Ayurveda, Tantra & Embodied Healing

The Roots of My Tantric Massage & Somatic Sexology Practice

There are teachings that arrive later in life - refined, complex, sophisticated. And then there are those that arrive first. Simple. Grounded. Quietly life-changing.

For me, Ayurveda was the very first.

Before Tantric massage, before somatic sexology, before ritual space-holding and embodied healing - there was Ayurveda. It was the first system that taught me how to listen to the body, how to work with rhythm rather than against it, and how healing happens when the nervous system feels safe, nourished, and met.

Many years later, travelling through India again, this wisdom returned - not as theory, but as something already living in my body.

This article is an invitation to understand what Ayurveda truly is, how it supports embodied healing, and why it forms the foundation of my approach to Tantric healing, Tantric massage, and somatic work.

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What Is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is one of the oldest holistic health systems in the world, originating in India over 5,000 years ago. The word Ayurveda translates as “the science of life” - Ayur (life) and Veda (wisdom).

Unlike modern medicine, Ayurveda does not focus on symptoms alone. It looks at the whole person:

• body

• nervous system

• digestion

• emotions

• lifestyle

• environment

Ayurveda teaches us how to live in a way that supports vitality, pleasure, and resilience - foundations that are essential for Tantric bodywork and somatic sexology.

At its core, Ayurveda begins with a simple truth:

Every body is unique.

Healing must meet you where you are.

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The Foundations of Ayurveda: The Five Elements

Ayurveda understands the body through the lens of the five elements, which exist both in nature and within us:

• Earth — grounding, structure, safety

• Water — fluidity, emotions, sensuality

• Fire — digestion, transformation, desire

• Air — breath, movement, circulation

• Ether (Space) — awareness, intuition, presence

In my Tantric healing work, these elements are felt directly through touch, breath, and sensation - not as concepts, but as lived experience in the body.

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The Three Doshas & the Nervous System

The five elements combine into the three doshas, or constitutional energies. Understanding these is key for safe, trauma-aware Tantric massage and somatic healing.

• Vata (Air + Ether)

  Governs movement, breath, and the nervous system.

  
  

  When balanced: creative, sensitive, embodied

  
  

  When imbalanced: anxious, dissociated, ungrounded

• Pitta (Fire + Water)

  Governs digestion, intensity, and transformation.

  
  

  When balanced: focused, alive, discerning

  
  

  When imbalanced: overheated, frustrated, driven

  
  

• Kapha (Earth + Water)

  Governs safety, attachment, and nourishment.

  
  

  When balanced: grounded, open, receptive

  
  

  When imbalanced: heavy, stuck, withdrawn

In my work, Ayurveda helps me assess how to meet a body - how much intensity, slowness, structure, or softness is required for true Tantric healing.

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Ayurveda as the Foundation of Tantric Massage

Tantric massage is not about technique - it is about capacity.

Ayurveda provides the foundation that makes Tantric bodywork safe and transformative:

• regulating the nervous system

• supporting digestion (physical and emotional)

• grounding excess energy

• preventing overwhelm or burnout

Without this foundation, Tantric practices can become too activating. Ayurveda teaches how to prepare the body to receive touch, sensation, and expanded states of awareness.

This is why Ayurveda and Tantra are deeply intertwined in my sessions.

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The Bridge Between Ayurveda & Somatic Sexology

Somatic sexology is the practice of working with sexuality through the body - not the mind. Ayurveda supports this by teaching:

• how arousal moves through different constitutions

• how shame, desire, and pleasure live in the tissues

• how to pace touch and activation

Both Ayurveda and Tantra honour:

• embodiment over performance

• rhythm over force

• devotion over urgency

• safety as the gateway to pleasure

This intersection is the heart of my Tantric healing work.

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Returning to Ayurveda in India

Being back in India recently - walking the land, sitting in temples, observing daily rituals - something softened.

Ayurveda returned not as something to study, but as something to live:

• simple, nourishing food

• slower mornings

• listening to the body’s signals

• allowing digestion to happen fully

It reminded me that healing, pleasure, and expansion all require time, presence, and care.

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How Ayurveda Can Support Your Tantric Healing Journey

You don’t need to change everything to begin.

Ayurveda starts with small, embodied shifts:

• warm, grounding food

• nervous system regulation

• rhythmic daily practices

• respectful relationship with desire and rest

When integrated with Tantric massage and somatic healing, Ayurveda can help:

• deepen embodiment

• regulate arousal and emotion

• support trauma-aware touch

• create sustainable pleasure and intimacy

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A Closing Reflection

Ayurveda was my first teacher.

Tantra became the path.

And somatic healing is where they now meet.

This ancient wisdom continues to inform how I offer Tantric massage, Tantric healing, and somatic sexology - not as techniques, but as lived, embodied practice.

May this be an invitation for you to slow down, listen deeply, and remember that your body already holds its own intelligence.

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If you feel called to explore how Ayurveda weaves into embodiment, ritual, and Tantric practice, this thread will continue to unfold - in sessions, in temple spaces, and in the way we gather.

With devotion,

Pauline