what is kundalini | kundalini

what is kundalini | kundalini

Kundalini is an energy that exists in everyone's body, usually in a dormant state. This means that most people never feel it and never know it is there. But in a very few people, perhaps one in one thousand, this energy becomes aroused, activated. This can be a happy event or it can be scary and disruptive, depending on whether you aroused your kundalini on purpose or by accident.

The Sanskrit word, kundalini, means coiled, like a snake. Kundalini energy is not recognized by medical science, and is often little understood even among teachers of Yoga and meditative traditions. It is, however, mentioned extensively in the literature of Yoga and Tantra (both Buddhist and Hindu).

Because the word "kundalini" has become widely used, many people, I believe, consider it to be metaphoric or legendary. This statement by Yogi Bhajan, for example, suggests a somewhat metaphoric view of kundalini: "(Kundalini is) the creative potential in the man." (Kundalini, Evolution and Enlightenment, edited by John White, Paragon House, 1990, p. 25) Yet those like me, who have aroused their kundalini, cannot possibly consider it to be a metaphor. It is quite literal.

Here is the story of kundalini as found in the Hatha Yoga literature , and as I have experienced it: Kundalini can be "awakened" or "aroused" from its "slumber" at the base of your spine by intense meditation or intense breath control practices. Hatha Yoga and Tantra Yoga, in their traditional forms, are designed to arouse kundalini so that the practitioner can use the tremendous energy thus released to increase the potency of his or her meditation and other spiritual practices. The Yoga literature cautions the Yoga practitioner, however, that he or she must undergo extensive preparations before attempting to arouse his or her kundalini. Otherwise it can cause trouble.

The yogi or yogini who successfully and safely arouses their kundalini gains a great ally on their spiritual journey. That ally is an energy, a vitality, that smooths the path, that makes the steep slopes easier to climb, and that acts like a sword to cut through inertia and conditioning. In short, Kundalini can change you quickly. It can advance your spiritual aspirations. Moreover, according to authors of some of the Tantras (ancient writings), aroused kundalini energy is essential to a yogin (practitioner of yoga, male or female) attaining complete liberation in this modern distracted age (called Kali Yuga).

I disagree, preferring the metaphor of many paths ascending to the top of that mountain. Yet comprehensive Yoga that incorporates Kundalini arousal certainly offers a well-charted and well-worn path for the serious seeker.

What is Kundalini Energy? 

