tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62523752011-11-14T01:12:03.312-08:00A Tantra BlogInformation and thoughts about Tantra and other matters.Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.comBlogger431100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-28917388169728498442008-06-16T10:23:00.000-07:002008-06-16T10:26:24.886-07:00We've moved. Our blog is now under our own domain: tantrapm.com, and we'll be posting there from now onMark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-71483465906643670012008-05-09T10:01:00.000-07:002008-05-09T10:12:50.101-07:00Tantra for Erotic Empowerment has gotten some glowing reviews in the last few weeks:Gayle Michaels (no relation) TCM ReviewsMystic Living TodayIt was also selected as a 2008 Indie Excellence Award Finalist in New Age Non-Fiction, which is a great honor given the wide variety of books that fall into that category.Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-69002337907527532672008-05-01T06:25:00.000-07:002008-05-01T06:31:38.313-07:00Book Contest:Go here for a chance to win a copy of Tantra for Erotic Empowerment.And don't miss the launch party for our book and Tristan Taormino's Opening Up: A Guide to Creating and Sustaining Open Relationships, Tuesday, May 13th at Happy Ending, 302 Broome Street, New York, NY. 7 pm. Here are some more details:Come celebrate the release of two exciting new books: Opening Up: A Guide to Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-65318604951340063582008-04-02T10:06:00.000-07:002008-04-02T10:10:38.896-07:00Runner's High - Sexual HighA recent New York Times article titled "Yes, Running Can Make You High," reveals that scientists have finally proved what many have known all along, that there is euphoria to be found in intense workouts. According to the article, researchers measured endorphin levels in subjects' brains, before and after a two hour run, using PET scans and recently available chemicals.Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-58737709601397972622008-02-20T10:09:00.000-08:002008-02-20T10:13:57.874-08:00Tantra for Erotic Empowerment is available now! And a lot earlier than we anticipated. To celebrate, we're offering free shipping in the U.S. between now and April 1, the official U.S. publication date. Visit our books page for details.You can also order it from your local bookstore (a great option) or buy it on amazon.com.Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-24108255871057770872008-02-02T14:02:00.001-08:002008-02-02T14:05:51.339-08:00We've written an article about Valentine's Day that should be appearing around the web over the next couple of weeks. It begins:Tantra is an ancient Indian spiritual tradition that recognizes human sexuality as one avenue among many for achieving mystical experience. Although the number of Tantric texts that deal directly with sexual activity is quite small, most Westerners associate Tantra with Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-42169174134573934232008-01-19T07:35:00.000-08:002008-01-19T07:50:42.122-08:00We've finished the final round of edits, and Tantra for Erotic Empowerment is now at the printer. Everything's on track for an April release.Our DVDs Tantric Sexual Massage for Lovers and Advanced Tantric Sex Techniques (Alexander Institute) are available at last through our website. The process of making the films was very interesting, and we learned a lot. It's extremely difficult to make Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-75953659537851453252007-11-08T12:48:00.000-08:002007-11-09T11:55:40.320-08:00We returned from our weekend of teaching in Maryland to the wonderful news that The Essence of Tantric Sexuality was the Award-Winner in the Health: Sexuality category of the National Best Books 2007 Award and an Award-Winning Finalist in the Religion: Eastern Religions category.Go here for the complete list of winners and finalists.We hope this award will help our book get the recognition we Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-7232830263986488932007-10-05T12:24:00.000-07:002007-10-05T12:29:04.094-07:00Here's our teaching schedule for October-November.October 12, 7-9 p.m.SEXY SPIRITS (NEW YORK CITY) - Autoerotic Mysticism, go to www.SexySpirits.com to register. 301 West 55th St. #4, $25 per person. 212-581-2640November 1, 7-9 p.m.SPARK OF SPIRIT (COLLEGE PARK, MD) - The Essence of Tantric Sexuality, go to www.sparkofspirit.com, to register. $25 per person. 9937 Rhode Island Ave., College Park, Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-16413215708480847932007-10-03T10:05:00.000-07:002007-10-04T14:18:50.969-07:00The Supreme Court recently refused to hear the appeal of an Alabama sex shop owner who was contesting the 11th Circuit's decision that there is no consumer right to sexual privacy. In the 11th Circuit's opinion:"If the people of Alabama in time decide that prohibition on sex toys is misguided, or ineffective, or just plain silly, they can repeal the law and be finished with the matter. . .On the Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-41690611629331316742007-09-21T11:00:00.000-07:002007-09-21T11:27:45.996-07:00CriticismPosting material of any kind on the internet can be a very challenging experience; you open yourself up to all kinds of attacks, especially if you allow people to comment. We've posted clips of some of