Kundalini energy

Chakra Kundalini Diagram

Kundalini (Sanskrit ku alin , ) is described in yoga as shakti or "corporeal energy".
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"n
modern commentaries it has been described as an unconscious, instincti#e or libidinal $orce. Kundalini
is described in certain %oga &panishads as lying "coiled" at the base o$ the spine.
[!['![(!
"t is also
en#isioned as either a goddess or sleeping serpent. )he phrase serpent power *as coined by +ohn
,oodro$$e, *ho published his translation o$ t*o -th.century treatises on /aya %oga (Kundalini %oga)
in 00 under this title.
"t is reported that kundalini a*akening results in deep meditation, enlightenment and bliss. "n practical
terms, one o$ the most commonly reported kundalini e1periences is the $eeling o$ an electric current
running along the spine.
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"n certain branches o$ psychiatry, the term "kundalini syndrome" re$ers to
physical problems arising $rom attempts to a*aken kundalini.
Etymology
)he Sanskrit ad4ecti#e ku alin means "circular, annular". "t does occur as a noun $or "a snake" (in the
sense "coiled", as in "$orming ringlets") in the 'th.century Rajatarangini chronicle (".'). Ku a , a noun
*ith the meaning "bo*l, *ater.pot" is $ound as the name o$ a 5aga in 6ahabharata .27'7. )he 7th.
century Tantrasadbhava Tantra uses the term kundal ("ring, bracelet8 coil (o$ a rope)").
[9![clarification needed!
&se ku al as a name o$ Durga or o$ a Shakti appears as a technical term
in )antrism and Shaktism as early as c. the th century, in the aradatilaka.
[7!
"t is adopted
as ku alni as a technical term into:atha yoga in the 3th century and becomes *idely used in
the %oga &panishads by the -th century. ;knath ;as*aran has paraphrased the term as "the coiled
po*er," a $orce *hich ordinarily rests at the base o$ the spine, described as being "coiled there like a
serpent".
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Description
Kundalini is described as a sleeping, dormant potential $orce in the human organism.
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"t is one o$ the
components o$ an esoteric description o$ the "subtle body", *hich consists o$ nadis (energy
channels),chakras (psychic centres), prana (subtle energy), and bindu (drops o$ essence).
Kundalini is described as being coiled up at the base o$ the spine. )he description o$ the location can
#ary slightly, $rom the rectum to the na#el.
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)he kundalini is said to reside in the triangular
shapedsacrum bone in three and a hal$ coils.
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)he kundalini has been described as "a residual po*er o$ pure desire" by 5irmala Sri#asta#a.
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)he image gi#en is that o$ a serpent coiled three and a hal$ times around a smokey grey lingam. ;ach
coil is said to represent one o$ the three gunas, *ith the hal$ coil signi$ying transcendence.
[citation needed!
Kundalini awakening
)hrough meditation and #arious esoteric practices, the kundalini is a*akened, and can rise up $rom
the muladhara chakra through the central nadi, called sushumna, inside or alongside the spine and
reaches the top o$ the head. )he progress o$ kundalini through the di$$erent chakras leads to di$$erent
le#els o$ a*akening and mystical e1perience, until the kundalini $inally reaches the top o$ the
head, Sahasrara or cro*n chakra, producing an e1tremely pro$ound mystical e1perience.
= number o$ descriptions e1ist that attempt to describe e1actly *hat the kundalini e1perience is.
Sri >amana 6aharshi mentioned that the kundalini energy is nothing but the natural energy o$ the Sel$,
*here Sel$ is the uni#ersal consciousness (?aramatma) present in e#ery being, and that the indi#idual
mind o$ thoughts cloaks this natural energy $rom unadulterated e1pression. =d#aita teaches sel$.
reali@ation, enlightenment, Aod.consciousness, and nir#ana. But, initial kundalini a*akening is 4ust the
beginning o$ actual spiritual e1perience. Sel$.inCuiry meditation is considered a #ery natural and simple
means o$ reaching this goal.
