Sex & Sensuality
Relationships
Tantra

  Critic's Review  -  Lessons From a Tantric Tango Dancer - by Carla Tara 

Karen Baker
 

I found this book to be easy to read, and an interesting introduction to the whole philosophy and practice of Tantra as a way to improve your self, and learn to improve your relationships. Carla includes material on the sexual mastery side of Tantra, but also offers so much more than that, going into the emotional and spiritual facets of the practice. Her approach is very straightforward and clear, and the examples she shares from her students & clients show it in action. The exercises at the end of each chapter flowed well from the material she had just taught, and helped me to see what was happening in my own body, instead of just reading about it as an idea.

I thought that the comparison to Tango dancing, which weaves through the book, added an extra dimension to her explanations by giving me something more familiar to visualize when trying to understand a difficult or very abstract concept. Not everybody knows what a chakra is, never mind letting it melt into someone else! But, we can easily imagine two people dancing the tango -- hugged tight with their chests touching, balancing back and forward to the music, until they are really like one person. So, the dance imagery definitely added to my compre­hension of the book.

The stories from Carla's own life were fascinating - she is definitely a woman who has lived a full life! And, she is not afraid to show how she still uses Tantra to improve herself today when she encounters conflict -- it lets me clearly see how I can use these techniques in my own life when something comes up that challenges or upsets me.

All in all, I think this is a great book for beginners to encounter Tantra, and for those who already have some knowledge, but would like to know more, or see it from a new perspective. Chapters are written in an easy style, and fairly short, so you can concentrate on one topic at a time, reading the chapter, and then doing the exercises. The case histories of students & clients, and Carla's personal stories all make the material practical and keep it interesting. Thank you, Carla!