Elsbeth & Freddy Zental of TantraNova.com

TantraNova Man Show Withstands Major Blackout

2011-11-04T12:37:00.013-05:00

You may have heard the Northeast just had its 1^st major snowstorm this past weekend coinciding with Elsbeth's and my trip to Kripalu in Western Massachusetts to teach our annual couples workshop and perform the TantraNova Man show.

The night of my show on Saturday the snow had come down in droves. As the people began to file into the performance hall and all the seats were filled to capacity at about 250 people the show proceeded as it usually does. The primordial music starts to play and I appear wrapped in a bag symbolic of the single celled amoeba as life began. In the show I sing and tell stories for an hour or so. I also have multimedia running in the background to create a certain atmosphere and to dramatize the story. While I do use an acoustic drum most of my stage support is electronic – a drum synthesizer, a head mike, sound and lights.

And now - it happened: A half hour into the show a flickering of the lights occurred and then..... the power went out all together. Some rustling of the crowd…however, I kept in character and continued with my lines as if nothing had changed - though now without a mike, spot lights, sound or any amplification. Fortunately the emergency lights over the exit doors next to the stage had come on and shone a mild light onto the scene. I returned to my beginnings years ago when I did the whole show acoustically.

A major blackout for millions in the North East as we later found out!

I continued my performance with a new sense of freedom in the face of what might have seemed a disaster. What showed up for me was profound -- no distraction from electronics, visual gadgetry, multi-media or a failing head mike to worry about. It was like singing and telling stories with acoustic drum and voice by candlelight with about 250 people for moments of connection and stillness that will always be with me. And what I was reminded of was to be open to the unexpected -- it's in this mindlessness that magic can happen.

Upon completion of the show, people came up to me in awe about holding the performance space and energy with such command of the stage, without blinking an eye and keeping the audience even more captivated. "Masterful" one exclaimed. They shared that they initially thought that the lights going out were part of the show ... yet quickly noticed that it was not so.

For myself I noticed that I had hit another level of performance and presence ... no matter what!!!

www.tantranovaman.com

TantraNova through the Eyes of a College Student

2011-09-08T23:08:00.003-05:00

The date: September 7th, 2011

The place: TantraNova Institute in Chicago, Illinois

The reason: An Introductory Workshop to TantraNova

Now you may be wondering who I am. My name is Magie Fotovatian and I am currently a college student doing her undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I have known Elsbeth and Freddy for a couple of years because I attended their first youth program. Elsbeth kindly invited me to attend this Introduction and I gladly accepted the invitation as I wanted to be refreshed on what I had learned or forgotten at the youth program. I arrived with my friend at the appointed time and we were greeted immediately by that workshop’s assistant, Bob. We were graciously ushered in and directed upstairs where Elsbeth and Freddy were waiting to greet all of the workshop’s attendees.

I have to admit, I was a bit nervous. My nervousness arose from not knowing the people who were coming and how much I would be asked to share or what we would be doing. My friend and I are teenaged college students, so we felt we might feel a bit out of place. However, there was a wide-range of people who attended from married couples to singles as well as people of varying ages. So while I may be young, I did not feel out of place at all.

Enough of the preliminary stuff, let’s get into what we actually did and what we, or at least I, experiences. Like I said, I was a bit nervous but my mind was soon put at ease when we began our first meditation of the night: the Guided Light Meditation led by Freddy Zental. We were asked to focus our minds on our breathing, the expanding of our belly, in order to relax our minds and to forget the random dialogues in our head. Freddy told us to follow a light, slowly, from the bottom of our feet to the top of our head. He asked to focus on how each area felt as he told us to follow this ball of light we were envisioning throughout our bodies. As we did this exercise, I felt a pounding headache as we reached the “third eye”, but this soon passed as we continued to the crown of our heads. I was confused and told my friend about it once we had finished the meditation and were asked to share our experience with a neighbor. I did not think much of it until we got to the next exercise.

The next meditation called "Chakra Listening Practice" was to help us become attuned to our chakras as well as to connect them and to guide our breathing. We started by sitting on our right hand and breathing deeply, focusing our breath and imagining it going out of our base center (or chakra) into the pillow we were sitting on. We went up through the next six chakras, focusing on our breathing constantly and taking a moment to notice how we felt and what we might sense in the various energy centers. I was perfectly relaxed and at ease until we got to our “third eye”. My head felt cloudy and was beating with my heart. Then it hit me, why I had felt the headache in the previous mediation. My third eye had been constricted; it had felt disconnected from the rest of my body and specifically my heart chakra, hence the beating. Once I recognized this and allowed myself to continue breathing and opening up this channel for connection, my headache disappeared. I was once again relaxed and at peace. For me, this was the most eye-opening exercise of the workshop. It seemed to me to be exactly what I needed, what I had been looking for out of this experience.

I found myself more relaxed and open during the course of the two-hour introduction. I had forgotten my previous fears of not knowing people or being asked to share too much. However, the evening was easy-going and we were never forced to share anything we did not want to. The night for me was a perfect refresher course and really revitalized me. I wish to continue learning all I can and to keep on meditating and improving myself through what Elsbeth and Freddy taught me years ago. I know, however, that not everyone who attends the Introduction is as lucky as I was to have attended the youth program or have any knowledge about Tantra. My friend’s primary concern was his total dearth of knowledge on the subject. He told me afterwards that he had never felt lost during the workshop and there was nothing that had confused him. In fact, he took away so much from the evening that he wished to come back and learn whatever else he could learn at TantraNova.

To conclude (I’m a college student, how else am I supposed to end this blog?), the Introduction was an amazing experience that ignited in me a passion to learn more about tantric practices as a way to get closer to myself. The workshop went by easily, enjoyably, and freely. What I gathered from the workshop experience was that anybody of any age, profession or religion can attend and truly enjoy themselves. What is required though is an open mind that is free to enjoy whatever experience might come up during the workshop. This is not hard though as Elsbeth and Freddy are incredibly engaging, humorous and helpful, so the night ends up just being a breeze and you actually end up learning something about yourself.

At the end of the Introduction, practice materials were readily available for sale such as TantraNova’s Foundational Practices CD (which I myself have a partial copy due to the youth program, so this comes highly recommended) as well as some DVDs that reflect what is taught during their seminars.

I definitely feel that if you want to experience something interesting or get closer to yourself, that you attend the Introduction to do just that and carry home with you some materials to continue the magic once the night is done. If you want to learn more, then you could always just come back to the TantraNova Institute and attend one of their workshops or have a private session with Elsbeth and Freddy Zental (trust me, they don’t bite).

The results: An awesome, self-informative, educational, intriguing and fun night.

Sexual Intelligence Part II

2011-08-28T08:12:00.011-05:00

Continuing the conversation on "Sexual Intelligence"...This is an interesting time in history when science and spirituality are saying the same thing...We are one! It's all energy...Energy manifests in many different ways the unique thing about sexual energy in its physical manifestation is that its creative and pleasurable.

Creativity and pleasure show up everywhere in life where we live, the people that we surround ourselves with, or the work we do. Learning practices of sex consciousness and focus working with sexual energy, creativity and pleasure start showing up as a default way of being in the simple process of living itself.

Intention: The intention of bringing something new into your life i.e., love, money, happiness, requires a lot of areas of conscious focus and awareness. In the practice of sex consciousness in the TantraNova approach we become more intimately familiar with feelings, emotions and energy as it manifests in its creative life force form or "Sexual Intelligence", thus creating more possibility in manifesting one's intentions in this physical reality.