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S*ami Di#ekananda described kundalini brie$ly in /ondon during his lectures on >a4a %oga as $ollo*sE
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According to the Yogis, there are two nerve currents in the spinal column, called Pingal and
Id, and a hollow canal called Sushumn running through the spinal cord. At the lower end of
the hollow canal is what the Yogis call the "Lotus of the Kundalini". he! descri"e it as
triangular in form in which, in the s!m"olical language of the Yogis, there is a power called
the Kundalini, coiled up. #hen that Kundalini awa$es, it tries to force a passage through this
hollow canal, and as it rises step "! step, as it were, la!er after la!er of the mind "ecomes

open and all the different visions and wonderful powers come to the Yogi. #hen it reaches
the "rain, the Yogi is perfectl! detached from the "od! and mind% the soul finds itself free.
#e $now that the spinal cord is composed in a peculiar manner. If we ta$e the figure eight
hori&ontall! '() there are two parts which are connected in the middle. Suppose !ou add
eight after eight, piled one on top of the other, that will represent the spinal cord. he left is
the Ida, the right Pingala, and that hollow canal which runs through the centre of the spinal
cord is the Sushumna. #here the spinal cord ends in some of the lum"ar verte"rae, a fine
fi"re issues downwards, and the canal runs up even within that fi"re, onl! much finer. he
canal is closed at the lower end, which is situated near what is called the sacral ple*us, which,
according to modern ph!siolog!, is triangular in form. he different ple*uses that have their
centres in the spinal canal can ver! well stand for the different "lotuses" of the Yogi.
,hen kundalini Shakti is concei#ed as a goddess, then, *hen it rises to the head, it unites itsel$ *ith
the Supreme Being (/ord Shi#a). )hen the aspirant becomes engrossed in deep meditation and
in$inite bliss.
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"n his article on Kundalini in the %oga +ournal, Da#id ;astman narrates t*o personal e1periences. Fne
man said he $elt an acti#ity at the base o$ his spine starting to $lo* so he rela1ed and allo*ed it to
happen. = $eeling o$ surging energy began tra#eling up his back, at each chakra he $elt an orgasmic
electric $eeling like e#ery ner#e trunk on his spine beginning to $ire. = second man describes a similar
e1perience but accompanied by a *a#e o$ euphoria and happiness so$tly permeating his being. :e
described the surging energy as being like electricity but hot, tra#eling $rom the base o$ his spine to the
top o$ his head. :e said the more he analy@ed the e1perience, the less it occurred.
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Shi# >. +ha*ar describes his Kundalini a*akening e1perience in the physical presence o$ S*ami
6uktananda.
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)he arousing o$ kundalini is said by some to be the one and only *ay o$ attaining Di#ine ,isdom. Sel$.
>eali@ation is said to be eCui#alent to Di#ine ,isdom or Anosis or *hat amounts to the same
thingE sel$.kno*ledge.
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)he a*akening o$ the kundalini sho*s itsel$ as "a*akening o$ inner
kno*ledge" and brings *ith itsel$ "pure 4oy, pure kno*ledge and pure lo#e."
Different approaches
)he Cuestion arisesE ho* is this a*akening triggeredG )here are t*o broad approaches to kundalini
a*akeningE acti#e and passi#e. )he active approach in#ol#es systematic physical e1ercises and
techniCues o$ concentration, #isuali@ation, pranayama (breath practice) and meditation under the
guidance o$ a competent teacher. )hese techniCues come $rom any o$ the $our main branches o$ yoga
but $or this purpose could be termed kundalini yoga.
)he passive approach is instead a path o$ surrender *here one lets go o$ all the impediments to the
a*akening rather than trying to acti#ely a*aken the kundalini. = chie$ part o$ the passi#e approach
isshaktipat *here one personHs kundalini is a*akened by another *ho already has the e1perience.
Shaktipat only raises the kundalini temporarily but gi#es the student an e1perience to use as a basis.
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Hatha yoga
=ccording to the hatha yoga te1t, the Goraksasataka, or ":undred Derses o$ Aoraksa", certain hatha
yoga practices including mula bandha, uddiyana bandha, 4alandhara bandha and kumbhaka can
a*aken the kundalini.
