Semen retention is an ancient practice embedded in spiritual traditions like Tantra, Lurianic Kabbalah, and Ayurveda. It promotes conserving one’s vital essence to enhance not only physical health but also mental and spiritual well-being. While many associate the practice with complete sexual abstinence, it’s essential to clarify that semen retention does not require giving up your partner or intimacy altogether. In fact, in practices like Tantra and Lurianic Kabbalah, sex is allowed, but the goal is to retain ejaculation rather than abstain from sexual connection.
Semen Retention in Sacred Traditions
In sacred traditions like Tantra, the idea of sexual energy is vital to achieving higher states of consciousness. This energy, which resides within the semen, can be conserved and redirected for spiritual growth. Tantra teaches that sexual energy (kundalini energy, which is feminine life-creation energy), when retained, can be transformed and redirected through the chakras to elevate the practitioner’s consciousness but also to heal and rejuvenate. This does not mean, however that one must abstain from sexual activity. Instead, the emphasis is on controlling ejaculation and conserving energy during sex.
In Lurianic Kabbalah, the mystical teachings within Judaism, there is also an emphasis on sexual energy and its connection to spirituality. The Zohar, a foundational text in Kabbalistic thought, addresses the concept of “spilling seed” and its negative consequences. In Genesis, the story of Onan, who “spilled his seed” on the ground, is often interpreted as a warning against the waste of vital energy. From this perspective, semen is viewed as a sacred life force that should be handled with care. The key takeaway from both Tantra and Kabbalah is that sex is sacred, but ejaculation must be controlled and not wasted.
The Modern Movement: NoFap and Semen Retention
In contemporary times, semen retention has gained popularity through movements like NoFap. NoFap is a community that encourages men to abstain from pornography and masturbation, arguing that overindulgence leads to a host of negative consequences. Frequent ejaculation, especially in the context of porn addiction, can deplete men physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Many men report feeling weaker, more irritable, and emotionally unstable when they indulge in excessive masturbation or consume porn regularly. From a scientific perspective, frequent ejaculation is linked to reduced immune function and lower energy levels.
More importantly, many men in the NoFap movement find that porn addiction can disrupt their intimate relationships. Women often pick up on the emotional distance and the feelings of betrayal that accompany their partner’s porn use. They may feel that their partner’s sexual energy is being directed elsewhere, making them less inclined to engage in intimacy themselves. In this sense, porn consumption becomes a form of emotional and sexual cheating, eroding trust in relationships. I think this is important as I have come across many men here who are married and who use the site as well as porn not to find a life partner but to alleviate their urges, not understanding how this is making the problem worse. I have worked coaching couples for many years and as a woman, understand how women “just know” but also are put off by this behaviour even if men think their partners are oblivious. We are not… For intimacy to be rekindled, it needs to be approached from a different angle. The aim never being to “climax” or just “get off” but actually “just to be” with the person, regardless of whether or not there is penetration, orgasm or not. When we let go of all this and can just be present in the moment, female partners will feel more inclined to engage, though every couple is different.
Striking a Balance: The Dangers of Extremism
However, it is essential to recognize that semen retention, like many other practices, should be approached with balance. Complete abstinence or extreme practices can lead to what some may term “toxic masculinity”—an overemphasis on control and domination over one’s body to the point of rigidity. Semen retention doesn’t mean never ejaculating again. In fact, many spiritual traditions warn against the dangers of repressing natural urges entirely. Moderation is key.
Sexual energy is not something that must be denied. It should be harnessed wisely, whether in a committed relationship or even through conscious solo practices. This is why traditions like Tantra, and even modern takes on semen retention, emphasize that sexual expression can coexist with semen retention. By controlling the frequency of ejaculation, men can maintain a healthy and fulfilling sexual life while still preserving their vital energy.
Semen Retention and Vital Energy
In Indian spiritual traditions like Ayurveda, semen is equated with ojas, a substance that is believed to be the essence of vitality. It is thought that preserving semen enhances one’s physical health and spiritual progression. In Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), there is a close connection between breath and energy—referred to as prana in Hindu traditions and qi in Chinese medicine. Both traditions suggest that when semen is retained, this vital energy is conserved and redirected throughout the body, contributing to a greater sense of wellness, longevity, and spiritual awakening.Let’s not forget how the Egyptians saw the Ankh as “the breath of life”, representing the union of the feminine and masculine and balance between the two. In Egyptian archaeology, we see many stone carvings and bas-reliefs of Isis “feeding” the Ankh to a Pharaoh.
The redirection of this sexual energy is at the core of the spiritual benefits of semen retention. By retaining semen, one can cultivate elevated states of consciousness, enhanced mental clarity, and a deeper connection to spiritual dimensions. Sexual energy is potent, and when used correctly, it can be a tool for personal and spiritual transformation.
