Signs of a Kundalini Rising, and Kinds of Kundalini Rising

Signs of a Kundalini Rising

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Individual experiences of Kundalini process vary considerably, but the basic signs of a Kundalini rising that a person might experience include:

- feeling different, not fitting in
– a deep dissatisfaction or a yearning for inner development
– inner sensations of light, sound, current, or heat
– a heightened inner or outer awareness; increased sensitivity
– feelings of energy flowing or vibrating within
– special abilities, capacities, and talents
– non-ordinary phenomena; altered states
– spontaneous bodily movements or breathing patterns
– emotional fluctuations; psychological issues coming forward
– atypical sensations or sensitivities
– an interest in spiritual growth or in metaphysics or the esoteric
– compassion and a desire to help others
– a sense that something non-ordinary, transformative, or holy is happening within
– personal development, and optimally, spiritual transformation and realization

Kundalini Shakti’s efforts to improve her status can affect the subtle body (mind and energy), causing a variety of experiences, including subtle body activities that feel physical. People can have a Kundalini release at some point in their lives, or they can begin this lifetime born with an active Kundalini process. They may be aware of something special going on, or they may not realize it until the process ripens later in life. Kundalini process can be experienced as pleasant and gentle or as dramatic and uncomfortable. One need not be having a “spiritual emergency” to be having a deep Kundalini process.
Although there are clearly discernable patterns to Kundalini process, Kundalini risings offer a limitless array of possibilities, and each is unique. A Kundalini rising does not necessarily result in automatic holiness, virtue, genius, special abilities, extraordinary experiences, or peculiar discomforts. Many people have risings that produce few remarkable manifest characteristics other than some form of sensitivity and yearning and a talent or quality that stands out to some degree. Such an individual is more aware of the subtle aspects of life and is unsatisfied enough to seek more from life. This may develop into an intense longing that urges the individual to find purpose, meaning, and spiritual life, if they are not unduly distracted into less satisfying temporary substitutes in the mean time.
With correct guidance, an experiencer can properly support Kundalini Shakti’s efforts for spiritual advancement, and progress can be safely improved, yielding personal transformation and spiritual growth. If a person does not know how to correctly support their process and if they engage in unhealthy and unspiritual lifestyle behaviors, their vital energy may become dissipated or misdirected. This can stress the subtle body, possibly yield eventual uncomfortable consequences and postpone spiritual progress.
Not all Kundalini risings manifest phenomena that can be called spiritual experiences. In fact, some incomplete risings can be quite difficult because Kundalini Shakti’s efforts to improve her status can affect subtle body dynamics, causing a variety of experiences, including subtle body activities that feel physical and may be uncomfortable. Blocked risings or risings through cul-de-sac routes may yield some distressing and non-ordinary symptoms and will thwart further spiritual development until the block or misdirection is corrected. The strain on the subtle body may render the experiencer ultra sensitive and urgently distressed, especially if they do not know how to properly support their rising.
Individuals might also use or misuse any special abilities provided by their risings for their own worldly purposes, and this might eventuate in some discomforting side effects. If the gifts provided by an arisen Kundalini Shakti are harnessed for non-spiritual purposes, the resulting dissipation or misdirection of vital energy and likely ego inflation can postpone further spiritual progress until the diffusion is contained and the inauspicious focus corrected. Other factors are sometimes present that complicate a rising.
An uncomfortable rising can result when Kundalini Shakti emerges spontaneously by means of non-spiritual catalysts (such as life shock or incorrect intervention) in an unprepared individual whose subtle body is weak, toxified, or unbalanced and who may have no frame of reference for interpreting and responding to the experience as potentially spiritual. An emotional reaction to the rising itself can further disturb the subtle body. Kundalini Shakti will work to resolve limitations in the individual’s system, and the experiences produced by her effort may be felt as uncomfortable and thus be considered problematic by the experiencer. It may even be labeled a “spiritual emergency” or “kundalini syndrome.” It may be wrongly pathologized by others who do not understand spiritual experiences because the process may meet enough criteria to be deemed a diagnosable disorder or syndrome. Kundalini process is not a pathology, however, and it is considered a blessing to be sought after by spiritual aspirants.
A blocked rising may eventuate in distressing discomforts, and the purification and restoration that follows an improvement in a rising may also involve some discomfort. But eventually, these difficulties can be improved A healthy, spiritual lifestyle supports a positive Kundalini process. With the spiritual understanding and dedicated correct effort of the seeker to cooperate with Kundalini Shakti’s purpose, grace is bestowed by the divine correct to advance the person’s spiritual progress. Practicing appropriate spiritual methods allows Kundalini Shakti to correct (divert, unblock, elevate) a stuck rising so difficulties with risings can be improved over time. Unimpeded risings through a direct route can eventually impart a gentle process culminating in full spiritual attainment.
Many modern books define “kundalini” as mere energy, but Traditional Kundalini Science defines it as Shakti, the divine source of all energy. In the Vedic and Yogic texts, the various kinds of energy in the human subtle system are referred to as the pranas or vayus. Shakti, however, is the Holy Spirit within. In addition, the popular term “kundalini awakening” may be used to refer to an initial release, arousal, or stirring of Kundalini Shakti in a person with a new rising. But it is also used to describe something different: a new awareness of an already existent rising that a person was born with, unbeknownst to them. Such showings of an unknown rising are often mistaken for an initial release. An individual’s rising can become apparent at a karmically ripe time when the process makes some attempt to improve its status or is stimulated or strained by some other factor. According to this model, these individuals experience a spontaneous “ripening” of their rising, sometimes following some inner or outer circumstance, but possibly with few apparent external catalysts to explain the change.