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=nother hathayoga te1t, the Khecarvidy, states that kechari mudra enables
one to raise Kundalini and access #arious stores o$ amrita in the head, *hich subseCuently $lood the
body.
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Shaktipat
)he spiritual teacher 6eher Baba emphasi@ed the need $or a master *hen acti#ely trying to a*aken
the kundaliniE "Kundalini is a latent po*er in the higher body. ,hen a*akened it pierces through si1
chakras or $unctional centres and acti#ates them. ,ithout a master, a*akening o$ the kundalini cannot
take any one #ery $ar on the ?ath8 and such indiscriminate or premature a*akening is $raught *ith
dangers o$ sel$.deception as *ell as misuse o$ po*ers. )he kundalini enables man consciously to
cross the lo*er planes and it ultimately merges into the uni#ersal cosmic po*er o$ *hich it is a part,
and *hich also is at times described as kundalini... )he important point is that the a*akened kundalini
is help$ul only up to a certain degree, a$ter *hich it cannot ensure $urther progress. "t cannot dispense
*ith the need $or the grace o$ a ?er$ect 6aster."
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Kundalini awakening while prepared or unprepared
)he e1perience o$ kundalini a*akening can happen *hen one is either prepared or unprepared.
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Preparedness
=ccording to :indu tradition, in order to be able to integrate this spiritual energy, a period o$ care$ul
puri$ication and strengthening o$ the body and ner#ous system is usually reCuired be$orehand.
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%oga
and)antra propose that kundalini energy can be "a*akened" by a guru (teacher), but body and spirit
must be prepared by yogic austerities such as pranayama, or breath control, physical e1ercises,
#isuali@ation, and chanting. ?ataI4ali emphasised a $irm ethical and moral $oundation to ensure the
aspirant is com$ortable *ith a reasonable degree o$ discipline and has a serious intention to a*aken
their $ull potential. )he student is ad#ised to $ollo* the path in an openhearted manner.
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Unpreparedness
)he kundalini can also a*aken spontaneously, $or no ob#ious reason or triggered by intense personal
e1periences such as accidents, near death e1periences, childbirth, emotional trauma, e1treme mental
stress, and so on. Some sources attribute spontaneous a*akenings to the "grace o$ Aod", or possibly
to spiritual practice in past li#es.
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= spontaneous a*akening in one *ho is unprepared or *ithout the assistance o$ a good teacher can
result in an e1perience *hich has been termed as "kundalini crisis", "spiritual emergency" or "kundalini
syndrome". )he symptoms are said to resemble those o$ kundalini a*akening but are e1perienced as
unpleasant, o#er*helming or out o$ control. &npleasant side e$$ects are said to occur *hen the
practitioner has not approached kundalini *ith due respect and in a narro* egotistical manner.
Kundalini has been described as a highly creati#e intelligence *hich d*ar$s our o*n. Kundalini
a*akening there$ore reCuires surrender8 it is not an energy *hich can be manipulated by the ego.
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Physical and psychological effects
?hysical e$$ects are belie#ed to be a sign o$ kundalini a*akening by some,
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but described as
un*anted side e$$ects pointing to a problem rather than progress by others.
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)he $ollo*ing are either
common signs o$ an a*akened kundalini or symptoms o$ a problem associated *ith an a*akening
kundalini (commonly re$erred to as Kundalini syndrome or physio.Kundalini syndrome)E
"n#oluntary 4erks, tremors, shaking, itching, tingling, and cra*ling sensations, especially in the
arms and legs
;nergy rushes or $eelings o$ electricity circulating the body
"ntense heat (s*eating) or cold, especially as energy is e1perienced passing through
the chakras
Spontaneous pranayama, asanas, mudras and bandhas
Disions or sounds at times associated *ith a particular chakra
Diminished or con#ersely e1treme se1ual desire sometimes leading to a state o$ constant or
*hole.body orgasm
;motional uphea#als or sur$acing o$ un*anted and repressed $eelings or thoughts *ith certain
repressed emotions becoming dominant in the conscious mind $or short or long periods o$ time.
