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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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Urban Tantra summary
Barbara Carrellas
Sacred Sex for the Twenty-First Century
22 mins
Brief summary
Urban Tantra by Barbara Carrellas empowers readers to connect spirituality and sexuality. It presents practical tools and ancient techniques to deepen intimacy and pleasure in all aspects of life.
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Urban Tantra
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Key idea 1 of 9
Urban Tantra can be practiced anywhere, by anybody.
Barbara Carrellas discovered the power of Tantra while giving a lap dance. It was the height of summer, and she was working at Harmony Burlesque, a New York strip club. On a particularly hot, clammy day, a man walked into the club and caught her eye. He was dressed unusually, in cowboy boots and a hat – not something you’d expect to see on a New Yorker. Barbara was immediately drawn to him. One lap dance became two, and then three, and then she just lost count.
They were rocking and swaying together, entranced, staring into each other’s eyes. The connection between them felt so profound that the rest of the club melted away. Eventually, after about 20 minutes, they became tired. They disentangled themselves, and the cowboy strode off into the night.
That experience of a deep, spiritual sexual connection was Tantra.
The key message here is: Urban Tantra can be practiced anywhere, by anybody.
When the author first started practicing Tantra, she was put off by how white and heteronormative the scene was. Tantra seemed to be practiced exclusively by heterosexual couples in nature retreats. Her experience with the cowboy was revelatory because she realized that the magic of Tantra could be experienced in a dingy strip club just as well as in a candle-filled forest. “Urban Tantra” was born.
But let’s back up for a moment. What, exactly, is Tantra?
Tantra is an ancient spiritual practice – according to some estimates, it began as many as 5,000 years ago! The modern form of Tantra can be traced to sixth-century India, but there’s a lot of disagreement about its exact history. Over the centuries, many documents were lost. On top of that, a lot of teachings had always been so secret that practitioners of the art never wrote them down.
Today, Tantra is associated mainly with sex. It is a spiritual practice that celebrates our bodies. But the philosophy goes much deeper than that. Tantric practices can teach you to be present in the moment, to confront your fears and shame, to connect with other people, with nature, and with the spiritual realm. Applying these practices to your life will have consequences that go far beyond the bedroom.
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What is Urban Tantra about?
Urban Tantra (2007) is a no-nonsense, dogma-free guide to Tantra – a spiritual practice that will give you a fresh look at your sex life. It shows that Tantra can work for anyone; it’s as useful to a BDSM practitioner who wants to intensify her rituals as it is for a hurried parent seeking to reconnect with his sexuality. To practice Tantra, you don’t need to master complex positions or learn to chant in Sanskrit. All you need are a few simple tools that’ll help you become more mindful and drop into your body.
Best quote from Urban Tantra
Your mind is either your most powerful ally or your worst enemy. The choice is yours.
—Barbara Carrellas
Who should read Urban Tantra?
- Sexual explorers interested in trying something new
- People seeking to learn about embodiment as a spiritual practice
- Anyone curious about how to have a full-body orgasm
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