There are actually many links between tantric massage and meditation. Both are designed to help you achieve a state of relaxation, enlightenment and even ecstasy, and both are considered ‘healing’.
The origins of meditation
Meditation is an ancient practice, thought to have originated in India, and the early history charts its movement through neighbouring countries and numerous religions.
It is reported that Dosho, a Japanese monk, discovered Zen on a trip to China in 653, and brought the practice of meditation back to Japan with him, which grew from the 8th Century onwards.
Between then and now, meditation has touched the lives of many eras, cultures and individuals. Today, there is a myriad of meditation apps for our smartphones, designed to help us remove ourselves and relax in a world that’s seemingly going at 100mph.
The origins of tantric massage
While there is a little more debate about where tantric massage originated, many believe it to have been in the early scripture of the Hindu and Buddhist faiths, dating back to around the 7th Century.
Anything ‘tantra’ is about tapping into your spirituality and sensuality to help you achieve a higher state, relaxation and bliss.
Today, there are numerous tantra practitioners throughout the world, as well as opportunities to self-teach these methods to enhance your human connection.
Ways in which meditation and tantric massage are connected
Aside from their similar origins, the most obvious link between tantric massage and meditation is both of their abilities to help you tap into and achieve a higher inner state.
The word ‘tantra’ literally translates to balance.
In the same way that meditation is about finding a sense of balance and peace within yourself, tantric massage is all about the internal experience too. Tantric massage often helps people feel more connected to their physical selves, rather than being so wrapped up in what their mind is telling them – very similar to meditation.
More than this, the actual health benefits of meditation and tantric massage have a significant amount of crossover, and include:
- Stress relief
- Improved sleep
- Pain reduction
- Healed emotional blockages
- Energy alignment
- Anxiety relief
- Enhanced self-awareness
- Boosted immune and nervous systems
And these are just to name a few…
How do meditation and tantric massage differ?
The most obvious way in which meditation differs from tantric massage is that meditation is, more often than not, a solitary activity. While you can engage in group meditation, the work being done is really only going on with the individual.
Tantric massage, on the other hand, tends to involve more than one person. Unlike other types of massage, the masseuse utilises their entire body to perform the massage, rather than just their hands.
By default, meditation differs from tantric massage in that the latter is a collaborative process. You are reaching this higher state with the help of another, as opposed to meditation where it is all about reaching that state in and of yourself.
All in all, tantric massage and meditation are different acts but when we dig into the origins of each and the true intention behind both acts, we start to see many links and connections. Namely, the quest to achieve that state of bliss.
