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Energy that lies dormant at the base of the spine until it is activated, as by the practice of yoga, and channeled upward through the chakras in the process of spiritual perfection.
[Sanskrit kuṇḍalinī, from feminine of kuṇḍalin-, coiled, spiral, from kuṇḍalam, ring, coil, perhaps of Dravidian origin.]
For more information on kundalini, visit Britannica.com.
In Hindu thought, the coiled and dormant ‘feminine’ energy, or psychic energy contained within us all. It is normally symbolized as a serpent coiled into three and a half circles, with its tail in its mouth, and spiralling around the the base of the spine. The awakening of this serpent and the manifestation of its powers is a primary aim of the practice of Kundalini Yoga.
According to ancient Hindu religious teachings and yoga science, a latent force in the human organism responsible for sexual activity and (in a sublimated form) higher consciousness. In Hindu mythology kundalini—from the root word kundala meaning coiled—is personified as a goddess, sometimes with the aspect of Durga (a creator) and sometimes Kali (the destroyer) or Bhujangi (the serpent). Kundalini is often described as a serpent that sleeps at the base of the spine and, when aroused, darts upward, bringing enlightenment or pain. According to classical literature, signs of awakened kundalini are grouped into three categories: vocal, physical and mental signs. Kundalini is also believed to be connected with certain psychic powers, known to yogis as siddhis.
The traditional Hindu yoga texts state that kundalini can be aroused by a combination of hatha yoga positions, pranayama (breathing exercises), meditation, and spiritual practices. It is said much of the yogic practice is designed to release knots or blockages in the body which prevent the flow of kundalini energy. However, kundalini may emerge within one who has never performed traditional kundalini rising practices. Often it is not a matter of the seeker grasping Enlightenment, but Enlightenment snaring the seeker.
Some claim when kundalini is incorrectly aroused, physical disability or even death can result. Students are often frightened when they experience signs of kundalini if they have not been properly instructed because the characteristics of the kundalini episode can be frightening. The signs are similar to a manic or psychotic episode: spontaneous vocal expression, trembling, shaking, spontaneous postures, periods of elation or fear, visionary or hallucinatory episodes, and feelings of bliss or anxiety.
The Panchastavi is an esoteric Hindu scripture in which kundalini is addressed as the mother of all beings. The arousal of kundalini for mystical enlightenment is described in ecstatic terms: "Flawless, exceedingly sweet and beautiful, soul-enchanting, fluent speech manifests in all ways in those [devotees] blessed with genius who keep Thee, O Shakti [power] of Shiva, the destroyer of Kamadeva [god of love] constantly in mind, as shining with the stainless luster of the moon in the head…" (3-12).
"O Goddess, rising from the cavity of Muladhara [ chakra or center at the base of the spine], piercing the six lotuses [ chakras ] like a flash of lightning, and then flowing from the moon into the immovable sky-like center [in the head] as a stream of Supreme nectar, Thou then returnest [to Thy abode]" (4-6).
These descriptions, in context, indicate that kundalini is considered to be the creative force expressed in procreation. It is also responsible for mystical enlightenment when sublimated by rising up the spine through the chakras, or psychic centers, to the highest center in the head. These centers are located in the physical vicinity of primary nerve and glandular centers which govern actions and responses of the body. From bottom to top, the chakras are commonly identified as:
Muladhara-The earth or root chakra is located at the base of the spine. It is said to be the chakra most connected with the earth, mother nature, the human animal, and the base self.
Svadhisthana-Also known as the sexual chakra, svadhisthana is found in the area of the reproductive organs. It is concerned with sexual energy, procreation, erotic feelings, and interactions.
Manipura-The third chakra is the power chakra, identified with action, will, anger, laughter, and courage. It is said to be located in the naval and the solar plexus. It is said to be "the energy of the solar system radiating in our personal lives."
