A Q&A with Al Vitaro – Maker of the Tantra Chair

Tantra is one of those things that seem so mysterious and elusive where sex is concerned. It seems that the only people with the knowledge are the ones that have firsthand experience. Since I am not one of those people, I decided to find someone that is. So, I politely prodded a friend of mine, Al Vitaro, owner of TantraChair.com and asked him if he would be kind enough to answer some questions for me. He was more than happy to help and jumped into the questions head first, hoping to entertain and enlighten those of you choosing to read this.

Q. For our readers that have no clue what Tantra is, can you please give a brief description of what it means?

A. Hello Ashtyn…my pleasure. When someone hears the word Tantra, in most cases, they understand that it has something to do with sex. This is true to some extent but in actuality, Tantra is a way of life and involves every aspect of an individual’s life. Tantra is a spiritual path so to speak, much like Zen Buddhism. Many Zen Buddhists are very “Tantric” in the way they live their lives.

Mindfulness and respectful inner and outer behavior is paramount. Tantra originated in India in the 4th - 9th century AD. and the concept behind the sexual aspect of Tantra is very special. It involves raising the kundalini (sacred energy that exists within us) and using this energy to achieve heightened awareness or enlightenment. During sacred intimacy, this energy is very present and a Tantric master understands how to harness this energy and go into Samadhi or an enlightened state.

Q. How long have you had an interest in Tantra and how did you get involved?

A. I have been practicing Zen Buddhism since I was a small child and Tantra is just very natural for me. Once you develop your mind with deep perception, intuition and silence, you become very Tantric. It is a very difficult, very beautiful and very amazing progression. How did I get involved? See if you can make any sense of this….

I remember being in 4th grade and sitting in the church waiting to tell the priest of my sins. This is a ritual that Catholics do to absolve themselves of the sins they have committed. We had a choice to go into the “Open” confessional and sit before the priest face to face or the “Closed” confessional where we could remain anonymous. For some strange reason, I always chose to sit face to face with our priest.

The door opened to the closed confessional and one of my classmates (I’ll call her Jen) ran hysterically and in tears to the altar to say her penance before God. As I walked towards the Open confessional, I could hear little Jen sobbing as her tiny voice echoed to the back of the church. “Good morning Father” I said. The old priest nodded his head, leaned back in his chair, put his hand on his chin and said, “How long has it been since your last confession?”

“It’s been one week Father….remember last Wednesday…I was right here.” I said seriously. The old man lowered his brow and looked over his thick, rather stylish glasses. “What do you have to say today, Al?” asked the priest.

“Well Father, here it goes…. I swore seven times……but once, it didn’t really count because I stepped in dog shit. I said the “F” word mostly….I think five times and I also said ‘dammit’.” I said shamefully. “Why do you use the “F” word so frequently?” He asked in an authoritative way. “I don’t know Father……I hear my dad say it all the time and it sounds really neat.” I said shamefully again. “I see.” said the old priest. “What else would you like to share with God?” he asked.

“Well Father,” I said as I lowered my head. “Here it goes…..I can’t stop looking at Ms. Wood’s ass. She’s really pretty and her eyes are so big and green. I don’t know why, but I always catch myself looking at her ass. I know it’s wrong and I am so ashamed.” Wow, at that moment, I was more scared than I have ever been. I looked up to see the old man’s face because there was an awfully long silence. His face was bright red and he was kind of turned to the side and away from me and he was making what I thought was a choking sound as if he was clearing his throat or something. Still facing away from me, he asked in a garbled voice, “Al, what kind of jeans does Ms. Woods wear?” “Jordache Father….she always wears Jordache jeans.” I fired off the tip of my tongue.

At that moment, the old man started laughing hysterically. It was like a “laughing” explosion. I have never, to this day, seen another person laugh that hard. His face looked blue at this point and tears were streaming down his cheeks and his entire body was bouncing all over the place. Moments later, he gathered his composure for the most part. “Al, for your penance, say 50 Our Father Prayers and 50 Hail Mary Prayers and 50 Acts of Contrition Prayers.” said the priest as he continued to chuckle. “Yes Father, see you next week.” I said seriously. “Al?” questioned the priest as I opened the door. “Watch those “F” words from now on, ok?” “Yes Father, I will.” I said as I moped my way up to the altar to do my penance.

“My goodness, I thought to myself. This must be the longest punishment anyone has ever received. One by one the other children finished their punishment prayers and I was all alone on the altar….just me and Jesus illuminated by a giant church light. I remember wondering what Jesus did to end up on the cross. I wondered if he too was caught looking at a woman’s ass. I must have been up there for an hour and finally, I rose from my knees and turned to the back of the church.

