Tantra Yoga Secrets: Eighteen Transformational Lessons to Serenity, Radiance, and Bliss

375 Pages·2011·330.61 MB·English

Praise fOJ TantfO Yoga Secrets

"One of the beauties of Tantra is that, ultimately, each individual is in charge of set­

ting a goal, achieving it, and evaluating that achievement. Tantra is an experimental

discipline, and those who follow the path of Tantra must carefully integrate each

experience until experiencing itself is perfected, by uniting the experiencer with the

Self. The lessons in Tantra Yoga Secrets provide a system of practices that can, when

employed with determination, concentration, and discernment, open doors into

rewarding perceptions of reality."

-Robert Svoboda, BAMS, Ayurvedic physician and author of Ayurveda: Life,

Health, and Longevity; Prakriti: Your Ayurvedic

Constitution; andAyurveda for Women

"Preserving a deep spiritual lineage as well as appreciating the natural world,

Mukunda Stiles offers a practical guide with useful tools to assist the spiritual seeker

in achieving a profound transformation rather than superficial change. Anyone seek­

ing self-awareness will benefit by folloWing the step-by-step asana and meditation

practices from this ancient path. I feel honored to have Mukunda in my life as he

teaches on this Earth."

-MaJaya Sati Bhagavati, Kashi Ashram, founder of Kali Natha Yoga

"With this latest book, Mukunda Stiles has moved into the role of a spiritual yoga

teacher. It is an excellent, lucid, skillful explanation that takes one beyond the illu­

sionary misunderstanding that tantric practice!sadhana is about sexuality and raises

it to its full value as a powerful way to wake up to the Self of all. Mukunda, as a wise

and experienced yogi, reveals one of the deepest secrets of all yoga sadhana from Yoga

Sutra I, 12. 'Persistent and earnest effort over a long period of time and dispassion

from the results of practice gives success in yoga.'"

-Gabriel Cousens, MD, DD, diplomat of Ayurveda and acknowledged Kundalini

and Shaktipat master; author of Conscious Eating and

Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine
"It is refreshing to find a book on Tantra with genuine depth! Tantra Yoga Secrets is

an invaluable manual for students ready to progress beyond yoga postures to

expanded states of awareness. Tantra Yoga spiritualizes every aspect of life; Tantra

Yoga Secrets shows you how."

-Linda Johnsen, author of Daughters of the Goddess:

The Women Saints of India

"Mukunda has added to his deep study of yoga and ayurveda an innovative examina­

tion of Tantra. Tantra Yoga Secrets provides an insightful view of this fascinating yet

m isunderstood topic of how to balance the male and female energies of Shiva and

Shakti within us to achieve swastha (the harmony of health with the inner Self)."

-Dr. David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri), author of Inner Tantric Yoga

and Mantra Yoga and Primal Sound
TANTRA YOGA SECRETS

Eighteen Transformational Lessons to
Serenity, Radiance, and Bliss

MUKUNDA STILES

�WEISERBoOKS

l!J San Francisco, CA / Newburyport, MA
First published in 201 1 by

Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

665 Third Street, Suite 400

San Francisco, CA 94107

www.redwheelweiser.com

Copyright © 2011 by Mukunda Stiles

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in

any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, record­

ing, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing

from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Stiles, Mukunda.

Tantra yoga secrets : 18 transformational lessons to serenity, radiance,

and bliss I by Mukunda Stiles.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-1-57863-503-0 Calk. paper)

1. Yoga. 2. Tantrism. 1. Title.

B132.Y6S728 2011

294.5'436-dc23

2011017730

Cover design by Jim Warner

Cover photograph and author photo by Chinnamasta Stiles

Interior photos by Sraddha Van Dyke; © SAYVA

Typeset in Garamond

Printed in Canada

TCP

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the Ameri­

can National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed

Library Materials Z39.48-1992 (R1997).
Contents

Devi Puja . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . ..

x

xii

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiv

PART I

Lesson 1

Engaging Your Prank Energy .........

The Energy Body and Tantrik Practice.. . . .

The Tantrik Yoga Tradition . . . . .
Seeking Energy with Yoni Mudra . . . . . . .

. . . . .

. . .
. . .

. . .

. .

. .

. . . . .
. . . . .

. . . . . . 1

...... 3

. . 3 . . . . . .
. . . . . . . 7

.

Yoni Mudra Practice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Dialogue with Mukunda

Lesson 2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

The Five Elements and Sensuality . ......... ....... 17

Elements and Sensual Awareness-Nyasa Puja

Return to Your Source-Yoni Mudra

Dialogue with Mukunda

Lesson 3

. . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
. . . . . . . . . . . . 21

. . . .
. . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . 24

. ................ 35

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Chakras in Theory and Experience

Creating a Sacred Space-Puja

Dialogue with Mukunda

. . .

. . . .

Yogic Anatomy and Sacred Space

Tantrik and Ayurvedic Theory.

Lesson 4

.

. .

. .