Anahata-The heart chakra is located in the center of the chest and is associated with compassion, acceptance, and unconditional love. As it is located equidistant between the highest and lowest chakras, it acts as the mediator among the chakras.
Visuddha-The throat chakra, is situated in and around the larynx and therefore is known as the communication chakra. It is associated with the powers of speech, communication, and expression and is the center for mantras and other vocalizations associated with kundalini.
Ajna-The sixth center, located at the base of the nose between the eyebrows, is also known as "The Third Eye." It governs the principles of wisdom, knowing, intuition, and psychic abilities. It is where God speaks to one directly during meditation.
Sahasrara-Sahasrara, the mystic chakra, is located in the crown of the head, in the cerebrum. The mystic chakra is said to control the brain's pineal gland, unrecognized in modern medicine, but known by yogis for thousands of years. The mystic chakra is the spirit, the higher self, the connection with the Brahman. It is said to be beyond human comprehension and gurus warn again attempting to attain seventh-chakra consciousness until the nervous system is fully prepared.
There are foreshadowings of the biblical story of the Garden of Eden in the poetic myth of the serpent and the tree with the fruit of knowledge or of sexual force, and there are similar myths in many ancient religions, suggesting a lost secret of the relationship between sex and mysticism. Esoteric groups in many countries have guarded this secret. There is evidence of meditation systems in ancient Egypt, China, and Tibet that, under one name or another, taught the arousal of the serpent like force for higher consciousness instead of procreation. Many other religions have emphasized a relationship between sex and mysticism by enjoining celibacy for priests and monks.
In the nineteenth century B. D. Basu of the Indian Medical Service, in a essay entitled "The Hindu System of Medicine" (Guy's Hospital Gazette, London, 1889), identified kundalini and the chakras with nervous energy and the main plexi of the human body. This theory was elaborated by Dr. Vasant G. Rele in his book The Mysterious Kundalini (1927).
The controversial psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich, originally a pupil of Freud's, developed a theory of orgone energy expressed in different segments of the human body, closely paralleling the course of kundalini through the chakras. Reich also associated this energy with sexual activity. However, he was strongly opposed to yoga, which he mistakenly considered merely a system of fixed physical positions with rigid musculature.
In the twentieth century the ancient concept of kundalini has been revived and spread in the West by several Indian teachers, such as Pandit Gopi Krishna of Srinagar, India. Gop Krishna aroused this legendary force and claimed to experience a continuing state of higher consciousness. He describes his experience in Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in Man (1970) and a number of other books. Among other modern Hindus who claimed to have aroused kundalini is Swami Muktanada, who was said to have the power to communicate this arousal by touch, a technique traditionally known in India as shaktipat.
Pandit Gopi Krishna believed that kundalini is an evolutionary force that will play an increasingly important part in the development of the human race and its goals, indicating new directions for both science and religion. Unfortunately, his followers have not been able to see his goal realized. Following up on the writings of Gopi Krishna, Karan Singh, union minister of health in India, announced in 1974 an ambitious kundalini research project, to be sponsored by the All-India Institute of Medical Science, to research the "Kundalini concept and its relevance to the development of higher nervous functions." The project failed, however, to secure official funding following a general election and change of government. Meanwhile, sympathizers with the work of Gopi Krishna founded the Central Institute for Kundalini Research at Srinagar, Kashmir, India, but it too became inactive following the death of Gopi Krishna in 1984.
There are now several organizations concerned with kundalini. The Kundalini Research Association International is located at Gemsenstrasse 7, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland. In the United States the Kundalini Research Foundation 's address is P.O. Box 2248, Darien, CT 06820. In Canada the FIND (Friends in New Directions) research trust publishes books and audio tapes on the work and thought of Gopi Krishna. It may be reached at R.R. 5, Flesherton, Ontario, Canada, NOC IEO. Through the Dhyanyoga Centers, located in California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maine, Shri Ananda Ma directs yogis who direct students in the awakening of kundalini. The Dhyanyoga Centers can be contacted through their website at http://www.dyc.org/.