Continuing to develop your observer or witness state of mind is the first critical step in accessing Sexual Intelligence. A meditation practice that resonates with you is important. There are many meditation practices - active, passive, social and sexual. Sexual meditation is probably the most difficult one to master because we are so automated to become completely lost and swept up in the pleasure and drama. Nothing wrong with pleasure however being conscious requires practice. One of the aspects that makes sexual meditation practice so powerful is that physically, chemically, emotionally and spiritually we become more intimately connected, loving and vulnerable. This allows a magnified accessibility to the unconsciousness that we bring as a backdrop to creating our intentions in this physics.

To learn more about sexual-spiritual connection and a greater intimate access to your dreams, intentions, love, intimacy and creativity, please contact TantraNova Institute.

Finding Intimacy: Master Your Breathing and Calm the Unending Chatter in Your Mind

2011-07-21T14:55:00.005-05:00

Breath is the essence of life. From our first moments fresh from the womb until the last sigh of death we are breathing. Most of the time we breathe reflexive without thinking; inhaling and exhaling our way through morning routines, work, train rides, exercise, and sleep. Using the breath consciously as a tool is the first step to entering the mindful world of intimacy and love. When we are present with our breath we can reach a place of focus, stillness, and inner peace that allows us to go deeper into ourselves and our experiences. Using conscious breathing practices enables us to calm the incessant chatter of the mind and become a witness to our thoughts, feelings, and sensations. When we are in this place of observing ourselves, we stop being our feelings and instead are aware of and not run by them.

For example, when feeling angry, a common response is to “see red” or “lose your head” and become so angry that it takes over every part of your consciousness. By using conscious breathing in moments like these, you can retain your sense of self and clarity of mind and be aware that you feel angry giving space and distance to the state of feeling instead of being swept away by the feeling. It is the difference between: “I AM ANGRY!” and “I feel anger.” In one way the anger is so apart of your state of being that it becomes who you are just as you might say, “Hi, I’m George.” Mindfully, through focus and breath, you can separate yourself and become the observer of your feelings so that “I’M ANGRY” is changed to “I am George and I feel angry.” Breath is the key to unlocking the inner worlds of yourself in order to live from a place of peace. It is only from this place of calm and peace that we can sit with ourselves, know ourselves, and then begin to know another.

Lauren is a fresh faced 25-year-old woman just getting her feet wet in the grownup world. She is independent, responsible, and motivated. Since high school she has always had a boyfriend and referred to herself as a “serial monogamist.” She described that having a boyfriend gave her the chance to express her loving, nurturing, caring side that was very much a part of her joy. When one relationship fell apart for some reason or another, Lauren was often quick to find someone else to fill that need for feeling love and being loved.

She had left her past relationship feeling disappointed, annoyed, confused, and jaded about love. She described always putting so much into a relationship and the other person but never getting enough back from her partner. She would take the initiative setting up dates, romantic outings, and always gave the best and most thoughtful gifts. She thought of herself as good at relationships and a great partner, and probably was for many of the men that she dated, but yet Lauren always felt unfulfilled by her partners. She often found their faults and very rarely recognized her own feelings, expectations, and behaviors that contributed to the relationship losing its spark or coming to an end. Not one of her partners was able to give her what she gave them and satisfy her need for feeling loved.

Upon moving to Chicago during one of her rare single stretches, Lauren was introduced to TantraNova and started working with conscious breath, energy awareness and the “observer”. She learned to be present to what is in the moment and develop that non-judgmental observer to her thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Lauren started to see that although her partners weren’t perfect, they weren’t all to blame either. She started sharing that she might be looking to others to love and be loved because there was something within herself that felt empty and craved love and attention. In one realization, she made the connection that perhaps it wasn’t her partners who didn’t love her enough, but that she didn’t love, nurture and care for herself enough. She came to notice that she had often lost herself in her love relationships and was so busy showering her partners with love as an avoidance of feeling empty, loneliness and discomfort within herself.

In the TantraNova approach we use the breath as a guide to come to the present moment. This allows for the inner “observer”, “watcher” or “witness” of one’s feeling states, emotions, physical sensations and the conversations in the mind to arise. Unlike animals, we as humans are able to self-reflect. Through linguistic capacity the human mind can interpret and give meaning to life and circumstances. It’s designed that way. Yet, without focus and intention the mind goes on automatic chatter making up stories and meaning incessantly.

Here is what we mean by the “Observer”:

There was a moose walking through the forest moving along in its merry way. Then, suddenly a big tree fell right in front of her. The moose looked at the tree, lifted her nose and started smelling and nibbling on the twigs and leaves. Then the rain started to fall. The moose raised her head enjoying the rain drops falling on her face and tasting them. And with this she found her way around the fallen tree and continued on her journey.

Now, the human was walking through the forest. Then, suddenly a big tree fell right in front of him. The human looked angrily at the tree cursing and huffing: “Now I am going to be late for my meeting. And what about my wife and children and my retirement fund? I have to make a bridge to get where I need to go! What – and it is raining too?” Throwing up his hands in despair and disgust he exclaims: “Why me, God, why me?”

As Eckhart Tolle says "The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking. Separate them from the situation, which is always neutral, which always is as it is.”

Becoming the “moose” allows us to be in the present moment, witness what is, notice how one feels and watch the chatter, thoughts and interpretations in one’s mind. In the “moose” or witness state one gets to be connected with oneself, tap into stillness and peace – and that’s the space where we find intimacy.

We invite you to connect with your “moose” by offering the following practice:

Belly Breath Meditation

· Sit comfortably in a chair or on a cushion on the floor

· Close your eyes

· Place your right hand on your belly right below the navel

· Exhale all the air emptying yourself out

· Take in a deep breath down into your belly expanding your belly like a big balloon

· On the exhalation notice the belly flattening

· Take in a deep breath again into the belly extending your belly into your hand

· On the exhalation again notice the belly flattening

· Continue breathing in this pattern for a total of 10 breaths

· Inhaling witness the rising of your belly – exhaling witness the falling of your belly

Upon completion notice how you are feeling right now and how your body is feeling. Become aware of any sensations and your state of mind at the present moment.

The Discovery of Sexual-Spiritual Connection - DVD II REVIEW

2011-06-02T14:47:00.000-05:00

This DVD offers intimate instruction to take your Tantra skills to the next level. In it, you are invited inside Freddy Zental’s and Elsbeth’s sacred space as they lead you through the women’s and men’s healing rituals. With their shared smiles and sighs, these two partners use massage, eye gazing, communication, acupressure, and breathing to awaken the goddess and sustain masculine energy together. So often in today’s culture spirituality and sexuality are separated, yet when they are combined and connected, infinite potentials can be reached for the individual and the couple.

The Discovery of the Sexual Spiritual Connection is a gateway into uniting the second and sixth chakras (and everything in between) in order to experience the sexual spiritual connection. This video illustrates what is possible for the individual and the couple as they bring their sacred and sexual beings together.

In this “take home Tantra” approach, the DVD offers his and hers healings that enable each partner to connect with their own spiritual being while opening to their sexual life force energy. It builds on TantraNova’s Creating Intimacy and Love DVD putting TantraNova’s foundational practices of breathing, energy awareness and movement, communication and self-expression into action.

Energetic blocks, memories or unpleasant feelings that are held physically in the yoni and may no longer serve are being released or healed. The healing allows the woman to work with and process anything that comes up with a compassionate partner. During her “healing ritual”, the woman is connecting to herself, in the present moment, supported by her partner who holds space for whatever comes up during the ritual. The man’s healing offers techniques for sustaining sexual energy and moving the energy up to the heart chakra and beyond by using the breath. This practice can create awareness and empowerment for the man as he is connected with his sexual-spiritual energy throughout his day and not just in a sexual encounter.

