Activating sexual energies higher up in the nervous system has
prerequisites also, the main one being the presence of resident inner
silence (pure bliss consciousness), which is cultivated through deep
meditation. This is why the main group lessons begin with meditation
and then move into spinal breathing and the other methods for
systematically cultivating our inner life force (sexual energy), also
known as "raising kundalini."

Yoga involving the use of various means for directly cultivating
sexual energy for spiritual purposes has been around for a long time,
and is controversial for obvious reasons. Sex gets much of the blame
for the abuses and misdeeds of humankind, so has often been
suppressed in spiritual practices, even though it has a crucial role
to play in the neuro-biology of human spiritual transformation. The
result of the denial of the role of sex in spiritual processes has
been less enlightenment in the world.

The problem with sex is not sex. It is our tendency to become
obsessed with the deeply intimate energies of sex, and with orgasm in
particular. As we meditate and pure bliss consciousness rises within
us, we are gradually able to become more objective about sexual
energy, less obsessed, and begin to consciously stimulate it into the
higher spiritual channels of our nervous system. Hence the usefulness
of tantric sexual methods.

Siddhasana was described in an earlier lesson as being the best
tantric sexual practice. This is because it can be done for extended
periods during sitting practices with no effort, guaranteeing that
tantric cultivation will be occurring every day at the most opportune
time, while we are doing pranayama, meditation and other advanced
yoga practices. This is ideal for producing the best results in yoga,
yielding lots of permanently flowing ecstatic energy in our life. Our
inner silence, cultivated in meditation, naturally comes to reside
within our ongoing ecstasy, raising us to a state of permanent
ecstatic bliss and outpouring divine love. The two, inner silence and
euphoric ecstasy, become one. This leads to the highest stage of
enlightenment.

Knowing there is such great benefit using siddhasana to cultivate our
ecstatic energy during sitting practices, the question arises, is
there more we can do to help this process?

Yes, there is. There are many things. In this lesson we will talk
about enhancing siddhasana.

The version of siddhasana given in the main lessons and discussed
here in the tantra group so far is the basic practice -- simply
sitting with the heel at the perineum. It can be optimized for more
effect in sitting practices. It is done in slightly different ways
for women and men, due to anatomical differences. In both cases, it
involves positioning siddhasana for maximum effortless sexual
stimulation, while remaining steadily preorgasmic. In doing advanced
siddhasana, we do not enter into an active mode of masturbation. So
besides being in preorgasmic mode, we are also in premasturbation
mode. We are just sitting in a more sexually stimulating way, which
is a boon to our sitting yoga practices.

For women, the shift to advanced siddhasana involves letting the heel
come forward to rest snuggly in the entrance to the yoni. It is a
natural fit, and is easily accomplished by most enterprising yoginis.
There is a second part to advanced siddhasana for women. This is to
bring the toes of the outside foot up from under the shin of the
inside leg and tuck the toes between the calf and thigh, bringing the
heel of the outside foot to the yoni with the heel pressing against
the clitoris. So, when accomplished, this form of siddhasana for
women has the inside heel pressing comfortably up in the opening of
the yoni, and the outside heel pressing comfortably against the
clitoris. It is a very stimulating seat for doing advanced yoga
practices. As with all advanced yoga practices, it takes some
getting used to, and gradually settles in to be a steady and normal
way of doing pranayama, meditation and the other advanced yoga
practices. The result will be much more ecstatic energy moving up
through the nervous system during and long after sitting practices.
In time, all of life is illuminated by the ecstatic energies taking
up permanent residence in the nervous system.

The second part of this siddhasana for women involving the outer leg
and bringing the heel to rest effortlessly against the
clitoris may not be easily performed by everyone. If it is too
difficult, it is okay to leave the outer foot down with the toes
tucked under the shin, while keeping the inner heel underneath at the
opening of the yoni, as instructed. In this case, the yoni can be
cupped with one hand during sitting practices, letting the
appropriate fingers rest on the clitoris. This is not for active
masturbation. It is just a gentle resting of the hand and fingers in
such a way so as to provide some steady, mostly unmoving,
stimulation. We want the attention to be free for pranayama and
meditation, so if having the hand there is too distracting, then back
off with it a bit. The stimulation is not for masturbation for its
own sake. It is to support the cultivation of sexual energy for
sitting practices. In time, the gentle preorgasmic stimulation will
become normal in practices, whether the hand and the heel are used,
or both heels.