our appearances on youtube and have received some harsh criticism for what we say. Most of the negative comments are inane, ill-informed or dogmatic, and the posters frequently resort to Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-38775733485584673672007-09-01T12:51:00.000-07:002007-09-01T13:15:01.273-07:00FantasyFantasy seems to be a loaded subject in the Tantric community and elsewhere. Recently, we talked about this with a friend and long-time practitioner, and she expressed the view that engaging in sexual fantasy is almost antithetical to the Tantric approach, since it takes you out of the moment and prevents you from being present. Others argue that fantasies are negative for a variety of Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-25742519549707054312007-08-23T11:18:00.000-07:002007-08-23T11:27:15.659-07:00Amazon.com has just posted the cover of our next book Tantra for Erotic Empowerment: The Key to Enriching Your Sexual Life. They're taking pre-orders too, though it won't be out until March. We're very proud of the contents; they represent a distillation of our 8 years of experience teaching together and an expansion of the online course we've been offering for several years. While the subtitle Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-71317118513680730672007-08-22T08:01:00.000-07:002007-08-22T08:07:53.487-07:00Dark OdysseyWe'll be attending Dark Odyssey Summer Camp from September12-17. This will be our sixth DO event, and each and every one of them has been an opportunity to learn, grow and be challenged, as well as an opportunity to teach and have fun.Dark Odyssey brings together people from a variety of communities that are on the sexual margins; it's a very diverse group, and that diversity is Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-38457164389760923352007-08-13T09:15:00.000-07:002007-08-13T09:24:05.733-07:00We've had a great trip to California -- good turnouts at our workshops at One Taste and The Center for Sex and Culture. We went up to Sebastopol to tape an interview with Suzie Heumann for tantra.com. It should be up on the site before too long. It was wonderful meeting Suzie, and we're grateful both for the interview and for her hospitality. We're already thinking about our next West coast tripMark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-33969521541416559772007-08-06T08:45:00.000-07:002007-08-06T08:56:14.934-07:00Schedule for AugustIt's going to be a busy few weeks, but we'll do our best to blog while we're on the road. Here's our August teaching schedule.Tantric Erogenous Zones -- San FranciscoFriday August 10, 2007, 7-10 pmOne Taste San FranciscoOne TastePleasure as Spiritual Practice -- San FranciscoSunday August 12, 2007, 7:00pm - 9:00pmCenter for Sex and Culture, San Francisco, CAPre-registration andMark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-9419685294053101442007-08-05T12:21:00.000-07:002007-08-05T12:58:36.657-07:00Tantric Sex in the Modern WorldAlthough our background and training are more traditional than many Western Tantra teachers, we've taken some criticism on one website for our emphasis on the sexual aspects of Tantra. Some of these criticisms are dogmatic, ill-informed about our work, or based on a more general lack of knowledge about the Tantric tradition; others are more substantive and serious. Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-64874036060834844192007-08-04T14:11:00.001-07:002007-08-04T14:16:28.279-07:00We've just joined technorati at Viviane's suggestion.Technorati ProfileHer blog is The Sex CarnivalMark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-13123431313758722072007-07-30T10:45:00.001-07:002007-07-30T11:32:46.764-07:00It has been an interesting weekend. On Friday evening we attended a screening of our friend Edin Velez's film A Certain Foolish Consistency at the Scanners: New York Video Festival at Lincoln Center. On Saturday night we returned to the festival to see Passion and Power: The Technology of Orgasm also at Scanners. We've posted reviews on our myspace blog:blog.myspace.com/tantrapmOn Saturday, we Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-33167067522461670872007-07-26T08:13:00.000-07:002007-07-26T08:17:09.261-07:00We've asked the readers of our myspace blog to share their definitions of Tantra with us:http://tinyurl.com/2nbjgjComments are welcome here too.Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-41271050152195739382007-07-25T08:08:00.000-07:002007-07-25T08:30:37.381-07:00We took a brief vacation, and now we're back to our busy schedule at home. We have some interesting plans for the next few days -- a community gathering tomorrow night, a screening of our friend Edin Velez's new experimental film on Friday:http://www.edinvelez.com/and another screening and panel discussion featuring Betty Dodson on Saturday: http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/207591/Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-89510832123771397502007-07-11T14:09:00.000-07:002007-07-11T14:12:03.855-07:00Mating in CaptivityWe've both been reading Esther Perel's excellent book Mating in Captivity: Reconciling the Erotic and the Domestic. It is well worth your time, whether you are partnered or not. Perel treats individuals and couples; she has a wonderfully clear-headed and non-judgmental approach, and her views on contemporary relationships