2. Kundalini symptoms are a natural by-product when
people awaken the kundalini in their body and mind.
This word comes from the Hindu tradition and is used to
describe a form of mysterious energy that lies dormant
in all of us at the foot of our spine. When awakened this
energy rises up the spine, purifies all chakras along the
way until it reaches the head where it unites with its
'divine spouse' and the person reaches enlightenment.
The concept of energy from our abdomen rising up to
the head is not limited to Hinduism but has been known
in many spiritual traditions all over the world. In Tibetan
Buddhism it is called 'tummo' (literally 'fierce
woman'), in parts of Taoism it is referred to
3. as 'neikung' and in the Christian tradition people have
used expressions like 'the holy spirit went into him' or
simply as 'grace'.
4. The ancient Rishsi (seers) described an elaborate
network of 72,000 nadis, an energetic web-like system
spread throughout the human body, very much like the
meridians of far Eastern systems. The three most
important of these nadis spiral upwards from the root of
the spinal column ascending to the crown of the head
and the seventh yogic chakra called Sahasrahara. The
middle channel, considered the most important of all, is
called Sushumana. The other two major nadis on either
side of Sushmana are called Ida (the feminine/moon
channel) and Pingala (the masculine/sun channel). The
six yogic chakras, centers of consciousness, are located
vertically above one another at specific intervals along
5. Sushmana where Ida and Pingala cross it.When it is
awakened, it begins to rise through sushmana ultimately
to reach sahasrahara, uniting with Param Shiva, the
eternal unmanifest masculine aspect of the Divine. As it
spirals upwards through sushmana, it enters the
network of nadis and in ascending opens the
chakras/cakras one by one as it rises. (NB:The chakras of
the Indian yogic tradition do not correspond to the
chakras as they have been understood and popularized
in contemporary times.) It is here that we can see clearly
the relationship between yoga and kundalini. As
outlined through the eight limbs of yoga, yoga as a
spiritual practice is a process of 'purification'. This
purification
6. can be seen as preparation for the awakening and rising
of it. Essentially the more purification has been
achieved, the faster and more easily it will ascend to the
awaiting 'union' at the crown of the head.
7. There are many differing ways for it to awaken and rise.
Probably the rarest is when it rises directly to the crown
of the head Sahasrahara chakra. For such a rising of it to
take place a great deal of 'purification' must already
have taken place, as spiritual practice in the current or
other lives. Unfortunately this is often how it's
awakening is thought of, and without proper
understanding seems highly desirable. More commonly
the process takes many many years, and may not even
complete in the same lifetime that the rising began. In
such an instance the process will begin again and
continue in another life, sometimes beginning as early
as childhood.Ideally a person has a well-established
8. and integrated spiritual practice prior to, and initiating
kundalini awakening and rising. Even more ideally they
have the guidance and protection of a Sat Guru or
perfect master. If not, my advice would be to find one,
and satisfy yourself that they are indeed a fully liberated
being. Each individual experiences this opening in a
unique way according to the karmic content of their
unconscious. There are lots of common experiences, but
each person moves into this awakening on a path of
their own. Only a perfect master will be in a position to
help guide someone with a kundalini rising.
9. The force in rising, initiates irreversible spiritual
purification as it moves through the subtle channels of
the body. This cleansing process manifest in the body as
yogic 'Kriyas'. Kriyas are involuntary body movements
that occur mostly during meditation or even relaxation.
Swaying of the body, rapid movements of the head and
shoulders, twitching and jerking, even painful looking
contortions, are typical of these 'Kriyas'. Sometimes
kriyas take the form of yoga asanas, with people
performing them involunatrily . For the onlooker kriyas
may appear strange or even frightening when we don't
understand what is happening within the person. For
the person experiencing them they do not cause any
10. bodily harm and can even lead to states of deep
absorption. 'Kundalini', being an energy of Divine
consciousness, is aware of what is the appropriate step
in the process, making the practitioner perform 'Kriyas'
that are specific to this end.Often of greater challenge
are the mental and emotional dimensions of this
transformational process. Our vasanas*, samskaras* and
karmas are held, or stored, in the subconscious. The
body in turn holds, or stores the subconscious. We can
liken the nadis to the subtle energy storage structure of
the subconscious in the body. This means that all
experience from our past, that is
unhealed, unresolved, or incomplete, is transmuted by
it's movement upward
11. through the body towards the crown of the head
'sahasrahra'. This subconscious material, feelings,
emotions, and accompanying beliefs invariably consists
of trauma, pain, and fear. In the process of its
transformation the egoic mind can experience
depression, darkness, and emotional pain, sometimes so
deep and inexplicable it seems unbearable. Obviously
this can be deeply distressing, not only to the person,
but also those close to them. This is exacerbated if there
is no awareness of it as the cause, or spiritual process.
12. The coiled Serpentine energy known as Shakti is not to
be feared of. We have to under all circumstances look at
the face of the cobra with a feeling that we have to
overcome the fear imbibed within us. Fearing the coiled
Shakti shall be of no help.The practice of absolute
celibacy brings about a radical change in the personality
of a serious seeker of spirituality. As we conqueror the
coiled Shakti... we shall find an enormous glow on our
forehead visible to the mankind.The glow on the
forehead of any human being directly represents the
inner thinking process of any human being. More the
glow... the higher the human being is supposed to be on
the spiritual pedestal.We may indulge in this
13. awakening right now or in subsequent manifestations...
there is absolutely no escape. We have to indulge in this
type of awakening in one of the manifestations so that
our soul (atman within our body) regains its pristine
pure from at the earliest and liberates forever from the
cycle of birth and death.In the last 150 years two
persons have very successfully awakened their belief
and realized God. Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and
Maharishi Ramana while proceeding on the path of pure
spirituality in search of God had their kundalini
awakened fully. It was only after their believe had
awakened were they able to reach the stage of
Nirvikalpa samadhi.Every true seeker of spirituality
understands the
14. importance of it's awakening. If we are to realize God
within our lifetime... we have to awaken our kundalini
fully in this very life. Unless we take the lift straight up...
we shall not reach the level of an awakened one... a
living Buddha!This awakening... however fearful it may
seem to be... is representative of the positive powers of
the Cosmos overtaking the Satanic powers forever. Every
God realized soul reaches the level of a
Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ or Prophet
Mohammed only after having conquered the negative
forces for ever by awakening of this type of belief.This
awakening is better possible in a Man... The prime
reason why in the whole history of mankind only two
15. ladies had awakened fully... Gargi, the bachelor
philosopher and Maitreyi... the famous wife of Sage
Jnanavalakya!
16. Unfortunately, this 'perfect' scenario is rarely in place
when it strikes. Everybody has challenges on various
levels of their life and these challenges will be amplified
together with the positive aspects of the it's awakening.
As a result, we may find ourselves with an array of weird
symptoms, challenging emotions and confusing
perceptions. When it effects our physcial body we may
experiences the so-called kriyas - involuntary body
movements which can be disconcerting, embarrassing or
even painful.What's worse, everybody has an
unconscious mind and kundalini is like a massive force
that tears down the barriers to our unconsciousness. As
a result, painful memories may come up - and even
17. worse - our carefully suppressed antisocial drives may
also come to the surface, for example, megalomaniac
thoughts, racist or sexist thoughts, inappropriate sexual
urges and violent impulses. For someone who is
unprepared, this onslaught of our unconscious nature
can be too much to bear. It may wreak havoc with their
relationships and it may make them feel as if they live in
some sort of hell.How to deal with symptoms of
kundalini.