Women who find it difficult to reach either the perineum (yoni
opening) or clitoris with their heels may choose to use prosthetic
objects to achieve the same effects. It is perfectly okay and is
valid yoga, as long as the principle of ongoing preorgasmic
stimulation during sitting practices is achieved. So, if the legs do
not fold well, and/or the heel(s) do not reach, the effects of
advanced siddhasana can still be achieved sitting in a chair, or
anywhere, if the appropriate stimulating objects are used. The same
goes for men, of course.

For men, the advanced siddhasana is similar. The inside heel is
brought forward to rest comfortably in the soft place just behind the
pubic bone where the urethra comes out. Anatomically, it is analogous
to where the opening of the woman's yoni is. As the heel presses
comfortably up into the soft area a direct stimulation of the inner
energies is experienced. This is also where the heel can easily be
used to block ejaculation by leaning forward on it. Once preorgasmic
stimulation in siddhasana becomes stable, the blocking is not
necessary. In some schools of yoga, siddhasana is taught as a tool to
prevent erection. This requires a lot of pressure sustained in
siddhasana, squeezing the root of the lingam against the back of the
pubic bone, sometimes for extended periods. This is not recommended
in these lessons. We always strive for comfortable, pleasurable
practice. It is not necessary to try and strangle external
expressions of sex that come up during practices. In these lessons,
siddhasana is always used in a natural and healthy way to gently coax
the ecstatic energies upward.

Erection will come and go during sitting practices, with or without
siddhasana. As the nervous system becomes accustomed to cultivating
sexual energy upward during yoga practices, external arousal and
erections become less and less. This settling down of genital arousal
and erection in yoga is not at the expense of our sexual relations at
other times. It is just a different mode of sexual functioning that
happens in sitting practices, where the energy is going up instead of
down, so the genital energy turns in and up in that case. Then when it
is time for sexual relations, the genitals will naturally turn outward.
So we find our sexuality can go in one direction or the other. Of
course, in full-blown tantric sexual relations, the sexual function
is going both outward and inward at the same time, with the key
process being the preorgasmic cultivation during sexual relations.
That is what keeps sex in the realm of yoga. As soon as sex is
primarily for the goal of genital orgasm, it is not tantric anymore.
It is the conscious goal of preorgasmic cultivation (brahmacharya)
that makes sex yogic.

There is also a second part to the advanced siddhasana for men. The
toes of the outer foot are brought from under the shin of the inner
leg up between the calf and thigh (or the foot can be put on top of the
thigh by men who are used to doing padmasana). The heel of the outer
foot is then brought to rest snuggly over the genitals in such a way
that the genitals are held comfortably between the inner and outer foot.
As with the outer foot maneuver for woman, this may not be easy for
some men to accomplish in an effortless and comfortable way. If this
is the case, then it is okay to leave the outer foot down with toes
tucked under the shin, and use the hand to cup the genitals. This
instruction was given a few lessons ago, and is being repeated now
for those who have difficulty positioning the outer foot. Using the
hand is just as effect (maybe more so) than using the foot, so there
is no shortcoming here. The same goes for women using their hand instead
of their foot. The idea is for steady preorgasmic stimulation with
minimal movement in premasturbation mode. Siddhasana is a seat we want
to be in without any attention required on it. This frees our attention
to do pranayama and meditation, while effortlessly being sexually
stimulated preorgasmically at the same time.

As was mentioned in the main lessons, either foot can be used for
going under to the perineum, and the feet can be switched mid-routine
if it helps to maintain comfort. Do not remain in siddhasana if it is
uncomfortable to the point of distracting pranayama and meditation.
If it is too sexually stimulating, then back off and give sexual
stimulation a rest also. We can always come back later and resume. It
is a process of developing familiarity. Along with familiarity comes
an increasing ability to cultivate lasting ecstasy from head to toe.
It will happen over a period of weeks, months, and years.

Using advanced siddhasana in sitting practices will gradually change
our relationship with our sexual energy to be much healthier. As our
obsession with orgasm becomes less, we find ourselves more and more
in a delightful relationship with our divine ecstatic energies. This
change will not do away with our desire or ability to engage in
normal sexual relations. Rather, siddhasana will expand our ability
to have sexual relations that are more loving, much longer, and more
spiritually regenerative. If we choose to engage in tantric sex, we
will find that our ability to do it successfully will be enhanced
because we have been using siddhasana for so many months and years in
sitting practices. Our sex life will be naturally expanded into the
spiritual dimension, and we will be walking around with divine ecstasy
permanently caressing us inside.

This is the essential role of sex in yoga, and in our ongoing journey
toward experiencing enlightenment in everyday life. And this is the
reason for doing advanced siddhasana with our sitting practices.