Tantric religious traditions, found in both Hinduism and Buddhism, worship divinities concerned with sexual and cosmic energy.

Tantric yoga, which has become popular in South Africa, stresses the idea that a great vein runs from the lowest part of the spine, where the serpent power, Kundalini, rests, to the highest and most psychic centre, the mind, symbolized by the lotus.

In Tantra, the greatest source of energy in the universe is sexual and ritualized intercourse, and orgasm is considered a cosmic and divine experience.

The Tantric practice called Karezza involves achieving prolonged intercourse without ejaculation. This practice incorporates breathing control, meditation, work with postures, and finger pressure into the sexual act. Its aim is for a male partner who is close to the point of ejaculation to be able to perpetuate the state of climax without actually ejaculating.

These "dry orgasms," orgasms without ejaculation, are pleasurable, and still allow the sexual act to continue. This practice can work physiologically because climax and ejaculation are two different functions, and while they usually occur simultaneously, orgasm is not dependent on ejaculation to be considered orgasm.

Consult the Kama Sutra, the Hindu sex manual written in the fourth century, which is available in bookstores, to get more specific information on this ancient practice. FYI — it is not something that is usually learned overnight; however, it can be learned with practice on your own and/or with a partner. (Dr Elna McIntosh, Health24, updated April 2011)

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