The Yogic Arts Series: Yantra & the Tantric Arts with Melissa Forbes

09/13/24 • 60 min

In this episode of "The Heart of Yoga " Rosalind kicks off the Yogic Arts Series with a deep and enlightening conversation with artist and Yogini Melissa Forbes. They explore the intersection of art and spirituality through the study of Yantra, numerology, and Jyotish (Vedic astrology). Melissa shares her personal journey into sacred geometry and how these ancient traditions have shaped her practice, teaching, and artwork. Through this conversation, listeners are invited into the rich, intricate world of sacred Yogic arts and the deeper meaning behind these practices.

They discuss...

The profound relationship between Yantra, numerology, and the energies of the planets, exploring how specific shapes, colors, and numbers influence one's life and spiritual journey.
Melissa’s background in sacred geometry and her teachings on how constructing Yantras can help align an individual's energy with cosmic forces.
The influence of Melissa’s teacher, Harish Johari, and the tradition of integrating chanting, numerology, and sacred geometry into the spiritual practice.
Insights into the powerful energy of certain colors and planets, such as working with green and emerald to harness the healing energy of Mercury.
The importance of natural movement and geometry in understanding the true essence of Yoga beyond its physical form.

Favorite Phrases:

"The study of the macrocosm via the microcosm. Tantra offers a holistic approach to the universe through the lens of the individual."
"The energy of the Yantras is all about alignment—through sound, color, and shape, we can tap into the deeper forces of the cosmos."
"Working with a spiral in sacred geometry mirrors nature’s own patterns; it’s a theme that’s as universal as the DNA in our bodies or the form of a fern unfurling."

Resources Mentioned:

Books by Harish Johari: Numerology, Tantra, Ayurveda: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Harish-Johari/410046710
https://melissaforbes.art/retreats You are invited to join Melissa on her Sacred Geometry luxury retreat in India, January 2025. Melissa leads an annual retreat at Shreyas, member of Relais & Chateaux, focusing on Sacred Geometry. An excellent opportunity to explore the inner dimensions and rekindle our creative energies, and direct it towards spiritual unfoldment. Yoga, Ayurveda and Art in a refined beautiful environment.
Connect with Melissa on IG @melissaforbes8

Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Introduction to the episode and guest, Melissa Forbes
[00:01:00] Melissa shares her initial journey into Yoga and sacred geometry
[00:03:00] Discussion on numerology and the relationship mandala
[00:06:00] Exploring the deeper meaning of Yantra and the connection with planets
[00:20:00] Transition into Jyotish and how numerology ties into personal energies
[00:36:00] Retreat discussions and how participants interact with the Yogic arts
[00:50:00] Personal anecdotes about U.G. and Melissa's experiences in sacred spaces
[00:59:00] Conclusion and final reflections on art, spirituality, and cosmic energy

They discuss...

The profound relationship between Yantra, numerology, and the energies of the planets, exploring how specific shapes, colors, and numbers influence one's life and spiritual journey.
Melissa’s background in sacred geometry and her teachings on how constructing Yantras can help align an individual's energy with cosmic forces.
The influence of Melissa’s teacher, Harish Johari, and the tradition of integrating chanting, numerology, and sacred geometry into the spiritual practice.
Insights into the powerful energy of certain colors and planets, such as working with green and emerald to harness the healing energy of Mercury.
The importance of natural movement and geometry in understanding the true essence of Yoga beyond its physical form.

Favorite Phrases:

"The study of the macrocosm via the microcosm. Tantra offers a holistic approach to the universe through the lens of the individual."
"The energy of the Yantras is all about alignment—through sound, color, and shape, we can tap into the deeper forces of the cosmos."
"Working with a spiral in sacred geometry mirrors nature’s own patterns; it’s a theme that’s as universal as the DNA in our bodies or the form of a fern unfurling."

Resources Mentioned:

Books by Harish Johari: Numerology, Tantra, Ayurveda: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Harish-Johari/410046710
https://melissaforbes.art/retreats You are invited to join Melissa on her Sacred Geometry luxury retreat in India, January 2025. Melissa leads an annual retreat at Shreyas, member of Relais & Chateaux, focusing on Sacred Geometry. An excellent opportunity to explore the inner dimensions and rekindle our creative energies, and direct it towards spiritual unfoldment. Yoga, Ayurveda and Art in a refined beautiful environment.
Connect with Melissa on IG @melissaforbes8

Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Introduction to the episode and guest, Melissa Forbes
[00:01:00] Melissa shares her initial journey into Yoga and sacred geometry
[00:03:00] Discussion on numerology and the relationship mandala
[00:06:00] Exploring the deeper meaning of Yantra and the connection with planets
[00:20:00] Transition into Jyotish and how numerology ties into personal energies
[00:36:00] Retreat discussions and how participants interact with the Yogic arts
[00:50:00] Personal anecdotes about U.G. and Melissa's experiences in sacred spaces
[00:59:00] Conclusion and final reflections on art, spirituality, and cosmic energy

Previous Episode

The Lifesaving Power of Yoga with Raúl Petraglia

In this episode of the Heart of Yoga podcast, Raul Petraglia, a former high-flying corporate executive, shares his incredible journey from the high-stress world of luxury hospitality to finding profound peace through the practice of Yoga. Raul opens up about his past life of excess and stress, the physical and emotional toll it took on him, and how a serious health crisis led him to discover Yoga. This transformative experience not only saved his life but also inspired him to dedicate himself to sharing the healing power of Yoga with others, including the corporate world he once inhabited.

