An Introduction to Tantric Prayer

            Being an advocate for personal empowerment I thought I had given up the act of praying to external omnipresent deities, asking for support from the outside.  Feeling fully illuminated and radiant from the overflowing energy from my own heart, opened me to the realm of Tantra, where everything remains in perfection, right here in this heavenly moment.  With the exploration of Tantra, what else is there to pray for? All I need to do is receive exactly what is already present—and based on this alchemical process of turning otherwise mundane moments into gold, subsequent moments naturally align to bring me into greater harmony and flow. 

            All true, but there was still this deep knowing that prayer is powerful and that I needed to look deeper into what I now call the Art of Tantric Prayer.   Just as Tantra is often a tool for unlearning the illusory information we absorb in earlier years, I realized my concept of what prayer is to begin with might be flawed.  In deep meditation I began asking “what is prayer?” The more I asked, the purer the energy around prayer became and all the previous concepts I once had began to get stripped away, leaving a raw remainder of prayer’s more distilled and simple essence.  This birthed the Art of Tantric Prayer, because in the powerful realm of Tantra, all is simple, pure and unified.

            Just as Tantra can be seen as “the path of yes,” I realized that the most powerful prayer available to us in each moment is simply saying “yes.”  As we feel the affirmation of accepting the gift of this moment, we say yes. As we say yes we are opened to the quality of gratitude that naturally flows out of an opening heart. 

            To explore Tantric Prayer all you need to do is simply give thanks for what you are experiencing right now.  Gratitude is the most effective method for grounding you in the present moment.  As you begin to explore the magic of what is available to you in this ever expanding experience of here and now, you are free to simply be.  As you sink into harmony with loving yourself exactly where you are today, you are inspired to play and make your way into greater abundance and flow.  Passion isn’t born of blood, sweat and tears—passion is a product of thriving, and in order to thrive you must give thanks and be willing to accept what is being given to you right now with a simple yes. Give up the fight and accept yourself exactly how you are, saying yes to this moment, giving thanks for the gift of you.

            In a society built on a foundation of keeping busy and constant doing, it’s easy to forget the art of being present, which is accessible with simple practices such as breath, sound, movement, meditation and prayer.  Tantric Prayer is a simple process of saying yes to this moment and giving thanks for everything it contains.  Let your body teach you about praying—the body exists in present time and when you allow yourself to feel, your body it is saying yes to the sensations coursing through you.  Let your breath be a teacher of prayer, as you breathe in deeply, witness yourself receiving life, saying yes to the air as it enters your system.  Let your voice teach you about prayer, as you free your throat and come into sound, let your soul song move through you, affirming your life which automatically is an act of gratitude. 

            Anytime you give thanks for your life you are in the realm of Tantra.  Tantra is all about maximizing this human experience, and in order to thrive you must find of way of loving yourself, stepping beyond the struggle created by the chaos of the mind.  As you find yourself exploring deeper levels of Tantra, you will find the silent realm of the body where you are free to come into direct experience of this magnificent moment.  As the body says yes to life, find ways of exploring Tantric Prayer by saying yes to yourself, while giving thanks for this precious gift of life.

Ariel White