Q: Why did you change the name of the workshop from “Fundamentals of Tantra” to “Fundamentals of Embodied Relating?”

For a while, the word Tantra has started to feel complex to use, especially when used in a context that doesn’t give space and time for deeper explanation or felt experience (such as in an advertisement for an event or a social media post). Despite our love and gratitude for Tantra, we feel the word has become a bit of a generic term for all sorts of sacred sexuality and embodiment practices, and when we felt into the words Embodied Relating, there was a noticeable lightness and alignment.

Our work certainly draws from Tantric teachings and lineage, but isn’t the only modality we draw from. Also, the word Tantra is often (incorrectly) assumed to only deal with romantic and/or sexual relationships and for us, it’s much more than that.

For myself and Tess, a significant amount of our time spent learning and practicing Tantra was while we were single, and most of the lessons have been applied to help us nourish and expand our relationship as sisters, with our friends, with our parents and in our professional lives, as well as our romantic relationships. It doesnt all have to be sexual or romantic, and actually, we feel quite passionate about the many different ways this work can support you - first and foremost with your relationship to yourself, and then to those and the world around you.

We also felt that the name didn’t give us time and space to give more context about the tradition of Tantra, and how an ancient tradition from India came to be something we study and teach. This is certainly covered in the workshop but theres also a lot more content and practices that draw from contemporary knowledge and discourse around the nervous system, trauma-informed care, the somatic approach to the body, and attachment theory, to name a few. We also just love a dance break!

Lastly, as a professional dancer and Qoya feminine movement teacher, embodiment and supporting people to come into the wisdom of their bodies is one of Erin’s greatest passions. So we really wanted to put a little more emphasis on that <3

Q: How intimate do the practices get? 

A: There is no nudity or genital touch at any of our events. There will be paired Tantric practices on day 2, which is done in a respectful and tasteful way with people deciding on what level of connection they would like, within the agreed boundaries of the space and of the pair. Couples who attend together remain in their own couple for these day two practices, if that is their preference.

Q: I am single and coming on my own. How does the paired practices on Day 2 work, and what can I expect turning up by myself?

A: The first day involves practices where you are learning about your relationship to self to become familiar with, and move, sexual & life-force energy within your own being. On the 2nd day we do partnered practices where you learn different techniques to circulate this energy with another person. It's a pretty fun process of organically pairing people together over the multiple exercises. For every practice, people get to communicate any fears, boundaries and desires, and your level of participation is completely up to you – boundaries, personal freedom and self-love are taught and honoured first and foremost.

Q: How many couples vs singles do you usually get to this event?

A: On average, for the Fundamentals of Tantra workshop, we usually get 70% single, 30 % couples, and of the singles it's usually quite even between men and women, with slightly more women attending.

Q: I am single and learning this by myself. How can I implement this in a future relationship?

A: You can easily apply all of the practices from Day 2 to a new relationship, or with someone who hasn’t learned Tantra, by:

• implementing them in your own being, where your partner will feel and experience the benefits and be introduced to them through your energy and body.

• or by introducing them through the communication tools we go through in the workshop

Q: Is this program suitable for CIS-gendered people only or do you welcome non-binary and trans folks?

In this workshop, we use the word woman for any person who identifies as a woman, regardless of their assigned sex at birth and we use the word man for any person who identifies as a man, regardless of their assigned sex at birth.

We fully welcome and celebrate trans and non-binary people to join this workshop. We acknowledge that gender is non-binary, fluid, and on a spectrum and support each individual’s right to live in alignment with their gender identity.

That being said, we also acknowledge that the majority of our work and teachings come from heteronormative teachers and traditional Tantric systems. As a result, a significant amount of the language used in the program is heteronormative and/or gendered and explores the impact of gender conditioning on all of us.

The "Masculine" and "Feminine" energy archetypes are a key concept within the Tantric field related to the concepts of Shiva and Shakti. While these energies are present in all genders, as part of this part of the workshop, we acknowledge and explore the impact of gender conditioning, as part of a bigger conversation around cultural and social conditioning, as well as in discussions around sexual polarity from a Tantric perspective. 

Our desire is to be as inclusive of trans and non-binary folks as possible. If you are non-binary or trans, feel into what you need to be safe. If you’re okay working with practices that refer to “Women” and the Feminine, and “Men" and The Masculine, and you feel supported to navigate and make the content applicable to your personal identity, then we wholeheartedly welcome you. However, if that doesn’t feel like enough safety or acknowledgment, we understand and respect that.

Q: Is this workshop inclusive of all sexualities?

We fully welcome all sexual identities, orientations and choices in this workshop. We fully embrace and celebrate LGBTQIA+ sexuality and want it to be fully included in Tantric work. In this workshop, it doesn’t matter what your sexual orientation is. 

However, as above, we acknowledge that at times the teachings and language we use is heteronormative. We are committed to learning and increasing the accessibility of our work, and our desire is to be as inclusive of all sexualities as possible. If you feel okay and safe about being in a space that works with the above language and concepts, then we fully welcome you along. 

In addition, when it comes to the Day 2 paired practices, we require participants work in Masculine and Feminine energy pairs. Participants explore both these energies, in their own beings, throughout the workshop and in these pairings, we often have people holding different energies to the gender they identify with, including in same sex or non-binary pairings.

If you feel okay and safe about being in a space that works with the above language and concepts, then we fully welcome you along.