About White Tantra

And it has nothing to do with sex!

In recent years, Wim and I have regularly done a day of white tantra yoga (White Tantric Yoga®) . In France with more than 2000 people on warm summer days during the kundalini yoga festival and recently, in February 2020, in Hamburg. White tantra is an ancient group meditation that can help you release subconscious blockages and heal your body and soul. It is a special experience with a long "after-effect".

When I talk about it in yoga classes I notice the interest and the questions it raises and that is why I am now writing an extensive blog about what white tantra yoga is and what my experience is. Furthermore, I have asked a number of participants of white tantra yoga to share their experiences and I have also included these personal and honest stories (thank you for that!)

Wim and I during the White Tantra day in Hamburg in 2020.

The Challenge of White Tantra

White tantra yoga challenges you on many levels. One of the most important is to sit cross-legged on the floor all day; knee to knee with the white-clad people next to you and an arm's length away from your tantra partner. (Ever thought you had too little space during a yoga class? Try white tantra and you'll be grateful for every inch next to your mat :)

The daily routine is the next big challenge; practicing six or eight consecutive yoga meditations of 31 or 62 minutes (with breaks, thankfully) and of varying difficulty. These are instructed by Yogi Bhajan himself, projected on a video screen (pre-recorded before his passing for all White Tantras).

On a personal note: Devotion to a person is not for me and I have learned to look beyond Yogi Bahjan to what his lessons and teachings mean to me.

The group meditations of White Tantra Yoga

The meditations vary as does the spectrum of yoga exercises. The basis is a mantra or a silent meditation, you look into the eyes of your partner (usually) or with closed eyes. In addition, there are the mudras; the hand gestures.

In February in Hamburg we held our thumbs pressed against our partner's thumbs for 62 minutes while singing a mantra. Sometimes you sit back to back to sing a mantra and feel the vibration of the mantra in your back. We whispered a mantra for 62 minutes, which seemed so easy at first, but my throat soon became dry and hoarse. Nothing is what it seems.. because is a 62 minute meditation by definition "difficult"?

The power and energy of the group and your partner ensure that you continue. If resistance slowly creeps up, through my thoughts into my body with voices such as: "I can't keep this up" and "what am I doing here" .. "what a stupid thing" .. then I send my thoughts with the counter question: "What if I can't keep this up, what can I keep up in my life?" Yes, what if it really comes down to it in my life, when the sh**t hits the fan, the moments that we know will pass (by) in this life, what then? Then this is peanuts! It gives me stamina and caliber. The white tantra meditations make me feel more grounded, more resistant to a blow, but without armor.

Experiences with White Tantra

On the day itself everything is well organised and the atmosphere is friendly, supportive and uplifting.

Sylvia writes about her experience with White Tantra in London:

" On January 24th I left for London, and on January 25th I stood (a bit nervous) in my beautiful white outfit, including turban in the queue in front of the doors of Town Hall in Kensington. (A beautiful old town hall, and a nice location). We were not the first, there were already about 50 yogis in the queue, and behind us another 450 followed! I found it very special to see all these yogis patiently and relaxed, waiting their turn, until our registration forms were scanned, and we received a wristband for participation. There was a very nice quiet atmosphere, people were chatting, but in a soft, almost whispering tone. In all kinds of languages, but everyone understood each other. When we were led inside, it went in such good harmony,  Everyone found a place to put their things, no pushing, just relaxed!"

How does white tantra yoga work?

This meditation and yoga technique uses the collective energy of a few hundred (or a thousand) people, who sit in long rows opposite each other. During the meditations you take specific positions and sing mantras. It is a partner meditation; you sit opposite yourself or a partner. In order to use the energy of the rows, it is important that they are not interrupted; if you need to go to the toilet or can't hold on any longer (for a while), you raise your hand and a monitor will come and take your place.

White Tantra (White Tantric Yoga®) should not be confused with Black Tantra or Red Tantra. These forms of yoga also transform energy, but in a different way and for different purposes. Black Tantric directs the energy to manipulate another human being, and Red Tantric directs the energy only for sexual purposes. White Tantra is there to raise your consciousness and experience a universal sense of unity within yourself and the world.