These healing practices offer a model for creating a sexy-zen state of being for both partners as they give and receive. Freddy Zental and Elsbeth’s intimate moments caught on tape illustrate the bonding, connecting, and enlightening power of tantric healing and practices.

Review of TantraNova’s “Creating Intimacy and Love" DVD

2011-05-25T15:55:00.003-05:00

By Lauren Zerbst

When the word Tantra comes to mind, one may think of ancient Eastern practices, intricate sex or images of naked gods and goddesses bursting with light and twisted into most difficult Kama Sutra positions. When you break it down, however, the word Tantra means “weaving” in Sanskrit. Tantra is a wonderful spiritual / sexual practice to weave the creativity and vitality of our own life force energy into our lives and relationships.

The DVD Creating Intimacy and Love by TantraNova is an outstanding resource for breaking down the mystical, abstract ideas of tantra and illustrating practices that are accessible to the Western worldview. The DVD is the bridge between the two worlds. It takes the ancient practice of tantra and combines it with the typical Western phrase, “Keep It Simple Stupid,” or K.I.S.S. In this context, it may be more appropriate to change the phrase to use the Sanskrit term Shakti that describes the divine feminine - so, integrating the East and West, we form the new phrase, “Keep It Simple, Shakti!”

Integrating the Eastern and Western worldviews is what TantraNova does best and the DVD is no exception. The straightforwardness of the material does not take away from the critical sacredness of the tantric experience, but does break down the concepts into tangible ideas and practices.

The first K.I.S.S. approach of the DVD was wonderful in explaining the nature of life force energy, that is sexual in nature, and how to access it and use it in our daily lives to break down barriers, heal sexual wounds, increase awareness and presence, have more balance and satisfaction, harness sexual sustainment and empowerment, and an overall wholeness within ourselves. That may seem like an awful lot to get out of one DVD, but it really is possible if you remember to K.I.S.S.!

The DVD contains real couples and singles that are beginning their own tantric journey and the camera tags along to record their experiences. Dr. Elsbeth Meuth and Freddy Zental Weaver lead the group in breathing, meditation and movement exercises to get warmed up and connected with the present moment. Then, the participants are taught practices that can be used to increase the flow and longevity of life force or sexual energy that can be done alone or with a partner. There is space to grow emotionally, intimately and sexually when working with the practices on your own or with a partner, and does not involve doing “The Indian Headstand” (look it up) on the first try. Those looking for a way to have a deeper and more meaningful connection with ourselves, our bodies, and/or a lover can start here and take the first step on what is sure to be an enlightening journey.

This DVD is a great place to start!
http://www.tantranova.com/intimacy-tantra-products/intimacy-dvds.html

Lauren Zerbst, MSW, is a freelance writer living in Chicago, IL. She holds a Master’s degree in Social Work.

Review of TantraNova Man Show by Lauren Zerbst

2011-05-06T19:10:00.000-05:00

Everyone needs a hero. For ages boys and girls have looked up to Superman, Wonder Woman, firefighters, sports figures, and celebrities for inspiration. Heroes give us strength and courage to get through the day-to-day sufferings of life. They are role models for who we want to become when we grow up. When we do grow older, the action figures and posters of our heroes are often left in attics collecting dust. We may or may have grown into something like what our childhood heroes portrayed.

This weekend I was introduced to a new idea of a hero. The hero within. I discovered that we don’t need to look outside ourselves for a hero, but that each of us is a hero in ourselves that is on a personal quest. This idea was born out of a one-man show entitled TantraNova Man starring Freddy Zental Weaver. The show takes the audience on a journey through Freddy Zental’s own heroic journey to find creativity, joy, and pleasure in his life.

As the play opens, the audience sees the birth of intelligence, of the human form from the star dust of the universe. It is a beautiful and interpretive piece that leaves the audience eagerly anticipating what is to come. Through the show we look into defining moments of Freddy Zental’s life as his own heroic quest is played out for our entertainment and learning. We are first introduced to a curious young boy who hears his parents making love and are taken along as he strives to attain the loving, sexually charged energy of his first experience with sex. The quest includes a very comic recreation of his first orgasm, a vulnerable scene in which the audience sits with his aloneness during his parent’s divorce, his love of basketball, falling in and out of love, and the rejection of the corporate world to create something more meaningful in his life.

Through Freddy Zental’s own musical creations and well-timed jokes, the audience is brought together and feels a sense of “oneness” and togetherness. The story on stage is left to be interpretive and synthesized into the audience members’ own heroic journey. It is the opportunity to break out and transcend our “Samsara” or cycle of suffering and be in the adventure, be in the moment, be in the collective energy.

At the end of the performance, the energy in the room is fulfilling and peaceful, yet buzzing with inspiration and arousal. You can see the difference on the faces of everyone in the audience, each getting something unique for him/herself out of Freddy Zental’s story.

TantraNova Man is more than a show, it is an experience. It opens the earholes and hearts of everyone in the room and encourages them to find their creative energy. It gives birth to the hero in all of us so each member leaves with courage, strength, and connection to his/her own superpowers that will enable their own individual quests. Individually audience members are inspired, and together, through the message of oneness, the whole audience is enlightened. I highly recommend!!

Lauren is a writer in Chicago and is in the process of completing her Master’s Degree in Social Work at Loyola University

Sexual Intelligence: The Key to Fulfillment and Joy

2011-04-27T13:56:00.007-05:00

We usually speak about all kinds of intelligences such as I.Q., kinesthetic intelligence, emotional intelligence, etc. However, the term Sexual Intelligence isn’t very well known, nor is it something that is traditionally practiced and developed. When we refer to Sexual Intelligence, we are speaking of an awareness and cultivation of life force energy, or sexual energy (also known in Sanskrit as Kundalini energy). Let’s look at the concept of energy further in order to bring greater awareness to Sexual Intelligence.

Energy is an elusive phenomenon, as it relates to human energy. We are all quite familiar with electrical energy, and how it runs through the wires to light up the light bulb. We are also aware of frequencies and that cell phones utilize frequencies to operate, and without these frequencies we wouldn’t be able to talk to and hear each other. The same is true of our vocal cords; if our vocal cords couldn’t produce vibrations or frequencies then we wouldn’t receive the frequencies in our ear drums, which would then translate into the perception of sound in the brain. Just as electrical energy is essential in lighting the light, and frequencies are vital in communication, human energy is very essential—again, it is not something that we traditionally learn in high-school and college—because without it we would not be alive. At the source of all human energy is sexual energy which is the most powerful energy given that it brings forth life.

We are familiar with this kind of energy in a more subtle way. Within the Western world we become aware of this energy when it shows up in procreation, or when we are having sex. Sexual energy, however, can be much bigger, vaster, and more potent beyond the mere experience during sex. It is the creative energy that can be used to acquire whatever we want to create in our lives such as our health, well-being, relationship or relationships, endeavors, and/or careers.

How can you experience and move your sexual or life force energy throughout your body? To answer this, let’s explore it through an exercise:

Lie on your back on the floor or on a matt.
Exhale all the air, emptying yourself totally out until you are out of breath.
Take in a deep breath and feel the rise of your belly, followed by the chest.
Visualize your breath moving all the way up, to the top of your head.
On the exhalation send the breath from the top of the head all the way down, through your torso out of the base of your being into the floor.
Then again, take in a deep breath, from the bottom of your being all the way up to the top of your head. You may want to visualize filling yourself up and on the exhalation emptying yourself out all the way down through your torso and out of the base into the floor.
Then again take in a deep breath, filling yourself up all the way to the top of your head and then exhaling the breath all the way down and out of the base of your being.
Continue with this kind of breathing for another 5 to 6 times and once you are completed with the last deep breath continue in your own rhythm of breathing and notice how you feel right now, notice any sensations in your body, any energy movement, any tingling, just be present to yourself.

