When talking about intimacy for couples, most heterosexual folks immediately think of penetrative intercourse. But sex and intimacy are not necessarily the same thing, and it can be very supportive for couples to know the difference!
Intimacy is typically defined as feelings of closeness and connection to another person. Typically, in romantic relationships, INTIMACY is a precursor to sexual activity, i.e., we have sex because we feel close and connected to this person.
There are several different types of intimacy we can experience as a couple such as:
- Emotional intimacy
- Spiritual intimacy
- Intellectual intimacy
- Physical intimacy
- Sexual Intimacy
Typically, the desire for sexual intimacy arises when our needs for emotional, intellectual, and sometimes sensual (physical) intimacy are met. Often for cis-gender men, the desire for sexual intimacy is a strategy to meet the needs for emotional and sensual intimacy. Understanding your unique needs and desires for each of these types of intimacy can be very supportive for your journey together as a couple.
Unfortunately, in this society, we don’t receive ANY education about how to cultivate more INTIMACY in our relationships. And conventional, mainstream sex education offers us the basic mechanics of penetrative intercourse, but offers little-to-no instruction on how to cultivate a pleasurable and safe experience in which all parties feel connected and respected.
As adults, we are left at a disadvantage when it comes to maintaining vibrant, healthy, pleasurable sex AND intimacy, due to this lack of basic relationship education.
This is where Authentic Tantra has been so helpful to me and hundreds of clients around the world.
Tantra is an ancient spiritual science that has been cultivated on this planet for at least 8 thousand years (according to archeological evidence as presented in my “African Roots of Tantra” video). Not all tantric traditions include sexual teachings, but the ones that do offer us a pathway of deepening and celebrating the beauty of human connection, particularly in our most intimate, sacred relationships.
When learning Tantra, many folks want to skip ahead “to the good stuff”, i.e. the more sexually based “tips and tricks” to have great orgasms and mind-blowing pleasure. But the ability to cultivate, give, receive, and share EPIC pleasure comes from the depth of intimacy and connection you feel in your HEART.
My Buddhist Tantra Teacher often says “All Tantra begins and ends in the heart” and that true, authentic tantric teachings are transmitted from one human heart to another. This experience of heart-based love and connection is the literal foundation for any type of “tantric” practice/ method/exercise any student engages in! “If there is no love, there is no Tantra.”
Intimacy is what happens BEFORE sex, and INTIMACY is a skill and an experience that can be consciously cultivated, if and when you choose to. And if you are unsatisfied or uninspired in any area of your partnership, this is the time for you to make that choice!
On June 17th, from 12-6 pm Pacific, Dr. Chris Erickson, myself (Devi) and Brion and Karen Craig are hosting our first ever “Cultivating Sacred Intimacy ~ Tantra Healing for Couples” workshop.
This one-day immersion experience will introduce you to the healing power of authentic, lineage-based Tantra and provide you with the introductory-level tools you need to cultivate a healthy and sustainable intimate connection.
Together, you will learn:
- The different types of intimacy you can share as a couple
- What “Tantric Intimacy” is and how to cultivate this unique form of connection in your relationship
- Heart-based Tantric meditations for healing and opening your heart center
- Tantric Union practices for deepening your experience of love and connection
- Creating “sacred space” for your intimate connection
Our goal is to send you home with a sensual “tool kit” you can use and continue to build upon for as long as both desire.
This workshop will not be providing explicit sexual techniques. The focus of this event is on naming, defining, deepening, and exploring the different types of intimacy you experience as a couple, and providing you with concrete tools to keep this connection growing and GLOWING.
This is the first and most crucial aspect of cultivating a truly sacred intimate connection that will last you a lifetime!!!
We invite you into the sacred container of our relationship as we guide you through some of the tantric practices WE USE EVERY DAY to deepen, enrich, enhance, and CELEBRATE our LOVE for each other and our love for God.
Join us in Atlanta!
Cultivating Sacred Intimacy – Tantra Healing for Couples
A one-day immersion experience introducing you to the healing power of authentic, lineage-based Tantra
Saturday, June 17th, 12 – 6pm EST
