Physical semen retention

09. Tantra - A Holistic View of Spirituality
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I wonder what the normal people are doing right now.

Walking in the park, hanging out with friends, watching sports and stuff like this. And i happen to find myself on a forum, asking questions about ejaculation and tantric practises. Yep. Wayyyy to go…

As someone who practised asana-heavy yoga styles like ashtanga and vinyasa yoga for quite some years, tantric practises also got my attention. And none made me so curious like the supposed art of semen retention. I even read of some men who were so well-trained at this that they could use it as a safe method for contraception.

Apparently, the basic concept of this is to tighten your PC muscle at the time of high arousal during sex or masturbation, the clenched muscle would block the urethra, so no sperm passes and eventually flows back, partially into the bladder.

Now, I’ve been around this forum long enough to know that the ultimate goal of semen retention is not just to block the ejaculation, physically, but, with the right amount of energy work, avoid any ejaculatary reflex alltogether, isn’t it?

But right now it feels like that this is way more far ahead - and away - than a simple physical concept. So forgive me when I decide to go one step at a time and focus on what is more craspable at this moment right now - because I already have problems with that:

My problem right now is that this “muscle lock” simply doesn’t work. Never. Ejaculation always passes right through my pelvic floor, no matter how hard I try to clench. So either my PC muscle isn’t strong enough - or I’m doing something wrong.

I actually think PC muscle strengh wouldn’t be the issue here. After all, I have no problem stopping urine by contracting my pelvic floor. And as a yoga practioner, I am familiar with the concept of moola bandha and apply it regulary during pranayama practises. So if I can stop the flow of urine by contracting - wouldn’t it be just logical that I could just do the same with sperm?

But maybe, just maybe, strength is not what makes me unable to successfully apply semen retention. Could it be, for instance, that the contraction of the pelvic muscles should be at a very specific spot? Either closer to the prostate? Or more away from it?

Or is it more like that one should avoid the point of reaching the climax alltogether? Like, once you reach a certain point there is nothing you can do about it?

(I think it was appropriate to open a new topic about this. There are others here about the same subject, but either they are too old to be latched on to or their creators are so ahead of me that they are discussing about energetic phenomenons or semen in their urine. Lucky guys: I’m not even there at this level!)

Thanks for considering my cause. I now leave you with this and try to return to the things that normal people do. At least for a while.

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Hi Ben,

So, firstly, blocking an ejaculation by contracting the muscles of the pelvic floor is much more difficult than stopping yourself from peeing when you need to pee. The muscles used are slightly different. When trying to stop yourself from peeing, you would primarily be using the urethral sphincter muscles, although contracting the pelvic floor muscles can also help when desperate!

For preventing ejaculation from happening during orgasm it is primarily the pelvic floor muscles that are needed, as we are stopping semen from leaving the testes and going out of the body. The force of an ejaculation is much stronger than the force of urine wanting to leave the bladder, so the muscles need to be stronger to prevent this from happening.

Generally it is much easier to block an ejaculation using the fingers of one hand, than to rely on using the muscles alone. Place two fingers at the perineum at the base of the penis during orgasm, and push up, hard. If this works, then it will prevent the semen from leaving the body and force it up into the bladder. It will later leave the body during urination, but there will be far less loss of prana than with a normal ejaculation.

If someone can block using the muscles only, then this can result in less prana being lost than using the fingers. A more advanced technique is to simply bring the attention to the higher centres during orgasm, whilst raising the eyes up to the ajna chakra (shambhavi mudra). This can have the same effect as blocking with the fingers, or with the pelvic floor muscles, but with even less loss of prana.

Ideally, it is best to be moving towards a permanently pre-orgasmic state during sex, where we do not even get close to anything that could be called a climax. So, no blocking taking place at all. This will result in even less loss of prana than with any of the blocking techniques. The sexual experience will gradually deepen over time into a continuous state of orgasm without ejaculation happening.

It is fine to ejaculate once in a while, to avoid any natural build-up happening in the body. This could be once a week, or once a fortnight, depending on the person. For some men it could be never, depending on their system.

Generally I do not advise people to use blocking as a form of contraception, as it is too risky. Even if a man is very good at blocking, there is still the issue of pre-cum which can be released with no ejaculation, or orgasm happening, and which can contain sperm, depending on when the last time the man urinated was. So, it is not an especially safe form of contraception.

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Hello Tristan,

thank you very much for your quick reply.

Interesting. I wasn’t aware that the urethral tract has sphincter muscles on its own, and I simply used my moola bandha to stop the flow of urine.