Semen retention therefore, when practiced with moderation and balance, can have profound effects on both physical and spiritual well-being. It does not mean giving up sex or intimacy, but rather, it is about conserving energy and using it wisely. Movements like NoFap highlight the dangers of overindulgence in masturbation and porn, while sacred traditions like Tantra and Kabbalah emphasize the sacredness of sexual energy. Whether single or in a relationship, men can practice semen retention to harness the power of their sexual energy for both physical vitality and spiritual enlightenment.
For those that would like to know more, you can reach me privately. Note that I offer private consultations on sacred sexuality and couples coaching but also psychospiritual counselling, energy healing, depth psychology and work and more.
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Elayne (Sophia Unveiled)
It was interesting reading this from my perspective…I had urinary issues years ago due to prostate enlargement so had a procedure to “widen” my urethra…as a result I have what is called retrograde ejaculation…my semen goes backwards into my bladder instead of being ejected through my penis…I have all the sensations of a climax just none of “the mess”…which makes me wonder does this have the same effect as what you spoke of…inquiring minds…
Wow, thank you for sharing, unfortunately I would say no, because if your semen goes into your bladder it will get released, not reabsorbed, the point is using orgasm to make use of kundalini energy channelling it through your body while retaining semen so it is absorbed.
I am unfamiliar with all the ins and outs of your case but anything in your bladder will leave your body and I am unsure of what other health conditions you have but you could discuss this with your doctor in your case. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and reading this.
Male athletes not having an orgasm before performances to conserve their energy has long been a myth in many sports, dating back to early Greece and Roman times.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/women-who-stray/202303/do-sex-and-orgasm-impact-athletic-performance
https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/sexaffectsathleticperformance
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4914923/
Thank you for sharing this, many modern athletes do engage in this and I can see in ancient times how relevant it would have been, so perhaps not so much of a myth, but something that actually happened. My research has taken me there re the Knights Templar for example.
I’m sure this was practiced, but the myth part is conserving energy, or something else, for improved physical performance by not ejaculating. Modern science debunks this.
The effect of not ejaculating for Tantric sex purposes is another issue, and one that for me personally is completely useless. I’ve tried it and do not find positive in any way. Obviously others, dating back hundreds of years, have found different results and I wish them well.
Sexual activity should be regulated naturally, with the individuals involved being aware and considerate of their partner’s, and their own, wants and needs. Between the demands of modern life, libido, etc., common ground can be reached without resorting to acrobatic restraint.
Of course the examples of excessive masturbation and the influence of pornography on same are valid, and typically require professional help to resolve.
In my experience with semen retention, the semen is reabsorbed after a time. A man can feel this as his energy level goes up then down again. And the cycle starts over. However many years ago, a friend told me a Kundalini yoga technique of semen transformation. I tried it with an amazing result. During sex a man pumps his anal muscles out during the inner thrust and tightening them on withdrawing. And so exhaling during the inner thrust and breathing in during withdrawal. It is actually pretty hard to do because the opposite is the natural rhythm. The result of this practice is said to causes the semen and orgasmic energy to rise up the kundalini. In my case when I did achieve this, it felt crazy orgasmic and a quick warm feeling up my spine and then I entered a realm of pure white total love. I seemed to be in this other realm for a very long time. However when asking my partner she said that my orgasm was of normal duration.
Thank you for sharing this, I will share some techniques as the blog grows and develops but the breath is key, hence why I mention it in the article and I use it in my energy healing workshops, so totally agree with this. The point with all this is not that every time we are with our partners we need to follow complicated instructions, but moderation is key and integrating some of these practices into our lifestyle can be beneficial. Not every sexual encounter has to lead to ejaculation which goes back to what we were discussing yesterday in the live audio, and later on with Ron/Rock, that can be extremely depleting for a man and also a woman. But…like in Tantra, you can have sexual intimacy and be present with your partner without fully having intercourse every time, whether its a shower together, lying in bed under the sheets with nothing else, enjoying caresses and a nap and just “being” or even a sensual long kissing session that does not have to end in full-blown sex or ABF/ANR moments, even if these produce a sexual response but there are many ways we can be sensual and sexual with our partners without completely exhausting ourselves. I just thought of mentioning this type of Kabbalah as it is not that well-known and in ways similar to tantra, which does not prohibit sexual intercourse but where conserving energy and working with it is key, even if not always. No one follows everything to the letter every single day, but key is consistency. Thank you again to you and NB for your friendship and for coming to the live audio, it was a really good conversation and Treasure Chest is right, your comment on ABF/ANR is invaluable.