“Urban Tantra” by Barbara Carrellas is a breath of fresh air with a decidedly “urban” edge. She employs a lot of the same principles as other Tantra books, but her writing style is much less “fluffy” and more “real”. The book’s introduction begins the style kept through the book - real world instances and applications of these techniques in situations that are realistic.

The book builds upon itself which is wonderful for beginners, and those who want to refer to exercises quickly. The basics of what Tantra is and is not are discussed. Breathing is the first subject discussed as it provides the basis for all Tantric practice. The chakras are explored, or reviewed – depending on your experience. One of the positive features of this book is that it does not prescribe to the hetero-normative model, that a lot of people preach that Tantra should be. The title of this review is taken directly from the book and I believe that it sums up the entire journey of “Urban Tantra”.

Some of the best features of this book are again: the organization. “Urban Tantra” is written in a very logical manner for such an esoteric topic. After the discussion on breathing and the chakra system, Carrellas builds on your knowledge by transitioning to sexual energy and its manipulation, then touch – introducing a new concept known as the “Passive Edge of Resistance”. There are also sections dedicated to sexual touch and massage, for those with Testosterone based bodies and/or Penises and Estrogen based bodies and/or. Again, as a side note: Carrellas really explores the gray areas in gender, and sexual expression, and I applaud her for those efforts.

Carrellas explodes your mind and pre-set definitions on subjects such as orgasm. There is an entire section devoted to that alone – and it’s not orgasm in the way that most of us would think! This is pure ecstatic energy explosive pleasure. Mmmm…

One of the final sections is “Tantra for the Adventurous” – which covers such subjects as “Tantra and BDSM”, “Tantric Rituals”, “Group Tantric Practices” and “Sex Magic”.

This is an amazing and varied book that is a valuable resource for those who are just beginning their Tantric journey and those who may be a more experienced but would like another way of looking at learned concepts. A must have book for anyone who is Pleasure Positive!

I recently re-read "Urban Tantra" (on the train to several job interviews no less!), and have begun adding the breathing into my everyday routine. I am paying more attention to my body and how it moves and breathes. This is a wonderful book to really make you aware of yourself.