Tantra can be loosely translated as "text, technique or practice." If Ayurveda is for the the body, Yoga for the body / mind, then Tantra is for the energetic / mind / body.
Tantra is considered one of the 3 sacred rivers in Vedic text. (The other 2 being Ayurveda & yoga.) Tantra at its core, the practice of meditation, use of mantra (sounds) yantras, (images) breath practices known as pranayama & ritual.
Lineages, styles and branches of Tantra & even westernised "neo" tantric practices (mostly revolving around sexual energetic practices/ sexuality) are as varied as the people who practice them. Tantric history, aside from Tantric texts, is largely in part unrecorded as it is still very much a living folk tradition & a heavily guarded secret passed directly from guru to disciple and varies from region to region.
For our purposes, I will share with you some Tantric practices that benefit the everyday person without need for a teacher or adherence to any particular lineage or tradition. I hope you find them interesting and give them a try, much to your benefit.
The areas we will touch on are,
Meditation
Mantra
Yantra &
Ritual
Chanting of the Lalitha Sahasranama -
Mantra as meditation, ritual and prayer.
Regular chanting of the Lalitha Sahasranama or the thousand names of the Divine Mother is said to give one both pleasure in material life and offer release from negative karma.
Recitation of this archana with devotion is believed to fulfil both spiritual and material aspiration.
When chanted by a female householder it is said to bestow blessings upon the entire household and all family relations.
Chanting of the LS brings one peace and happiness, relaxes the nervous system, reduces stress and generates an overall sense of harmony & wellbeing both to the person chanting and to the location in which it was performed.
Try this:
Whenever you feel is a good time to sit uninterrupted, sit in a meditation posture or lie down on your back in a peaceful place, light a candle ( & some incense, if you have some ) then just simply close your eyes and listen.
Allow the sound vibration of the chanting of these sacred names of the Goddess fill your ears and surround you with peace, harmony and good fortune.
*Youtube link to a full version you can play at home.