Tantra: Appropriate or Appropriated? (ft. Elisa Caro, Vikram Zutshi & Sthaneshwar Timalsina)

When you hear the word Tantra, what comes to mind? Marathon sex sessions or ancient Eastern spiritual practice?

Depending on where you look, you might get the impression that Tantra is anything from a lifestyle choice, to sexual therapy, to a religious practice. In this episode, we explore the grey areas surrounding Tantra. 

Advocates of Tantra, such as Tantric practitioner Elisa Caro, report improved intimacy and healing from trauma, while others, such as cultural critic Vikram Zutshi, warn of cultural appropriation and the extreme reduction of esoteric philosophies. 

Along with Professor of Religious Studies, Sthaneshwar Timalsina, we discuss how Tantra has been adapted for secularised and capitalist environments, and what the potential impacts of this adaptation are. 

We’ll see how Tantra is becoming simultaneously subject to greater popularity and scrutiny…

Resources:

Find Elisa Caro’s work here - https://elisacaro.com/

Read ‘Tantra and The West’ by Sthaneshwar Timalsina: http://www.sutrajournal.com/tantra-and-the-west-sthaneshwar-timalsina

Read ‘The Pleasures and Perils of “Tantric Sex”’ by Vikram Zutshi: https://www.academia.edu/38756864/The_Pleasures_and_Perils_of_Tantric_Sex_

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Credits:

Producer & host: Caroline Moreau-Hammond
Producer, editor & original music: Zoltan Fecso

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