Sources:
Avalon, Arthur [Sir John Woodroffe]. The Serpent Power. Madras, India, 1922.
Condron, Barbara. Kundalini Rising: Mastering Creative Energies. Windyville, Mo.: SOM, 1992.
Gopi Krishna. The Awakening of Kundalini. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1975.
Greenwell, Ph.D, Bonnie Energies of Tranformation: A Guide to the Kundalini Process Saratoga, Calif.: Shakti River Press, 1995 ——. The Biological Basis of Religion and Genius. New York: Harper & Row, 1972.
——. Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in Man. Boulder, Colo.: Shambhala, 1970.
Keutzer, Kurt, "Kundalini: Frequently Asked Questions and Selected References." http://hmt.com/kundalini. May 8, 2000.
Kieffer, Gene, ed. Kundalini for the New Age: Selected Writings of Gopi Krishna. New York: Bantam Books, 1988.
Madhusudaandasji, Shri Dhyanyogi. "The Path of Kundalini Maha Yoga." http://www.dyc.org/. May 8, 2000.
Narayananda, Swami. The Primal Power in Man of the Kundalini Shakti. Risikesh, India: N. K. Prasad, 1950.
Radha, Swami Sivananda, Kundalini Yoga for the West Spokane, Wash.: Timeless Books, 1978
Rele, Vasant G. The Mysterious Kundalini. Bombay: Taraporevala, 1927.
Savola, Marja, "Kundalini-Network in Denmark." http://home5swipnet.se. May 8, 2000.
Selby, John Kundalini Awakening: A Gentle Guide to Chakra Activation and Spiritual Growth New York: Bantam Books, 1992
Vyasdev, Brahmachari Swami. Science of Soul (Atma Vijnana). Gangotri, India: Yoga Niketan Trust, 1964.
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Kundalini (kuṇḍalinī कुण्डलिनी) according to various teachings is a type of "corporeal energy".[1] Kundalini in Sanskrit literally means either "coiled up" or "coiling like a snake." There are a number of English renderings of the term, such as 'serpent power'.
Kundalini is envisioned as a serpent coiled at the base of the spine.[2][3][4]
In Hinduism, kundalini is a part of the subtle body along with chakras and nadis. A number of models of this esoteric anatomy occur in the class of texts known as Āgamas or Tantras. This is a large body of scripture, which is rejected by many orthodox brahmins.[5]
There are numerous models of kundalini in the Sanskrit source texts. In early texts there are various systems of chakras and nadis, with varying connections between them. An early version of the nadi system is mentioned in the Chandogya Upanishad, which says:
| “ | A hundred and one are the arteries of the heart, one of them leads up to the crown of the head. Going upward through that, one becomes immortal. (CU 8.6.6)[6] | ” |
Over time one system of six or seven chakras along the body's axis became the dominant model, adopted by most schools of yoga. This particular system may have originated in about the 11th century AD, and rapidly became widely popular.[7] It is in this model where Kundalini is said to "rise" upward, piercing the various centers until reaching the crown of the head, resulting in union with the Divine. This is the conventional arrangement cited by Monier-Williams, where the chakras are defined as "6 in number, one above the other".[8]
The most famous of the Yoga Upanishads, the Yogatattva, mentions four kinds of yoga, one of which being laya-yoga, the symbolic dissolution (laya) of the universe visualized within the body with a corresponding raising of a corporeal energy known as Kundalini.[9]
Another source text for the concept of kundalini is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika written by Swami Svatmarama (English translation, 1992) somewhere between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries.[10][citation needed]
In Western traditions Kundalini is often indicated with the term of Igneous Power, and sometimes with the name of Serpentine Fire, borrowed from the title The Serpent Power of Sir John Woodroffe.
