Bringing Sex and Spirituality Together with Tantra

Podcast E43 Bringing Sex and Spirituality Together

For many of us, sex and spirituality can feel like two opposing forces. We may be told that to be spiritual we must repress our sexual instincts, or that to enjoy sex we must abandon higher ideals. But authentic Tantra offers another way — a path where sex and spirituality not only coexist, but enrich each other.

In this article, we’ll explore how Tantric philosophy helps us integrate sexual energy into a spiritual practice, heal shame, and connect more deeply with ourselves, our partners, and the Divine.

Why We Struggle to Reconcile Sex and Spirituality

It’s common to feel torn between these two aspects of life. Many spiritual traditions — particularly those influenced by ascetic ideals — encourage strict control or denial of sexual desire. For someone longing for spiritual awakening, this can create deep frustration, guilt, and inner conflict.

Tantra teaches a different perspective: sex and spirituality are not enemies. Both are natural expressions of life force. When we stop seeing sexual desire as a distraction and start honoring it as sacred, we begin to heal the split within ourselves.

The Tantric View of Sexual Energy

At its heart, Tantra is not about sex. Sexual rituals make up only a small portion of the vast Tantric tradition. But Tantra does recognize the transformative power of sexual energy.

From a Tantric perspective:

• Everything is Divine — including our sexual urges, fantasies, and pleasures.
• Sexual energy is Kundalini — the primordial creative force that animates all of existence.
• Pleasure can open us to the sacred — when experienced with awareness and intention.

Embracing the Tantric view can help us move beyond guilt and shame and heal past trauma. When we truly accept that our sexual urges, and the fantasies that arise from them, are simply a part of the Divine experiencing itself as a human being, a huge healing can occur.

The Tantric Life Podcast

Listen to the podcast episode of this topic on your preferred platform, here: E43 Bringing Sex and Spirituality Together

Sexual Energy: The Divine Feminine Awakens

In the Tantric tradition, sexual energy is embraced as a potent spiritual force. This energy is understood to be a form of Kundalini.

Kundalini is described as the powerful, primordial expression of the Divine creative force present throughout the entire Universe. Because this energy is fundamentally creative, it is referred to as the Divine Feminine. This Divine Feminine energy can be represented by various goddesses from different spiritual traditions, such as Kali, Durga, Laksmi, and Saraswati, or even Mother Mary and Celtic goddesses.

When we allow ourselves to cultivate and enjoy the sexual feelings that arise in our body, we can recognize this movement as the Divine Mother herself awakening within us. This awakening begins in the body, specifically in the lower chakras, and subsequently expands into the heart as love, and even further into the mind as divine consciousness and bliss.

Sacred Sexuality with a Partner

When shared consciously, sex becomes more than physical pleasure — it becomes a ritual of divine union.

Tantra invites us to:

• Recognize our partner as an embodiment of the Divine.
• Play with the polarity of energies — masculine and feminine — which may shift between partners.
• Use sexual arousal as a bridge to deeper love, intimacy, and spiritual presence.

The path to bringing the presence of the Divine into your lovemaking is by enjoying and savouring that sexual arousal while cultivating a scared and meditative atmosphere.

A Simple Beginner’s Practice for Sex and Spirituality

The following is a simple and gentle practice that is safe for anyone (men or women) to begin exploring the integration of sex and spirituality.

Step 1: Establishing the Container of Consciousness

First, dedicate time to your existing spiritual practice (meditation, devotion, etc.). Allow yourself to enter a deeper state of consciousness where you begin to feel connected to your personal conception of the Divine.

Step 2: Awakening Sexual Energy Gently

Next, stimulate and awaken your sexual energy. This can be achieved through self-pleasure, masturbation, self-caressing in a sensual way, or slow dancing with sensual movements. You may also perform this with a partner, provided they share the same intention.

For this beginner practice, it is recommended to keep the stimulation gentle and low-key. The goal is to feel the energy stirring, not necessarily to reach a peak arousal or have an orgasm. We want to begin feeling what the awakened sexual energy is like when contained within a meditative state of consciousness. (Note: If you feel like having an orgasm, there is nothing wrong with doing so, but for the purpose of this specific practice, start gently).

Step 3: Drawing the Energy Up

When you feel the stirring in your genitals and lower chakras, shift your focus to your breathing. Gently visualize the sexual energy rising up toward your upper chakras with each inhalation.

You may choose to focus on the heart chakra, the third eye chakra, or the crown chakra at the top of the head. Visualize this energy as a sensation of heat or as white or golden light.

Step 4: Sustaining the Inner Focus

Initially, you may practice this visualization while still self-pleasuring. Then, stop the physical stimulation and continue the focused breathing, intentionally drawing the sexual energy up and allowing it to blossom in your mind and consciousness.

If you are with a partner, you might choose to stop stimulating and sit opposite each other, perhaps holding hands, to feel your connection.

Step 5: Expansion and Offering

You can choose to direct this energy around your entire body. As you inhale, bring the energy up to your chosen chakra; then, on the exhale, send that energy out, radiating through your entire body, reaching the tips of your toes, fingertips, and the top of your head.

Alternatively, you can offer this powerful energy to the Divine or the Earth:

• If Devotionally Inclined: Hold the image of a deity with whom you feel connected in your mind’s eye. Let the sexual energy be an offering to the Divine, done with love and gratitude.

• To Connect with Nature: Offer your sexual energy by visualizing it radiating outwards on the exhale, flowing out into Nature—the forests, oceans, mountains, rivers, and the sky.

Step 6: Grounding the Energy

To close the practice, ground your energy and yourself. On the exhalation of your breathing, allow your awareness to move and flow downwards toward the Earth. You can physically ground by placing your hands on the floor, imagining the energy grounding through them. Visualize your feet taking root in the earth like a tree, spreading roots into the fertile ground, feeling the connection between the Earth and Sky.

You can also ground yourself through physical connection, such as:

• Movement or dancing.
• Holding and hugging yourself, giving yourself love.
• Holding and cuddling with your partner.

This simple practice allows you to explore the power of sexual energy within a spiritual context. When working with sexual energy in this way, it is entirely up to you whether you choose to retain and conserve the energy, or if you choose to release it via an orgasm. For beginners, either option is acceptable; the important thing is to do whatever feels most natural and comfortable, avoiding forcing anything, so the practice remains gentle and pleasant

Integrating Sex and Spirituality in Daily Life

When we approach sexuality as sacred, it transforms not only our intimate experiences but our entire relationship with life. We begin to see pleasure as a divine gift, relationships as a spiritual path, and even our own bodies as temples of awakening.

By practicing Tantra, we no longer need to choose between being sexual and being spiritual. Instead, we discover the wholeness of being both.

Final Thoughts

Sex and spirituality are not opposites. They are two currents of the same divine energy flowing through us. Tantra teaches us that when we embrace our sexuality as sacred, we step into deeper love, healing, and spiritual awakening.

You may also be interested in these other posts about Tantra…

Sex and Tantra: Myth, Mystery or Truth?

Tantra, Desire and Awakening: The Secret Teachings of Sexual Energy