENTIC TANTRA® HELP ME?
There are many benefits of Tantra both within sexual and nonsexual experiences.
Tantra can heal and transform trauma through practicing techniques that can help you regulate your nervous system and the vagus nerve. It can also help you slow down, become more mindful, more aware, and more present in your body. Tantra is an excellent tool to help you learn to navigate life with more grace, compassion, and loving kindness for yourself, your partner, and the world around you. Many of the practices in Authentic Tantra® can also help you understand your feelings and needs, improve your communication with yourself and others, and become more connected to yourself and others.
The sexual healing practices of Authentic Tantra® can help you cultivate the sacredness of your sexual experiences and sexuality, eradicate any sexual shame or guilt, become more sexually confident and reclaim your pleasure potential! The Authentic Tantra® techniques I teach can help you become a better lover and partner, increase your libido, last longer in bed, have better sex, become multi-orgasmic, and can help resolve many sexual health issues like pain or numbness during sex, premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, little or no interest in sex, and the inability to orgasm.
"Truly, the greatest Gift you have to give is that of your own Self-transformation." - by Lao Tzu
WHAT TO EXPECT?
I meet with clients online over Zoom or in-person at either my home in Mississauga, Ontario or the client’s home for a session about every 1-2 weeks. I customize our sessions to ensure that they meet your overall needs, challenges, and goals. I provide a safe and nurturing space where you can share and receive coaching without fear, guilt, or shame. During each session, you will learn a variety of the 5-Element Tantra practices related to meditation, movement, breathing exercises, connection, and pleasure. In addition, you will learn the basic theory behind why each practice is fundamental for healing and transformation within the body and mind.
At the end of each session, you will be given a homeplay assignment to complete in between sessions. These ongoing at home assignments are essential for training the mind and body to prepare for deep healing and transformation with respect to experiencing relaxation and pleasure within the body. The benefits you receive from working with me will be greatly influenced by the amount of time and energy you spend engaging with these various practices, resources, tools, and techniques.
Sessions will be tailored to you and your specific situation, including LGBTQ2S+. Gender, race, and physical disability are all important and valid when receiving counseling and learning to use the 5-Element Teachings and methods.
Individual sessions will include an introduction to lineage-based Authentic Tantra® and may include any, or all of the following:
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Loving yourself and your body and feeling embodied, vibrant and sexy.
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Learning to be present in your body so you can embrace the 4 forms of pleasure
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Learning solo and partner Tantra practices.
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Performing the different 5-Element Meditation practices
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Healing and overcoming sexual health issues.
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Overcoming the effects of trauma.
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Overcoming or learning to better deal with emotional issues.
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Improving communication and connection both with yourself and your partner.
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Learning to increase your libido, have better sex, and become Multi-orgasmic (Yeah you hear me right!)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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If I attend therapy but decide to start working with you, can I stop going to therapy?I recommend that all clients who are currently in therapy continue working with their therapist or mental health practitioner despite working with me in one of my coaching programs. Receiving coaching in Authentic Tantra® and somatic sexology is not a replacement for therapy. With this, if it becomes apparent that a client may need additional support, I will vocalize my concern as I am trained to discern whether or not I can fully provide for the needs of individual clients. The safety and well-being of all my clients is very important to me. I take my role and profession very seriously and feel compelled to protect all clients from potential harm.
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Should I hire you as a coach if I don’t have any current/prior therapy experience?My goal as a coach is to create a safe, comfortable, and non-judgmental space, provide active listening, offer my reflection and consistently point you back to your own power and wisdom. All the answers and fulfillment you’ve been searching for lie within the body, sometimes you just need support and tools to help you reconnect to your voice and intuition. My main focus is therefore to help you expand your pleasure consciousness and allow healing to occur slowly and gently. But it is not uncommon for painful emotions to arise or erupt during these somatic healing or breath-work sessions. And because trauma is stored in the physical body and nervous system, it is not uncommon to experience deep emotional releases when practicing somatic healing methods like Tantra. And while I am not a licensed therapist, should you begin releasing an overwhelming amount of emotions and it’s too much too for you to process, I will be glad to help you find trauma therapists who can help you! Therapy is an excellent resource to help you dive more deeply into past wounding in order to heal, process or diagnose. I am happy to work alongside other body workers, healing practitioners, doctors or therapists to help support you in your healing journey.
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Will this support me if I’m a trauma survivor?Yes. Authentic Tantra® is a trauma-informed healing modality and while I'm not an expert in Trauma, I am trauma-informed and have a deep understanding of how trauma shows up in our bodies and our nervous system. I will show you various practices that will work to regulate our nervous system and bring you back to a state of calm, happiness, love, and connection.
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Will this help me have an orgasm?Yes! The Authentic Tantra® healing modality is centered around 4 Pillars of Healing, one of which is Pleasure. While this includes non-sexual pleasure, a big focus within this pillar is on sexual pleasure and how to enhance, strengthen, and improve your pleasure during sex including lasting longer, increasing your libido, and becoming multi-orgasmic! Yes that's right - multi-orgasmic!