Also another article from the same source mentioned at the end of this blog post

Kinds of Kundalini Rising

According to Traditional Kundalini Science, Kundalini Shakti constantly strives to attain a lasting Oneness experience by elevating to Bindu, the pinnacle where she can reside in union with Pure Consciousness. For her ascent, there are six routes, the Shakti nadis, through which she is able to elevate. The Shakti nadis are: Susumna, Vajra, Chitrini, Brahma, Saraswati, and Lakshmi. The most common risings are through Susumna, Vajra, Saraswati nadis. There are also various energy center (chakra) levels in these routes at which she might act or take up residence in the course of her efforts until she can go higher.
The kind of rising a person gets depends on the vitality and dynamics occurring in their subtle body at the time of the initial Kundalini release. This, along with their individual nature based on the pattern of past karmas they carry, determines the types of experiences they have. Non-ordinary experiences can occur at any level. An advanced healthy rising is full of peace, awareness, and understanding.
Correct spiritual practice can affect the quality of a rising, as can factors such as lifestyle behaviors and the interference of subtle influences. The kind of risings people have, along with the past karmas they carry, determine the types of experiences they go through. It is the effect of the rising on vayu (energy) dynamics and the contents of the person’s mind that creates the experienced phenomena reported by people with a Kundalini rising.
To prevent or remedy a blocked rising and to assure spiritual development, careful effort is required to make the individual’s container (body, energy, mind, discernment) strong and pure so Kundalini Shakti can function comfortably and spiritual growth can be attained. Therefore, the great spiritual traditions provide methods that serve to unblock or divert incomplete risings to make them stable and allow them to proceed to spiritual results.

Names of Kundalini Risings

The following terms designate the major stages and types of spiritual process as described in Kundalini Vidya:

No Rising, Kundalini Stirring, Kundalini Arousal, Kundalini Release, Partial Rising and Intermediate Rising (in Susumna nadi), Deflected Rising (in Saraswati nadi or Vajra nadi), Faux Full Rising, Full Rising (at Makara Point), Upper Process Routes, Complete Process (Pinnacle at Bindu), Bindu direct from Muladhara,  Kaula Marga Vajra Diversion Process, Plateau (Samadhi Experiences; Advanced process), and Omega (Liberation, Turiya, Moksha).
These categories provide a framework for discussing the major stages of spiritual development as described through the format of Kundalini process according to Traditional Kundalini Science. A closer look will convey the great variety of experiences possible in the stages of development in Kundalini process.

No Rising

Kundalini Shakti remains unreleased, contained in Muladhara chakra, the Root center subtly corresponding to the perineum at the base of the spine. This is the state of an ordinary person, one with no release or rising and no special vayu dynamic in Muladhara.

Kundalini Stirring

Kundalini Shakti is shaken within Muladhara due to stimulation of the vayus (energies). The vayus in Muladhara spin, but Kundalini Shakti maintains her place at the mouth of Susumna nadi and does not uncoil her grip from around its base, and so she is not released or arisen. The experiencer may shake, weep, dance, run, jerk, laugh, cry out, or have glossalalia or other remarkable phenomena. This may inspire or motivate the experiencer to repeat the behavior that was the catalyst for the stirring.

Kundalini Arousal

Kundalini Shakti uncoils within Muladhara chakra and withdraws from the opening of Susumna nadi due to stimulation of the vayus, but the energy vitality is too weak and the mind too unfocused or not sufficiently spiritually engaged to support an actual release from the Root center. After an arousal, there is no rising, but Kundalini Shakti stays uncoiled at the Root center, unaware of and unrelated to her Source, for she is no longer facing upward through Susumna to see her Goal. She does not recoil her grip around the base of Susumna nadi, and she resides ungrounded and disturbed. If there is no training for the person to remain focused on virtue, she might be distracted by negative downward pulls and enter the dark substrata minor chakras below Muladhara, there to become engaged in nefarious traits and behaviors.

Kundalini Release

Kundalini Shakti uncoils, withdraws from the opening to Susumna, and, having enough energy and focus in the subtle system, is able to exit Muladhara chakra. This can take place when the pranic system is sufficiently vital and clear and when specific conditions, including intense mental and emotional focus, created by spiritual practice or life shock, are present. Kundalini Shakti can then enter one of the six available Shakti nadis and elevate to whatever level she is able to reach at that time. The nadi she enters depends on the conditions present in the individual at the moment of the Kundalini release.

Partial Rising (Susumna to Heart)

Kundalini Shakti breaks the cap of Swayambhu linga (one of three such structures in Susumna nadi) in the Root chakra and goes through the whirlwind above it, rising into Susumna nadi and elevating to the level of Anahata chakra, the Heart center, under the cap of Bana linga. Such a rising is unstable, meaning that Kundalini Shakti does not stay at the Heart level but goes up and down intermittently within the lower levels of Susumna, with her base camp at Muladhara, the Root center. This causes mild to moderate fluctuating experiences until she is able to break through the Bana linga cap at the Heart and elevate higher in Susumna.

Intermediate Rising (Susumna to Throat or Lower Brow)

Kundalini Shakti rises through Susumna nadi, breaks the cap of Bana linga at the Heart center, and elevates to the level of Vishuddha chakra, the Throat center, or to Lower Ajna chakra, the Brow center. These are stable risings, as Kundalini Shakti remains steadily positioned at the level she has attained and from there attempts to ascend and break the cap of Itara linga in Ajna chakra, the Brow center, so she can reach Makara point at the top of Ajna. Practical talents may be bestowed on people with these risings, but over harvesting them may dissipate and strain the subtle system, delaying spiritual progress.