This exercise is one example of how to start moving energetic breath (or Prana as it’s called in Sanskrit) up and down the body or the spine. In a more advanced state a student who cultivates his or her sexual intelligence can move this aroused energy through the body from the bottom all the way up to the top, and from the top all the way down to the bottom. With that capability the experience of moving the sexual energy alters. The aroused energy no longer resides just in the sexual center, or the second charka, it actually emanates throughout the body which allows for greater sustainability of pleasure and joy as well as an involvement of the whole body. Frequently this kind of experience is referred to as whole body orgasms, which opens up the possibility for multiple orgasms. At another time, we will discuss how Sexual Intelligence plays itself out between two people.

Feel free to contact at us, either Dr. Elsbeth Meuth or Freddy Zental, at tantranova@tantranova.com with any questions or inquiries. www.tantranova.com

The Tiger Phenomenon – Chasing the Illusion

2009-12-23T00:31:00.006-06:00

Much has been written about Tiger Woods - ranging from psychological analysis to speculation to moralistic assessment. Blame has been placed: It was Tiger's fault; the mistresses were seductresses or his wife was the victim. Who was the predator or the prey? Tiger is from Mars, Elin is from Venus.

The question I'd like to pose is: What can we learn about our cultural conditioning regarding marriage, love, intimacy, fulfillment, happiness ....that is not unique to Tiger and his relationships but rather plays out as an archetypal structure of the human evolution.

Looking from the view of Quantum physics, where particles (or people) are electromagnetically interconnected, we could say that participants within a certain system like relationships, families, communities, organizations, etc., are interconnected. Nothing happens in isolation.

Translating this into Tiger's situation - the interconnectedness between all players becomes apparent: Each of them played their role according to their consciousness. The level of consciousness has to do with what we see or don't see about ourselves. The less I see about myself the more unconscious I am.

The most immediate test for identifying the level of one's consciousness lies in the observation of the results one's actions and behaviors produce. When breakdowns and suffering show up in our relationship(s) we know that those are indicators of unconsciousness. So, how can we shift from unconsciousness (blindness about oneself) to consciousness?

I call this form of blindness in relationship living in an illusion. One core illusion in the relational context is driven by a desire for being loved, approved of, or feeling satisfied. There is a sense of need or a needy feeling. The expectation is that the fulfillment of the desires is attained through someone, something or some circumstance. As long as the illusion remains obscured and unexamined the chase for fulfilling the desire sustains. Moments of excitement and high might be experienced in a fleeting way yet lasting happiness, joy and intimacy are unattainable.

However, there is no cheese down that tunnel. Fulfillment in sex, intimacy, love, relationship or marriage is not available through another or a circumstance. Fulfillment resides within - and that's the re-discovery for us as human beings. This re-discovery of an original state of being will open the possibility for bliss. And this bliss can then be shared with another versus longed for to be sourced by another.

The Tiger phenomenon is a reminder for where we are in our human evolution and a call to examine the illusions each of us might live in. We choose to what extent we are ready and willing to evolve. Frequently the reaching of a critical point of pain is the wake-up call overriding the long held need for secrecy or pretense. The signal could be the SUV hitting the fire hydrant in the early morning hours, the discovery of voice messages or finding out not to not be the only mistress.

Upon the wake-up call, all players - husband, wife and mistresses - have now a tremendous opportunity to evolve themselves according to their wish for consciousness and level of self-generated fulfillment they aspire towards. As a consequence of stepping out of illusion into consciousness, suffering within oneself and in relationship diminishes and ultimately disappears.

Dr. Elsbeth Meuth is an internationally renowned seminar leader, intimacy expert and relationship coach. She co-produced the best-selling DVD series Creating Intimacy & Love Creating Intimacy & Love., and is the co-founder and director of the TantraNova Institute in Chicago. Over the last decade she has assisted hundreds of couples and singles expand their intimate and love life. She and her partner were featured on Showtime’s documentary Sexual Healing.

To learn more about creating lasting intimacy go to www.tantranova.com

TantraNova at Kripalu

2009-11-29T11:33:00.014-06:00

Hello everybody - thankfulness and appreciation!

Well, it’s been a couple weeks since our first three day seminar retreat “Secrets to lasting intimacy” and “TantraNova Man” show at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. First of all … everything was fabulous. We were met at the airport upon our arrival by a wonderful driver who let us know if there was anything we needed just to please let him know. Yea, I remembered that I needed a basketball for a scene in my show -- and for sure in a couple of minutes he got me this little pink girl’s ball which worked beautifully.

At the check-in desk we were met by our program coordinator and her boss, then shown to our beautiful room with a great lake view. The grounds at Kripalu are absolutely breath taking. If you haven’t visited there yet then put it on your list of things to do in 2010.

Shortly after getting situated in our room we were introduced to our seminar assistant and taken to the session space… it was very spacious, chairs for 30 participants set up, a great sound system, and more. The three-day seminar retreat was an absolute success all around: there were openings, breakthroughs and aha moments! It felt like the nine years of Elsbeth's and my teaching all came together in one synergistic time capsule at Kripalu!

Saturday was a long teaching day and very rewarding! That evening I had the opportunity to perform my TantraNova Man show. Once again we were assigned a, A/V specialist to see us through… he had a wonderful way with people and lots of sound experience. We couldn’t have done the show without his technical assistance.

We were set up to do the show in their new annex building absolutely beautiful, wooden floors great lighting the perfect space. There were 200 people in attendance, lots of laughs, and the message of the show opened things up for people. People came up after the show saying that the show reminded them of why they came to Kripalu in the first place: rediscovering peace, the creative Self within and an intimate familiarity with intimacy!

My personal experience of doing the show is that when I am in front of a group of people there is a tremendous opportunity to transform space and distance and connect to the power of the oneness.

We are looking forward to teaching and performing at Kripalu again sometime in the future!

Love & Light, Zental

TantraNova Man Show

2009-11-17T12:09:00.015-06:00

Aloha this is Zental!

Over this last year I've had the opportunity to travel around the country performing my one-man show "TantrNova Man"! One of the things I see is the relevance of this story to many of the people in the audiences. It has reassured me that there is something in the show that resonates in all of us....life force energy!

I named myself Zental about four years ago, it came out of the moments that I embody the highest ideals of our TantraNova practices and teachings, conscious and a full belly breath, present to this very moment of now not in my mind's illusion of a memory, a future plan, or an opinion about what's happening ... mindless consciousness creativity and joy as a way of being.

Zental is a character in my TantraNova Man show who is a Tantra teacher in Africa who in the storyline gives me my first exposure to learning how to draw on sexual energy as a pathway to creativity and joy as a fundamental way of living and being in all areas of life. The show starts with my life at the age of five through the current, good times and bad, it is a hero's journey searching for the secrets to sexual intelligence.

The show is entertaining,humorous, and full of songs and drumming at the same time educating...I like to call it edutainment ideally opening up a new possibility for the uninitiated and inspiring those who are more familiar with the path of consciousness through sexual awareness. What is new about sexual intelligence as I share it in the show is the systemic relationship of creativity and joy that is a primordial fundamental piece to sexual energy. And that one can learn practices of consciousness, focus and intention that will manifest more creativity and joy in areas of life that seemed completely unrelated to sex. One can become more intimately familiar with intimacy ... trusting what feels good and right emotionally, mentally, energetically and physically in work, life and love... allowing a fuller unique expression and contribution in the world not totally buying into the left brain rationalize suffering mind, like "well that's the way it is and there's nothing I can do".