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Will this help me reignite passion in my relationship?Yes! Both the individual and couples sessions have applications and practices that will strengthen your connection not just with yourself but with your partner. The partnered practices have a specific focus on improving intimacy and building a deeper connection with your partner, which will in turn help reignite that spark!
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Will these sessions help increase my libido or sex drive?The practices in the one-on-one sessions will help you identify where you currently have sensation in your body and where it may be lacking or be less active. And by consciously placing our attention there, we can direct our blood flow and energy there. Where your attention goes, energy flows!
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I don't consider myself spiritual. Is this for me?Yes. You don't need to be spiritual to do these sessions. All you need is a belief in the unknown, a belief that there is more out there than just your physical reality, and the willingness to expand your wisdom and become more aware and present in all aspects of your life. By doing that, your own higher wisdom will arise.
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I have a lot of fear and shame around my body. How will this help?A lot of the practices we teach are considered somatic healing practices. Somatic means 'to come from or relating to the body'. So yes, through these sessions, we will work on identifying and honouring those places of guilt, fear, and shame in your body and rather than hide from them, we will honour and embrace them and identify ways to transform them into loving kindness, compassion, and ultimately pleasure.
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I tend to dissociate a lot. Are these sessions for me?Our techniques and practices work directly with the nervous system and will help activate your vagus nerve to support regulation and avoid getting stuck on freeze.
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Is this accessible for all genders?Yes! These sessions are available for all individuals regardless of what gender you associate with. I refer to ‘Yoni or Vulva-owners’ and ‘Lingam or Penis-Owners’ to simply describe the anatomy of orgasm for the different genitalia. If these names don't work for you, then we will work together to identify names that you like to refer to your body parts.
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Will the various sessions include any nudity?No. During all individual and couples sessions, both myself and all clients are fully clothed. When clients learn about self-pleasure practices, these will be demonstrated on anatomical models of the genitals.
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Do you provide Tantric massage or hands-on work?I perform hands-on work during tantra massage sessions only, But there is no sexual contact or sexual act performed during the massage. My goal is to weave together the physical and spiritual aspects of massage to promote healing, wellness, and personal transformation. I provide a safe space for clients to explore their sexuality, gain a deeper understanding of their body, and release any emotional pain, leading to transformation and healing.
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What does ‘holistic’ mean?In my work as a Sexologist and Authentic Tantra® Practitioner, I use the word holistic to describe my approach to healing, empowerment, and enlightenment. Having a holistic approach means that I look at an individual as a whole, complex being who has many separate yet interconnected & interrelated parts. So the form of Tantra that I teach takes into consideration all of who we are; spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, and sexually.
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What does ‘somatic’ mean?The root word “soma” is the ancient Greek word for “body” and so simply put, somatic means, “relating to the body, especially as distinct from the mind.” In Authentic Tantra® , we don’t simply provide talk therapy, though we do work with transforming one’s thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs especially as they relate to one’s sex and sexuality. This is because when it comes to pain, trauma, anxiety, depression, and other health conditions, we can’t just talk or think our way out of these issues because these issues are often just as much physical as they are cognitive. And therefore they also affect the body just as much as the mind. And so the somatic healing modality that I teach helps reconnect us back to the wisdom of our body because we believe that our enlightened consciousness is found in the body. All our experiences; our pleasure, our pain, and our trauma are found in the body. So it is important that we work with our bodies and stay in our bodies in order to heal our bodies.
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Why does Tantra use the words ‘yoni’ and ‘lingam’ to refer to the genitals?Yoni is the Sanskrit word for vagina and means “sacred space.” Lingam is the Sanskrit word for penis and means “wand of healing.” It is my personal belief that words contain both positive and negative energy and people’s emotions, thoughts, beliefs, and perceptions can be tied to certain words. So I try to use words that convey positive affection, intention, and purpose. And using the Sanskrit words to describe one’s genitals helps display affection, love, and tenderness for the body and all its juicy bits! Before working with clients, I ask which words they would like to use to refer to their various body parts in order to create a safe space for healing to occur.
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What do you mean by trauma-informed?Simply defined trauma is an overwhelming event or experience that the body is not able to process and release through the completion of the body’s natural stress response cycle. In Authentic Tantra®, we have a saying that ‘our issues are in our tissues!’. What we mean by this is that any unresolved or unprocessed trauma literally gets stuck or frozen in the tissues of the body and can build up in the body and eventually express itself as physical disease, body pain, chronic stress, depression, and other physical, mental, emotional imbalances. The somatic healing techniques that we practice can help the body process and release those blockages or obstructions being held in our tissues and help us get back to a state of balance, peace, happiness, and pleasure. By being trauma informed, I know what trauma is, how to identify it and I know how it shows up in the body through people’s symptoms and behaviors. I also understand the effects of trauma on the body, mind, and spirit. Being trauma informed is essential in my work, as it allows me to understand when it is or isn’t appropriate to suggest various practices or exercises to my clients. While people may have the same or similar needs, the strategies used to meet those needs may look different from one person to the next.
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What is ‘lineage-based’ Tantra?Lineage-based Tantra refers to a Tantric practice that is rooted in a long history of tradition and that has been passed down from teacher to student in an unbroken line over thousands of years. The type of Tantra that I practice and teach is part of the Shangpa-Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhist Tantra.