51 terms
The Tantra Clinic glossary.
The Sanskrit, Tibetan, Daoist, and modern terms — defined plainly, with practical context.
AASECT
modern
American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists.
Bandha
sanskrit
Sanskrit term for "lock" — energetic gates in the body (root lock, abdominal lock, throat lock).
Chakra
sanskrit
Sanskrit term for energy centers along the spine — typically seven in tantric mapping.
COSRT
modern
College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists.
CSBD
modern
Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder.
Darshan
sanskrit
Sanskrit term for "seeing" or "being seen" — often in the spiritual context of receiving the gaze of a teacher or deity.
Death Grip
modern
Numbness from years of habitually masturbating with too tight a grip — usually paired with high-stimulation porn.
Devi
sanskrit
Sanskrit term for "goddess.
Dharani
sanskrit
Sanskrit term for "sustaining" — used in Buddhist tantra for specific concentrated awareness practices.
Embodiment
modern
The lived experience of being in a body, with attention to felt-sense rather than only thought.
Eye-Gazing
modern
Modern tantric practice of sustained mutual eye contact, usually with breath synchronization.
Jing
taoist
Daoist term for "essence" — the fundamental life-substance, often associated with reproductive and regenerative capacity.
Karma Mudra
tibetan
Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist practice of partnered tantric union, reserved for very advanced practitioners under specific conditions.
Kegels
modern
Pelvic-floor exercises developed by Dr.
Kundalini
sanskrit
Sanskrit term for the latent energy described in tantric and yogic traditions as coiled at the base of the spine, awakened through specific practice.
Lingam
sanskrit
Sanskrit word for the male organ.
Mantra
sanskrit
Sanskrit term for a sound, syllable, word, or phrase used as a concentration practice.
Microcosmic Orbit
taoist
Foundational Daoist energy practice of circulating breath and attention up the spine and down the front of the body in a continuous loop.
Mudra
sanskrit
Sanskrit term for "seal" or "gesture" — symbolic hand or body positions used in meditative and tantric practice.
Mula Bandha
sanskrit
Sanskrit term for the root-lock — pelvic-floor squeeze.
Muladhara
sanskrit
Sanskrit name for the root chakra at the base of the spine.
Parasympathetic Nervous System
modern
The branch of the autonomic nervous system responsible for rest-and-digest, including most of the physiology of sexual response.
Pelvic Floor
modern
The group of muscles at the base of the pelvis.
PIED
modern
Porn-Induced Erectile Dysfunction.
Prana
sanskrit
Sanskrit term for life-force energy.
Pranayama
sanskrit
Sanskrit term for breath-regulation practice.
Pratyabhijna
kashmir-shaiva
Kashmiri Shaiva term for "recognition" — the central insight that awareness is already what one is.
Puja
sanskrit
Sanskrit term for ritual offering or worship.
Qi
taoist
Daoist term for life-force energy.
Sadhana
sanskrit
Sanskrit term for spiritual practice — the daily, sustained engagement that transforms.
Sahasrara
sanskrit
Sanskrit name for the crown chakra at the top of the head.
Samadhi
sanskrit
Sanskrit term for absorbed concentration — a meditative state.
Sensate
modern
Adjective referring to sense-based experience.
Sensate Focus
modern
Sex-therapy exercise developed by Masters and Johnson involving structured non-sexual touch with alternating roles.
Shakti
sanskrit
Sanskrit term for divine feminine energy — the active, creative force.
Shaktipat
sanskrit
Sanskrit term for the transmission of spiritual energy from teacher to student.
Shen
taoist
Daoist term for "spirit" — the highest of the three treasures (jing, qi, shen).
Shiva
sanskrit
Sanskrit name for the divine masculine principle — still, witnessing, embodied awareness.
Somatic Experiencing
modern
Trauma-resolution methodology developed by Peter Levine, focused on titrated body-awareness work.
Sympathetic Nervous System
modern
The branch of the autonomic nervous system responsible for fight-or-flight activation.
Tantra Yoga
sanskrit
A modern term referring to the yogic systems that draw from tantric philosophy — distinct from hatha yoga (which has tantric roots) and kundalini yoga (which is often labeled tantra-adjacent).
Tantric Massage
modern
A modern Western body-work modality combining therapeutic massage with tantric breath, awareness, and (in some forms) yoni or lingam massage.
Tapas
sanskrit
Sanskrit term meaning "heat" or "discipline" — the practice-friction that produces transformation.
Titration
modern
In somatic and trauma work, titration refers to engaging difficult material in small, manageable doses to avoid overwhelm.
Trauma-Informed
modern
A practice approach that takes the prevalence of trauma into account in every intervention.
Tummo
tibetan
Tibetan Buddhist practice of generating inner heat through breath and visualization.
Vagus Nerve
modern
The longest cranial nerve, central to parasympathetic regulation.
Vajrayana
tibetan
The "diamond vehicle" — the tantric form of Mahayana Buddhism preserved primarily in Tibetan tradition.
Yab-Yum
tibetan
Tibetan term ("father-mother") for the seated partnered position with one partner in the lap of the other, often depicted in Tibetan tantric iconography.
Yantra
sanskrit
Sanskrit term for a geometric form used as a visual concentration practice in tantric meditation.
Yoni
sanskrit
Sanskrit word for the female organ — encompassing vulva, vagina, and womb.