We all have the potential to make a difference in this evolving humanity that we are ... begin and continue to make yours.
With an Open Heart, Zental

What’s Happiness got to do with it ... women, life and pleasure? Try the Tantric Approach!!!

2009-10-05T20:05:00.017-05:00

The illusiveness of happiness! What a rat race to find it and then if you were lucky to get it how to keep it. Marcus Buckingham’s research and findings in HuffPost based on his paper "The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness" inspired me to reflect on my own progression in life to happiness and on the happiness of the hundreds of women I have worked with over the past 10 years as an intimacy and relationship coach.

What’s happiness anyway? The older I have grown the happier I have become. And that does not just have to do with that I now own a business, making a difference in the lives of women and men, and being in the most inspiring relationship with my Beloved and business partner. That’s rather a result of something else.

After all happiness is a state of being! And how did I arrive at that state of being? For me this occurred through two major life experiences that awoke me to that state: One experience had to do with “accepting “what is” at the present moment and declaring that I choose to be happy which I learned through Buddhist meditation at Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village. That philosophy is totally in line with what Buckingham identifies in his findings: “The women who could answer positively to the questions [regarding happiness] …, simply decided that they were going to be happy. They made that choice.”

The other experience had to do with “weaving” or Tantra. O.K. – what did I learn about weaving? It was about reintegrating my feminine with my masculine or the yin with the yang that is frequently out of balance for women living in this time and age. Most of us have learned to develop our masculine side that is required to compete and make it in the world. Great capacity to have! However, if my feminine got dwarfed because of the dominant orientation towards achieving in the worldly dimension I am just not whole any longer.

Here is what Tantra-Kundalini.com says about the feminine and masculine: ”According to the philosophy of Tantra, the entire universe is a manifestation of pure consciousness. In manifesting the universe, this pure consciousness seems to become divided into two poles or aspects, neither of which can exist without the other.

One aspect, Shiva, is masculine, retains a static quality and remains identified with unmanifested consciousness. Shiva has the power to be but not the power to become or change. The other aspect, Shakti, is feminine, dynamic, energetic and creative. Shakti is the Great Mother of the universe, for it is from her that all form is born.

According to Tantra, the human being is a miniature universe. All that is found in the cosmos can be found within each individual, and the same principles that apply to the universe apply in the case of the individual being.”

The aspects of feminine and masculine show up in women just as they do in men. However, they are not merely to be considered as gender qualifications. To illuminate the principles further take a look at this chart and locate yourself on the right or left in various areas of your life: family, intimate relationship, work and career, body, hobbies, etc:

Masculine / Feminine
Creative Focus / Creative flow
Purposeful presence / Open and connected
Desire for truth / Desire for sourcing and sustaining
Oriented towards vision and goals / Oriented towards love and care
In one’s mind and focused / In one’s emotions & flow
Emotion of compassion / Emotion of trust & gratitude
Looking at life from the outside / Looking at things from within
Fear of failure in life / Fear of rejection & loss of love
Work before intimacy / Intimacy before work
Doing Being / Giving Receiving

Reintegrating the feminine with the masculine, the spiritual with the sensuous, the body with the soul, the giving with the receiving wholeness shows up. Experiencing wholeness is the source of feeling pleasure, joy and yes, HAPPINESS!!! It’s up to each woman to return to that wholeness. The tantric practice provides a guide to that wholeness as shown by transformative shifts in many women who have worked with me here at TantraNova.

Looking forward to your comments and thoughts abut this topic of happiness! Elsbeth

Sex Magic - Fuel your Dreams into Reality

2009-09-04T07:41:00.008-05:00

Sex Magic! What is it? How does it work? Actually, does it really work? It's been talked about and practiced in some places on the globe for millennia. Yet what relevance and implications does it have for us today?

I came across sex magic in the context of my tantric studies and teacher training a number of years ago. That is when I learned about the power of sexual energy as creative force and how to cultivate and channel that energy. I learned to marry my orgasmic energy with an intention to manifest what I wanted to bring into reality.

The business of creating our reality has been of course brought into the spot light via the popularization of the "Law of Attraction" through the movie "The Secret" as promoted by modern success leaders such as Jack Canfield, Abraham Hicks, Joe Vitale, and many others. While these leaders teach about how to direct desire and raise emotional vibration in order to achieve one's goal, they don't speak, however, "to the power of sexual desire used to fuel to have our wildest dreams come true. This is the secret beyond the secret: sex magic", as my colleagues and friends, Baba Dez Nichols and Kamala Devi, wrote in their book "Sexual Healing: The Shaman Method of Sex Magic."

So let's look more deeply at what's meant by sex magic. Baba Dez' and Kamala's take on it is that "... sex magic is a spiritual practice that uses sexual desire to manifest tangible effect in the physical world. One of the most powerful experiences that we have as human beings is orgasmic energy, and if we can pair it with intent, then we can direct the most powerful manifesting force available on earth."

Let's listen to another master in the field of sex magic - she wrote a whole book on it, called "The Art of Sexual Magic". The author of course is Margo Anand, one of the pioneers of the modern Tantra movement in the West. She writes: "... basic principles of sexual magic [are]: generating sexual energy as a fuel, or power, for making magic and realizing your personal goals. ..... by planting the seeds of your deepest desires in states of heightened orgasm you create the alchemy through which they become reality....."

In this post I'd like to offer a practical approach to Sex Magic so you at home can explore via solo or partner practice as you see fit. The steps I am suggesting here for your sex magic ritual apply to both, doing the practice by yourself or with your partner.

Here we go:
1. Create a space where you are undisturbed for an hour. This is a time is for you to cherish yourself and your partner. Make this a sacred ritual: set the room up with candles and flowers; have your favorite music playing supporting a serene and meditative space.

2. Come into conscious breathing in a sitting position. The breath allows energy to flow effortlessly throughout your body and between partners. The breath assists in channeling your sexual energy in the sex magic ritual. (To learn more about conscious breathing you may want to check out TantraNova's Foundational Practices CD). If you are with your partner breathe together in a synchronized way.

3. Set an intention! Reflect on what you'd like to create in your life, work, family, intimate relationship with yourself or with your partner. Give yourself time to become clear. Listen to each other intentions if you are sharing this experience with your partner. Acknowledge any concern, fears or discomfort you may experience. By acknowledging what's there for you often lessens the charge. This allows for a sense of being heard and feeling safe.

4. To raise your energy lie down and come back to conscious breathing. Breathe your energy from your sexual center up to your crown center on the inhalation and back down and out again on the exhalation. Touch yourself or each other to arouse your senses and energy. Keep listening to yourself and to each other. Keep breathing while circulating your energy within yourself as well as with your partner.

5. Let the orgasmic energy flow without climaxing. While riding the wave of orgasmic flow and joy call in your intention of what you'd like to create in your life. Imbue your intention with your orgasmic life force energy. Stay in that flow as long as you like and can. The ritual is particularly powerful if you don't climax. This way the energy gets channeled into your creation.

6. Slow down! Come to stillness! Keep breathing and circulating within or with your partner.

7. Upon completion acknowledge to yourself or share with your partner how you feel and what's shown up for you.

To learn more about conscious breathing and circulating sexual energy you may want to check out TantraNova's Foundational Practice CD and The Discovery of Sexual-Spiritual Connection DVD

Any comments, thoughts, questions? Scroll down and use the Comment section to connect. We'd love to engage with you! Dr. Elsbeth Meuth or Freddy Zental at TantraNova.com

Follow Dr. Elsbeth Meuth and Freddy Zental Weaver on Twitter

Secrets to Lasting Intimacy: Ancient Tantric Wisdom transforms Modern Love

2009-09-03T18:17:00.002-05:00

Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, North American Quodoshka, and others, hold secrets to creating fulfilling love and intimacy that are not known to the Western world. One of these ancient traditions is Tantra which was born over 5000 years ago in East India and practiced by people that called themselves tantriks or tantrikas. You might wonder “What is it and how does it work?”