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:eadache, migraine, or pressure inside the skull
"ncreased blood pressure and irregular heartbeat
;motional numbness
=ntisocial tendencies
6ood s*ings *ith periods o$ depression or mania
?ains in di$$erent areas o$ the body, especially back and neck
Sensiti#ity to light, sound, and touch
)rance.like and altered states o$ consciousness
Disrupted sleep pattern (periods o$ insomnia or o#ersleeping)
/oss o$ appetite or o#ereating
Bliss, $eelings o$ in$inite lo#e and uni#ersal connecti#ity, transcendent a*areness
>eports about the Saha4a %oga techniCue o$ kundalini a*akening state that the practice can result in a
cool bree@e $elt on the $ingertips as *ell as on the $ontanel bone area.
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Fne study has measured a
drop in temperature on the palms o$ the hands resulting $rom this techniCue.
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Comparisons with other philosophical systems
Varayana !uddhism
)he tantras o$ Da4rayana manage a system *hich is #ery similar to the "ndian systems o$ kundalini
yoga, in that they too manage a series o$ subtle channels, subtle *inds, *heels and subtle drops, and
they re$er to a $orce kno*n as kandali *hich must be raised up the central channel. :o*e#er, there are
a number o$ di$$erences. Jirstly, the descriptions are mostly about "red bodhicitta", that resides in the
lo*er chakras, and "*hite bodhicitta", that resides in the cro*n. )he "inner $ire" is ignited, through
practices such as )ummo, *hich causes all the *inds in the body to enter and rise up the central
channel. ,hen the $ire reaches the cro*n o$ the head, the *hite bodhicitta melts and $lo*s do*n to
the lo*er chakras, producing pro$ound spiritual e1periences o$ bliss and emptiness.
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)his practice o$ "inner $ire" is seen as a preliminary yoga to a $urther set o$ practices8 obtaining the
""llusory body", and obtaining the "Clear /ight", as *ell as practices such as dream yoga,
andconsciousness pro4ection.
"estern interpretation
Kundalini is considered an interaction o$ the subtle body along *ith chakra energy centers
and nadis channels. ;ach chakra is said to contain special characteristics
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and *ith proper training,
mo#ing kundalini energy through these chakras can help e1press or open these characteristics.
Sir +ohn ,oodro$$e (pen name =rthur =#alon) *as one o$ the $irst to bring the notion o$ kundalini to the
,est. =s :igh Court +udge in Calcutta, he became interested in Shaktism and :indu )antra. :is
translation o$ and commentary on t*o key te1ts *as published as The erpent !ower. ,oodro$$e
rendered kundalini as "Serpent ?o*er" $or lack o$ a better term in the ;nglish language but "kundala"
in Sanskrit means "coiled".
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,estern a*areness o$ the idea o$ kundalini *as strengthened by the )heosophical Society and
interest by the psychiatrist Carl +ung (793K0-).
[('!
+ungHs seminar on kundalini yoga, presented to the ?sychological Club in Lurich in 0(', has been
*idely regarded as a milestone in the psychological understanding o$ ;astern thought. Kundalini yoga
presented +ung *ith a model $or the de#elopment o$ higher consciousness, and he interpreted its
symbols in terms o$ the process o$ indi#iduation.
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)he $ounder o$ the =etherius Society Aeorge King describes the concept o$ Kundalini throughout
*orks and claimed to ha#e e1perienced this energy many times throughout his li$e *hile in a "positi#e
samadhic yogic trance state".
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=ccording to King,
"t should al*ays be remembered that despite appearances to the contrary, the complete control o$
Kundalini through the spinal column is manHs only reason $or being on ;arth, $or *hen this is
accomplished, the lessons in this classroom and the mystical e1amination is passed.
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"n his lecture entitled The !sychic "enters # Their ignificance and $evelopment he describes the
theory behind the raising o$ Kundalini and ho* this might be done sa$ely in the conte1t o$ a balanced
li$e de#oted to sel$less ser#ice.
[(-!