Deflected Rising (Vajra and Saraswati nadis)

At the time of her initial release, Kundalini Shakti, deflected from entering Susumna nadi, enters either Vajra nadi or Saraswati nadi, whereupon she rises immediately up to Sahasrara, the Thousand Petaled Lotus, and opens brain centers there, only to swiftly descend back to Muladhara, which becomes her base camp. From there, she intermittently goes up and down within the nadi she has entered, making these risings unstable. Saraswati nadi has three granthis (knots) that must be opened, and Vajra nadi has five bands in women and two bands in men that must be aligned. Due to brain center activation, various talents and remarkable experiences might result from deflected risings, but there may be some strain also, as Kundalini Shakti cannot reach the pinnacle (Bindu) from either of these cul-de-sac nadis and so becomes frustrated in her efforts to unite with the One. Such a rising must be diverted into a culminating nadi, usually Susumna, and then must be elevated from there to Makara point in Upper Ajna chakra in order to access the Upper Process nadis that lead to Bindu.

Faux Full Rising (Upper Sankhini nadi)

Kundalini Shakti elevates through Susumna nadi and pierces the cap of Itara linga in Upper Ajna chakra, but rather than proceding to Makara point, she is made to stay at Introspector point, which is below Makara point. There she might access Upper Sankhini nadi rather than proceeding upward, if so special powers, such as persuasion, which worldly leaders can utilize to control their domains or take over new realms, may result. This is an esoteric, non-culminating rising that is not spiritual in its intent.

Full Rising (at Makara)

Kundalini Shakti elevates through Susumna nadi, breaking through the cap of Itara linga at Ajna, the Brow chakra, and reaching Makara point at the top of the Brow chakra. From this entry point to the upper nadi regions that go through Sahasrara, the Thousand Petaled Lotus, Kundalini Shakti determines which of the culminating Upper Process routes she will take for her ascent to Bindu, the pinnacle. With a Full rising, which is active in the region after Makara and before Bindu, Kundalini Shakti is in Upper Process, where spiritual life truly begins as the aspirant is blessed, purged, purified, educated, and strengthened inwardly. With the aspirant’s sincere cooperative support, Kundalini Shakti is able to go through the Sahasrara lotus, emptying out old karmas while remaining centered and objective.

Upper Process Routes

From her new stable command center at Makara point in the upper Brow chakra, Kundalini Shakti is easily able to direct the functions of her vayus (energies) throughout her container to heal, purify, and renovate it. This restoration project is the essential task of the phase between Makara and Bindu, which involves the strengthening, repairing, and detoxifying of the entire subtle body (which includes the energy, mind, and discernment levels of the person). The Sahasrara system, with its many brain centers correlated to the petals of the six chakras, is also refurbished, improving brain function and endorphin production. This phase can take some time and may be physically and emotionally uncomfortable as the subconscious mind, with its karmic vasanas and samskaras (mental impressions and drives), is unloaded and the entire subtle body system is improved. It can be made easier through skilled spiritual guidance and by the individual’s support of the process through healthy lifestyle and devoted spiritual practices, perspective, understanding, and dedication.

Upper Process routes include:

Upper Vajra nadi process, which initiates a chakra-by-chakra purge and purification orchestrated from Makara via the brain center petals of Sahasrara;
Upper Chitrini nadi process, which can cause spontaneous body, hand, and breath movement patterns via Brahma Randhra;
Upper Brahma nadi process, which offers increased awareness and now-ness perspective through the Stopping Stations or Guru Triangle routes as well as Hrit process, which gives the holiness and beatitude qualities of the Sacred Heart and yields Bindu experience even before eliminating all the karmic residue (samskaras and vasanas).
Other Upper Process routes include: Upper Saraswati process, the Kabbalah Tree of Life, the Celtic Holy Grail, the Egyptian Inner Chamber, and other spiritual traditions’ special ways.

Complete Process (Pinnacle at Bindu)

At the top of Sahasrara (the Thousand Petaled Lotus), Kundalini Shakti goes through the five steps of Brahma Randhra, which is the innermost circle of Sahasrara and the blossom of Chitrini nadi. There she enters into spiritual communion at Visarga, the last part of Brahma nadi, and finally merges into oneness with Pure Consciousness at Bindu, the pinnacle of Brahma nadi.
The initial arrival of Kundalini Shakti at Bindu is called Pinnacle experience. It is the culmination of a rising but not the final stage of spiritual development. It can be without significant vasanas and samskaras or with, if the subtle body purging has yet to be finished.

Bindu Direct from Muladhara

A complete rising may also rarely occur following an initial release of Kundalini Shakti from Muladhara, the Root chakra, into Chitrini nadi or Brahma nadi. A release into one of these sacred nadis always culminates with Complete process at Bindu. Chitrini nadi process from Muladhara offers a scenic route to Bindu, going through the entire subtle body system chakra by chakra. Brahma nadi process from Muladhara is extremely rare and bestows a direct immediate route to Bindu.

Kaula Marga Vajra Diversion Process

In special circumstances with qualified spiritual direction, the Kundalini Shakti of a spiritually focused, vowed married person with a Vajra nadi rising can divert to Susumna nadi at Muladhara, the Root chakra, and elevate up to Vishuddha chakra, the Throat chakra. There she re-diverts to Vajra nadi at Vishuddha’s Amrita point and elevates, touching Makara at the end of Susumna and ascending directly to Bindu via Brahma Randhra (entering Upper Chitrini and then Upper Brahma nadis), yielding profound ecstasy and brain center capacity. Unloading then happens. This uncommon process is a Left path method provided as a blessing for noble rulers so they have the spiritual and worldly capacity to help their people. An even rarer variation is a diversion from Vajra nadi into Chitrini nadi or Brahma nadi at Muladhara.