The church was completely empty except for Ms. Woods. There she was, waiting patiently as she stared out a window with her back turned to me. I couldn’t help but notice the sunlight highlighting the curvature of her body and those damn Jordache jeans accentuated her beautiful figure. As Ms. Woods reached for my hand to take me back to school, I turned back and looked into the empty church. “I’ll see you tomorrow Jesus.” I whispered to myself.

From that moment, something in me changed. This was my first experience in understanding that things aren’t always as they seem. Guilty feelings, fear, shame…..all of these things didn’t need to exist. The laughter of the priest will always stay with me. He was a human being and one that probably was no better than I. Thank you Father K. You changed my life by accident. What are the answers to the big questions? That’s what I wanted to know. This was the very experience that got my wheels turning and ultimately led me down the path of Zen Buddhism and a Tantric way of life. Sorry for the long story

Q. If someone learns that you are involved in Tantra, what is the first question that they ask?

A. The great singer/songwriter Sting and his wife Trudy are embedded into the American consciousness because they have spoken openly about their Tantric practices and their love of intimacy. I remember a lot of women saying, “Tantric Sex? Like Sting? Really? That’s interesting.” Something along these lines.

Q. If someone is interested in Tantra and doesn’t know where to begin, what is a good place to start?

A. There are so many wonderful books and films about Tantra, but I can’t recommend any of them. I believe that a person needs to begin on the Tantric path via the practice of meditation. Tantra is a very natural progression as you become more in tune with your spirit.

Q. When most people hear the word Tantra, no matter how much they know about the practice, they automatically think of sex. However, Tantra is also a sort of spiritual belief, as well, which came before the sex. Are you involved in both areas and do you have to be to enjoy Tantric sex?

A. Absolutely, Tantric sex can’t really exist without the spiritual awareness. It is spiritual awareness. I am deeply involved in the spirituality aspect and practice and if I am going to express myself sexually with my wife, then it is always in a Tantric way.

Q. How is Tantric sex different from traditional forms of sex?

A. Tantric sex has nothing to do with fucking so to speak. Tantric Sex is about raising awareness….creating a nirvana like state that enables you to perceive, love, feel and live ecstatically. Sex is one way to tap into these things but certainly, just one way.

Q. Is this something that anyone can do or learn to do or is it not for everyone?

A. Yes, everyone can do it. Tantric Sex is not just a bunch of wild sexual positions. It is a state of mind. If you are spiritually in tune, you can certainly cultivate the brilliance of Tantric Sex.

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I met Al when I found his website and fell in love with his Tantra Chairs. I emailed him because I had to have one and he has been gracious enough to let me review one! Since we have discussed some of what Tantra is about, I thought it would be nice to bring up the Tantra chair and where that fits into things.

Q. The design of your Tantra chairs is amazing. Not only are they sexy, with many designs to choose from, they are also comfortable looking. Did you come up with the design yourself?

A. Yes, I designed the Tantra Chair. It took me many years actually. I am a stone sculptor as well and one of my favorite subjects has been the female form……thanks to Ms. Woods. I designed the Tantra Chair in the likeness of the female form.

Q. How did you decide to get into the furniture making business?

A. I actually began designing meditation furniture. My dear friend and I were traveling around the West Coast meeting various Buddhist Masters and sometimes we were sitting in meditation for many hours. My body was so uncomfortable and I noticed the same discomfort in most everyone. I began designing little chairs to take with me on these journeys and people really started to react positively to them. This inspired me to launch a business venture. I recently designed a chair for His Holiness, the Dalai Lama which was a great honor for Zen By Design.

Q. Can these chairs be used for non-sex purposes? Are they comfortable for long periods or would they be something you wouldn’t want to sit in/on for an extended period of time?

A. The Tantra Chair is amazing for yoga stretching, sacred sex, relaxing and reading. The are very comfortable for extended periods of time.

Q. How does this chair improve the tantric sex experience?

A. The Tantra Chair greatly enhances the comfort levels during intimacy and it also greatly enhances the physical pleasure. Imagine not having to think about your body during sex. You may want to focus on a particular part of your body but you definitely do not want to be distracted by neck stiffness, back or shoulder pain. The Tantra Chair takes care of your body but it is up to you to take care of your spirit

If you are interested in checking out Al’s line of meditation or Tantra furniture you can visit http://www.zenbydesign.com or http://www.tantrachair.com

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