Here is a taste of what it’s all about: In the Western world we look at our bodies, relationships and life in a way that is often compartmentalized. For example, we think of sexuality being separate from spirituality – as manifested in our bodies and our practices. In Tantra a possibility is offered that teaches how to integrate one’s sexual with one’s spiritual energies. This allows for a divine experience with oneself and ultimately with a partner. Rediscovering our innate energies that are sexual-spiritual in nature we then are able to express ourselves more fully – free from constraints and habitual patterns, e.g., shame, guilt, fear, suppression or obsession. And this in turn allows us to experience our full potential of pleasure and creativity.

In learning about Tantra many years ago I experienced a big opening namely the connection and integration of my pleasure self with my divine being. This rediscovery is one of the fundamental breakthroughs Tantra offers and now I witness these breakthroughs in our students at the TantraNova Institute all the time.

How does it happen? In the TantraNova approach we use the breath, energy awareness, meditation and healing practices with disciplines based in human development, generative language and creative self discovery. The breath is the key to activate and move energy including aroused energy. Through specific breathing exercises you can learn to connect the lower energy centers (related to feeling centered and save as well as pleasure and joy) with the higher energy centers (related to feeling love and spiritual connection). To get a first hand experience of “energetic flow” try this solo practice:

Sit in a comfortable position
- Take in a deep breath and feel your belly rising on the inhalation and falling on the exhalation.
- Put your right hand on your belly below your navel (this is your creative energy center), and your left hand in the middle of your chest (this is your heart or love energy center).
- Take in a deep breath, expanding your belly into your right hand and then breathe up into your chest into your left hand.
- On the inhalation feel your energetic breath moving from your right hand on the “Creation Center” up into your left hand on the “Heart Center”
- On the exhalation visualize sending the energetic breath from your “Heart Center”, the left hand, down into your “Creation Center”, the right hand.
- Continue in this breathing pattern for eight breaths
- Slowly take your hands off and let them rest in your lap.
- Stay with your breath and the connection between your Creation and Heart centers. Notice how you feel right now.
- Come back by opening your eyes.

Creating intimacy has all to do with being aware of where desire originates from. Tantric tradition holds that men and women approach sex and intimate relationships in fundamentally different ways. For men, sexual energy originates in the sexual center, while for women it originates in the heart. The result is a big disconnect: He’s feeling it here, she is feeling it there, and eventually no one’s feeling it anywhere. Tantra comes to the rescue by helping you get on the same wavelength.

Therefore we teach men to channel and master their sexual energy by integrating their sexual with their heart energy. Thus they become present and available to more deeply connecting with themselves and their partner. Women learn how to open their heart so their sensual intimate self can receive and trust.

We are all full of sexual energy – it’s our life force energy, also called chi in the Tao tradition and Kundalini in the tantric tradition. It’s our most profound life source – part of what created us, and the key to helping us achieve our dreams, including better relationships. Unfortunately, most of us have no idea what to do with that energy. The tantric practice allows us to learn how to use our sexual creative energy as a doorway to our most intimate spiritual, emotional and physical selves.

Update from Dr E

2008-07-20T15:14:00.000-05:00

It’s been a while that we communicated on our TantraNova blog. We have been busy with teaching workshops in Orange County and San Diego, with completing our 6-month Level I Certification program with a phenomenal group of students, with lots of workshops here in Chicago and last not least with Freddy Z’s one-man show that enjoyed a packed house at the Institute last night.

While TantraNova is growing, I (Elsbeth) need to grow as well: More projects, more people and more tasks to coordinate and manage. I have been getting a lot of assistants from Kristin who has been working with us in the administration area of the business for the last year. Her support has been freeing me up to focus more on business development and marketing.

I am thrilled about our new offering of practice class series – both available at the Institute as well as a Tele-class. Co-leading the classes allows me the enjoyment of weekly practicing in community. It’s fabulous – for 1.0 or 1.5 hours I get the opportunity along with the students to come to stillness, get more connected with myself and others in the class, and feel my energy and aliveness running through me.

And then we have all these new ideas that are on the drawing board for 2009:

o Freddy Z is in the process of developing his TantraNova Theater Workshop that will be available to the public in October and then he’ll take it around the country to different cities along with his moving and breath-taking TantraNova Man: An Experiential Show.

o Very soon we’ll let you know about our NEW magnificent TantraNova vacation retreat in Costa Rica that is being planned for early March 2009.

o Our Advanced & Certification program starting mid March of 2009 will have a new structure conducive to students from all across the USA. Check it out at TantraNova Certification Program.

You probably can tell that I live and breathe TantraNova. Bringing forth the wholeness and well-being of sexual-spiritual connection within and another is most important to me. I am so fortunate to have this wonderful man Freddy Z by my side who creates with me, who supports and encourages me and who resonates with me in my/our life intentions and dreams.

I am thrilled that we together can support you and others in their journey to greater wholeness and intimate well-being in themselves and their relationships.

Thanks for traveling the road with us, Elsbeth

Freddy Zental's Breakthrough Performance

2008-06-03T17:35:00.003-05:00

Zental here. About a month ago Elsbeth and I had the honor of being presenters at the Eighth Annual Tantra Practitioners Conference in Sedona, Arizona. We opened the conference with a presentation on how we came to create TantraNova, why we do what we do and with sharing video clips from the Showtime Special “Sexual Healing” which we were a part of in 2006. The audience was so appreciative and loved what they saw happening for the couples on the show. If you haven’t seen the clips yet please go TantraNova on "SHOWTIME". It’s a wonderful illustration of what shows up when we drop into our hearts and connect with each other while we bring consciousness and focus to our sexual energy and being.

For the close of the conference I had the privilege of performing TantraNova Man: An Experiential Show , my one-man show. I experienced a huge breakthrough in my performance: This was the first time that I did the show in front of an audience of 200 people on a hi-tech professional stage and the first time traveling with the show outside of Chicago. Even if I say so myself … I felt it was the best performance I had ever given. My singing, presence, dramatic expression and moment–to- moment improv were at an all time high! I reached a whole new level … receiving a standing ovation. I am thrilled and excited!

So … perhaps I will be in your town soon doing the TantraNova Man show. Or if you are planning a visit to Chicago please join us on July 19^th for my next show there. Until then … Love & Light, Zental

For further information and questions email us at tantranova@tantranova.com or go to www.TantraNova.com

Stay in the Practice - Connect with Others

2008-04-23T23:07:00.001-05:00

Here is something brand new at TantraNova. It’s about a regular TantraNova Yoga class for our students. Some of you had inquired about this kind of ongoing practice class that is different from our monthly seminars, intro workshops or certification programs.

Just as Freddy Zental and I have our regular workout practices – like going to yoga class, doing resistance training or cardio, taking walks by the lake or meditating – we thought of how to create such a regular practice class for our students.

Voila! That inspired us to create our new bi-monthly practice class here at the TantraNova Institute. The class is designed to get grounded in and stay with the foundational TantraNova practices that assist you in energy awareness and flow, conscious breathing and pelvic floor strengthening, all which are so essential in integrating our spiritual, emotional and sexual being. Of course, there will be exercises and conversations that guide you in how to bring all of that into your daily life and relationship(s).