Plateau Samadhi Experiences (Advanced process)

Once Bindu has been reached, Kundalini Shakti sets up a temporary base camp location at or below Bindu and commutes from there to Bindu, to which she returns repeatedly until, through the aspirant’s regular spiritual practice, she becomes proficient at quickly and volitionally returning to Bindu to enjoy Oneness experience, which is beyond all phenomena. The phase from Bindu to Omega is called Plateau or Advanced process. Through repeated experience, the aspirant becomes able to go to Bindu easily, to stay there for increasingly long periods of time, and to be able to return to external functioning efficiently. Plateau is a term used to describe the stages of Samadhi progressively experienced after Bindu.
This Plateau phase, in which Kundalini Shakti visits Bindu increasingly often and for more extended periods, removes any residual deep level karmic material so the practitioner is transformed as he or she progresses through the increasingly subtle and profound levels of Samadhi. The three stages of Plateau experience are: Shuddha beha, which purifies the physical system, Pranava beha, which improves brain function, and Jnana beha, which refines higher intelligence.

Omega (Liberation, Turiya, Moksha)

Eventually, the advanced practitioner resides in Oneness experience at all times. This is called Moksha, Liberation, Turiya, Nirvikalpa samadhi, or the eternal union of the soul with the One. We refer to this culmination of Plateau experience as Omega. It is the ultimate goal of the spiritual quest and can result in the individual becoming a realized saint, sage, or adept.

Jivanmukti (Liberated being)

Many levels of advancement are available to liberated holy ones Jivanmuktis. The realized ones are each unique, and each retains some essence of their own temperament and conditioning. Realized beings might travel to give spiritual guidance, they might stay in one place and teach only those who come to their door, they might live incognito as ordinary people, or they might live as hidden hermits, spending their days in Oneness. Those with a special body of knowledge may be invited by the One to serve humanity as adepts. These are able to maintain some presence on the celestial plane while also merging in Pure Consciousness.

The Purpose of PKYC

The specialty of PKYC is to assist the qualified sincere spiritual seeker to reach Makara point in Upper Ajna chakra and then to support the seeker to culmination with deepening proficiency of Oneness experience at Bindu. After Makara, Kundalini Shakti determines which Upper Route process she will take and then strives in that way toward realization, sponsored by the dedicated cooperation and correct support of the individual aspirant. During this phase, PKYC also provides individualized spiritual education, support, guidance, and recommendations so the seeker can more skillfully and devotedly help Kundalini Shakti make good progress as the individual progresses through Full process to Bindu, the pinnacle. One then becomes more proficient in Oneness Experience in the Complete process Plateau phase with deepened spiritual advancement, which can culminate in Omega, full spiritual realization, Liberation.

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Kundalini

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Chakra Kundalini Diagram

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Kundalini (kuṇḍalinī, Sanskrit: कुण्डलिनी, Thai: กุณฺฑลินี) literally means coiled. In yoga, a "corporeal energy"^[1] - an unconscious, instinctive or libidinal force or Shakti, lies coiled at the base of the spine.^[2][3][4] It is envisioned either as a goddess or else as a sleeping serpent, hence a number of English renderings of the term such as 'serpent power'. Reportedly, kundalini awakening results in deep meditation, enlightenment and bliss.^{[citation needed]}

Contents [hide] 1 Description 2 Etymology 3 Kundalini awakening 3.1 Different approaches 3.1.1 Hatha yoga 3.1.2 Shaktipat 3.2 Kundalini awakening while prepared or unprepared 3.2.1 Preparedness 3.2.2 Unpreparedness 3.3 Physical and psychological effects 4 Comparisons with other philosophical systems 4.1 Vajrayana Buddhism 5 Western interpretation 5.1 New Age 5.2 Psychiatry 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 Further reading 9 External links

[edit] Description

Kundalini is described as a sleeping, dormant potential force in the human organism.^[5] It is one of the components of an esoteric description of the 'subtle body', which consists of nadis (energy channels), chakras (psychic centres), prana (subtle energy), and bindu (drops of essence).
Kundalini is described as being coiled up at the base of the spine. The description of the location can vary slightly, from the rectum to the navel.^[6] According to Sahaja Yoga, the kundalini resides in the triangular shaped sacrum bone in three and a half coils.^[7]
The kundalini has been described as a residual power of pure desire by Nirmala Srivastava.^[7]
The image given is that of a serpent coiled three and a half times around a smokey grey lingam. Each coil is said to represent one of the three gunas, with the half coil signifying transcendence.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Etymology

According to well-known teacher and translator Eknath Easwaran, kundalini means "the coiled power," a force which ordinarily rests at the base of the spine, described as being coiled there like a serpent.^[8] The concept can be found under different names. For example the eighth century Tantrasadbhava Tantra uses the term kundali ('she who is ring-shaped').^[9]

[edit] Kundalini awakening

Through meditation, and various esoteric practices, such as Kundalini Yoga, Sahaja Yoga, and Kriya Yoga, the kundalini is awakened, and can rise up from the muladhara chakra through the central nadi, called sushumna, inside or alongside the spine and reaches the top of the head. The progress of kundalini through the different chakras leads to different levels of awakening and mystical experience, until the kundalini finally reaches the top of the head, Sahasrara or crown chakra, producing an extremely profound mystical experience.
A number of descriptions exist that attempt to describe exactly what the kundalini experience is:
Sri Ramana Maharshi mentioned that the kundalini energy is nothing but the natural energy of the Self, where Self is the universal consciousness (Paramatma) present in every being, and that the individual mind of thoughts cloaks this natural energy from unadulterated expression. Advaita teaches that Self-realization, enlightenment, God-consciousness, nirvana. But, initial kundalini awakening is just the beginning of actual spiritual experience. Self-inquiry meditation is considered a very natural and simple means of reaching this goal.^[10]
Swami Vivekananda described kundalini briefly in London during his lectures on Raja Yoga as follows:^[11]

