Tantra, actually, technical foundations
Teaching 6 of 17
What are the Yoni and the Lingam?
Why the energetic body doesn't match the physical
You may have heard the terms: Yoni and Lingam. Here, we’re clarifying what they actually are.
And here’s what matters: if you have a penis, you ALSO have an energetic Yoni. If you have a vagina, you ALSO have an energetic Lingam.
This is crucial for understanding how energy moves.
More than physical
A Yoni can be understood as the vagina, a Lingam can be understood as the penis.
But it’s important to understand your physical penis is simultaneously an energetic penis and an energetic vagina, all at the same time.
It’s this non-dualistic multi-dimensionality, multi-directionality that we refer to when we use the term Yoni or Lingam.
Most tantra schools get this teaching wrong!
In many tantric schools, you’re told: if you have a female body, you receive energy through the Yoni (the energetic vagina) and you give energy through your heart chakra.
And if you have a male body, you’re told that you receive energy through the heart chakra and you give energy through your Lingam (the energetic penis).
This is an oversimplified and false binary.
The energetic and physical map onto each other and have a relationship with each other.
This means that if you have a penis it’s likely you’re more used to thrusting and giving energy with your physical dick. Over time this polarizes your energetic penis, your Lingam, to giving rather than receiving energy.
Similarly, if you have a pussy it’s likely you’re more used to opening and receiving energy with your physical vagina. Over time this polarizes your energetic vagina, your Yoni, into receiving rather than giving energy.
For this reason most male bodies find it initially easier to give energy, and most female bodies find it initially easier to receive energy, from this chakra.
But with a little training, it is more than possible for you to receive energy through the Lingam, and to give energy through your Yoni—in other words, all physical bodies are capable of both giving and receiving energy through the sacral chakra.
If you enjoy same-sex relationships and think Tantra isn’t for you because of the way this is often mistaught, I feel it’s important to make this point: all of the energy centers, chakras, including the Yoni and the Lingam, can both give and receive energy when doing tantric practices. Tantra can be enjoyed regardless of your sexual orientation.