07 Aug Taoist Sexual Yoga
It appears that when Chinese Taoism and its sexual yoga practices made their appearance in the seventh through third centuries BCE, sex was seen as important not only for superior health but also for pleasure – as basic necessities of life as food and air (Wile, 1992). There have been three main phases of the development of Taoist sexual yoga (four if you count the contemporary interpretation of Mantak Chia), the first being sex-positive and focusing on the mutual benefits for couples. The second group of texts began recording attempts to raise sex to the level of an art.
The third phase of the development of Taoist sexual arts suffers similar developments to those that happened in India and Tibet. “Theft of the feminine principle is philosophical Taoism’s subtlest victory for the patriarchy (Wile, 1992).” A bizarre new philosophy of sex began in which the sex act was referred to as “the battle of stealing and strengthening.” Men were warned to keep their emotional distance from women, and the focus shifted from pleasure to technical instructions on how to use women and their bodies to advance spiritually. There were alchemical texts teaching how to achieve immortality through these techniques. The woman’s essence was captured as fuel for his own journey. The misogyny became so virulent that women were raped and otherwise used against their will for these men’s attempts to transcend. Sex became about being a practice for ascension rather than a pleasurable and potentially spiritual exchange between partners.
© 2024 Catherine Auman
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