Bi-Weekly TantraNova Yoga Practice Classes at the Institute:

The class will meet every other week at the TantraNova Institute in Chicago - starting in May. To attend the class you will need to have completed one of our workshops or private programs. The 2-hour intro workshop or an introductory private session suffices to qualify!!!

Bi-Weekly TantraNova Yoga Practice Tele-Classes:

Starting in the summer we will offer bi-weekly TantraNova practice Tele-classes. With access to a phone you will be able to participate in these classes from wherever you may be in the country or the world.

Look for more details on these new class offerings in your email box in coming days!

For further information and questions email us at tantranova@tantranova.com or go to www.TantraNova.com

Keep your Yoni Alive and Well!

2008-04-10T17:37:00.002-05:00

This blog is dedicated to women – and the men who care about them!

It’s Dr E here. I’d like to introduce you to the “Yoni Egg” today. Yoni is a Sanscrit word that means “Sacred Space” and stands for a woman’s sexual center. The sound of “Sacred Space” expresses much more the sense of honoring and cherishing than our clinical term vagina does.

Building on the “Want more joy, pleasure and peace in your life and relationships?” blog from last week we want to continue emphasizing the relevance of having strong pelvic floor muscles. And here is where the Yoni Egg comes in: It allows you to enliven and keep your Yoni alive. It assists in developing and maintaining a strong, vital PC Muscle, which is paramount to a healthy pelvic floor. By strengthening your PC Muscle with your Yoni Egg inserted while you use the breath to move the energy through your body (see blog from 4/1/08 for guided practice) you will:

1. Feel more grounded and centered in yourself

2. Be more in tune with your sensuous capacity

3. Massage your Yoni from the inside

4. Increase your flow of sexual hormones

5. Develop stronger orgasms

6. Heighten the responsiveness of your G-Spot

7. Maintain healthy reproductive organs

8. Prevent incontinence in later years

9. Experience pleasant aliveness in your feminine center

You already can tell that training your Yoni muscle with the aid of the Egg creates a whole new octave of a sense of groundedness in your feminine being, of expanded sensual experience and ultimately sexual ecstasy with sensations that are deliciously pleasurable.

The Yoni Egg is made from rose quartz - a polished gemstone. It comes in a sari pouch in various colors with instructions. You insert the Egg covered with some lube to make the passage smooth. Once the Egg is inside your Yoni it’s being held in by the vaginal sphincter muscle. The Egg cannot disappear in your womb – the tiny opening of the cervix won’t allow for that. So you can rest assured that the Egg stays well enveloped in your Yoni space. You can leave it inserted for an hour or a whole day – as I do at times – depending on your comfort. Keep squeezing and releasing every so often. Once you want to take the Egg out just press with your pelvic floor muscle like you do during a bowel movement. It’ll flop out – catch it in your hand.

For further information and questions email us at tantranova@tantranova.com. To purchase a Yoni Egg call 773-525-5006. www.TantraNova.com

For TantraNova Women’s programs go to Women's Seminar & Class Series

Want more joy, pleasure and peace in your life and relationships?

2008-04-01T00:17:00.001-05:00

Here is one of the key secrets: Connect with your life force energy and ground yourself in your pelvic floor. It’s the place of the base center or root Chakra.

Activating your pelvic floor muscles (the Pubococcygeus or Love Muscle) coordinated with the breath will do wonders for you. Fear of survival, worrying about the future, being afraid of not being good enough reside as constricted energies in the first Chakra. When we release those energies we come back to the ground of our being.

The following practice will assist you in this process by increasing the flexibility and strength of your pelvic musculature, releasing tension in the sphincter muscle and activating your life force energy that emanates from the base of the spine.

Sit in a comfortable position on a chair or meditation cushion – close your eyes.

- In order to locate the PC muscle, squeeze your pelvic floor as if you were holding back the urination. Then release the muscle. Repeat this for a few times and then relax the muscle – all the way
- Now, take in a deep breath filling your belly like a big balloon. On the exhalation visualize sending the breath down and out of your butt into the cushion of your chair
- Fabulous!
- Now take a deep breath in filling your belly, chest and all the way up to the top of your head. On the exhalation squeeze and release your PC muscle for several times to the bottom of your exhalation
- Then breathe in filling your torso from the bottom all the way up to the top of your head – if you can keep squeezing and releasing your PC muscle on the inhalation do so
- On the exhalation speak out loud while working your PC muscle: Squeeze – release, squeeze release, and so forth until you arrive at the bottom of your exhalation
- Keep going with this practice for a total of 6 inhalations and exhalations
- Then relax the muscle all the way and continue in your own rhythm of breathing
- With your eyes closed notice how you are feeling in the area where you were squeezing and releasing
- Upon completion open your eyes

Enjoy and have fun with it!!!

If you’d prefer to be guided by a real voice through this practice you may like our audio CD depicting the pelvic floor muscle practice amongst other TantraNova practices. It’s available on www.TantraNova.com at DVDs & CDs

SPECIAL VALENTINE'S GIFT: Partner Spooning Audio Recording

2008-02-15T11:32:00.001-06:00

Enjoy this Valentine's gift from Elsbeth and Freddy Zental where we share a special connecting practice intended to create balance and harmony between you and your partner.

Here is how the practice goes:

Right-click (mac users command-click) and select 'Save Target As...' on the link below to save this mp3 audio to your computer.

Download this audio file now

To learn more about TantraNova, their seminars in Chicago and Orange County, California, go to http://www.tantranova.com or call 773-525-5006.

Spooning: Harmonizing Energies & Moods

2008-02-03T23:03:00.000-06:00

Here is a Valentine’s gift for you and your partner. The purpose of this connecting practice is to create balance and harmony, to influence the synchronicity between you and your partner and to come into resonance with each other.

Here is how the practice goes:

The couple lays together spoon-fashion on their left side (for reasons of energy flow). The receiver on the inside is enveloped in the arms of the giver on the outside. The giver, holding the receiver, has his/her right hand rest on the receiver’s lower belly (Creation Chakra) and his/her left arm under the receiver’s neck.

Synchronized breathing:

As you lie together, close your eyes and relax. Quiet your mind by focusing on deep breathing together. Breathing into your nose down your throat into your lungs and extending into your belly.

Become aware of your partners breath.

Inhale together and exhale together. When inhaling, visualize receiving energy into your Creation Chakra from your partner’s Creation Center and when exhaling send energy from your Creation Center into your partner’s Creation Center.

Follow this pattern for four breaths.

Then the giver places his/her hand on the receiver’s Heart Center. When inhaling, visualize receiving energy into your Heart Center from your partner’s Heart Center and when exhaling send energy from your Heart Center into your partner’s Heart Center.

Follow this pattern for four breaths.

Then the giver places his/her finger tips with a light touch on the receiver’s Third Eye Center. When inhaling,visualize receiving energy into your Third Eye Center from your partner’s Third Eye Center and when exhaling send energy from your Third Eye Center into your partner’s Third Eye Center.

Follow this pattern for four breaths.

Now switch roles.

Once you have completed this practice look at each other and share your experience with each other.

To learn more about TantraNova, their seminars in Chicago and their upcoming Valentine’s Weekend Retreat for Couples and Individuals in Newport Beach, CA, on February 15-17, 2008 go to http://www.tantranova.com or call 773-525-5006.

Valentine’s Prep: Discover the Secrets to Lasting Intimacy

2008-01-06T23:25:00.000-06:00

As you may know we are going to Newport Beach, CA, in February to lead a 3-Day Valentine’s Retreat. It’s all about discovering the secrets to lasting intimacy. And we are excited (both Freddy Zental and Elsbeth). Our regional coordinator, Ayanna, has been doing a phenomenal job in organizing the event and spreading the word in Southern California.