Sir John Woodroffe (in his pen name Arthur Avalon) was one of the first people to bring the word Kundalini to the West. He was a High Court Judge in Calcutta who became interested in Shaktism, a part of Hindu Tantra. His translation and commentary of two rare books was published as The Serpent Power, now considered a spiritual classic. Woodroffe rendered Kundalini as "Serpent Power"; a term he considered closest to the literal translation and being sensitive to the concept it denoted.
Two early Western interpretations of Kundalini were supplied by C.W. Leadbeater (1847-1934), of the Theosophical Society, and psychologist Carl Jung (1875-1961)[2]. 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 and of the symbolic transformations of inner experience. Kundalini yoga presented Jung with a model for the developmental phases of higher consciousness, and he interpreted its symbols in terms of the process of individuation.[11]
The Serpent Power highly influenced western esotericism. In the early '30s two Italian scholars, Tommaso Palamidessi and Julius Evola, published several books with the intent of re-interpreting the alchemical classical tradition in a yoga tantric way.[12] Those works had a deep impact in modern interpretations of Alchemy as a mystical science. In those works, Kundalini is called, according to classical western tradition, as Igneous Power and Serpentine Fire. At that time (until early '70s), anyway, the concept of Kundalini was known only among scholars and not really widespread.
One of the first people to popularize the concept of Kundalini among Western readers was Gopi Krishna. His autobiography is entitled Kundalini—The Evolutionary Energy in Man.[13] According to June McDaniel, his writings have influenced Western interest in kundalini yoga.[14]
Kundalini is a popular concept that is widely quoted among various disciplines of yoga and New Age discourse. Stuart Sovatsky warns that the recent popularization of the term within new religious movements has not contributed to promote a mature understanding of the concept.[15]
According to Sovatsky[16][citation needed] the concept of Kundalini comes from yogic philosophy of ancient India and refers to the mothering intelligence behind yogic awakening and spiritual maturation. In this perspective Kundalini is understood as a maturing energy that expresses the individual's desire for salvation. Sovatsky also refers to a phenomenon called "pranic awakening", where Prana is interpreted as the vital, life-sustaining force in the body. Uplifted, or intensified life-energy is called pranotthana and is supposed to originate from an apparent reservoir of subtle bio-energy at the base of the spine. This energy is also interpreted as a vibrational phenomena that initiates a period, or a process of vibrational spiritual development.[17] According to Sovatsky the possibility of viewing pranotthana and the larger Kundalini process as a maturation of body and character beyond conventional psychological growth is suggested by Sovatsky. According to this view psychological and spiritual development can continue throughout the life-span[18] [citation needed].
Kundalini Yoga is a system of meditative techniques and movements within the yogic tradition that focuses on psycho-spiritual growth and the body's potential for maturation. The practice of Kundalini Yoga consists of a number of bodily postures, expressive movements and utterances, characterological meditations, breathing patterns, and degrees of concentration. 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.[19][20]
According to yogic writings and oral tradition, the force of Kundalini is raised through specific meditative practices.