So I guess it’s true that just because my pelvic floor is strong enough to stop urine from leaking, doesn’t mean it is also strong enough to stop ejaculation. Then I have to work on that hard. Maybe someone here has a history with the right “workout” for the PC muscle which eventualy produced the right results? Just applying moola bandha in pranayama sessions obviously isn’t enough.

Also, to be clear about the exact location where the pressure of the fingers/muscles should be applied: Since you are saying that blocked semen will be forced up the bladder, then I assume the point of presure should somewhere be in front of the prostate - not the prostate itself. More like exactly against the urethra itself and only that, right?

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Quick add: It’s writen mula bandha, of course, not moola bandha… :disappointed:

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Hi Ben,

I would say that rather than aiming to strengthen the PC muscles, just use your fingers for blocking. It is much easier. You could spend a lot of time trying to strengthen muscles, only to find that you no longer need them, because your yoga has progressed beyond that stage. Blocking is a very early stage in the natural progression of tantric methods.

As for exactly where to place the fingers, it is on the soft area of flesh between the base of the genitals and the anus. There isn’t much space there, just enough for two fingers! :slightly_smiling_face: If you do a bit of experimenting, you will find the right spot without much trouble.

This is the description from the Tantra Lessons:

We will now talk about blocking male ejaculation. It is an ancient tantric method with a long history of success. It is simple enough to do.

When orgasm is about to come on, the man puts one or two fingers (usually index and/or middle finger) at the perineum, presses inward and forward against the pubic bone, and blocks the urethra channel that the semen is about to come through. The orgasm still occurs, but the semen is blocked from leaving the body. If the man let’s go too soon, the semen can still escape. If he holds the block for a minute or two and then let’s go, the semen will be reabsorbed and none will escape.

Blocking can be done by reaching to the perineum from either the front or the back. In tantric lovemaking with a partner, the man can reach from the back and block his ejaculation if he has slipped and gone too far with stimulation. He still has orgasm and will be done with sex for a while, but he has blocked the loss of semen from his orgasm.

That is from here:

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Hi Ben,

p.s.

Mula bandha can be written any way you want. The original Sanskrit in Devanagiri is मूलबन्ध and the standard way of writing this is: Mūla bandha. So, it has a long “u” which is why you see people sometimes write it as “moola bandha”, to emphasis that.

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I have a edging/retention practice that that find most meditative. holding the energy right at the top has really provided great deep states of relaxation and clarity. The long I go without going to seed the stronger it gets.
In fact I feel a man dies a little inside every time he goes to seed. My question is; is blocking really doing anything? at least at the paraneam. I would think for it to work you would have to go much deeper and prevent the prostate from going into spazum. I am thinking of trying this with my self but I think it would be best to have a caring partner have full control.

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Hi jmf,

When men have an orgasm, they will lose less prana if they are using the blocking technique, than if they simply ejaculate. And yes, if they can avoid the ejaculatory muscles going into spasm, they will also lose less prana.

Blocking is a phase on the tantric journey. It is better than simply ejaculating with the loss of sexual fluids and energy that comes along with that. But it is not as good as avoiding orgasm all together. It is like a kindergarten stage on the path of tantric sex.

Getting a partner to block for you is possible, but it would be a very difficult thing for a partner to do. The amount of pressure needed to block is not always the same and it would be difficult for someone else to know how much pressure is needed. So, it is best to do yourself, until you no longer need it.

Advanced blocking techniques do not involve the fingers at all. Blocking can be done simply by contracting the muscles at the pelvic floor, or just by rolling the eyes up in the head whilst bringing the attention to the higher centres.

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The partner aspect appeals to me in that it becomes a share practice, my partner have greater understanding of how my body functions under these conditions. if it is a female partner it open here to more insight and if a male partner we could block each other at the same time and it could be fun as well.
But I find it much more rewording to control the loss of seed thru self control and breathing. put to my other point, is there a place in this practice for prostate stimulation or better said prostrate control?

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Hi jmf,

Yes, in very advanced stages of blocking it is possible for a man to gain control of the muscles surrounding the prostate gland. These muscles can be kept in a relaxed state during orgasm so that no ejaculation occurs. In this stage there is no need to use the fingers at the perineum, no need to contract the muscles at the pelvic floor, no need to use any special breathing technique, and no need to raise the eyes into Shambhavi mudra. Only the mind is needed to prevent ejaculation.

When ejaculation is blocked with the fingers, or through contraction of the pelvic floor muscles, the semen will be forced up into the bladder and later released during urination. But when blocking is done simply with the mind there is no release of semen at all. However, semen could still be drawn up into the bladder if natural vajroli is occurring as part of the process of the production of nectar.

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Interesting.