By the way have you ever considered your intimacy or love conditioning? It’s already ingrained in your subconscious and if you want to make any changes to this conditioning it's essential to recognize what it is set for. Is it set for fulfillment and total satisfaction or neediness and lack of intimate connection? Is it set for struggle or ease, high or low libido, consistent or inconsistent sexual pleasure, picking winning or loosing relationships or partners? Unfortunately your current conditioning will stay with you for the rest of your life, unless you identify it and change it.

With this in mind we created this Valentine's retreat so that women and men can enter new realms of intimate connection and fulfillment. Whatever your conditioning may be, you will be enabled in this retreat to unleash your full capacity for intimate connection and joy with yourself and your partner, rekindle your passion, and rejuvenate your body and spirit. This is what you will learn in a safe, respectful and joyous environment:

How to create fulfillment, joy and pleasure in your relationship and life
How to rediscover the source of your creative energy
How to let go of blocks that prevent you from getting what you want

We at TantraNova hold that men and women approach sexual and intimate relationships in fundamentally different ways. For men, the feeling for love connection originates in his sexual center, while for women it originates in the heart center. The result is a big disconnect: He’s feeling it here, she is feeling it there, and eventually no one’s feeling it anywhere. TantraNova helps connect men and women to themselves and to each other and discover the magical connection that allows them to open up and fully be themselves. The outcome is an experience of:

How to rediscover the source of your creative energy
How to let go of blocks that prevent you from getting what you
Deeper intimacy and love
Rediscovered aliveness and spontaneity in your relationship
Joy and play in relationship for the woman
Revived vigor for the man
Connection with your creative energy
New ways to be with yourself and another
Harmony and balance
Expanded pleasure in your work and family
Integration of your spiritual and sexual being

To learn more about their upcoming Valentine’s Weekend Retreat for Couples and Individuals in Newport Beach, CA, on February 15-17, 2008, go to http://www.tantranova.com or call Ayanna Mojica, Regional Coordinator, at 949-395-3359.

Honoring the Divine Within: Creating Deeper Intimacy

2007-12-09T23:27:00.000-06:00

At TantraNova we have a tradition of celebrating the Holiday Season by inviting our community from near and far to our Holiday Puja Party. It’s this time of year again and we, Dr. E and Freddy Z, want to share with you about this great gathering of guests we had here at the TantraNova Institute in Chicago last night.

You may wonder what a Puja Party is. Puja is a Sanskrit word. Its meaning originates from ancient Buddhism and Hinduism. According to Wikipedia, puja means “expressions of honor, worship, devotional attention. Acts of puja include bowing, making offerings and chanting. These devotional acts are generally performed daily at home (either in the morning or evening or both) as well as during communal festivals.”

We at TantraNova have taken parts of the original idea of the puja traditions and created a Puja Party with the theme of “honoring the Divine within oneself and within another”. Our Puja Party last night was a Holiday celebration and our guests showed up in festive and inspiring clothes. It was a joyous and most delightful occasion since all of us got to connect with old and new friends. We enjoyed aphrodisiac foods that were prepared by raw food chefs Yvonne Washington and Bonita Kindle. It was a most delicious feast.

Freddy Zental created an engaging medley of dance music and we had a blast watching fabulous moves and individual expressive styles on the dance floor.

The center piece of the party constituted a Puja ritual which is a practice with an inner circle facing the outer circle. It’s a kind of musical chair game where the inner circle moves to the left after they connected with a person in the outer circle. Elsbeth and Freddy Zental lead the Puja ritual giving different directions at each station of the circle.

The ritual is designed to support you in becoming more present to the moment and to yourself. This in turn supports you in becoming more present to the person that stands across from you in the Puja circle. When fully present you bring focus to acknowledging the Divine within yourself and within the person you are facing at each of the Puja stations.

You can tell by all of our blog entries over the past few months that everything centers on being and becoming more present. Once you become more present you can connect more deeply with yourself as well as with another. This is at the very core of creating lasting intimacy in your life and relationships.

For further info on TantraNova and to learn more about creating lasting intimacy and love go to http://www.tantranova.com

Gifting - The Giving of Pleasure

2007-12-03T00:02:00.000-06:00

This is the season for giving. I (Elsbeth) have been reflecting on the meaning and customs of giving in our culture. I experience this time often as a bitter–sweet event. However recently I declared to myself to be joyous, at peace and delighted in gifting without rushing around and hectic moments.

So, when Freddy Zental asked me for private time together – a time when we don’t work or discuss business, a time that is truly for the two of us alone, I accepted with delight. We set aside Saturday morning to create a Healing Ritual together.

As many of you know from working with us in seminars and private programs, feeling connected and intimate originates from a deep listening to oneself and one’s partner. The Healing Rituals we practice and teach allow cultivating that kind of listening. One crucial dimension for this listening is the establishing of the giver and receiver roles.

I prepared myself for the ritual by choosing to be the giver with the intention to support Freddy Zental further in his recovery from surgery. Setting up the room, getting his favorite lotion and crèmes, turning on the heating pad for sustained warmth underneath the sheet (after all we do live in Chicago!) and drawing the shades for soothing light I felt anticipation and joy.

Then Freddy Z arrived and received – so appreciative and open. His body could let go, his energies could flow and his Being dropped into a state of peace and pleasure. It was truly a healing and flowing experience, a re-awakening of his body, heart and spirit.

Yes, this kind of gifting we both treasure. And mutually we agreed to make time for more of these kinds of Holiday presents.

For further info on TantraNova and to learn more about the Healing Rituals and Practices go to http://www.tantranova.com

The Healing Powers of the Breath

2007-11-19T00:24:00.000-06:00

Freddy Zental here – I am speaking to you after colon surgery I underwent last Monday. For the duration of the surgery I was put completely under anesthesia for a couple of hours. When I resurfaced I found myself with a catheter in my bladder and an intravenous dripper for feeding and hydration, antibiotics and pain medication. I felt so out of it, drowsy, dizzy and sick to my stomach. However soon into my hospital stay they also provided me with a breathing device to assist in strengthening my lungs after the artificial breathing support with a tube during surgery.

There was nothing of the usual distractions – like food, walking around, talking on the phone, being on the computer, working out. Taking moment by moment I went inside. For 24 hours I kept focusing on my breathing expanding my belly as much the stitches in my colon and belly allowed. That kept me present. The breath was my bridge between my body and my soul, between the physical pain and staying peaceful.

Within 24 hours I was up and walking – with my machinery of feeding and pain killing devices on my arm – down the corridor of the hospital floor. The walking and the conscious breathing kept my circulation going.

Something that might seem horrible, painful and confining showed up for me as coming to peace in myself no matter the circumstances. The breath once again saw me through. I returned to stillness.

BREATHING PRACTICE

Here is a breathing practice I do frequently by myself and teach in my private sessions and group workshops. I am offering this to you so you can come back to stillness and peace within:

- Sit comfortably on a chair or a cushion on the floor

- Place your right hand on your abdomen on the navel area

- Take in a deep breath and let your belly expand into your hand

- On the exhalation notice the falling of your belly

- When you are ready take in a deep breath again notice your belly expanding into your hand

- Exhale deeply and feel your belly falling and letting go

- Continue in this pattern of breathing for 15 – 20 breaths

- Then remove your hand and follow the wave of your breath coming and going - notice your belly rising with the inhalation and falling with the exhalation

- Stay with yourself for a moment longer and notice how you and your body feel now

Write us at tantranova@tantranova.com with further questions or thoughts on the breath, how it works and what difference it could make in your life. For further info on TantraNova go to http://www.tantranova.com