Kundalini-experiences are understood using the structure of the chakra system, the psycho-spiritual energy centers along the spine. According to Hindu tradition Kundalini rises from the root chakra up through the spinal channel, (called Shushumna), and it is believed to activate each chakra it goes through. Each chakra is said to contain special characteristics.[21] The chakras are any of the nerve plexes or centers of force and consciousness located within the inner bodies of man. When Kundalini Shakti unites itself with the Supreme Being (Lord Shiva), the aspirant gets engrossed in deep meditation during which he perceives infinite bliss.[22][23] In raising Kundalini, spiritual powers (siddhis) are also believed to arise. However, many spiritual traditions see these phenomena as obstacles on the path, and encourage their students not to be distracted by them.[24]
Lukoff, Lu & Turner[25][citation needed] notes that a number of psychological difficulties might be associated with Asian spiritual practices, and that Asian traditions recognize a number of pitfalls associated with intensive meditation practice. Transpersonal literature[26] notes that kundalini rising is not without dangers. If we take this into consideration there might exist good reasons not to engage in such intensive practices unless guided by an accredited teacher, or unless one has undergone thorough psychological preparation and education in the chosen meditation-practice. Traditional teachers of Kundalini meditation also warn neophytes of the potential dangers of experimenting with Kundalini Yoga techniques. Anxiety, dissociation, depersonalization, altered perceptions, agitation, and muscular tension have been observed in western meditation practitioners[27] and psychological literature is now addressing the occurrence of meditation-related problems in Western contemplative life.[28][29] Among these we find "Kundalini Syndrome" (see below) and different forms of "wind illness" described in the Tibetan tradition.[30][citation needed]
According to modern experimental research,[31] Kundalini and Bioenergy are expressions of the same energetic reality in humans. Through social conditioning and emotional traumata, this life energy is usually suppressed and blocked in chronic subconscious muscle tensions, which have their psychological counterpart in emotional blocks and ego-defenses. When this "muscle armor" (as bioenergy calls it) is softened or broken and/or the live energy is amplified by strong emotion or in life-endangering situations, the body begins to shake and vibrate involuntarily, and the Kundalini energy starts reanimating formerly repressed psychosomatic areas. If this development is not suppressed again (or even supported), the resulting Kundalini rising will bring old traumata of body and psyche to the surface in a sort of natural healing process - partly very intense as well as radically changing. Usually the "cleansing" phase of extreme emotions, experiences of subconscious material and (perhaps) illnesses or casualties last about 2 to 4 years. After that time (in a seamless and slow transition) Kundalini begins to be available in the whole body and psyche for further qualitative grow of the individual. The whole process is said to last about 15 to 20 years altogether. Although the Kundalini rising is thought to be a natural rebalancing of body and psyche, it is said to be highly advisable to get competent and experienced support during the first years, as many things can develop in an unnatural way in our "normal" societies (which are often assumed to be the cause to suppress the Kundalini starting at a very early age).
Researchers in the fields of Humanistic psychology,[32] Transpersonal psychology,[33] and Near-death studies[34][35] describe a complex pattern of sensory, motor, mental and affective symptoms associated with the concept of Kundalini, sometimes called the Kundalini syndrome.[36] This psychosomatic arousal and excitation is believed to occur in connection with prolonged, intensive spiritual or contemplative practice (such as meditation or yoga)[37],[38][39] or a near-death experience,[40][41] or as a result of an intense personal crisis or experience. According to these fields of study the kundalini syndrome is different from a single kundalini episode, such as a kundalini arousal. Kundalini syndrome is a process that might unfold over several months, or even years. If the accompanying symptoms unfold in an intense manner that destabilizes the person, the process is usually interpreted as a spiritual emergency.[42][43]
| Topics in Yoga | |
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| Yogas | Agni Yoga · Anahata Yoga · Anusara Yoga · Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga · Bikram Yoga · Hatha yoga · Integral yoga · Iyengar Yoga · Kriya yoga · Kundalini yoga · Natya Yoga · Sahaja Yoga · Satyananda Yoga · Sivananda Yoga · Six yogas of Naropa (Tummo) · Surat Shabd Yoga · Viniyoga · Yoga in Daily Life · Yoga Nidra |
| Texts | Bhagavad Gita · Yoga Sutras · Hatha Yoga Pradipika · Gheranda Samhita · Shiva Samhita |
| Hinduism paths | Bhakti yoga · Karma Yoga · Jnana Yoga · Raja Yoga |
| Raja Yoga limbs | Yama · Niyama · Asana · Pranayama · Pratyahara · Dharana · Dhyana · Samadhi |
| Lists | Yoga schools and their gurus · Hatha yoga postures |
| Related topics | Ayurveda · Chakra · Mantra · Tantra · Vedanta · Yoga (alternative medicine) · Yoga as exercise · Nadi |
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