Why Is Kundalini Yoga Dangerous?

What are the negative effects of kundalini?

She lists one of the effects of kundalini awakening as psychological and emotional upheaval, including intensification of unresolved psychological conflict, fear of death or insanity, overwhelming mood swings. heightened sensitivity to others’ moods, confusion.

Is it dangerous to awaken kundalini?

Introduction in the West – In 1968, Yogi Bhajan ended the secrecy around Kundalini by introducing Kundalini yoga — of which Kundalini meditation is a big component — to the Western world. He believed this would help people see improvements to their life and overall well-being by giving them the opportunity to experience a different type of consciousness.

1. Over a period of more than 30 years, he taught thousands of meditation and yoga techniques and founded the Kundalini Research Institute, where he trained other students to become teachers of the practice.
2. In the news In 2020, several people who’d previously practiced under Bhajan or worked closely with him came forward with allegations of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse against him.

While many practitioners still believe in the benefits of Kundalini yoga, there are questions about what the future of Kundalini yoga should look like. People who practice Kundalini meditation report experiencing a range of benefits. These include:

• increased mindfulness and compassion
• improved communication with self and others
• inspiration
• a clear mind
• a more developed sense of self
• greater purpose and intent in your actions

Some of these benefits are supported by research that looked at Kundalini yoga, which typically involves Kundalini meditation:

• Reduced stress. A small study in 2017 suggests that Kundalini yoga may offer immediate stress relief. The authors add that Kundalini meditation might be helpful for conditions linked to high stress, including cardiovascular disease and insomnia.
• Reduced anxiety. A 2018 study suggests that Kundalini yoga may reduce symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder.
• Improved cognitive function. A 2017 study compared Kundalini yoga and memory enhancement training as potential treatments for cognitive impairment in 81 older adults. Results suggest that while both interventions appeared to help improve memory, Kundalini yoga seemed to help improve executive functioning as well.

With thousands of techniques to choose from, Kundalini meditation can get a bit complicated. If you’d like to use it to address a certain concern, a teacher can offer guidance on specific techniques. Kundalini meditation is a comprehensive approach, so if you’re new to meditation, it may help to try it first with a practitioner or follow along with a guided meditation,

1. Dress for comfort. Wearing light, loose clothing can help you feel most comfortable while you meditate. Kundalini practitioners often use shawls or other cloth to cover their heads, since this is believed to protect and promote energy flow.
2. Begin by tuning in to get into a meditative frame of mind. Sit upright in your chair or on the floor, keeping your spine straight. Position your hands in a prayer pose by pressing your palms together at your chest. Close your eyes but not completely — let in just a crack of light.
3. Focus on the third eye chakra. Many practitioners find it helps to focus on their third eye while tuning in. Keeping your eyes closed, turn your gaze to the space in the center of your forehead between your eyebrows.
4. Use a mantra. Mantras, which help direct your focus, are an important component of Kundalini meditation. It typically involves mantras in Gurmukhi, a sacred Indian language. But don’t worry too much about choosing the right mantra on your first try. You’ll likely see the best results with a mantra that feels right to you. Say it aloud or repeat it silently, whatever works best for you.
5. Begin focusing on your breath. Inhale and exhale through your nose only, focusing on the sensation of breathing. Then, begin to slow your breath. Each inhale and exhale should last 3 to 4 seconds, so each breath should last about 8 seconds. Pay attention to how your breath flows through and energizes your body.
6. Add mudras. Kundalini techniques typically involve the use of mudras, or hand positions. For example, if you want to promote wisdom, openness, and calm, try the Gyan mudra by touching your first finger to your thumb. To promote patience and commitment, try the Shuni mudra by touching your middle finger to your thumb.
7. Divide your breathing into equal segments. Instead of taking one long inhale for 4 seconds followed by a long exhale, divide each inhale and exhale into four parts. In other words, breathe in 4 times, without exhaling in between. Then breathe out in the same way. With each inhale and exhale, draw your navel (belly button) toward your spine.
8. Return your attention to your breath when it wanders. Even long-term meditators don’t stay focused all the time. Whenever you notice a loss of focus, turn your thoughts back to your breath. If any wandering thoughts come up, acknowledge them and then let them drift away.
9. Continue for 3 to 5 minutes. If you’re new to meditation, there’s no need to jump right into a lengthy practice. It’s generally recommended to start with a shorter session and increase the length of your meditation as you get more comfortable.
10. End your session. Complete your meditation with a deep complete breath (inhale and exhale). Breathe in once again as you raise your arms to their full length. Relax as you breathe out.

Meditation beginner? These tips can help make any meditation practice more successful. People often practice Kundalini meditation specifically to experience the release of energy known as a Kundalini awakening. Many people find this somewhat of a spiritual experience, but it might sound a little overwhelming if you don’t know what to expect.

During a Kundalini awakening, people report physical sensations, such as warmth or tingling, disorientation, and some temporary discomfort. If a person isn’t fully prepared for the experience, some people claim they may experience long-term negative effects. While meditation can certainly be a powerful experience, there’s no evidence to support such long-term negative effects.

All that aside, Kundalini meditation does involve deep breathing exercises and slowed breathing. If you aren’t used to this, you may feel dizzy or lightheaded. Take breaks when you need to, and drink plenty of water before and after meditation. Kundalini meditation can have benefits, even when it doesn’t lead to a full-blown awakening.

1. In fact, some practitioners consider it one of the most powerful forms of meditation.
2. You may notice some improvements in wellness right away, but patience and dedicated practice can help you achieve the most benefits.
3. Crystal Raypole has previously worked as a writer and editor for GoodTherapy.
4. Her fields of interest include Asian languages and literature, Japanese translation, cooking, natural sciences, sex positivity, and mental health.

In particular, she’s committed to helping decrease stigma around mental health issues.

Is Kundalini Yoga good or bad for you?

Kundalini Yoga – Kundalini is a specific type of yoga that brings together all of the yogic disciplines in order to maximize the practice and effects of yoga. While many types of yoga bring together asanas and pranayama (postures and breathing techniques), Kundalini also incorporates chanting and meditation into the yoga practice.

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Kundalini Yoga has many reported positive effects, such as increased happiness and mental balance, as well as an ameliorated physical state. However, for some practitioners, the effects of Kundalini are not positive ones.

Why was Kundalini yoga kept a secret?

What exactly is Kundalini Yoga as Taught by Yogi Bhajan? – Yoga has dozens of variations in philosophy and style. Some yogas (like Bikram) are structured as a physical workout. Others (like Jivamukti) put an emphasis on meditation. Kundalini Yoga is a little of both, but with an added emphasis on consciousness that activates energy centers throughout the body.

