Recently, I read this negative comment on some random blog out there about tantra - "Tantric sex is a bunch of crap, like that woman recently who had to deal with 90 minute sex sessions, seriously no one wants that... just finish already so we can watch TV."

Although this sarcastic reply may sound funny, this is actually a cry for help.

The word tantra comes from two words, tanoti, which means expansion, and trayati, which means liberation. It also means to stretch or to weave and is also the word for an ancient scripture or text. The premise of Tantra is that life is a tapestry of a thousand individual and colorful threads, threads of energy and consciousness that pervade every aspect of the universe. Therefore tantric practitioners don’t negate reality for spirituality. They live in the world enjoying its many pleasures and use those pleasures as a doorway to the divine.

But the key is that it's about reaching a state of inner liberation by stretching and expanding yourself.

Take the example of doing the dishes. If, by chance, you hate doing the dishes, then every time you are forced to do the dishes intensifies the negative experience. Maybe you recently cut your hand on a knife, the last time you did the dishes, then you may be afraid of doing the dishes. Or maybe your parents forced you to do the dishes, when you wanted to go out and play, burdening you with a lifetime of resentment and regret.

Tantric dish washing is all about learning to say yes to doing the dishes.