Bon’s tantric landscape feels like stepping into a parallel universe of Tibetan spirituality, where fire offerings, sky-gazing, and elemental rituals weave together in ways unseen elsewhere. At the heart of these practices lies the Zhang-Zhung Nyengyud lineage, an aural transmission said to predate Buddhist tantra in Tibet. It channels teachings through chants and hand gestures that honor the ancient Bonpo deities—Shenlha Ökar, the peaceful deity of luminosity, and Sipai Gyalmo, the fierce protectress—rather than the familiar Buddhist pantheon.

One standout is the “Six Lokas Yoga,” a sequence mapping the human psyche onto six cosmic realms, each explored through mantra, mudra and visualization. Instead of ascending to enlightenment by shedding attachments, practitioners immerse themselves in every realm—hungry ghosts, jealous gods, even hell—transforming raw emotions into compassion. It’s like taking the scenic route through every emotional valley before reaching the summit.

Dark-retreat techniques in Bon are equally distinctive. Known as “Tummo of the White Throat,” this practice harnesses inner heat not just for blissful visions but to commune with elemental spirits—water, earth, fire, wind and space. A recent documentary at the 2025 International Indigenous Film Festival showed modern Bon retreatants camping in Himalayan caves, using these yogas to adapt to extreme climates much the way their ancestors did.

Another gem is the “Mirror Practice,” where a polished metal plate becomes a portal. Meditators invoke Yeshé Tsogyel’s mirror aspect to reflect inner obscurations back into the light. In the digital age, this ancient technique is finding new followers online, with live virtual sessions connecting Bon masters from the Tibetan plateau to enthusiasts in Berlin and New York.

Even Bon’s sexual yogas carry a flavor all their own: symbolic consort rituals honor both the masculine and feminine principles as facets of the same primal energy, sidestepping tantric binaries. In a world hungry for holistic well-being, these Bon practices—rooted in pre-Buddhist shamanism and refined through centuries—offer a refreshingly earth-bound path to awakening.