1. Undalini class can be a good workout, but its teachers and students (often cover their heads with white turbans) participate in each kriya with a quiet reverence more akin to a temple than a gym.
2. If you like your physical exercise to come with a side of spiritual enlightenment, Kundalini Yoga might be for you.

In fact it is often framed by it’s practitioners as the “next step” or they are looking for something more spiritual. “The primary objective is to awaken the full potential of human awareness in each individual; that is, recognize our awareness, refine that awareness, and expand that awareness to our unlimited Self.

Clear any inner duality, create the power to deeply listen, cultivate inner stillness, and prosper and deliver excellence in all that we do.” –Kundalini Research Institute A brief history of Kundalini Yoga as Taught by Yogi Bhajan Kundalini is known as a niche form of yoga that is growing in popularity in pockets of New York City and Los Angeles.

But Kundalini, perhaps more than any other yoga, has a long and fascinating history. There is no philosophy (physical or otherwise) that has been more durable than Kundalini Yoga. Unlike most ancient religious philosophies, Kundalini does not hold onto any strict rules or dogmas.

• The pure nature of Kundalini has allowed each generation for thousands of years to find personal meaning in the practice.
• The objective is decentralized and selfless – help people actualize their Higher Self.
• Undalini does not claim to be the way; it is simply a way, one tool on each individual’s journey to personal discovery.

Going to a class today feels so fresh, relevant and forward thinking, you would think it was a hybrid Eastern-Western concept developed specifically for the 21st Century. “Kundalini” is an ancient Sanskrit word that literally means “coiled snake.” In early Eastern religion (long before Buddhism and Hinduism) it was believed that each individual possessed a divine energy at the base of the spine.

This energy was thought to be the sacred energy of creation. This energy is something we are born with, but we must make an effort to “uncoil the snake,” thereby putting us in direct contact with the divine. Kundalini Yoga is the practice of awakening our Higher Self and turning potential energy into kinetic energy.

Today’s Western definition of yoga is limiting, describing a specific type of exercise. But to the ancients, yoga was a sacred spirit-body connection. Their goal was not fitness. It was direct connection with Brahman, the God-like spirit within us. No religious buffer between man and God was considered necessary.

• Just practice.
• Of the many yogas that developed over the past 5,000 years, Kundalini was considered the most sacred.
• The exact origin of Kundalini Yoga is unknown, but the earliest known mention dates to the sacred Vedic collection of writings known as the (c.1,000 B.C.
• 500 B.C.).
• Historical records indicate that Kundalini was a science of energy and spiritual philosophy before the physical practice was developed.

The word “upanishads” literally translates to “sitting down to hear the teachings of the master.” The first Kundalini classes were just that. Masters sat down with students and gave oral recitation of spiritual visions. This was a popular practice in ancient Vedic society (and would be replicated centuries later by a couple guys named Buddha and Jesus).

Over time, the body science of Kundalini Yoga was developed as a physical expression of the Upanishad visions. From its origin, Kundalini Yoga was not taught publicly. It was treated as an advanced education. Students were required to go through several years of initiation before they were prepared to learn the spirit-body lessons of the Kundalini masters.

For thousands of years, the science of Kundalini was kept hidden, passed on in secret from master to a chosen disciple who was considered worthy. Teaching Kundalini outside the secret society of Indian yoga elite was unheard of. The public was not prepared, it was believed, to access such powerful knowledge.

1. Undalini was veiled in secrecy until one morning when a holy Sikh rebel named Yogi Bhajan wrapped a white turban around his head and took a one-way flight from Punjab, India to Toronto, Canada in 1968.
2. In Western Kundalini, is like the American Blues, the point from which everything else derives.
3. Without him, it’s no stretch to assume that Kundalini Yoga would still be unknown in the United States.

While visiting California in the late 1960’s, Yogi Bhajan witnessed the hippie cultural revolution, many of whose principles he recognized from his own Sikh upbringing. He observed two things. #1) As evidenced by their search for expanded consciousness, young people in America were longing to experience God.

• 2) Aided by drugs and half-baked mysticism, they were going about it all wrong.
• Yogi Bhajan knew that teaching Kundalini Yoga outside the sacred Indian lineage was forbidden.
• But during a meditation on a weekend trip to Los Angeles in 1968, he had a vision of a new spirituality that combined ancient knowledge with modern practicality.

He awoke from the meditation with inspiration. He would teach Kundalini to the west, proclaiming, “It is everyone’s birthright to be healthy, happy, and holy, and the practice of Kundalini Yoga is the way to claim that birthright.” His weekend visit to Los Angeles turned into a permanent residency.

1. Within the next two years he would establish the 3HO (Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization) Foundation and the Kundalini Research Institute.
2. He was just getting started.
3. Yogi Bhajan taught over 8,000 Kundalini Yoga classes.
4. He established the first teacher training program in 1969 and personally trained thousands of yogis and future teachers.

Several of his students, including Gurmukh Kaur went on to launch their own yoga studios, and many Kundalini classes around the world today are taught by yogis who trained directly under him. Yogi Bhajan’s influence extends beyond yoga. He wrote a, established International Peace Prayer Day and worked with several international governments on projects to bring peace and mindfulness to world affairs.

What is kundalini sickness?

What Is Kundalini Syndrome? – Kundalini syndrome is a term used to describe a range of physical, emotional, and mental symptoms that some people experience after engaging in practices to awaken the Kundalini energy. The term “Kundalini” comes from the Sanskrit word “kundala,” which means “coiled” or “spiral.” When Kundalini energy is awakened, it is said to rise through the chakras, or energy centers in the body, leading to a range of experiences, including spiritual awakening and expanded states of consciousness.

What happens to the brain after a kundalini awakening?

As per Teachings of Satyananda Saraswati, awakening of kundalini activates the brain’s silent or unused areas and in this way increases one’s mental and spiritual abilities.

Can kundalini cause psychosis?

Although sensations of heat are common in kundalini awakening, they are rare in psychosis.6, 7 Awakening of kundalini should be a gradual process and supervised; failure to do so under proper guidance leads to negative effects including psychosis.

How rare is a full kundalini awakening?

What is a kundalini awakening? – According to Tantra, kundalini energy rests like a coiled serpent at the base of the spine. When this dormant energy flows freely upward through the seven chakras (energy centers) and leads to an expanded state of consciousness, it’s known as a kundalini awakening.

How powerful is kundalini?

Yoga and deep meditation are the two primary ways that can awaken the supreme energy calmly and properly. The word ‘Kundalini’ refers to the divine presence of enormous volume of evolutionary force in every human body but in a dormant form. Dharma and many other traditional beliefs compare Kundalini with a serpent that lies coiled while resting or sleeping.