In terms of the PC muscles, there seem to be two ways then: Either all the way in, hence forceful contraction, or all the way out, hence no contraction at all.

That second method seems even more sophisticated to me, as keeping the muscles from doing a very natural, genetically hard-wired contraction at high sexual arousal means that you have to be able to “hack” your inner instincts and natural reactions.

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Hi Ben,

That is correct. Although it is useful to remember that for most men neither will be an option to begin with. Most men would need to start by blocking with their fingers pushing up on the perineum, if they need to resort to blocking at all. It is usually only after a while of practice that someone becomes proficient enough to be able to block by contracting the PC muscles only. From there it usually takes considerably more time to develop enough control over the muscles in the pelvic area to be able to relax all muscles to the degree needed to be able to experience orgasm without ejaculation from muscle relaxation alone.

Simply remaining in front of orgasm without needing to resort to any of these methods is superior to all of them, in terms of spiritual development.

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I think that « blocking » as described here does not do anything to forward one’s practice. Once the the prostrate goes into spasm and seed is released, we are no longer in retention physically, psychologically or spiritually. Even if it doesn’t leave the body at that time. I do use the technique to monitor my progress but not with enough pressure to stop flow, just enough pressure to take my orgasmic pulse. This allows me to stay ahead of my release and adjust my pace

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Hi jmf,

Personally, I have found blocking, even with the fingers or PC muscles, will result in less loss of spiritual energy than ejaculation with no blocking. So, even if the semen goes up into the bladder and is later released through urination, there will be less loss of prana overall.

The best way to practice tantric sex however, is to stay away from orgasm and blocking all together. By doing this it is possible to enter a prolonged state of bliss and rapture that is very purifying. Ecstasy is sent everywhere in the body, purifying every subtle nerve. This state can last for several hours.

If two people are making love together, the ecstatic energy can even begin to circulate through the bodies of both partners, increasing the purification taking place.

Ideally, blocking is kept for emergencies only, in cases where the man accidentally goes over the edge. These cases tend to occur less and less often over time, until they almost never happen.

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I 1st read about blocking t and practiced it a few years ago when I discovered AYP.

I think there is a underlying spiritual and psychological benefit to it:

When blocking as described here. (using the 2 finger method) most of the pleasure is denied and in fact may feel uncomfortable, both at the time and later when dealing with the trapped seed in limbo in the body. . Therefor one no longer assonates pleasure with release. This is a form of training so to speak. Which I think makes it easier to refrain from going over the edge.

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Hi James,

Yes, this is true. And of course in AYP blocking is considered a kindergarten stage in tantric sexual practice, with staying well away from orgasm being class one and above. Eventually, staying well away from orgasm becomes massively more pleasurable than orgasm.

When tantric sexual practices are combined with regular meditation, pranayama, Samyama and so on, it can be a major accelerator on the path to Self-realisation, liberation, bliss and divine love.

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Agreed; I find just as much pleasure in staying away from orgazum as in going to seed in that there is no let down afterwards and staying in the pre orgasmic stat for an extended time provides the opportunity for deep meditation. I do struggle to find an exit point though. When I am in that state I find myself looking for something but I don’t know what it is. I try not to focus on time, but I do notice that I lose track of it, much like a dream.
I also find it best to avoid sexual thoughts during this time.

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There seem to be allot of options and opinions on this topic. In my opinion, retention is part of bigger picture on the path of a spiritual and meditatatve journey. We should get hung up on loss if it is what our body wants or needs, as long we can get back on the path. We are all trying to avoid spilling seed for meaningless gains results or reasons. We want build the energy the retention gives us the power to go farther on each of our paths. It is also preferred that we don’t let the focus on release or not get in the way of intimacy.
If

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Interesting topic.

It´s fascinating that I am still in the kindergarten stage after practising ten years AYP. It shows how long the journey can take.

And I also find that with blocking the loss of prana is much less. And I always give my best to do Shambavi during orgasm, and before. But when I orgasm its to strong to fully concentrate on the upper chakras.

And my overall wellbeing is at best when I have one orgasm a week. At least I believe it is. I have accepted it. Should I change this for better progress, or is it at the end not of meaning? I feel a little less spiritually vibratinng the day after orgasm with blocking, but a day after I feel actually full again. I really would love to master my sexual energy. But to be honest with u, the orgasm is still much more enjoyable than what is happening in preorgasmic states for me. The energy and purification is not much when I do longer sessions of preorgasmic.

So, the most fun and enjoyment I find in my sessions, second in orgasm and third in my (solo) sessions.

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Hi all
I would like to point out a recent post by Yogani in another thread

.
And the more you get stuck in ideas the longer will be “the path”