Nils Kriedner (Dredsen, Germany)

 Nils is the director of Wahrhaftig Leben Tantra School (Living Fully & Consciously Tantra School) in Dresden, Germany. He has a long and intense background in martial arts before coming to tantra.

He developed an early interest in methods of physical and mental training after taking up martial arts from the young age of 6 years and learning and experiencing Judo, Karate, Aikido, Wing Chun und Arnis before he finally came to Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, a traditional Japanese martial art, of which Nils says "it combines all important elements, making it the most complex martial art".
He also explored the more mental methods of Buddhism, Autogenic Training and Alpha Training as well as a variety of relaxation techniques, finally taking up Zen meditation under Rei Shin Sensei und Rei Ko Sensei.

After completing school, he fulfilled his dearest wish and spent a year in Japan studying Bujinkan under number of  unique masters - Mannaka, Noguchi, Ishizuka und Nagase, as well as the present Great Master Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi. For some years parallel to this, he studied Japanese at a German University, while continuing frequent travels to Japan whenever he could, finally successfully completing his 5th Dan. He was given the title Shidoshi, Teacher of the Warrior Path.

He studied Yoga in Germany and India as well as tantric Kriya Yoga under Trayati Gabriele Impsal in Vienna. He completed both a tantra teacher training in   Germany and a Yoga teacher training in India, where he also studied Advaida Vedanta under Swami Suddhananda, a great Jnana Yoga master in Tiruvannamalai.

He is trained in Osho Massage, Shiatzu, Yoga-Massage and Ayurovedic Massage as well as Tantra Massage and spent  a intensive period studying North American Indian-shamanistic and spiritual teachings. He underwent Wilderniss Survival trainings in USA, Sweden and Germany and is deeply influenced by Byron Katie's "The Work".

Nils says that he continues to discover new horizons of freedom and inner vastness,
"Life has taken on a dimension in which I would have to strain myself to find a problem, any problem. I live, I love, I laugh. What I want...? I want to share this conscious, passionate restfulness with all those who are interested."
Website: www.wahrhaftig-leben.de

Message from Leandra after Nils' visit -  August 2009

What a deep experience it was to, together with Nils, facilitate three Tantric Fire Couple's Retreats around the country within three weeks! Not only that, we gave Tantra Sacred Massage sessions in each of my regular venues in Cape Town, Jo'burg and on the Durban South Coast, either individual massage or 4-handed massage sessions and these too, proved to be exhilarating experiences.
The journey with Nils was very different to my two previous trips with Nidhana and Lisa. It took me a while to get used to the energy of this young, vibrant, yet deep and quiet, often almost withdrawn German male, and I think my energy took a while for him to get used to too. Then when we connected emotionally and spiritually, the exchange, the sharing and our working together became everything I had hoped for.
We will most certainly be facilitating retreats again! What wonderful students are finding their way Tantra and to my teaching! South Africans you make me proud. Read what Nils has to say below. I love his last paragraph and I think you will too.
Namaste, Leandra

From Nils...some thoughts and feelings about my South African trip

The three weeks I spent in South Africa with Leandra were surely an immense inner and outer journey with loads of experiences.
From my part, I really experienced the whole spectrum of different feelings and emotions that possibly exist in human nature. I had not known Leandra other than from our emailing and a couple of skype-talks before arriving and so our coming together was quite adventurous since we both have quite strong characters. Although it was not easy to compromise and to find a balance, I can say that I learned a lot from Leandra's understanding of Tantra, and from her approach to working with people.

I got many new insights and ideas for my work back here in Germany and I think it was the same for Leandra. The seminar we put together was therefore a very well and nicely balanced mixture of the male and the female energies and I really enjoyed all three seminars - which were all so different in nature owing to the differences in the group make up. One thing that I particularly take away from spending time with Leandra is the reawakening of my passion for Tantra.

In January when Leandra first contacted me I was thinking about not doing any more Tantra seminars. I had been doing this successfully in Germany for a number of years already and it had become a bit of a routine - I was not feeling so enthusiastic about Tantra anymore. I was thinking about only doing meditation retreats because that was what my heart was burning for. After meeting with Leandra and preparing and facilitating the seminars with her in South Africa, I reconnected with this passion for Tantra and tantric work and I am extremely thankful for that.

How were the people in the Tantra seminars in South Africa different from those in Germany? This is a question I have often been asked. When Leandra first contacted me months ago, she already told me that I had to adapt many things to the more conservative nature of the South African people. She told me that we could not do any naked exercises in the beginners seminars, which shocked me at first and I actually thought I could not teach Tantra under such circumstances. But I came and we adapted the exercises and it was a great experience.

I experienced the South African people as a little more conservative compared to the Germans concerning physical intimacy, yes. But I also found the South Africans extremely open when it comes to their opening their hearts, sharing their inner beings and connecting to spiritual aspects of Tantra. I really enjoyed seeing this openness in this aspect of Tantra in all of you. And I am very much looking forward to the next seminars. Generally I also really enjoyed the openness and friendliness of the people I got to know during my stay and I made some really good and deep connections in this short period.

For me South Africa has an energy that is very silent and still and very alive and exciting at the same time, a very seductive mixture. And I am very much looking forward to my next trip.
All (is) Love,
Nils