• With references from many sacred texts of India and the world, this divine power is said to be lying coiled at the base of the spine.
• This supreme power isn’t a part of our physical body, like bones and muscles that can be easily touched and computer scanned, but it is the untouched elixir living in the subtle body lying beneath the chakras and nadis.

The subtle body is the place where the energetic imprints of our pasts are stored along with the mental and emotional patterns that drive our lives. What is Kundalini Awakening? Kundalini awakening is said to be the process of ultimate union with the higher consciousness or in other words called the spiritual birth of a person.

1. Yoga and deep meditation are the two primary ways that can awaken the supreme energy calmly and properly.
2. There are several books and drugs available in the market claiming to awaken the Kundalini Shakti instantly, but one needs to understand these shortcuts will lead nowhere but complete devastation.

This is the reason why all traditions agree on the fact that the awakening process should be done in the guidance and presence of a master or guru. Preparedness The process of Kundalini awakening is not a physical force that can be initiated and stopped as and when desired, but is the movement of powerful emotional and mental patterns in the subtle body.

1. Therefore, one cannot undergo an awakening without following the right steps of purifying the channels of subtle body.
2. Beware! Unpreparedness might cause devastating results as severe as a nervous breakdown during Kundalini awakening.
3. Road to bliss Divine Mother Kundalini is present in all, no human can deny its holy existence.

One just needs to awaken the Holy Spirit and let the power spread through the body. Once awakened, the divine power purifies both the body and the soul as she reaches the crown, passing through different nadis and chakras. From Muladhar chakra she rises by spreading her rings, crossing every chakra in her path to reach the sahasrara or the crown chakra.

First she will regenerate the chakras and fix the damage, if caused, by your negative lifestyle. With this she will simultaneously wake up the deities bringing you closer to the spiritual enlightenment stage. Strength of this Holy Spirit The strength of this divine energy is strongest among all the spiritual and physical powers of the universe.

Once awakened, it can either create or destroy depending upon the way the awakening process takes place. There are two paths facing the stirred up spiritual energy — upwards and downwards. If she goes upward, the person is benefitted with great spiritual development.

• If she takes the downward turn, then it brings the person into the depths of darkness and eternal damnation.
• This is the reason why it is advised not to arouse Kundalini by force keeping her away from the downward path.
• Symptoms of Kundalini Awakening The degrees of signs and symptoms of Kundalini awakening occurring in human body are different for everybody, and it depends largely on the emotional, physical and spiritual strengths of human bodies.

The signs and symptoms generally relate to the conditions in which the above mentioned strengths are maintained. The signs and symptoms could include tremendous sensations or vibrations, feeling of intense rise or drop of body temperature, spontaneous formations of yoga or mudra postures (even if you have not done them before), intense pleasure or bliss and sudden emotional shifts that are beyond normal.

Risk factors associated with the transformation At times, people are not prepared or the process gets initiated spontaneously without their knowledge. Such are the cases where people experience inner chaos, total breakdown or spiritual distress resulting in massive life crisis. The spontaneous awakening of Kundalini energy is a result of disgraceful fitness and lifestyle habits like intense workout, drug use, abusive or traumatic experiences etc.

Once awakened, the extreme power of Kundalini Shakti energy changes the person’s life completely. He or she might experience tremendous social and emotional change. Some might even experience the traumatic past experience or constant personality shifts.

What God is Kundalini yoga?

This article is about Kundalini, the tantric concepts and psychological theories (Hindu Philosophy). For Other uses, see Kundalini (disambiguation), Kundalini, chakras, and nadis In Hinduism, Kundalini ( Sanskrit : कुण्डलिनी, romanized : kuṇḍalinī, lit. ‘coiled snake’, pronunciation i ) is a form of divine feminine energy (or Shakti ) believed to be located at the base of the spine, in the muladhara,

It is an important concept in Śhaiva Tantra, where it is believed to be a force or power associated with the divine feminine or the formless aspect of the Goddess. This energy in the body, when cultivated and awakened through tantric practice, is believed to lead to spiritual liberation, Kuṇḍalinī is associated with Parvati or Adi Parashakti, the supreme being in Shaktism ; and with the goddesses Bhairavi and Kubjika,

The term, along with practices associated with it, was adopted into Hatha yoga in the 9th century. It has since then been adopted into other forms of Hinduism as well as modern spirituality and New age thought. Kuṇḍalinī awakenings are said to occur by a variety of methods.

What do you feel when Kundalini awakens?

Sex, Desire and Relationship Issues Online Course – Help your clients through sex and relationship problems with interventions from leading sex experts Emily Nagoski, PhD and Tammy Nelson, PhD Sadly, spiritual practices are too often regarded by therapists as inconsequential, or as psychological symptoms in themselves.

Given its commonly reported features, current trainings in psychotherapy and medicine are likely to view kundalini awakening as a psychotic episode. Common features of kundalini awakening · Sensations of ‘energy’ moving or trapped within certain parts of the body, often involving the chakra points. This process may become in some way ‘visible’ to the experiencer.

· The energy feels unbearably strong or painful, often accompanied by shaking, jerking, or spasms. · Spontaneous adoption of yoga poses or mudras (hand gestures), even though the experiencer may never have practised these before. · Sensations of intense cold or heat, but (typically) without sweating.

· Loud sounds (such as rumbling or musical harmonies) that no one except the experiencer can hear. · A feeling of sensory overload: everything is ‘too much’. · Insights into the true nature of reality, which may sound odd or disturbing to both the experiencer and others. · Speaking in tongues or other involuntary vocalisations.

· Intense waves of bliss and bodily pleasure. Differentiating kundalini awakening from psychosis There seem to be two important differences between kundalini awakening and psychosis. Firstly, kundalini awakening follows upon intense spiritual practice (which is not necessarily the case with psychosis).

• Secondly, a person in psychosis buys deeply into their altered reality, whereas a person undergoing a kundalini experience retains a clear sense of their usual state of mind, and typically expresses a desperate longing to return to it.
• How to help someone undergoing kundalini awakening Avoid metaphysical speculations or discussion, but focus instead on encouraging them to take a break from spiritual practice, replacing it with ‘grounding’ activities: · Positive bodily experiences, such as food, rest, simple physical work, exercise, and orgasm.

· Giving attention to the hands and feet, if there are powerful sensations in more central areas. · Walking in nature. Notice physical sensations; make physical contact with trees, fences, the ground, noticing the breeze or warmth of the sun, etc. · Contact with family members or friends – assuming these relationships are stabilising.

1. · If you have the appropriate expertise, modifying the experiencer’s usual spiritual practice to cultivate compassion, gratitude, or surrender.
2. These simple interventions can be effective, but will sometimes be resisted, particularly if the experiencer’s spiritual practice is entangled with personal issues around competitiveness, fear of failure, or envy.

