Kundalini

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Kundalini is the divine energy that manifests itself in two forms. The cosmic form, encompassing all of creation, and the individual or personal form. This can be compared to sparks generated from a single source of fire where the cosmic form of the kundalini is represented by all of the fire and the personal form of the Kundalini by the individual sparks.

The personal form of Kundalini is responsible for the creation of the individual. During the physiological process of development of the fetus in the mother's womb, the head and brain are formed first. Next, the spinal cord is formed from the nerves that branch from the brain, and at the same time, the trunk is formed. Then the extremities, the hands, and the feet are formed. The totality of the nerve centers in the brain is referred to as the sahasrar chakra. This is the root of the process of creation.

There are six different chakras in the spinal column. The first, located at the base of the brain, is the ajna chakra or the spiritual eye. This center is formed immediately after the sahasrara. Then five different centers which represent five different elements, or tatvas, are formed. The last center formed, the mooladhara chakra, is the furthest from the brain, located near the lower end of the spinal cord. The Kundalini starts the creation at the brain center, progresses downward along the spinal column, and completes its work near the lower end of the spine. After the completion of the work, it stays dormant. As long as the Kundalini is dormant, the individual spends an incomplete, unfulfilled life and the perceptions are limited.

Spiritual evolution is the result of the awakening of the Kundalini and its upward travel from the bottom of the spinal column to the brain center. As it moves upward, the individual develops deeper and deeper spiritual insight and life becomes more fulfilling. When the Kundalini completes the upward travel to the brain, the individual attains liberation, understands own true identity and establishes eternal happiness. Thus, an individual's spiritual knowledge is directly dependent on the upward progress of the Kundalini.

There are many spiritual disciplines and techniques which do not directly aim at awakening the Kundalini. However, the Kundalini must be aroused if there is to be any degree of spiritual progress. Therefore, if a spiritual discipline is successful, it means the Kundalini has been awakened in at least an indirect way. The practitioner may not be aware that the spiritual progress is the result of the active Kundalini unless, of course, the discipline aims directly at awakening the Kundalini. However, the Kundalini does keep working and is the source of enlightenment. Once the Kundalini is awakened through Shaktipat initiation, it does not return to dormancy except in some very special circumstances. The Kundalini will always try to make the upward passage. It will try to keep the aspirant on the spiritual path by providing the necessary encouragement and protection.

Kundalini can be awakened by attaining perfection of certain hatha yoga postures called asanas, by certain breathing exercises aimed at controlling the breath called pranayama, by God's grace, by meditation or by intense devotion. Another technique of great importance is Shaktipat or the transmission of energy. A powerful yogi can transmit energy to an aspirant and awaken the Kundalini. This is accomplished in one of four ways: by touch, gaze, sound or thought. The yogi may touch the disciple and transmit energy through physical contact, or gaze at the disciple and energy flows from the yogi's eyes. The yogi may utter words which carry energy or, more subtly, energy can be transferred directly by the yogi's thought or will. The process of Shaktipat can be performed only by those yogis who have gained complete control over the life force, which in Sanskrit is called prana.

Once the Kundalini is awakened, the student may have a variety of experiences: Seeing flashes of light or colors, hearing internal sounds of bells ringing or bees humming, spontaneous vibrations or movements of the body, and greater mental peace, to name a few. Different individuals have different experiences -- there is no definite pattern applicable to everyone. Once the Kundalini is awakened, this fact becomes known through the student's own experiences. If at this stage the student persists in spiritual practices like meditation, then the Kundalini will rise from the base of the spinal column. During the upward journey through the spinal column, it pierces all the chakras in succession and ultimately reaches the sahasrara. When this happens, the student attains a state of transcendental consciousness called samadhi, understands own true identity and is thereby liberated. During the student's spiritual efforts, the Guru's help is of immense value. Shaktipat initiation creates a subtle bond between the teacher and student that allows the teacher to give fresh impetus to the student's Kundalini and eliminate obstructions that may arise.

Meditation and Breath Meditation is the practice of turning the attention from outer awareness to inner concentration. Of all the forms of meditation, meditation through attention on the breath is the simplest and most direct way to self-realization. The aspirant can coordinate and integrate various energies of the nervous system by performing breathing exercises called pranayama in conjunction with meditation. Once this is accomplished, the student easily gains control over the life supporting vital air, the prana, which in turn leads to control over the mind. When the student gains complete control of the mind there is an experience of unique peace and joy. The student realizes the entire world is the creation of one God. When this happens on a large scale, the miseries of the world will end and there will be peace and happiness everywhere. There are physical and mental benefits, but self-realization is the ultimate and the most desirable state to be attained, and the awakened Kundalini leads to this state. However, even when the Kundalini is aroused and spiritual evolution is substantially hastened, there is no guarantee that self-realization will be attained in the current lifetime.

It is encouraging to know the many tangible benefits gained during the early states of the awakening and upward travel of the Kundalini. Awakening the Kundalini has a general purifying effect on the body and the mind. The aspirant's health improves, the skin and the body become attractive and waste matters decrease substantially, the student feels light and energetic, the mind becomes restful. Diseases of the body and the mind are caused by irregularities in the functioning of the prana, which are gradually eliminated once the Kundalini is awakened. At more advanced levels of the Kundalini's progress the benefits are intensified and encompass more subtle realms. The student achieves peace and mental control, becomes more creative, develops profound understanding of nature and experiences inner joy. The aspirant becomes a strong individual, a complete person who functions in adverse circumstances with great poise, and consciously absorb prana from the universe and direct it to cure physical and mental diseases. Ultimately, the student encounters total reality, the absolute truth, knowledge of the self.

The shaktipat must be done with proper care and control. The safest way is to clean and activate the chakras and the nadis, accumulate prana in the aspirant's body, must practice daily yoga nidra, and then go for the shaktipat.

We should warn the reader that there are many who claim to be gurus and can give instant shaktipat. They are no more than reiki energy masters and in some cases when we scan them we find that their own kundalini is dormant. The real bona fide kundalini gurus are usually not popular and do not have "million student". They are very humble and can be found in the jungles or in small villages.

Our search for the real guru had taught us a lot about the shaktipat until we met the real master that actually did the "shaktipat". The knowledge about the kundalini is so great and the material is abundant and can easily be found on the web.