According to the Yogis, there are two nerve currents in the spinal column, called Pingalâ and Idâ, and a hollow canal called Sushumnâ running through the spinal cord. At the lower end of the hollow canal is what the Yogis call the "Lotus of the Kundalini". They describe it as triangular in form in which, in the symbolical language of the Yogis, there is a power called the Kundalini, coiled up. When that Kundalini awakes, it tries to force a passage through this hollow canal, and as it rises step by step, as it were, layer after layer of the mind becomes open and all the different visions and wonderful powers come to the Yogi. When it reaches the brain, the Yogi is perfectly detached from the body and mind; the soul finds itself free. We know that the spinal cord is composed in a peculiar manner. If we take the figure eight horizontally (∞) there are two parts which are connected in the middle. Suppose you add eight after eight, piled one on top of the other, that will represent the spinal cord. The left is the Ida, the right Pingala, and that hollow canal which runs through the centre of the spinal cord is the Sushumna. Where the spinal cord ends in some of the lumbar vertebrae, a fine fibre issues downwards, and the canal runs up even within that fibre, only much finer. The canal is closed at the lower end, which is situated near what is called the sacral plexus, which, according to modern physiology, is triangular in form. The different plexuses that have their centres in the spinal canal can very well stand for the different "lotuses" of the Yogi.

When kundalini Shakti is conceived as a goddess, then, when it rises to the head, it unites itself with the Supreme Being (Lord Shiva). Then the aspirant becomes engrossed in deep meditation and infinite bliss.^[12][13]
In his article on Kundalini in the Yoga Journal, David Eastman narrates two personal experiences. One man said he felt an activity at the base of his spine starting to flow so he relaxed and allowed it to happen. A feeling of surging energy began traveling up his back, at each chakra he felt an orgasmic electric feeling like every nerve trunk on his spine beginning to fire. A second man describes a similar experience but accompanied by a wave of euphoria and happiness softly permeating his being. He described the surging energy as being like electricity but hot, traveling from the base of his spine to the top of his head. He said the more he analyzed the experience, the less it occurred.^[14]
The arousing of kundalini is said by some to be the one and only way of attaining Divine Wisdom. Self-Realization is said to be equivalent to Divine Wisdom or Gnosis or what amounts to the same thing: self-knowledge.^[15] The awakening of the kundalini shows itself as "awakening of inner knowledge" and brings with itself "pure joy, pure knowledge and pure love."

[edit] Different approaches

The question arises: how is this awakening triggered? There are two broad approaches to kundalini awakening: active and passive. The active approach involves systematic physical exercises and techniques of concentration, visualization, pranayama and meditation under the guidance of a competent teacher. These techniques come from any of the four main branches of yoga but for this purpose could be termed kundalini yoga. The passive approach is instead a path of surrender where one lets go of all the impediments to the awakening rather than trying to actively awaken the kundalini. A chief part of the passive approach is shaktipat where one person's kundalini is awakened by another who already has the experience. Shaktipat only raises the kundalini temporarily but gives the student an experience to use as a basis.^[16]

[edit] Hatha yoga

According to the hatha yoga text, the Goraksasataka, or "Hundred Verses of Goraksa", certain hatha yoga practices including mula bandha, uddiyana bandha, jalandhara bandha and kumbhaka can awaken the kundalini.^[17] Another hathayoga text, the Khecarīvidyā, states that kechari mudra enables one to raise Kundalini and access various stores of amrita in the head, which subsequently flood the body.^[18]

[edit] Shaktipat

The spiritual teacher Meher Baba emphasized the need for a master when actively trying to awaken the kundalini: "Kundalini is a latent power in the higher body. When awakened it pierces through six chakras or functional centres and activates them. Without a master, awakening of the kundalini cannot take any one very far on the Path; and such indiscriminate or premature awakening is fraught with dangers of self-deception as well as misuse of powers. The kundalini enables man consciously to cross the lower planes and it ultimately merges into the universal cosmic power of which it is a part, and which also is at times described as kundalini....The important point is that the awakened kundalini is helpful only up to a certain degree, after which it cannot ensure further progress. It cannot dispense with the need for the grace of a Perfect Master."^[19]

[edit] Kundalini awakening while prepared or unprepared

The experience of kundalini awakening can happen when one is either prepared or unprepared.^[20]

[edit] Preparedness

According to Hindu tradition, in order to be able to integrate this spiritual energy, a period of careful purification and strengthening of the body and nervous system is usually required beforehand.^[21] Yoga and Tantra propose that kundalini energy can be "awakened" by a guru (teacher), but body and spirit must be prepared by yogic austerities such as pranayama, or breath control, physical exercises, visualization, and chanting. Patañjali emphasised a firm ethical and moral foundation to ensure the aspirant is comfortable with a reasonable degree of discipline and has a serious intention to awaken their full potential. The student is advised to follow the path in an openhearted manner.^[20]