Also wrapped up in an episode is likely to be difficulty accepting one’s physical and mental limitations in the face of a strange, overwhelming experience which, in ignorance, one’s own familiar spiritual practice has suddenly unleashed. Here, a therapist is on more familiar ground, and this is the route by which, although on the surface it appears a medical issue or serious psychotic break, kundalini awakening can nevertheless respond well to psychotherapeutic intervention.

How many times a week should you do Kundalini yoga?

Regular daily practice is essential if you want maximum results(and have fun while doing it). Consistency does pay off in the end – you’ll be doing yourself a favor on many levels! We recommend practicing at least 20-30 minutes each day.

How many bodies are in the kundalini?

In the Kundalini Yoga tradition, the human being doesn’t consist of just one physical body, or two (physical and mental), but rather ten— one physical body, three mental bodies, and six energy bodies.

How many bodies are there in Kundalini Yoga?

Are you ready to discover your life’s purpose and activate your fullest potential? Kundalini Yoga is an ancient practice that helps you channel powerful energy and transform your life. And now there is an accessible, easy way to learn how to incorporate these practices into your practice and life.

Yoga Journal’s 6-week online course, Kundalini 101: Create the Life You Want, offers you mantras, mudras, meditations, and kriyas that you’ll want to practice every day. Sign up now! – As yoga practitioners, we learn that in addition to the Western way of looking at anatomy, there is also a more subtle, energetic anatomy to awaken to.

One of the ways we can understand our existence and enhance our potential is to learn about and work with our Ten Bodies. In Kundalini Yoga, we each have three mental bodies and six energy bodies, in addition to our physical body. My teacher, Yogi Bhajan, said, “If you understand that you are Ten Bodies, and you are aware of those Ten Bodies, and you keep them in balance, the whole universe will be in balance with you.” Here’s the lowdown on all 10 bodies, plus a sequence to awaken them.

Is Kundalini Yoga Scientific?

Archer pose – Archer is thought to make you feel confident, like a warrior. To do this pose:

1. Stand up straight, with your feet together. Rotate your right foot outward, about 45 degrees.
2. Step your right foot back, straightening your leg. Bend your left knee, but make sure it doesn’t go past your left foot.
3. Extend your arms to shoulder height. Curl both hands into fists and point your thumbs up.
4. Rotate your upper body to the left. Simultaneously bend your right elbow and bring your right fist toward your right armpit.
5. Look forward and breathe deeply while you hold this position for 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Then switch sides, with your left leg back and your left arm bent, and hold for another 2 to 3 minutes while breathing deeply.

Kundalini yoga, like all yoga, should be practiced with safety in mind. Use caution if you:

• have breathing issues
• have joint pain
• have an injury
• have balance problems
• are pregnant

If you’re not sure whether Kundalini is safe for you, talk with your doctor to find out if there are any precautions you should take or if there’s a safer exercise option to try. Kundalini yoga is more spiritual than other types of yoga. Whereas other types of yoga flow with the breath, Kundalini yoga combines chanting, singing, movements, and breathing in specific patterns.

What can trigger kundalini?

Kundalini is the life force energy that resides within all of us. Kundalini may also be likened to Chi, Shakti or Spirit in various traditions. In the Yoga tradition, Kundalini Shakti is the dormant energy that lies at the base of the spine, waiting to be awakened.

When this energy is awakened, it starts to move up the spine, clearing the beliefs, pains and knots of the past that we often store in the body. The energy can be blocked by psychic knots (granthis) in each chakra or any part of the body, bringing pain, discomfort, ill health or disease. Often the blockages are related to particular belief systems, emotions or thought forms.

The awakening of this energy can lead to various experiences, from heightened awareness, clarity, ‘seeing the light’, deep insight, and spiritual awakening to clairvoyance and psychic abilities. The ultimate goal of hatha yoga or kundalini yoga is to awaken this dormant energy and bring it up to the crown chakra, where it unites with Shiva, the divine masculine energy.

To awaken the kundalini steadily, one may choose to purify the body and mind, which is done through the regular practice of yoga and meditation. Once the body and mind are prepared, kundalini can be awakened through a variety of techniques, including meditation (dhyana), asana (transcendental postures), pranayama (breath work), mantra (chanting) and mudras (hand gestures).

It can also be awakened without yoga practice. Qi Gong may also awaken stagnant chi and clear the patterns of the past that are stored in the body. Deep meditation practices from various lineages will have similar effects. Swadhyaya or self-enquiry (historically taught by Indian sages Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta) may also lend to one experiencing the deeper dimensions of yoga.

• Questions such as “who am I?” or “who is experiencing these thoughts and feelings?” may lead to a deeper understanding of who you truly are and assist you in seeing through the mind, which is all stories.
• These questions (ideally left unanswered) may also help you see beyond the body.
• You are not the mind, and you are not the body”.

These famous self-realisation teachings can be realised within you. For some, kundalini awakening can be gradual or may happen very quickly, even immediately. As kundalini awakens, it brings heightened awareness, incredible energy, clarity and spiritual awakening.

• When kundalini and shakti begin to ascend, we can live our lives with a deeper transcendental awareness and understanding, defined purpose and incredible power.
• You eventually become free of all the beliefs and patterns that held you so tightly bound in your body and mind, causing suffering.
• In fact, the whole process is quite miraculous and is charged with inherent beauty, yet it isn’t always easy.

You have to really let go and surrender the ego, and sometimes there is pain as you let go of the past stored in the body and mind, even right down to the level of your DNA. In fact, for teachers and students alike, there are a few key signs that indicate someone is experiencing a kundalini awakening.

First, they may feel increased pranic energy in their body, often starting at the hands and feet. Later, particularly in the spine. This energy may cause physical sensations like tingling, shaking, or heat. Secondly, they may begin to experience powerful emotions and thoughts that they previously suppressed.

These may include long-buried trauma or deep-seated fears. Finally, they may start to see changes in their behaviours, relationships and perceptions. For some this may include hallucinations or synesthesia (seeing colours when hearing music, for example) or extreme bodily sensations.