Kundalini energy is the potential form of prana or life force, lying dormant in our bodies. It is conceptualised as a coiled up serpent lying at the base of our spine which can spring awake activated by spiritual disciplines. Spiritual practices like Yoga, meditation and the next evolutionary step Millennium Modality™ focuses on the raising of the kundalini from the root chakra to the crown chakra, awakening a transformative energy.  Kundalini has the capacity to ‘wash’ away our deepest tensions, eliminate our misunderstandings (lessons and beliefs) about our true nature, and to expand the flow of creative energy and consciousness within us. It is the seat of ABSOLUTE KNOWLEDGE.This energy is also seen as sexual energy and awakens the primordial female. When this it is released, there is a direct transmission of spiritual power which gives spiritual freedom. It is linked to the descent of GRACE (love). In this process the SHAKTIPAT is the fire that ignites the rising of the kundalini. “Kundalini is the energy of the DIVINE as it is experienced in the individual, it binds us when we project it in to the world and yet, Kundalini liberates us when we return this energy to its divine origin.” Kundalini is derived from the Sanskrit word meaning coiled up snake. It is the energy to nourish the TREE OF LIFE within us and has been seen as ‘The serpent power.’ In Yoga, it is a term referring to the reservoir of PSYCHIC energy at the base of the spine. Kundalini is curled up in the back part of the root chakra in 3 ½ turns. It is located in the sacrum bone. The Latin name ‘os sacrum’ suggests that it is a HOLY or sacred part of the body. The ancient Greeks were aware of this and noted that it was the last bone to be destroyed when the body is burnt. Ancient Egyptians also held this bone to be very valuable and considered it to be the ‘seat of special power’. In the West, the sacrum is symbolised by the sign of Aquarius and by the Holy Grail, container of the water of life.  (As mentioned previously, the information of awakening people was so precious and powerful that people killed for it. This occurred in Atlantis, Egypt, Medieval days.) The Function of Kundalini The practice of this energy comprises of awakening and then guiding it through the nadis or channels, up the psychic channel SUSHUMNA (parallel to cerebral fluid) which runs from the base of the spine to the brain. When the energy awakens and moves from the root chakra to the crown chakra through three (3) main channels called ida, pingala and sushumna, and through all the chakras, SELF REALISATION occurs. This induces an awareness and more conscious state within the individual. In other words more of the brain is utilised and the perception of reality is altered from FEAR to LOVE. The Chakras and Kundalini The chakras are any of the nerve plexus or centres of force and consciousness located within the inner bodies of man. In the physical body there are corresponding nerve plexuses, ganglia and glands.  The seven principal chakras can be seen psychically as colourful, multi-petaled wheels or lotuses. They are situated along the spinal cord from the base to the cranial chamber.  Additionally, seven chakras, barely visible, exist below the spine. They are seats of instinctive consciousness, the origin of jealousy, hatred, envy, guilt, sorrow, etc. They constitute the lower or hellish world, called Naraka or patala. The seven upper chakras, from lowest to highest, are: 1.  muladhara chakra (base of spine): memory, time and space; 2.  svadhishthana chakra (below navel): reason; 3.  manipura chakra (solar plexus): willpower; 4.  anahata chakra (heart centre): direct cognition; 5.  vishuddha chakra (throat): divine love; 6.  ajna chakra (third eye): divine sight; 7.  sahasrara chakra (crown of head): illumination, Godliness. ≈   The seven lower chakras, from highest to lowest, are: 1.  atala chakra (hips): fear and lust; 2.  vitala chakra (thighs): raging anger; 3.  sutala chakra (knees): retaliatory jealousy; 4.  talatala chakra (calves): prolonged mental confusion; 5.  rasatala chakra (ankles): selfishness; 6.  mahatala chakra (feet): absence of conscience; 7.  patala chakra (located in the soles of the feet): murder and malice. Nadis Nadis are the astral tubes made up of astral matter that carry psychic currents. It is through these Nadis (Sukshma, subtle passages), that the vital force or Pranic current moves or flows. Kundalini energy when awakened, will pass through Sushumna Nadi and this is possible only when the Nadis are pure. Therefore, the first step in Kundalini Yoga is the purification of Nadis. A detailed knowledge of the Nadis and Chakras, is absolutely essential. Their location, functions, nature, etc., should be thoroughly studied. The three main nadis are named ida, pingala and sushumna. ida nadi: Also known as chandra ("moon") nadi, it is pink in colour and flows downward, ending on the left side of the body. This current is feminine in nature and is the channel of physical-emotional energy. pinga nadi: Also known as surya ("sun") nadi, it is blue in colour and flows upward, ending on the right side of the body. This current is masculine in nature and is the channel of intellectual mental energy. sushumna nadi: The major nerve current which passes through the spinal column from the muladhara chakra at the base to the sahasrara at the crown of the head. It is the channel of kundalini. Through yoga, the kundalini energy lying dormant in the muladhara is awakened and made to rise up this channel through each chakra to the sahasrara chakra. When these amazing awakening happen to people, the experience can leave them fragile and fragmented. As the Kundalini process involves a redefinition and reintegration of self. It adds extra pressure when people wish to suppress the transformation and insist on leading their lives normally, whatever normal is. As it does rise, unwanted impurities within the body disappear. The Koran Prophet Mohammed Sahib talked of the day or resurrection when he says the ’hand will speak.’ “that day we set a seal on their mouths, but their hands will speak to us, and their hands bare witness to all that they did.”  When Kundalini awakening occurs, a flow of energy in the form of cool, vibrations from the hands is experienced. History repeats Kundalini awakenings: Tao – The primordial power is described that of a Mother. Lao Tze described Kundalini as ‘spirit of the valley’, which never dies. Buddhist – The lord Buddha spoke of the ‘middle path’ to achieve Nirvana, which is the central channel Sushumna. The secret was only passed down to few serving disciples. Kundalini Awakening Symptoms These symptoms are not a diagnosis but an awareness of Kundalini Energy rising.  Summary The Kundalini energy is there to nourish, to HEAL, look after, to give an individual a higher and deeper personality. The power is ABSOLUTE, purity, auspiciousness, chastity, self respect, pure LOVE, detachment, concern for others and enlightened attention, to give infinite joy and peace to an individual. More people are having awakenings in the 21st Century as it is a means by which self realisation and spiritual evolution to GOD –awareness occurs. This is part of the 7th Golden Age. In ancient writings of history, the Divine Mother is the means and power of spiritual evolution. In history it was the women that were the wise ones – Wiccas (Medieval), High Priestess (Atlantis) and again now as Emissaries of Light (Golden One). It is the feminine that will give birth (self realisation) and produce a ‘man child’ – a man indicating spiritual maturity and child symbolising purity of heart and innocence for the experience of heaven here on Earth.