and what it takes to make them function well, eroticallyMark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-60713602519734978352007-07-05T09:30:00.000-07:002007-07-05T15:08:57.946-07:00The Story Behind The Essence of Tantric SexualityWe wrote The Essence of Tantric Sexuality with the blessings of our teacher, Dr. Jonn Mumford (Swami Anandakapila Saraswati). The book is based on lectures he gave at Gnosticon in 1976, and while it touches on some of the themes he addressed in his own books -- Ecstasy Through Tantra, A Chakra and Kundalini Workbook, and Magical Tattwas -- none of Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-51097540498393568922007-06-30T11:23:00.000-07:002007-06-30T11:25:47.826-07:00Punk TantraWe usually write and post as a team, but this one is just from Mark. These are some preliminary thoughts on a subject that probably deserves to be explored in more depth. Punk Tantra may seem like an oxymoron to some, but my Tantric sensibility was shaped by my involvement in Punk. Just as we started getting active on myspace, I received a couple of CDs of material my first college Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-3150237264403489852007-06-29T12:40:00.000-07:002007-06-29T12:47:10.626-07:00We've set up a myspace page -- www.myspace.com/tantrapmWe will be blogging there regularly and cross-posting here.Here are the entries from this past week:Friday, June 29, 2007Come TogetherThe past few days have been both exhilirating and depressing. On the positive side, Barbara Carrellas's book launch party (Tuesday night) and the fifth monthly Pleasure Salon (last night) were exciting and Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-1171285080140879662007-02-12T04:52:00.000-08:002007-02-12T04:58:00.153-08:00We have a new article out in New Times Naturally a Tampa, Florida magazine:Tantra: A Way of Being in the WorldFor many in the modern world, the word Tantra has come to mean sacred sexuality; some believe it is nothing more than a set of sexual techniques, a form of sexual yoga derived from the Kama Sutra, the renowned Indian sex manual. Others think it is a form of couples’ or relationship Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-1168286451244698052007-01-08T11:56:00.000-08:002007-01-08T12:00:51.253-08:00Llewellyn Journal has just published our article on Women and Tantra. It begins: Most classical Tantric texts seem to have been written primarily with men in mind. For example, the Gheranda Samhita, a 16th-century Tantric/Yogic text advises: “By virtue of this Yoga, the Bindu-Siddhi (retention of seed) is obtained, and when that Siddhi is obtained what else can he not attain in this world.” Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-1167061253628236042006-12-25T07:40:00.000-08:002006-12-25T07:40:53.636-08:00"All those that walk on land or move in the air, all living and animate creation, trees, shrubs, roots, creepers and grass, etc., oceans and mountains -- all know ye to be Brahma. See them all in Atma." The Gheranda SamhitaMark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-1165872667672496692006-12-11T13:27:00.000-08:002006-12-11T13:31:07.683-08:00We've contracted for our next book with Llewellyn and expect it will be out in late '07 or early '08. We're featured in the January Redbook and have an article entitled "Embracing Tantra From 'sacred sexuality' to spiritual development" in this month's Many Hands Magazine. It begins:What Is Tantra? The word Tantra is becoming increasingly familiar, as a practice embraced by celebrities such as Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-1157657228883023112006-09-07T12:19:00.000-07:002006-09-07T12:49:38.833-07:00We've been very busy promoting our book, The Essence of Tantric Sexuality and working on our next one, but we hope to start blogging a bit more regularly. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for our appearance schedule and links to some reviews and interviews.What Tantra can do for the TastebudsFew realize that foods can do more than stimulate the tastebuds. A light meal with carefully chosen Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-1152734159017844202006-07-12T12:49:00.000-07:002006-07-12T12:55:59.030-07:00We're gearing up for our launch party, tomorrow, July 13, 7 pm, at Babeland, 94 Rivington Street, NY, NY. We'll be doing a mini workshop and signing books. We're hoping a lot of people will join us to celebrate! Friday we'll be teaching a more extended class for Sexy Spirits. www.sexyspirits.com.We'll be on tour from July 24-August 1, with stops in L.A. (Bodhi Tree, July 26), La Jolla (Yoga Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-1152301894762481512006-07-07T12:40:00.000-07:002006-07-07T12:51:34.773-07:00In her Tuesday, July 5 column in the New York Times, entitled "How to Train a Woman", Maureen Dowd wrote: "Women may want to mold their men to be more obedient and less irksome. . ."Dowd's premise betrays an exceedingly negative view of human nature and relationships. Her perspective is an expression of antiquated gender stereotypes; men are disobedient and irksome, so women must manipulate Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-1152222312434543692006-07-06T14:42:00.000-07:002006-07-06T14:45:12.446-07:00Here's a photo of us signing books at INATS West on June 25th. We're gearing up for next Thursday's launch party and will have a more substantive post up soon.Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-1151001154979405892006-06-22T11:13:00.000-07:002006-06-22T11:32:34.996-07:00To update an earlier post, our launch party/mini workshop will be held at Babeland's Lower East Side Store (not the Soho store), on July 13th, at 7 pm. Here are the details:Babeland94 Rivington StNew York, NY 10002Essence of Tantric Sexuality Book Release PartyThursday, July 13, 07:00PM, FREETantric and yoga experts Patricia Johnson & Mark A. Michaels sign copies of their new book "The Essence ofMark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-1150211481320959372006-06-13T07:44:00.000-07:002006-06-13T08:11:21.333-07:00We've got a new article aimed at the dating community up on about.com. It focuses on how a tantric approach to relaltionship can be introduced at the very beginning of a relationship and draws heavily on the idea that parity is crucial to a tantric way of relating. "People often assume that Tantric practices are exclusively for couples or exclusively for long-term couples. Nothing could be Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-1149855084068073052006-06-09T05:00:00.000-07:002006-06-09T05:11:24.080-07:00We had a wonderful time at BEA and a great turnout for our signing. Things have been very hectic, as our promotional schedule is starting to intensify, and we've been busy writing articles and working on our next book. Below is a list of our upcoming appearances for the month of June. There will undoubtedly be more. Monday, June 12 at 12:30 pm, EDT. The Good Life Show with Jesse Dylan. Sirius Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-1149792588430930032006-06-08T11:05:00.001-07:002006-06-08T11:49:48.443-07:00We had a wonderful time at BEA and a great turnout for our signing. Things have been very hectic, as our promotional schedule is starting to intensify, and we've been busy writing articles and working on our next book. Below is a list of our upcoming appearances for the month of June. There will undoubtedly be more. Monday, June 12 at 12:30 pm, EDT. The Good Life Show with Jesse Dylan. Sirius Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-1147784981049839312006-05-16T05:17:00.000-07:002006-05-16T07:54:25.973-07:00The Path of Paradox"While lists of siddhis in India are as numerous as varieties of cheese in France, nearly all may be categorized under two general headings, 'magical' and 'abstract'. The latter, better known, are especially found in yogic and high Hindu Tantric sources. . .The former, found in both Buddhist and Hindu sources, are, in spite of having fallen out of vogue among Tantric authors Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-1147466217267354062006-05-12T13:33:00.000-07:002006-05-12T13:36:57.280-07:00Aleister Crowley and Timothy Leary, two of the most notorious figures of the 20th-century, were influenced by the Tantric tradition, and any Westerner who practices Tantra has in turn been influenced by them. Both Crowley and Leary were brilliant, misguided, worshipped by some and vilified by others. Both understood the importance of the inner quest -- the exploration of consciousness -- and Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-1147122287684177652006-05-08T13:42:00.000-07:002006-05-08T14:04:47.706-07:00"The War on Contraception" by Russell Shorto, which appeared in Sunday's New York Times Magazine is very important reading for anyone concerned about sexual freedom. It provides a good deal of insight into the mind set of the "abstinence only" crowd and makes it abundantly clear that for many in that group, overturning Roe v. Wade is not so much a goal as it is a first step.For many social Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-1146075427848123302006-04-26T11:15:00.000-07:002006-04-26T11:19:44.256-07:00Many people believe that Tantra first came to America in the 1970s, but in fact, America's first Tantra teacher flourished in the first half of the 20th century. Below is an excerpt from the Preface to our book, The Essence of Tantric Sexuality, (Llewellyn Worldwide, July '06), which provides an overview of the history of Tantra in the United States."[Pierre Arnold] Bernard founded an Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-1144966811274503032006-04-13T15:16:00.000-07:002006-04-13T15:22:03.003-07:00Well, we're back, after a very long hiatus, most of which has been devoted to writing our forthcoming book, "The Essence of Tantric Sexuality" Llewellyn Worldwide, July 2006. Devi Veennanand (my wife and teaching and writing partner) and I plan to start posting here on a regular basis in the months ahead. Check out the site for information about upcoming events, book signings, musings on Tantra Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252375.post-1072532805383770392003-12-27T05:37:00.000-08:002003-12-27T05:47:01.853-08:00Namaste and welcome. I've been considering starting a blog about Tantra for a while now, and my brother, who's also a new blogger, inspired me to take the plunge. I don't know how frequently I'll be posting, but you can visit to read my thoughts on Tantra and other subjects, and also to get information about upcoming classes and the online programs we offer, some taught by our Guru, Dr. Jonn Mark and Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299396472613788437noreply@blogger.com0