Increased energy in the bodyThe feeling of goosebumps or waves of energy moving through the body at timesFor some, physical sensations like tingling, shaking, heat, headaches, tears, vomiting, and cold tremors can also occurPowerful emotions and thoughts and relief from negative thoughts that cause sufferingChanges in perceptions like hallucinations or synesthesiaFeeling more creative or inspiredGreater sense of spiritual awareness or connectionIncreased intuitionEasier time connecting with your intuition and inner guidanceMore vivid dreams or lucid dreaming, sometimes with disturbed sleep from the energy becoming strong at night, even waking you upOut-of-body experiencesIncreased psychic abilitiesIncreased sensitivity, emotionally and physicallyThe initiative to practise non-violenceA deep sense of interconnectedness with all thingsAn overwhelming sense of bliss and profound contentment which may come and goA sudden urge for incredible change, seeing through misperceptions or delusions of the pastA profound acceptance of what is and seeing the truth or reality for what it is, no longer arguing with realityRecognition of oneness with the desire to serve others altruisticallyDeep compassion for all of lifeA more robust immune response as the body begins to be strengthened by the energy within, and the inner critic voice stops its attack as it fades awayThe ability to communicate freely and honestly and say no and yes to what is true to you in lifeA sense of deep connection to nature, a divinity or to a higher universal powerFeeling a deep sense of peace and calmTears of indescribable joy, awe, devotion

What triggers a kundalini awakening?

Life events: childbirth, puberty, menopause, significant life changes, death of a loved onePractices: yoga, meditation, breathwork, chanting, prayer, self-enquiryLife events, such as a traumatic experience or intense emotional upheavalDeep suffering or a sense of being completely trapped Shock or realising you have no control over the next moment at allPractices like meditation, yoga, or deeply connected sex and intimacyA significant life change, such as the death of a loved oneAwakening from a deep depression, despair or even anxiety (seeing through the mind)Falling in love (activates the heart chakra)Near Death experienceReading scriptures, studying spiritual textsSitting with a teacher or healer who has had the opening occur within them

The signs of kundalini awakening are many and varied, all representing growth and expansion. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s a sign that your kundalini may be on the rise. The good news is that yoga and meditation can help you integrate the energy of kundalini awakening more smoothly into your life and, most importantly, into your nervous system.

You will need to find a good guide or mentor through books, audio or in-person to assist you in encompassing the awakening. Bodywork, yoga, meditation practice with a respected healer and practitioner will also help immensely. In fact, just being in the presence of someone who sits in the seat of the Self or deep presence alone may be enough.

Our four-day silent meditation teacher training is coming up in January, and we highly encourage you to attend if possible.

What is the opposite of the kundalini?

Kundalini is a dormant spiritual energy, often described as a serpent coiled up at the base of the spine. This serpent guards the entrance of susumna, the central energy channel, keeping prana energy from entering and ascending up through the center of the spine through the seven chakras.

1. Undalini is regarded as the individualized form of cosmic feminine spirit of Shakti.
2. The opposite pole and pair of Shakti is Shiva, who resides in the crown chakra.
3. Yoga has two main paths for achieving enlightenment.
4. The classical path is through stilling the fluctuations of mind and prana through inner focus, concentration, and meditation,

The tantric path is to uncoil the serpent, releasing kundalni to rise up the susumna channel through all seven chakras to unite Shakti with Shiva. Activating kundalini creates an ultimate state of bliss. Yet without adequate preparation, releasing kundalni can lead to disaster.

• The release of such a powerful source of energy into the body’s delicate systems can cause pain and in rare cases lead to insanity and death.
• Before kundalini is activated and released upwards, the body and mind must be prepared through hatha yoga exercises, completed in a specific order.
• First, the energy channels (nadis) and physical body must be strengthened and purified through pranayama, meditation and yoga postures ( asanas ).

Second, all seven chakras must be slowly awakened using meditation, yoga postures and mudras. Once the body and nadis are purified, the chakras are open, and the aspirant has a mastery over body, breath and prana, only then can kundalini be safely awakened.

Kundalini can be awakened through many yogic techniques: mantra, tapas, meditation, pranayama, mudra, shaktipat and self-surrender. During the activation one can still experience adverse effects as kundalini moves through the body and the nervous system adjusts to this dramatic increase of psychic energy.

Therefore it is not advised to activate kundalini without guidance of a qualified teacher and support of a spiritual community. Once kundalini is activated, the yogi’s life completely changes. However, you need not follow this path all the way to its ultimate end.

Can kundalini awakening last for years?

Abstract – The process of kundalini awakening has all the elements of an extraordinary experience. In this article, the author will show that from his research and experience this process of spiritual awakening can be seen as a benevolent developmental step for individuals.

The process of kundalini awakening has a profound impact on yogis and meditators around the world. Different reports circulate varying from disturbing disintegrating experiences to blissful ones. In this article, Kundalini awakening is described as a natural process of activating dormant energy in the CNS.

During Kundalini awakening the neutral observer, the witness, the container is awakened as part of the process. This article describes the spontaneous awakening of the author during an intensive Vipassana retreat. It took years to digest the impact of this experience.

And while doing so, a natural integrating in the Psycho-therapeutic practice of the author evolved. The central insight is to cultivate the neutral internal observer. The neutral observer stance creates opportunities for beneficial and endurable change. Clients are trained to become aware of their feelings and (hidden) thoughts without reacting to them.

By doing so clients learn how to contain dysfunctional emotions and transform them into functional emotions. For all of this neutral observing is the key ingredient. Early in the morning, the fourth day of a silent Vipassana retreat. I am meditating. Just attending the movement of the breath in my body with my awareness.

As I have been doing the last three days of this silent retreat. Suddenly my back feels like rubber, flexible. The backache from the last days is gone. My body starts to vibrate, to shake. I just keep on meditating. A flush of energy runs from my legs through my body to my head. My whole body is vibrating.

I keep my eyes closed and observe what is happening. No special ideas come to my kind. No special feelings show up. Everything appears neutral and calm. I get a vision of three monks right in front of me. They tell me to keep on mediating, that they will take care of my energy.

1. I see one big monk making stroking gestures around my body, while a young monk teases me and plays with me.
2. The third monk just observes.
3. I feel supported and happy and while noticing this, just keep on meditating.
4. This happened in the winter of 2003.
5. And now, years later, I realize that I was going through a process of Kundalini awakening.

Kundalini is generally understood as an energy that influences both our bodies and minds. As such, several physical and psychological characteristics may be expected to identify kundalini arousal, Kundalini is described as dormant energy in the Central Nervous System that can be activated or awoken,

• After awakening, it circulates through the body.
• During its rising it causes the CNS to throw off stress.
• A process of mentally and bodily purification.
• There is a variety of symptoms of kundalini awakening.
• Not all of them will happen in individuals undergoing this process of spiritual awakening.
• Greyson developed the Physio-Kundalini Syndrome Index, a 19-item dichotomous questionnaire to study kundalini and its effects.

The Index includes 4 major categories: motor symptoms, somatosensory symptoms, audiovisual symptoms, and mental symptoms, According to Sanella Kundalini awakening is not simply an altered state of consciousness, but an ongoing process, lasting from several months to many years, during which the person passes in and out of different states of consciousness,

1. The process falls outside the categories of both normal and psychotic because a person undergoing the awakening has phenomena far outside the normal range, usually without becoming so disorganized as to be considered psychotic.
2. One could state that the awakening of kundalini is an energetic developmental syndrome that follows the evolution of the brain from reptile alike symptoms like heat and cold to mammal alike symptoms like shaking of the body to cognitive symptoms like dissociation to spiritual like dissolution of the ego.