During white tantra, all participants wear white clothing and a white headdress. Why white? Wearing white clothing strengthens your aura and your magnetic field. White contains all the colours of the spectrum. It also ensures that you are careful with your clothing (and yourself!) because it is more sensitive to stains.

Wearing a turban (or a hat or scarf) gives a sense of control and focus while practicing yoga or doing work that requires clarity of thought. It literally helps to 'keep your head together'.

Do we do white tantra in yoga classes? No. Never. We do a partner meditation very occasionally; the Venus Kriyas. These yoga exercises require attention and respect because you can only do these exercises with (your) partner with the right, positive intention.

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Huyen writes about her experience with white tantra:

I went to the White Tantra workshop completely neutral, on my own without much expectation. Once arrived I see so many people together, all dressed in white, also the hair covered with a white turban or something else in white.. and you immediately feel a unity, pure and loving.

Because I came alone I have to find someone to do the meditation with. At first I thought that sitting opposite a stranger for so long to meditate (and not just sitting alone, you stare at each other with a loving and relaxed look, that too ;)) would be hard but it was very easy. I was able to continue all the meditations until the end without being distracted by others or by the difficulty of sitting still for so long.

The days after the white tantra I feel cheerful and very happy, and a lot of positive things happened around me, in my environment.

I came to white tantra to gain an experience and what I took from the workshop is endurance and patience, also focus and flexibility.

I just became a happy person.

An experience with a golden edge and a critical eye.

Whatever I write here about my experiences with white tantra and those of others, it is a technique that can mean something to you and everyone. But what that is? You have to experience it yourself. Everyone is different and everyone's experience will be different. Don't take anything from me, experience it yourself! Don't make a big deal out of it and just try it.

My lesson: Be patient. My experience is that the effect of these meditations only bubbles to the surface later. During the meditations it takes a while before I land, on my mat, with my Wim, with myself and all kinds of busy thoughts of everyday life pass by (as happens with thinking). Yet there always comes a moment during the meditations when I am completely in the here and now; that is the moment when the magic happens.

You can focus your gaze on someone for 62 minutes, but that doesn't mean you see the same thing for 62 minutes. It's all in the contrast; it's precisely at the moments when everything in my head stands still that I see or experience all sorts of things. For example, I saw Wim in Hamburg with a golden rim around his head. At first I thought the sun was shining through the roof! Because of the eye focus, I see his face completely differently; I remain zoomed in on 1 eye. Sometimes I manage to let both of his eyes overlap in my gaze so that I can see them both.

Weeks, months later, a white glow remains as a memory of this day, a white haze in my memory that reminds me that we are all connected on a deep universal level. In addition, white tantra has strengthened our relationship, where words are not needed. Pure love. We are love. 💚

There is more. Honestly, I have (even after 6x white tantra) thoughts that run away with me during such a day -  from “what am I even doing here” to the idea of ​​a total scam. About 10 minutes into the first meditation in Hamburg I thought: “Okay. So I paid 120 euros to sit on the floor of a cultural center, and I (thought) I couldn’t keep my arm up after 5 minutes, while staring into my partner’s eyes? Stupid.”

Through always searching and developing my spiritual journey has brought me to kundalini yoga as a technology and practice for a more conscious life and my critical attitude feels healthy and my own. I am rather proud of my restraint. Kundalini yoga has touched and changed me on a deep level, which is why I feel called to share it with others.

Because it brings me to my own experience, what this technology can do for ME. My Sat Nam. I let go of my judgment and focus on the full experience.

Sat nam,

Annemieke (Jagat Prem)

PS - did you read the whole article? It would be great if you left a comment!

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Would you like to read more about White Tantra Yoga?

What is White Tantric yoga?

Official White Tantric Yoga website with white tantra data .

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Want to know more about me?

Why do I have a spiritual name?

Why am I wearing a turban?