Kundalini

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Kundalini (kuṇḍalinī, Sanskrit: कुण्डलिनी) 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'. The kundalini resides in the sacrum bone in three and a half coils and has been described as a residual power of pure desire.^[5]

The Yogatattva Upanishad mentions four kinds of yoga, of which laya-yoga involves kundalini.^[6]

Sri Ramana Maharshi maintained 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 and kundalini awakening are all the same thing, and self-inquiry meditation is considered a very natural and simple means of reaching this goal.^[7]

Yoga and Tantra propose that this 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. The kundalini can also awaken as a result of doing hatha yoga or other forms of spiritual practice, and sometimes it can awaken spontaneously, for no obvious reason.^[8]

Definition and 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. The practice of meditation may arouse this latent power and cause it to rise up through the sushumna canal which is located within the spinal column. As kundalini rises the meditator begins to experience higher levels of consciousness. This unfolding of consciousness is often described in terms of the centres of consciousness (chakras) which are located along the sushumna; as kundalini rises, the chakras are activated. Kundalini completes its journey when it reaches the centre of consciousness located at the top of the head (sahasrara).^[9]

According to Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, the term "kundalini" is based on several words and has several meanings. The word ending with "i" indicates that it relates to the feminine principle and deals with a form of Shakti (energy) and Prakriti (nature). ^[10] "Kunda" is a hole or well into which all debris and rubbish is thrown. In time the rubbish loses its original form and disintegrates into a formless mesh in which the individual components are no longer recognizable. In a similar way, our impressions from earlier lives lie like an amorphous substance deep in the unconscious (Muladhara Chakra) ^[10]. "Kundala" means the ring and is generally used to refer to an earring in Sanskrit. The other roots of kundalini are "kundala" the serpent, and "kala" the time or death. In Indian mythology Lord Vishnu rests on a thousand-headed snake and sends out the first vibration (Sphurna), from which the entire Universe evolves ^[10].

Awakening of the kundalini

Kundalini can be awakened through the grace of a Siddha-Guru who awakens the kundalini shakti of his discipline through shaktipat, or blessing. A Siddha Guru is a spiritual teacher, a master, whose identification with the supreme Self is uninterrupted.^[11] Like every form of energy one must also learn to understand spiritual energy. 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.^[10]

Some schools of yoga also teach that the kundalini can be awakened through spiritual practices such as hatha yoga and meditation, rather than via shaktipat.^[12] Additionally, spontaneous awakenings can occur, often triggered by intense personal experiences such as accidents, near death experiences, childbirth, emotional trauma and so on. Sometimes awakenings seem to occur for no obvious reason at all. Some sources attribute spontaneous awakenings to the "grace of God", or possibly to spiritual practice in past lives.

The kundalini rises from muladhara chakra up a subtle channel at the base of the spine (called Sushumna), and from there to top of the head merging with the sahasrara, or crown chakra. 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.^[13][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."^[10] Physical effects are believed to be a sign of kundalini awakening by some,^[16] but described as unwanted side effects by others.^[10]

Physical effects

Kundalini awakening is often accompanied by new experiences, which can at times be daunting for those for whom the concept is unfamiliar. According to a 1985 article by David T. Eastman in Yoga Journal, some of the more common signs and symptoms of an awakened kundalini include:

• Involuntary jerks, tremors or shaking
• Intense heat, 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
• Intense feelings of pleasure
• Emotional purgings in which particular emotions become dominant for short periods of time.^[17]

Reports about the Sahaja Yoga technique of kundalini awakening suggest the practice can result in a cool breeze felt on the fingertips as well as on the fontanel bone area.^[5][18] One study has measured a drop in temperature on the palms of the hands resulting from this technique.^[19]