[edit] Unpreparedness

The kundalini can also awaken spontaneously, for no obvious reason or triggered by intense personal experiences such as accidents, near death experiences, childbirth, emotional trauma, extreme mental stress, and so on. Some sources attribute spontaneous awakenings to the "grace of God", or possibly to spiritual practice in past lives.^[20]
A spontaneous awakening in one who is unprepared or without the assistance of a good teacher can result in an experience which has been termed as "kundalini crisis", "spiritual emergency" or "kundalini syndrome". The symptoms are said to resemble those of kundalini awakening but are experienced as unpleasant, overwhelming or out of control. Unpleasant side effects are said to occur when the practitioner has not approached kundalini with due respect and in a narrow egotistical manner. Kundalini has been described as a highly creative intelligence which dwarfs our own. Kundalini awakening therefore requires surrender; it is not an energy which can be manipulated by the ego.^[20]

[edit] Physical and psychological effects

Physical effects are believed to be a sign of kundalini awakening by some,^[22] but described as unwanted side effects pointing to a problem rather than progress by others.^[21] The following are either common signs of an awakened kundalini or symptoms of a problem associated with an awakening kundalini (commonly referred to as Kundalini syndrome or physio-Kundalini syndrome):

• Involuntary jerks, tremors, shaking, itching, tingling, and crawling sensations, especially in the arms and legs
• Energy rushes or feelings of electricity circulating the body
• Intense heat (sweating) or cold, especially as energy is experienced passing through the chakras
• Spontaneous pranayama, asanas, mudras and bandhas
• Visions or sounds at times associated with a particular chakra
• Diminished or conversely extreme sexual desire sometimes leading to a state of constant or whole-body orgasm
• Emotional upheavals or surfacing of unwanted and repressed feelings or thoughts with certain repressed emotions becoming dominant in the conscious mind for short or long periods of time.^[23]
• Headache, migraine, or pressure inside the skull
• Increased blood pressure and irregular heartbeat
• Emotional numbness
• Antisocial tendencies
• Mood swings with periods of depression or mania
• Pains in different areas of the body, especially back and neck
• Sensitivity to light, sound, and touch
• Trance-like and altered states of consciousness
• Disrupted sleep pattern (periods of insomnia or oversleeping)
• Loss of apetite or overeating
• Bliss, feelings of infinite love and universal connectivity, transcendent awareness

Reports about the Sahaja Yoga technique of kundalini awakening state that the practice can result in a cool breeze felt on the fingertips as well as on the fontanel bone area.^[7][24] One study has measured a drop in temperature on the palms of the hands resulting from this technique.^[22]

[edit] Comparisons with other philosophical systems

[edit] Vajrayana Buddhism

The tantras of Vajrayana manage a system which is very similar to the Indian systems of kundalini yoga, in that they too manage a series of subtle channels, subtle winds, wheels and subtle drops, and they refer to a force known as kandali which must be raised up the central channel. However, there are a number of differences. Firstly, the descriptions are mostly about 'red bodhicitta', that resides in the lower chakras, and 'white bodhicitta', that resides in the crown. The 'inner fire' is ignited, through practices such as Tummo, which causes all the winds in the body to enter and rise up the central channel. When the fire reaches the crown of the head, the white bodhicitta melts and flows down to the lower chakras, producing profound spiritual experiences of bliss and emptiness.^[25]
This practice of 'inner fire' is seen as a preliminary yoga to a further set of practices; obtaining the 'Illusory body', and obtaining the 'Clear Light', as well as practices such as dream yoga, and consciousness projection.

[edit] Western interpretation

Kundalini is considered an interaction of the subtle body along with chakra energy centers and nadis channels. Each chakra is said to contain special characteristics ^[26] and with proper training, moving kundalini energy 'through' these chakras can help express or open these characteristics.
Sir John Woodroffe (pen name Arthur Avalon) was one of the first to bring the notion of kundalini to the West. As High Court Judge in Calcutta, he became interested in Shaktism and Hindu Tantra. His translation of and commentary on two key texts was published as The Serpent Power. Woodroffe rendered kundalini as "Serpent Power" for lack of a better term in the English language but "kundala" in Sanskrit means "coiled".^[27]
Western awareness of the idea of kundalini was strengthened by the Theosophical Society and the interest of the psychoanalyst Carl Jung (1875–1961).^[28] "Jung's seminar on kundalini yoga, presented to the Psychological Club in Zurich in 1932, has been widely regarded as a milestone in the psychological understanding of Eastern thought. Kundalini yoga presented Jung with a model for the development of higher consciousness, and he interpreted its symbols in terms of the process of individuation".^[29]
The founder of the Aetherius Society George King describes the concept of Kundalini throughout works and claimed to have experienced this energy many times throughout his life while in a 'positive samadhic yogic trance state'.^[30] According to King, It should always be remembered that despite appearances to the contrary, the complete control of Kundalini through the spinal column is man's only reason for being on Earth, for when this is accomplished, the lessons in this classroom and the mystical examination is passed.^[31] In his lecture entitled The Psychic Centers - Their Significance and Development he describes the theory behind the raising of Kundalini and how this might be done safely in the context of a balanced life devoted to selfless service.^[32]
Sri Aurobindo was the other great authority scholar on Kundalini parallel to Sir John Woodroffe, with a somewhat different viewpoint, according to Mary Scott (who is herself a later day scholar on Kundalini and its physical basis) and was a member of the Theosophical Society.^[33]
Another populariser of the concept of kundalini among Western readers was Gopi Krishna. His autobiography is entitled Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in Man.^[34] According to one writer his writings influenced Western interest in kundalini yoga.^[35]
In the early 1930s two Italian scholars, Tommaso Palamidessi and Julius Evola, published several books with the intent of re-interpreting alchemy with reference to yoga.^[36] Those works had an impact on modern interpretations of Alchemy as a mystical science. In those works, kundalini is called an Igneous Power or Serpentine Fire.
Other well-known spiritual teachers who have made use of the idea of kundalini include Swami Rudrananda (Rudi), Yogi Bhajan, Osho, George Gurdjieff, Paramahansa Yogananda, Swami Sivananda Radha who produced an English language guide of Kundalini Yoga methods, Swami Muktananda, Bhagawan Nityananda, Nirmala Srivastava (Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi),and Samael Aun Weor.

