Tantra: Sex, Death, & Chaos
+ New yoga mixtape & upcoming Zoom workshop
Incredible music always rises from times of uncertainty and struggle. 2020 is a fertile year for music. Enjoy my latest yoga mixtape and keep up to date with my favorite tracks of the year on Spotify.
For decades, Neo-Tantra has focused on sex workshops and orgasmic bliss, overlooking the fact that the Kama Sutra is effectively a patriarchal instruction manual as well as Tantra’s grassroots origins in the lower castes in Indian society, which were responding to lofty metaphysical ideas with practical rituals everyone could partake in. From that perspective, a modern industry marketed with Shiva-Shakti figurines is yet another example of capitalist yoga in a privileged society.Â
Derek opens this week discussing a redpilled-lite video by Danielle LaPorte, while Julian discusses an intensely personal story related to Tantra; he also explores the role of the Aghoris. We break from Tantra talk during Matthew’s interview with Alex Auder, a veteran yoga instructor who uses comedy as a relief mechanism from the QAnon craziness in the yoga world. Matthew ends this week’s episode with a reflection on his history with Tibetan Buddhist Tantra, and how he sees echoes of its archaic elements showing up, in undigested form, in the QAnon imaginarium.
After amassing 62 classes over five months on Youtube, I will no longer be live streaming. My new work schedule will not allow me to continue at this time, and I apologize for that. I will film occasional classes in the future; when I do, they will be included in this newsletter. My wife, Callan, will also be filming from time to time, as she did last weekend.
I have over 220 classes (and growing) on Yogis Anonymous—use code DerekB30 for 30 free days! Until we can flow together in person again, please find me there.
I am still updating my weekly EarthRise Yoga playlist on Spotify.
Feldenkrais Flow
Sunday, Sept 13, 2020
10-11:30 am PST
$15 / Free for Substack subscribers
I’ve been a fan of Moshe Feldenkrais’s writing and movement principles for decades. Many of my flows are based on his work. If you’ve practiced with me before, you’ve likely experienced some of his principles. (If not, you can learn more from this essay.)Â
For this workshop, we’ll begin on the ground and slowly build an intense and fun EarthRise Flow. Register here. Substack subscribers get access for free (and get my subscriber-only Monday morning newsletter).
While I don’t think about my former life DJing often, tracks like this make me really miss Globesonic dance floors. Enjoy.