Personal testimonies

American spiritual teacher Ram Dass describes his guru's instruction and his own subsequent experience of kundalini: "When I asked Maharaj-ji "How do you raise kundalini?" he said "Serve people." which is like a real schlock answer. And I've worked with that, and I see, as I orient myself to see this whole thing as a process with everyone I meet, I keep getting into these spaces of incredible love and connectedness and that's kundalini... It's like don't just sit there doing breathing exercises - serve people."^[20]

Swami Muktananda in his book Guru, offered another kind of experience: "I sometimes danced, sometimes swayed, and sometimes became lost in the love-inspiring nada (cosmic melody). The nada is indeed the Absolute reality... It is the vibrating current, set in motion by Kundalini. About the nada, the Scriptures say, adau bhagavan sabdarasih, "God originally manifested Himself as sound." They represented the last phase of my dynamic Kundalini. Thus while hearing nada, my mind would converge on its source. I witness the center which, activated by nada, emits divine sparks. All my senses were drawn toward it. Even my tongue rushed in that very direction. My body responded to whatever variety of nada I heard with a corresponding quiver that was mildly painful. Sweating profusely, I felt that I would collapse. My head trembled violently. I felt as if a gentle fire was burning in my body. Sometimes a tiny drop of nectar dripped from the upper akasha (sky). At other times, different sensations of taste were released from there - salty, sour, bitter and astringent. Sometimes, ambrosial milk trickled through my palate from Nadaloka (the universe of sound). It entered my gastric fire and then flowed to my 72,000 nerves. Consequently, many subtle ailments of the body vanished. However hard I might work, I did not feel tired. While enjoying these unearthly melodies and knowing they are Sabda-Brahman (the Creator as sound), I directly experienced It in them. My dynamic Kundalini felt delighted on meeting Her husband in the form of nada. The currents of Her joy flowed through my entire body. And Muktananda began to dance. As the waves of nada played within me, my mind also became sharp and agile."^[21]

Kundalini as described by Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda described kundalini briefly in London during his lectures on Raja Yoga as follows:^[22]

"According to the Yogis, there are two nerve currents in the spinal column, called Pingala and Ida, and a hollow canal called Sushumna 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."

Vedanta view on kundalini, Tantra and Sex

Tantra is the worship of Shakti, the divine mother. ^[23] Shakti is also referred to as Prakriti, or primordial nature. To ensure that nature (Prakriti) would always maintain the connection to the divine original consciousness (Purusha), the force of attraction developed as an aspect of Prakriti. The desire for union and the striving for expansion are "natural"; they are intrinsic impulses of nature. ^[24] Other terms for Purusha and Prakriti are Shiva and Shakti. Shiva is the symbol for consciousness and the masculine principle, Shakti symbolizes energy and the feminine principle.^[25] The meaning of Shiva and Shakti is sometimes misunderstood when they are looked upon as man and woman and their relation is regarded as sexual. ^[25]

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)[3]. "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".^[28]

Another populariser of the concept of kundalini among Western readers was Gopi Krishna. His autobiography is entitled Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in Man.^[29] According to one writer his writings influenced Western interest in kundalini yoga.^[30]

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.^[31] 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), Samael Aun Weor and Lord Sri Akshunna.

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,^[32] think that the association of Yogic Sanskrit terminology (chakras, kundalini, mantras, etc.) with the superficiality of new-age rhetoric is unfortunate.^[33]

Psychiatry (Brain waves)

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.^[34][35] Their findings are not all positive. Some modern experimental research^[36] seeks to establish links between kundalini practice and the ideas of Wilhelm Reich and his followers.

However, the intensive spiritual practices associated with some Asian traditions are not without their problems. Psychiatric literature^[37] 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". Among the psychological difficulties associated with intensive spiritual practice we find "kundalini awakening","a complex physio-psychospiritual transformative process described in the yogic tradition".^[37] Also, researchers in the fields of Transpersonal psychology,^[38] and Near-death studies^[39][40] describe 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..."^[41]

References

Bibliography

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

External links

• Kundalini at the Open Directory Project