.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Healing with Prana and Emotional Energy Expression....... 55

Cultivating the Tantrik Mind

Pranic Breathing

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Feeling the Five Pranas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Seeking Prana's Openness . ... .
Continuous Tantrik Pranayama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Dialogue with Mukunda

PART 11

Lesson 5

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tools for Tantra .................

Transforming Sensuality into Prana .. .

Signs of Pranayama.

Fixed Gazing-Tratak

. . . . . .

. . . . . . .. . 62

73

75

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

v
Involuting the Chakras through Shambhavi Mudra.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Dialogue with Mukunda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Lesson 6

Tantra Prana Bodywork ...................... 87

Theory of Tantra Prana Bodywork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Tantrik Bodywork Practice . . . . . . .. . ... . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . 91

Prana and Divine Mother . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

On Divine Love and Kashmir Shaivism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Congratulations! ............... .. .... . ... ... . ... 98

Dialogue with Mukunda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Lesson 7

Tools for Tantra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Mantras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Yantras. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Tantrasanas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Bhadrasana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 10

Tarasana. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 10

Virasana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Samasana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 1

Swastikasana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Padmasana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 12

Siddhasana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 13

Tantrasana for Partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 13

Mukunda's Tantrik Yoga Practice.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Dialogue with Mukunda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

129

PART III Healing Sexual Wounds ........... . . . . .
Lesson 8 Sexual Health Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 1 31

Healing Life and Death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Prostate Massage-Ganesh Kriya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Breast Massage-Karuna Kriya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Self-Breast Massage-Karuna Kriya Variation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Dialogue with Mukunda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

vi
Lesson 9

Tantrik Love and Its Natural Sexual Expression .......... 149

The Search for Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Sexual Integrity-Brahmacharya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Finding Your Own Natural Sexual Expression .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Pelvic-Floor Tone-Mula Bandha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Congratulations! . . ................... . ......... 161

Dialogue with Mukunda

Lesson 10

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

The Divine Couple . ......... . . ............. 172

The Union of Shiva and Shakti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Communing with the Divine Mother-Devi Puja.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Dialogue with Mukunda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

PART IV

Lesson 1 1

Spiritual Awakening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Initiation and Spiritual Awakening........... ..... 191

Finding Your Inner Teacher.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

1\vo Forms of Initiation .................. . .. . .. . . . , 196

Balancing the Fulfillment of Worldliness and Spirituality.. . . . . . . . . 200

Dialogue with Mukunda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

Lesson 12

Signs of Kundalini .................. . ...... 222

Eight Categories o f Awakening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Awakening Your Heart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

Congratulations! ....... . ........ . . . .... . ....... 228

Dialogue with Mukunda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

PART V Deepening Your Tantrik Practice ...... . . . . . 239
Lesson 13 From Pranayama to Bandha to Mudra........ ..... 241

Advanced Pranic Breathing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

Advanced Root Lock-Mula Bandha to Mula Mudra . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

Yoni and Lingam Puja . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247

Enhancing Fertility for Conception.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248

Dialogue with Mukunda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

vii
Lesson 14 The Colorful Paths of Tantrik Yoga ...... .......... 262

Yoga and Tantrik Partner Practices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262

Tantrik Partner Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

Clarifying Your Personal Path . ... . . . . . . . . . ... . . . .. . .. 266

Choosing an Appropriate Partner.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Preliminary Guidance . . .... . . . .... . ... . ... . .. . . .. 270

Tantrik Practice for a Couple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271

Preparation for Lesson 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

Dialogue with Mukunda

Lesson 15

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

Devi/Deva Communion ...................... 278

Sharing Your Love. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279

The Requisite Mind for DevilDeva Partner Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280

Indian and Tibetan Tantra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283

Summary of the DevilDeva Partner Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287

The Secret of Tantrasana Partner Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292

Congratulations! . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . .. 293

Dialogue with Mukunda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294

PART VI

Lesson 16

Toward Unity and Spiritual lllumination . . . . . . . 309

Tantrik Secrets-Beyond Duality ........... ..... 311

Secrets of Yoni and Lingam Mudras . .. . .. . . . ............ 312

Wrapping Yourself in the Stillness of Etemity-Shiva-Lata-Mudra.. . . . 313

Opening to the Breath of Love . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 314

Dialogue with Mukunda . . .. . . . . . . .... . ......... . .. 317

Lesson 17

God/dess Consciousness ..................... 320

Integrating Yoga and Tantra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320

What Is the True Self? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326

Puja for DevilDeva Communion

Shiva Puja

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331

Shakti Puja . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332

Shiva-Shakti Dharana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333

Dialogue with Mukunda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333

viii
Lesson 1 8

Spiritual illumination ....................... 337

What Is Spiritual Illumination? ........... . ..... . ..... 337

Cultivation of the Infinite ..................... ...... 343

Continuing to Deepen Your Sadhana of Love ................ 345

Dialogue with Mukunda ........................... 347

Appendix: Attainments for each Tantra Lesson... . ...... . ...... . .... 351

Glossary of Yoga and Tantrik Terms

Recommended Tantrik References

............... . ........... 353

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362

ix