Sri =urobindo *as the other great authority scholar on Kundalini parallel to Sir +ohn ,oodro$$e, *ith a
some*hat di$$erent #ie*point, according to 6ary Scott (*ho is hersel$ a latter.day scholar on Kundalini
and its physical basis) and *as a member o$ the )heosophical Society.
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=nother populariser o$ the concept o$ kundalini among ,estern readers *as Aopi Krishna. :is
autobiography is entitled Kundalini% The &volutionary &nergy in 'an.
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=ccording to one *riter his
*ritings in$luenced ,estern interest in kundalini yoga.
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"n the early 0(<s t*o "talian scholars, )ommaso ?alamidessi and +ulius ;#ola, published se#eral
books *ith the intent o$ re.interpreting alchemy *ith re$erence to yoga.
[2<!
)hose *orks had an impact
on modern interpretations o$ =lchemy as a mystical science. "n those *orks, kundalini is called an
""gneous ?o*er" or "Serpentine Jire".
Fther *ell.kno*n spiritual teachers *ho ha#e made use o$ the idea o$ kundalini include S*ami
>udrananda (>udi), %ogi Bha4an, Fsho, Aeorge Aurd4ie$$, ?aramahansa %ogananda, S*ami
Si#ananda >adha*ho produced an ;nglish language guide o$ Kundalini %oga methods, S*ami
6uktananda, Bhaga*an 5ityananda, 5irmala Sri#asta#a (Shri 6ata4i 5irmala De#i),and Samael =un
,eor.
#ew $ge
Kundalini re$erences may commonly be $ound in a *ide #ariety o$ deri#ati#e
[weasel words!
"5e* =ge"
presentations, such as Shirley 6ac/aineHs
[citation needed!
, and is a catch*ord that has been adopted by
many ne* religious mo#ements. :o*e#er, some commentators, such as transpersonal
psychologist Stuart So#atsky,
[2!
disappro#e o$ 5e* =ge authors and groups *ho ha#e appropriated
certain %ogic Sanskrit terms, such as chakra, kundalini, and mantra, and claims that they de$ined them
in *ays that relate only super$icially, i$ at all, to the traditional meaning o$ the *ords.
[2'!
Psychiatry
>ecently, there has been a gro*ing interest *ithin the medical community to study the physiological
e$$ects o$ meditation, and some o$ these studies ha#e applied the discipline o$ Kundalini %oga to their
clinical settings.
[2(![22!
Some modern e1perimental research seeks to establish links bet*een kundalini
practice and the ideas o$ ,ilhelm >eich and his $ollo*ers.
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)he populari@ation o$ eastern spiritual practices has been associated *ith psychological problems in
the *est. ?sychiatric literature notes that "since the in$lu1 o$ eastern spiritual practices and the rising
popularity o$ meditation starting in the 0-<s, many people ha#e e1perienced a #ariety o$
psychological di$$iculties, either *hile engaged in intensi#e spiritual practice or spontaneously".
[2-!
=mong the psychological di$$iculties associated *ith intensi#e spiritual practice *e $ind "kundalini
a*akening", "a comple1 physio.psychospiritual trans$ormati#e process described in the yogic
tradition".
[2-!
>esearchers in the $ields o$ )ranspersonal psychology,
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and 5ear.death studies
[27!
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ha#e described a comple1 pattern o$ sensory, motor, mental and a$$ecti#e symptoms associated
*ith the concept o$ kundalini, sometimes called the Kundalini Syndrome.
=ccording to the psychiatrist Carl +ung, "...the concept o$ Kundalini has $or us only one use, that is, to
describe our o*n e1periences *ith the unconscious..."
[3<!
)he di$$erentiation bet*een spiritual emergency associated *ith Kundalini a*akening may be #ie*ed
as an acute psychotic episode by psychiatrists *ho are not con#ersant *ith the culture. )he biological
changes o$ increased ?(<< amplitudes that occurs *ith certain %ogic practices may lead to acute
psychosis. Biological alterations by %ogic techniCues may be used to *arn people against such
reactions.
[3!