The Buddhist tradition, for spiritual awakening, describes four domains for meditation, bodily sensations, feelings, cognitions, and spirituality. Of course it is not coincident that the Kundalini symptoms overlap the domains of Buddhist meditation. Important is here to note that kundalini awakening or spiritual awakening leads in the end to a momentary state with spiritual qualities.

Category	Symptoms
Body	Spontaneous movements
Sensations of some form of energy (almost like an electric current) circulating along the spine or the arms and hands or, sometimes, stored in the genitals
Shaking and vibrating of the body.
Tingling
Spontaneous Kriya?s (Yoga postures)
Heat and cold sensations
Inner sounds and lights
Pain in specific parts of the body that begin and end abruptly
Abnormal breathing patterns
Emotion	Variety of emotional states: ecstasy, bliss, peace, love, devotion, extreme fear, anxiety, depression, hatred and confusion
Hypersexuality ad hyposexuality
Cathartic release of repressed feelings
Cognitive	Speeding up, slowing down of thought process
Moments of no thoughts at all
Distortion of thought process
Detachment, dissociation
Spiritual	Observing oneself, including one?s thoughts, as if one were a bystander.
Oneness experience
Extra Sensory Perception.
Dissolution of ego mind
Equanimity

As we can see in the table above, some of the symptoms of kundalini awakening are the same as symptoms of psychiatric diagnoses like panic attacks, depression, and PTSD. The process of kundalini awakening is not without risk. Especially on social media circulate horror stories about the terrifying impact of the process.

Several authors report an intense crisis they went through during the process of awakening before reaching a state of equanimity, One can get stuck in a phase during the process of purification of body and mind. For instance, body posture can become catatonic. The mood swings can be overwhelming and too intense to contain for the individual.

Reality testing as an important faculty for mental health can be seriously be distorted. There are reports of merging with psychiatric diagnoses like bipolar disorder. Embedded in yoga or meditation practice the risk of complications is contained and minimized.

• The psychological labeling of the symptoms of kundalini awakening is then part of the yoga or meditation tradition and gives the individual support to go further trough the process.
• There are several yoga and meditation traditions like kundalini yoga, Kriya yoga and Osho Kundalini meditation who explicitly facilitate the awakening of kundalini.

Whatever happens, how overwhelming, is then labeled as part of the process and thus so accepted by the yoga or meditation student as a normal part of the process. The awakening of kundalini is not restricted to a special tradition. It seems that this kind of energy is universally available and can be as easily awoken accidentally after trauma or birth-giving, as it can be awoken through tantra practice, meditation, religious practice or yoga.

Another possibility is that the energy is awoken through initiating by a guru, so-called shatktipat, whereby the guru places his hands above the individual and awakens the energy. The first reports of Kundalini awakening stem from the Upanishads in the 9th century BCE. The phenomenon is described as circular energy floating through the body.

A later report is found in the Mahabharata chronicles in the 8th century BCE. Here the word Kunda is used as a bowl low in the back for the snake energy. Since 1951, 46 articles are published and registered in Pub Med. Another academic source is Google Scholar showing 19.900 results for kundalini in 2019.

Using kundalini as a search item for Google one finds 25.500.000 results. In social media, on Face book, there are 339.500 members involved in divers closed communities for kundalini. Instagram shows 1.171.841 reports about kundalini. LinkedIn 15.028 results. It is fair to conclude that kundalini awakening is an authentic phenomenon revealed in several traditions spread around the world and of modest but serious academic interest for further exploration.

With a growing popularity in social media. Anyway, before 2003 none of this was known to me. In 2003 my own psychosocial circumstances were on the surface very good. Married, two fine sons, working as a clinical psychologist in a teaching hospital, an assignment as university teacher, nice and big house in the country, a fine group of friends and a healthy body.

• But my marriage was in a severe crisis after 25 years.
• Couple therapy had failed and we were on the edge of divorce.
• My world seemed to collapse and no solution what so ever came to my mind.
• That was the reason I decided to go inside and applied for an intensive silent Vipassana retreat of 10 days.
• During that retreat, my awakening started.

In the first three days, I felt a lot of bodily discomfort with a backache. I got all kind of memories of mutual destructive experiences with my wife and I made a firm decision that this negative spiral must stop. The fourth day the awakening began with shaking and vibrating of my body.

1. The remaining days of the retreat were emotionally calm and serene even though the shaking continued.
2. Some other visions about the circle of life appeared.
3. I had an OBE and a vision of my passed away father in law with a personal message for me.
4. The years after the retreat was like a roller coaster, meditating early in the morning, participating in several Vipassana and Tantra retreats.

The kundalini energy was very active and rushed through my body especially during meditation and tantra. I went through a period of hypersexuality, had multiple affairs, divorced my wife and had severe depressive moods. In 2006 in decided to join a Oneness retreat in India.

It was there that I received Shatktipat or Deeksha and learned how to transmit this Kundalini energy to others. During that retreat, I experienced a state of Oneness with my ex-wife while she was in Holland and I was in India. It became completely clear to me that our marriage should be healed. The years after Kundalini smoothly integrated into my personal and professional life.

My body kept on shaking, sometimes very intense, sometimes very gentle and comforting. The neutral observer was awake and supported me all the way. My life came in balance. I ended my affairs with other women. I expressed my unconditional love for my (by that time still ex-) wife.

We started to cooperate as mindfulness trainers in Circles of Awareness. In 2010 we remarried with both our sons as our witness. The process of awakening went on and the spiritual domain became more and more a naturally integrated part of my personal and professional life, It is only till recently that I became to understand the nature of this spiritual awakening and could put the pieces together.

With the help of many inspiring others, I now realize that this awakening is a natural evolutionary process. The neutral observer, the witness, the container is now working through me allowing others to experience the healing capacity of awareness, From my experience, the key ingredient of this awakening process is the cultivating of the neutral observer.

1. Stay present and add awareness to the process that is going on.
2. Observe your thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations.
3. Accept them just as they are.
4. Allow change to happen.
5. Use your body as a mirror for thoughts.
6. Focus on the bodily sensations and see how they reflect your state of mind.
7. Be aware of your posture and notice how your posture reflects your mood and core convictions.