[edit] New Age

Kundalini references may commonly be found in a wide variety of derivative "New Age" presentations, such as Shirley MacLaine's, and is a catchword that has been adopted by many new religious movements. However, some commentators, such as transpersonal psychologist Stuart Sovatsky,^[37] disapprove of New Age authors and groups who have appropriated certain Yogic Sanskrit terms, such as chakra, kundalini, and mantra, and claims that they defined them in ways that relate only superficially, if at all, to the traditional meaning of the words.^[38]

[edit] Psychiatry

Recently, there has been a growing interest within the medical community to study the physiological effects of meditation, and some of these studies have applied the discipline of Kundalini Yoga to their clinical settings.^[39][40] Some modern experimental research seeks to establish links between kundalini practice and the ideas of Wilhelm Reich and his followers.^[41]
The popularization of eastern spiritual practices has been associated with psychological problems in the west. Psychiatric literature notes that "since the influx of eastern spiritual practices and the rising popularity of meditation starting in the 1960s, many people have experienced a variety of psychological difficulties, either while engaged in intensive spiritual practice or spontaneously".^[42] Among the psychological difficulties associated with intensive spiritual practice we find "kundalini awakening", "a complex physio-psychospiritual transformative process described in the yogic tradition".^[42] Researchers in the fields of Transpersonal psychology,^[43] and Near-death studies^[44][45] have described a complex pattern of sensory, motor, mental and affective symptoms associated with the concept of kundalini, sometimes called the Kundalini Syndrome.
According to the psychiatrist Carl Jung, "...the concept of Kundalini has for us only one use, that is, to describe our own experiences with the unconscious..."^[46]
The differentiation between spiritual emergency associated with Kundalini awakening may be viewed as an acute psychotic episode by psychiatrists who are not conversant with the culture. The biological changes of increased P300 amplitudes that occurs with certain Yogic practices may lead to acute psychosis. Biological alterations by Yogic techniques may be used to warn people against such reactions.^[47]

[edit] References

1. ^ For kundalini as "corporeal energy" see: Flood (1996), p. 96.
2. ^ Flood (1996), p. 99.
3. ^ Harper et al. (2002), p. 94
4. ^ McDaniel (2004), p. 103
5. ^ Swami Satyananda Saraswati. Kundalini Tantra.
6. ^ White, David Gordon (2003). Kiss of the Yogini. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 229-231. ISBN 0-226-89483-5.
7. ^ ^{a b c} Her Holiness Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi Srivastava: "Meta Modern Era", pages 233-248. Vishwa Nirmala Dharma; first edition, 1995. ISBN 978-81-86650-05-9
8. ^ Eknath Easwaran, A Glossary of Sanskrit from the Spiritual Tradition of India, Berkeley, Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, 1970, p. 5
9. ^ White, David Gordon (2003). Kiss of the Yogini. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 230. ISBN 0-226-89483-5.
10. ^ "From The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, Edited by David Godman". http://www.hinduism.co.za/kundalin.htm.
11. ^ [Complete works of swami vivekananda, http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Complete_Works_of_Swami_Vivekananda/Volume_1/Raja-Yoga/The_Psychic_Prana]
12. ^ Kundalini Yoga:http://www.siddhashram.org/kundalini.shtml
13. ^ Kundalini Yoga from Swami Sivanandha: http://www.experiencefestival.com/kundalini
14. ^ Eastman, David T. (1985): "Kundalini Demystified", Yoga Journal, September 1985, p.40, California Yoga Teachers Association.
15. ^ Vivekananda, Swami (1915). The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. p. 185. http://books.google.com/books?id=030TAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA185&dq=The+complete+works+of+the+Swami+Vivekananda+kundalini#v=onepage&q=&q=&f=false. "...kundalini is the one and only way..."
16. ^ Eastman, David T. (1985): "Kundalini Demystified", Yoga Journal, September 1985, p.38, California Yoga Teachers Association.
17. ^ Mallinson, James (2012). Yoga in Practice. ed. David Gordon White: Princeton University Press. pp. 2, 268-270. ISBN 978-0-691-14085-8.
18. ^ Mallinson, James. 2007. The Khecarīvidyā of Adinathā. London: Routledge. pg.29.
19. ^ Baba, Meher (1958), Beams from Meher Baba on the Spiritual Panorama, San Francisco: Sufism Reoriented, pp. 13-14.
20. ^ ^{a b c d} Eastman, David T. (1985): "Kundalini Demystified", Yoga Journal, September 1985, p.39, California Yoga Teachers Association.
21. ^ ^{a b} Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, The hidden power in humans, Ibera Verlag, pages 47, 48. ISBN 3-85052-197-4
22. ^ ^{a b} Manocha R, Black D, Ryan J, Stough C, Spiro D, [1] [Changing Definitions of Meditation: Physiological Corollorary, Journal of the International Society of Life Sciences, Vol 28 (1), Mar 2010]
23. ^ Eastman, David T. (1985): "Kundalini Demystified", Yoga Journal, September 1985, p.41, California Yoga Teachers Association.
24. ^ Judith Coney, Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement (1999) p55-56
25. ^ K.Gyatso. Tantric Grounds and Paths.
26. ^ Scotton (1996), p. 261-262.
27. ^ Avalon, Arthur (1974). The Serpent Power. Dover Publications Inc.. p. 1. ISBN 0-486-23058-9. http://books.google.com/books?id=VhpKGohCTHgC&pg=PA1&dq=Arthur+Avalon+The+Serpent+Power+kundala#v=onepage&q=&f=false. "Kundala means coiled."
28. ^ "Carl Jung and the Kundalini". Sol.com.au. http://www.sol.com.au/kor/12_02.htm. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
29. ^ Princeton University Press, Book description to C. G Jung - "The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga", 1999
30. ^ "Dr. George King". aetherius.org. http://aetherius.org/9freedoms/dr-george-king.html. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
31. ^ King, George (1963). The Nine Freedoms. The Aetherius Society. p. 79. ISBN 0937249041. http://www.aetherius.org/index.cfm?app=content&SectionID=67&PageID=112.
32. ^ King, George. "The Psychic Centers - Their Significance and Development". audio lecture. aetherius.org. http://www.aetherius.org/index.cfm?app=content&SectionID=155&PageID=466. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
33. ^ Author: Scott, Mary, 1906-; Title: Kundalini in the physical world; Imprint: London ; Boston:Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1983. Description: 275 p. : ill. ; 22 cm. Bibliography: p. 259-263. ISBN 0-7100-9417-5
34. ^ Krishna, Gopi (1971) Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in Man. Boulder, Colorado: Shambhala
35. ^ For quotation "Western interest at the popular level in kundalini yoga was probably most influenced by the writings of Gopi Krishna, in which kundalini was redefined as a chaotic and spontaneous religious experience." see: McDaniel, p. 280.
36. ^ Palamidessi Tommaso, Alchimia come via allo Spirito, ed. EGO, 1948 Turin
37. ^ Yoga Journal. Jul-Aug 1985. p. 42. ISSN 0191-0965. http://books.google.com/books?id=a-sDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA42&dq=Stuart+Slovatsky#v=onepage&q=Stuart%20Sovatsky&f=false. "I just wanted to talk to someone who would understand about kundalini and wouldn't think I was crazy..."
38. ^ Sovatsky, pg. 160
39. ^ Lazar et al. (2000).
40. ^ Cromie (2002)
41. ^ Rudra, Kundalini (1993 in German)
42. ^ ^{a b} Turner et al.,pg. 440
43. ^ Scotton (1996)
44. ^ Y. Kason, Farther Shores, Exploring How Near-Death, Kundalini and Mystical Experiences Can Transform Ordinary Lives, iUniverse (2000)
45. ^ Greyson (2000)
46. ^ Hayman, Ronald (2002). A Life of Jung. W. W. Norton & Co.. p. 304. ISBN [[Special:BookSources/0-393-32322-1|0-393-32322-1]]. http://books.google.com/books?id=k5XyKOJE9YMC&pg=PA304&dq=A+Life+of+Jung+Christiana+and+Kundalini#v=onepage&q=&f=false. "...the concept of Kundalini has for us only one use..."
47. ^ Balaji Bharadwaj. "Proof-of-concept studies in Yoga and mental health Bharadwaj B - Int J Yoga". Ijoy.org.in. doi:10.4103/0973-6131.91719. http://www.ijoy.org.in/article.asp?issn=0973-6131;year=2012;volume=5;issue=1;spage=74;epage=74;aulast=Bharadwaj. Retrieved 2012-07-23.

