What is Tantra?
Tantra is an ancient body of practices and philosophy that chart a path of personal transformation and spiritual attainment. It is sex and body positive, honoring the physical along with the spiritual.
Emerging from the mists of prehistoric South Asia, it has, over the millennia, woven together threads of the highest and most abstract of Vedic wisdom with the magic and earth-based intuitions of tribal shamans.
About Pǎo Shan's Tantric Journey
Păo Shan is enthusiastically committed to integrating life energies. He spent two and a half years living full-time in a Zen Buddhist Monastery in Michigan, and was lay-ordained as a Sotō Zen Monk in 2021. The mind-training Păo Shan received throughout his time there allowed him to discover a clarity of negotiating with his existence as consciousness, simultaneously experiencing both itself and the human form it currently inhabits. He discovered his practice also needed to fully include our shared innate, human, sensual and erotic life-force energies.
His direct connection with Indic Tantra began in 2020, when he met his tantric teacher, Swami Ravi Rudra Bharati (formerly Rudolph Ballentine, MD), founder of Dancing Shiva Tantra Monastery & Healing Center in Black Mountain, NC.
Dancing Shiva Tantra Monastery & Healing Center
Dancing Shiva Tantra Monastery and Healing Center is the home of Pǎo Shan's tantric teacher, Swami Ravi Ruudra Bharati. It is nestled in the misty Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina just east of Asheville. Its focus is authentic classic tantra, emphasizing the inner marriage between each person’s inner Shiva (“masculine”) and Shakti (“feminine”).
The Himalayan Tantra Men’s Healing Tribe is a group of men who are interested in cultivating and exploring erotic energy, understanding the spiritual dimensions of their sexuality, and enjoying connection and camaraderie with other like-minded men. We host daytime, evening, day-long and extended weekend gatherings. Events and sessions are offered both in-person and online.
My Services
Personal Coaching or Body-Based Session
Tailored to support your individual intentions, these one-on-one sessions are designed around your personal journey. I provide a compassionate, confidential, and consent-centered space for you to uncover and embrace your truest self. Whether you're looking to articulate your desires more clearly or simply want to feel more connected to your body, we’ll craft a session just for you.
Body-Based Work:
Step away from the demands of everyday life and surrender to a restorative experience. With breath-led awareness and touch, I’ll guide you through a session that supports deep relaxation and nervous system unwinding. We’ll begin with a conversation to identify areas in your body asking for healing and attention.
Coaching Conversations:
Explore the themes of pleasure, embodiment, longing, resistance, and self-discovery. These dialogues are a space to speak freely about the things often left unspoken—whether you're facing blocks, confusion, or simply seeking clarity. With tools from somatic practice and intuitive inquiry, I support you in moving toward deeper alignment and wholeness.
For Details and Booking
Reach out to Pǎo for pricing information. Body-based sessions are held in my private home studio, and usually last 90 minutes. Coaching Conversation are held either in-persoon or online, and usually last 60 minutes. Session length can be customized depending on your needs.