Since 2019 I facilitate psilocybin retreats and have the opportunity to observe how participants experience spiritual awakening during there psychedelic journey. Psilocybin is known for mystical type experiences and the last decade subject of serious research,

Several of the participants of our retreats experienced intense kundalini awakening symptoms like shaking of their body and a state of ego-dissolution. My own experience with a high dose psilocybin retreat has been very intense. My body was shaking during 8 hours, processing a lot of energy an I dived deeper into mystical grounds.

I met entities and deities who were very supportive and showed me a deep insight in the purpose of my life. During the psychedelic journey the neutral observer was active and supported me in integrating whatever appeared. In a way the psychedelic experience overlapped the silent Vipassana retreat.

One could conclude that there a several ways to activate spiritual awakening, a psilocybin retreat is one of them. Now a days, for me the kundalini energy is quite calm. No more shaking and trembling of the body on daily base, only incidental, when the circumstances are right. The neutral observer remains active and awake.

On daily base, I practice Yin Yoga and follow a routine of postures that helps me to keep a flexible, healthy body and mind. The psychotherapeutic use of the neutral observer stance starts in the office of the psychotherapist. The therapist acts as a role model and demonstrates how one can compassionate contain the emotions of the client as well as of the therapist.

And again here, shift the attention to what is happening here and now in the office. Notice the reactions of the body and stay aware of them. in terms of psycho-education one could explain to patients that all stimuli have this quality: pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. The body unavoidable reacts on the stimuli at hand.

A pleasant stimulus results in approach, an unpleasant in escape and with a neutral stimulus the body, the organism, just goes on with acting as it does. This is true for all organism be it one cell or a human body. The reaction is always there and the reaction is automatic.

What a smell is for the nose is a thought for thinking. The body will react on a smell as it will react on a thought, A pleasant thought gets naturally more attention and one enjoy thinking that thought. An unpleasant thought or frightening thought will elicit an escape reaction. Paradoxically the body can?t escape from a frightening thought.

Freezing is the natural response of a body that can?t escape from a thought. A reaction that is shown in the posture and experienced in the inner state of the body. If such a frightening thought about oneself or the world appears the individual gets absorbed by that thought and experiences a narrow state of awareness.

The experience of the neutral observer stance helps the individual to expand his or her awareness. In that expanded awareness the experience of pain, sorrow or anxiety will relatively minimize and can more easily disappear. Nothing remains forever. Thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations are all temporarily.

They come and go. The beneficial stance to disturbing thoughts and feelings is the stance of the neutral observer. The therapist compassionately demonstrates this neutral stance to the client. The client internalizes the experience of the neutral observer and applies this in daily life,

Does kundalini heal trauma?

Guru Parkash Kaur September 26, 2016

As practitioners of Kundalini Yoga, we know how this practice can change our lives and help us find our way through difficult situations. It is not surprising that Kundalini Yoga is helpful for overcoming symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and addictions.

What is the last stage of the kundalini awakening?

Stage 3 – Third-eye Awakening – Related: 8 ways to open third eye chakra This is the second last stage before your kundalini reaches the Sahasrara chakra to attain full consciousness. This stage can only be achieved if you apply all that you have learned with patience and proceed to untie the Rudra Knot.

• It will help the kundalini to further rise for the final phase of awakening.
• When the Rudra knot comes undone, you will feel a tingling in your third eye signifying the untying.
• All sense of duality vanishes and you become one with the cosmos.
• The kundalini is free to rise to the final chakra through all the 3 Nadis – Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna.

By now, all your chakras have been cleansed and the pineal gland or your third eye is waiting to be opened. You will experience a blissful feeling and will attain complete mental clarity. Surrendering to the Universe and accepting its path laid out for you becomes much easier.

You would have understood the truth of the existence of each living being and this will subsequently bring about a change in your character and personality. No negative talk, criticism, or a feeling of controlling your surroundings will exist within you. You’ll have a sense of unity with your inner essence while your brain will work at higher frequencies (between alpha and beta frequencies).

This will help you to stay in a deep meditative state while also experiencing enhanced extra-sensory abilities.

What can trigger kundalini?

Kundalini is the life force energy that resides within all of us. Kundalini may also be likened to Chi, Shakti or Spirit in various traditions. In the Yoga tradition, Kundalini Shakti is the dormant energy that lies at the base of the spine, waiting to be awakened.

When this energy is awakened, it starts to move up the spine, clearing the beliefs, pains and knots of the past that we often store in the body. The energy can be blocked by psychic knots (granthis) in each chakra or any part of the body, bringing pain, discomfort, ill health or disease. Often the blockages are related to particular belief systems, emotions or thought forms.

The awakening of this energy can lead to various experiences, from heightened awareness, clarity, ‘seeing the light’, deep insight, and spiritual awakening to clairvoyance and psychic abilities. The ultimate goal of hatha yoga or kundalini yoga is to awaken this dormant energy and bring it up to the crown chakra, where it unites with Shiva, the divine masculine energy.

To awaken the kundalini steadily, one may choose to purify the body and mind, which is done through the regular practice of yoga and meditation. Once the body and mind are prepared, kundalini can be awakened through a variety of techniques, including meditation (dhyana), asana (transcendental postures), pranayama (breath work), mantra (chanting) and mudras (hand gestures).

It can also be awakened without yoga practice. Qi Gong may also awaken stagnant chi and clear the patterns of the past that are stored in the body. Deep meditation practices from various lineages will have similar effects. Swadhyaya or self-enquiry (historically taught by Indian sages Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta) may also lend to one experiencing the deeper dimensions of yoga.

Questions such as “who am I?” or “who is experiencing these thoughts and feelings?” may lead to a deeper understanding of who you truly are and assist you in seeing through the mind, which is all stories. These questions (ideally left unanswered) may also help you see beyond the body. “You are not the mind, and you are not the body”.

These famous self-realisation teachings can be realised within you. For some, kundalini awakening can be gradual or may happen very quickly, even immediately. As kundalini awakens, it brings heightened awareness, incredible energy, clarity and spiritual awakening.

When kundalini and shakti begin to ascend, we can live our lives with a deeper transcendental awareness and understanding, defined purpose and incredible power. You eventually become free of all the beliefs and patterns that held you so tightly bound in your body and mind, causing suffering. In fact, the whole process is quite miraculous and is charged with inherent beauty, yet it isn’t always easy.

You have to really let go and surrender the ego, and sometimes there is pain as you let go of the past stored in the body and mind, even right down to the level of your DNA. In fact, for teachers and students alike, there are a few key signs that indicate someone is experiencing a kundalini awakening.

First, they may feel increased pranic energy in their body, often starting at the hands and feet. Later, particularly in the spine. This energy may cause physical sensations like tingling, shaking, or heat. Secondly, they may begin to experience powerful emotions and thoughts that they previously suppressed.

