I was privileged to recently attend a meditation workshop, “Art of Tantric Meditation” led by Sally Kempton at Yogaglo. I wasn’t quite sure what Tantric Meditation was but I have been reading articles of Sally’s for years and have always been impressed with her ability to clearly and insightfully integrate yogic philosophy into everyday life… this was enough to get me there!
Sally described Tantra as a tapestry of divine energy and Tantric meditation as a “highly functional approach to meditation” by which we learn to harness this energy. I could follow that, but it seemed like it was something one must experience to really 'get'.
I gained more insight when she interpreted the expression “that by which we fall is that by which we rise”, providing the visual of the Universe portrayed as a pulsating ocean consisting of waves and whirlpools and the like. These force-filled elements can either drown us or uplift us; they can toss us around or we can learn to surf them. We can learn to ride the Universal Ocean’s natural energy to an awakened state through finding the still point within chaos, and… here within lies the entry point to the divine. This chaos takes the various forms in our lives: a fight with our beloved, the loss of a job, the many things that make up what we call 'having a bad day', but each can be used to go deeper as we practice through meditation.
Of the several meditations we experimented with, the “Armpit” meditation was my favorite. Breaking from the routine of using breath to go within, (something the restless mind may be bored with), I found the unusual focal point of the “void of the armpit” surprisingly effective. I was quickly drawn into a space deep within – quite a feat as I was definitely struggling with ‘monkey-mind’ that day. Maybe the nearness to the heart chakra had something to do with it, as I felt content and without want in my meditation. I was in a place beyond thought, a place of dark, safe warmth beyond the realm of the worldly concerns. It was a tough one to come out of as I felt like I was too quickly drawn out of a deep sleep.
Maybe this is Tantra's tradition of radical interiority that she spoke of.
Sally teaches meditation as part of a process of inner exploration, in which one learns to integrate heart, mind and body in order to experience our natural state of wisdom and love. Her classes create an atmosphere of support and joy that allows deep exploration. It is appropriately summed up by a student of hers… "She can take a whole room into a state of oneness. When you meditate with her, meditation seems natural and easy."
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