Decolonizing Tantra: Reclaiming Indigenous Knowledge

Is Your Tantra Colonized?

Tantra has nothing to do with couples workshops, increasing intimacy or having better sex? So what is Tantra and its associated Kundalini Yoga practice?

Tantra, in its authentic form, is a profound path of dhyana (meditation), tapasya (ascetic meditation) and moksha (liberation). Over centuries, Tantra has endured spiritual colonization, systematic cultural attacks, and erasure directed at a minority religion, historically practiced by people from marginalized communities. Its teachings have often been distorted, commodified, sensationalized, sexualized, and divorced from their ritual and meditative essence.

In this class, we explore Bhairavas, Shaktis, Mantra, Yantra, and Tantra, alongside Grama, Kula, and Ishta Devata/Devi, the cycles of time (Kalpa, Manvantara, Divya Yuga) and its association with Karma, and the seven Acharas (Modules in Tantric Practice), with examples of Devi Upasana (Goddess Worship practices) in each, particularly after Dakshina Achara (4th Module). We will clarify the distinctions between Hindu and Tantric deities, examine authentic Tantric lifestyles such as Aghoris, and discuss a Fact Sheet: “Is Your Tantra Colonized?” to critically reflect on sources, practices, and interpretations.

This session is a careful, ethical engagement with Tantra as a spiritual science of meditation, ritual, and liberation, free from commodification or sensationalization.

Note to attendees: This session will not include any initiation into the practice.