[edit] Bibliography

• Eastman, David T. (1985): "Kundalini Demystified", Yoga Journal, September 1985, pp. 37–43, California Yoga Teachers Association.

[edit] Further reading

• Dale, C. (2011). Kundalini: Divine Energy, Divine Life. Llewellyn Publications. ISBN 0-7387-2588-9.
• Dixon, J. (2008). Biology of Kundalini, Exploring the Fire of Life. Jana Dixon. ISBN 1-4357-1167-X.
• Petty, A. (2007). Kundalini Rising: Exploring the Chakra/Asanas Connection. Kitsune Books. ISBN 0-9792700-0-6.
• Karmokar, G. (2006). Kundalini - From Hell to Heaven. Zen Way Center. ISBN 0-9777456-0-0.
• Paulson, G.L. (2002). Kundalini & the Chakras: Evolution in this Lifetime. Llewellyn Publications. ISBN 0-87542-592-5.
• White, J. (1998). Kundalini, Evolution and Enlightenment. Paragon House. ISBN 1-55778-303-9.
• Krishna, G. (1997). Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in Man. Shambhala. ISBN 1-24-16585-1.
• Muktananda, S. (1995). Kundalini: The Secret of Life (erd ed.). U B S Publishers' Distributors Ltd.. ISBN 81-7476-038-5.
• Kripananda, S. (1995). The Sacred Power: A Seeker's Guide to Kundalini. Siddha Yoga Publications. ISBN 0-911307-39-7.
• Krishna, G. (1993). Living with Kundalini. Shambhala. ISBN 0-87773-947-1.
• Krishna, G. (1993). Higher Consciousness and Kundalini. Institute for Consciousness Research. ISBN 0-917776-05-4.
• Krishna, G. (1989). The Awakening of Kundalini. Institute for Consciousness Research. ISBN 0-917776-06-2.
• Sannella, L. (1987). The Kundalini Experience: Psychosis or Transcendence. Integral Publications. ISBN 0-941255-29-8.
• Mookerjee, A. (1981). Kundalini: The Arousal of the Inner Energy (2nd ed.). Destiny Books. ISBN 0-89281-020-3.
• Avalon, A. (1974). The Serpent Power: The Secrets of Tantric and Shaktic Yoga. Dover Publications. ISBN 0-486-23058-9.

[edit] External links

• Kundalini at the Open Directory Project

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