These may include long-buried trauma or deep-seated fears. Finally, they may start to see changes in their behaviours, relationships and perceptions. For some this may include hallucinations or synesthesia (seeing colours when hearing music, for example) or extreme bodily sensations.

Increased energy in the bodyThe feeling of goosebumps or waves of energy moving through the body at timesFor some, physical sensations like tingling, shaking, heat, headaches, tears, vomiting, and cold tremors can also occurPowerful emotions and thoughts and relief from negative thoughts that cause sufferingChanges in perceptions like hallucinations or synesthesiaFeeling more creative or inspiredGreater sense of spiritual awareness or connectionIncreased intuitionEasier time connecting with your intuition and inner guidanceMore vivid dreams or lucid dreaming, sometimes with disturbed sleep from the energy becoming strong at night, even waking you upOut-of-body experiencesIncreased psychic abilitiesIncreased sensitivity, emotionally and physicallyThe initiative to practise non-violenceA deep sense of interconnectedness with all thingsAn overwhelming sense of bliss and profound contentment which may come and goA sudden urge for incredible change, seeing through misperceptions or delusions of the pastA profound acceptance of what is and seeing the truth or reality for what it is, no longer arguing with realityRecognition of oneness with the desire to serve others altruisticallyDeep compassion for all of lifeA more robust immune response as the body begins to be strengthened by the energy within, and the inner critic voice stops its attack as it fades awayThe ability to communicate freely and honestly and say no and yes to what is true to you in lifeA sense of deep connection to nature, a divinity or to a higher universal powerFeeling a deep sense of peace and calmTears of indescribable joy, awe, devotion

What triggers a kundalini awakening?

Life events: childbirth, puberty, menopause, significant life changes, death of a loved onePractices: yoga, meditation, breathwork, chanting, prayer, self-enquiryLife events, such as a traumatic experience or intense emotional upheavalDeep suffering or a sense of being completely trapped Shock or realising you have no control over the next moment at allPractices like meditation, yoga, or deeply connected sex and intimacyA significant life change, such as the death of a loved oneAwakening from a deep depression, despair or even anxiety (seeing through the mind)Falling in love (activates the heart chakra)Near Death experienceReading scriptures, studying spiritual textsSitting with a teacher or healer who has had the opening occur within them

The signs of kundalini awakening are many and varied, all representing growth and expansion. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s a sign that your kundalini may be on the rise. The good news is that yoga and meditation can help you integrate the energy of kundalini awakening more smoothly into your life and, most importantly, into your nervous system.

You will need to find a good guide or mentor through books, audio or in-person to assist you in encompassing the awakening. Bodywork, yoga, meditation practice with a respected healer and practitioner will also help immensely. In fact, just being in the presence of someone who sits in the seat of the Self or deep presence alone may be enough.

Our four-day silent meditation teacher training is coming up in January, and we highly encourage you to attend if possible.

What powers does kundalini have?

Shaktipat – The spiritual teacher Meher Baba emphasized the need for a master when actively trying to awaken Kuṇḍalinī: Kundalini is a latent power in the higher body. When awakened, it pierces through six chakras or functional centers and activates them.

• Without a master, the awakening of the kundalini cannot take anyone very far on the Path; and such indiscriminate or premature awakening is fraught with dangers of self-deception as well as the misuse of powers.
• The kundalini enables man to consciously 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. In his book, Building a Noble World, Shiv R. Jhawar describes his Shaktipat experience at Muktananda’s public program at Lake Point Tower in Chicago on 16 September 1974 as follows: Baba had just begun delivering his discourse with his opening statement: ‘Today’s subject is meditation.

The crux of the question is: What do we meditate upon?’ Continuing his talk, Baba said: ‘Kundalini starts dancing when one repeats Om Namah Shivaya.’ Hearing this, I mentally repeated the mantra, I noticed that my breathing was getting heavier. Suddenly, I felt a great impact of a rising force within me.

The intensity of this rising kundalini force was so tremendous that my body lifted up a little and fell flat into the aisle; my eyeglasses flew off. As I lay there with my eyes closed, I could see a continuous fountain of dazzling white lights erupting within me.

In brilliance, these lights were brighter than the sun but possessed no heat at all. I was experiencing the thought-free state of “I am”, realizing that “I” have always been, and will continue to be, eternal. I was fully conscious and completely aware while I was experiencing the pure “I am”, a state of supreme bliss.

Outwardly, at that precise moment, Baba delightfully shouted from his platform, ‘I didn’t do anything. The Energy has caught someone.’ Baba noticed that the dramatic awakening of kundalini in me frightened some people in the audience. Therefore, he said, ‘Do not be frightened.

How does kundalini change your life?

I love yoga and have fully embraced it as an important component of my mental and physical wellness regimen. However, I have always shied away from the more spiritual aspects of yoga. Whenever the words chakra and prana are mentioned, I tended to zone out and stop paying attention.

• Recently, my favorite yoga instructor introduced me to Kundalini yoga, a practice that aims to awaken spiritual energy through the spine.
• Although I’ll always be a bit wary of spiritually based yoga practices, I am seeing there is so much that one can gain! I want to share with you 4 ways that Kundalini yoga can change your life, because I’m so excited about how it’s changing mine.

Emotional intelligence is one’s ability to monitor emotions and label and respond to them appropriately. Kundalini yoga helps develop your intuitive mind because so much of the practice is about connecting with yourself and learning to listen to yourself.

Why is emotional intelligence important you ask? People that score highly on emotional intelligence exams enjoy greater mental health and success than the average person. I’ve always been a forgetful person, to the point that I have a sign on my front door reminding me to lock it when I leave the house.

So when I learned that Kundalini yoga improves memory, I was thrilled. Although scientists don’t know exactly why Kundalini yoga improves memory, they hypothesize that it increases blood flow to portions of the brain that are important for memory. A Kundalini practice is full of a wide array of breathing exercises that will expand your lung capacity over time.

• Lung capacity is directly related to vitality and cardiovascular health, so an improvement in lung capacity will yield immediate health benefits.
• Additionally, lung capacity decreases as you age, so it’s important to do activities that will maintain and improve your lung capacity! Kundalini Yoga’s use of deep breathing, meditation, and calming postures instills a deep sense of relaxation in those that practice it.

Prolonged relaxation has numerous health benefits, which includes improving heart health, reducing stress, and helping you adhere to healthy eating. I hope I’ve piqued your interest in Kundalini! If so, get started with Grokker. There are some great Kundalini yoga videos that will start transforming your life today.

Does kundalini heal trauma?

Guru Parkash Kaur September 26, 2016

As practitioners of Kundalini Yoga, we know how this practice can change our lives and help us find our way through difficult situations. It is not surprising that Kundalini Yoga is helpful for overcoming symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and addictions.