They discuss:

Raul’s early life in Argentina and his rise in the luxury hotel industry, leading to a lifestyle of excess and eventual burnout.
The pivotal moment when Raul realized his lifestyle was unsustainable, leading him to seek a different path through Yoga.
How Raul’s journey into Yoga began as a necessity for physical rehabilitation and evolved into a profound personal practice.
The unique challenges of teaching Yoga within a corporate environment and the impact it has on stressed executives.
The importance of adapting Yoga practices to individual needs, as Raul did for his own mother.

Favorite phrases:

"I used to party till sunrise. Now I wake up to see the sunrise and do my practice."
"There is a special feeling there, Mark. It’s like this is my goal, my dharma."
"Yoga is participation in reality via the breath."

Resources:

Books: The Heart of Yoga by T.K.V. Desikachar

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56303.The_Heart_of_Yoga

Websites: Heart of Yoga Studio

https://www.heartofyoga.com/studio

Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction: Raul’s background and entry into Yoga.
[07:00] Corporate Burnout: Transition from a high-stress career to discovering Yoga.
[16:00] Yoga’s Impact: How Yoga transformed Raul’s life.
[26:00] Teaching Yoga: Bringing Yoga into corporate settings.
[40:00] Personalizing Yoga: Adapting practices for individual needs.
[52:00] Reflection: Raul’s ongoing journey and mission with Yoga.

Next Episode

The Source and the Seen: Reclaiming Intimacy, Yoga, and the Power of the Feminine

The Yoga Tantras that Krishnamacharya graciously brought forth teach us direct participation in Reality and the qualities or nature of Reality. They flush from the living body the restive patterning and traumas that culture and society has put in us. These Tantras disappeared in India & Tibet after the 14th century replaced by authoritarian power structures.

In this powerful episode of The Heart of Yoga Podcast, Mark returns with scholar and heart of Yoga teacher Andrew Raba for a deeply vulnerable & piercing conversation on the core wounds of society: the denial of the feminine, the suppression of sexual wisdom, and the destructive legacy of religious thinking that created world mind.

Together, they unravel the heavy conditioning that shapes our views of intimacy, self-improvement, and the male fantasy of enlightenment. Together they point us back to the radical truth: that the source & the seen are one. With candor, grief, humor and hope, Mark and Andrew explore how Yoga is participation in What is already the case, real & natural.

They discuss...

How the ancient idea of enlightenment has created harmful hierarchies that separate the spiritual from the sexual and the sacred from the ordinary.

The personal and collective consequences of suppressing the feminine, intimacy & body intelligence.

Why intimacy is often the battleground for inherited trauma, shame, and confusion—how Yoga can help us participate in love, the unity condition that is life, without seeking to “fix” or “transcend” ourselves.

Mark’s reflections on sex, relationship, and receiving each other is the only sacred life there is.

The power of whole-body breathing, above to below, inhalation to exhalation, strength to receptivity reconnects us to What is real, beyond religious dogma or self-improvement fantasies and struggles.

They discuss...

How the ancient idea of enlightenment has created harmful hierarchies that separate the spiritual from the sexual and the sacred from the ordinary.
The personal and collective consequences of suppressing the feminine, intimacy, and embodied wisdom.
Andrew’s journey from academic seeker to awakened Yogi, and how one simple truth—the source and the seen are one—transformed his life.
Why intimacy is often the battleground for inherited trauma, shame, and spiritual confusion—and how Yoga can help us participate in love without seeking to “fix” or “transcend” ourselves.
Mark’s reflections on sex, relationship, and receiving the other as a sacred, cosmic act—not as a spiritual obstacle.
The power of whole-body Yoga to reconnect us with what’s real, beyond religious dogma or self-improvement fantasies.

Favorite Phrases:

“Life is perfectly expressing itself through you. What could create a human body? That power is not somewhere else—it’s here, as this.”

“Sex is not something done to get something. It is to participate in what life actually is.”

“Male does not receive female—and that’s the core wound of civilization.”

Resources Mentioned:

Teachings of T. Krishnamacharya

Taoist insights into yin-yang and sacred sexuality

Reflections on world religions, mystic traditions, and cultural conditioning

Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Opening reflection on hierarchy, enlightenment, and the denial of the feminine [00:02:00] Introduction to guest Andrew Raba and his background [00:06:00] Andrew shares his transformation after hearing “the source and the seen are one” [00:10:00] The collapse of the seeking framework and the emergence of presence [00:16:00] The deep cultural programming around sex, love, and spirituality [00:23:00] Exploring karmic patterns, judgment, and self-forgiveness [00:31:00] Reclaiming sex as participation, not transaction [00:36:00] The role of Yoga as a daily reflection and realignment with truth [00:42:00] Mark and Andrew discuss the union of opposites and the healing of gender divisions [00:47:00] Closing thoughts on spiritual honesty, Yoga as participation, and receiving the other