Stop and smell the roses

Yoga teacher, Tantric bodyworker and real-life love goddess Afke Reijenga helps women (re)connect with their pleasure and juiciness using an ancient Indian tradition. "Tantra shows you how to find bliss, smack in the middle of life."

Yoga teacher, Tantric bodyworker and real-life love goddess Afke Reijenga helps women (re)connect with their pleasure and juiciness using an ancient Indian tradition. "Tantra shows you how to find bliss, smack in the middle of life."

"I teach the art of loving and the art of living. Hours of blissful sex? Sure, that's a - very fun - part of it, but Tantra is so much more. It's about awakening your senses, turning yourself on and using that juicy energy to manifest a magical life beyond the bedroom. It's about tapping into 'Shakti energy', the feminine life force within and around us. You can actually have a taste of it, right now, while you're reading this! Start by simply listening. Can you hear a sound, perhaps even two? Inhale, exhale. Are you aware of the rhythm of your breath and the beating of your heart? By allowing these sensations in the here and now, you are connecting with the fullness of life. You are ready to fall in love with life.

My own awakening took place about 15 years ago. After years of jet-setting as a model and throwing wild parties with my partner - a famous artist - I started feeling disconnected from myself. I left everything and moved to Bali where yoga helped me reconnect with my essence. I soon realized that I had a talent for guiding others on their transformative journey towards living their best lives. At one point I even found myself teaching yoga to 2000 people during a rock festival! But it wasn't till Tantra crossed my path that everything fell into place. I've always loved making love, and letting my sensuality radiate out into the rest of my life. And here was this ancient celebration of all things sensual! Yoga and Tantra are both beautiful ways to finetune our time here on earth. But where yoga is more about observing life, Tantra encourages us to engage with it. It shows us how to find bliss, smack in the middle of it. The magic word is connection; first with ourselves and ultimately with our beloved. And when sex happens, we let go of goals, of rushing towards a big orgasm. Instead, we slowly allow our bodies and souls to get closer and closer. You'd be amazed to see how intimate you can be without penetration!

You know how they say: 'stop and smell the roses'? In Tantra, we do that quite literally. To honor goddess Shakti, who represents our feminine creative force, we have gorgeous rituals during which we awaken our senses. Rose petals engage our sense of smell, for example, but lingerie can also play a fun role, like during the 'Wild Women Initiation' weekends when I help women (re)connect with their pleasure and juiciness. Beautifying ourselves with sensual lingerie awakens our sense of sight. Feeling the fabric caress and expose our skin invites us to explore our sense of touch. It's such a playful way to ask ourselves: are we allowing life to touch us, literally and metaphorically? It's amazing to see how stunningly beautiful women are when they their true selves shine through. For me, helping their souls blossom is better than sex. (Laughs). Almost.

www.afke.org