A Siddha Guru can carry out Shaktipat through any of the following four methods:

• Physical touch: A Siddha Guru can awaken the Kundaliniby simply touching a seeker. He may do this by placing his hand on the seeker’s head or by touching the Ajnachakra or Muladhara (base of spinal column). According to the mythological text ‘Mahabharata’, Lord Krishna initiated his favorite devotee Arjun into Yoga by hugging him and holding him close to his heart for a moment. Krishna initiated another legendary devotee Dhruva by lightly touching the latter’s cheek with his conch.
• By sight: A Siddha Guru may initiate the seeker by simply looking into his eyes. Indian spiritual literature is replete with anecdotes about various Siddha Gurus awakening their disciples’ Kundalini by merely looking at them with compassion.
• Divine word: A Siddha Guru may awaken a seeker’s Kundalini by giving him a divine word or potent mantra to chant. Here the word is divine because it is charged with the cosmic consciousness embodied by the Guru.
• Firm resolve: This is the rarest mode of Kundalini awakening because here the initiative lies with the seeker and not with the Guru. A seeker in this method doesn’t approach the Guru for a formal initiation for Kundalini awakening. He merely makes an unshakeable resolve, known as Sankalpa, to get initiated by the Guru he wishes to follow. Since the Guru is the very embodiment of divine cosmic consciousness, the seeker’s strong resolve is instantly received by the Guru. Sankalpa is the manifestation of the seeker’s total devotion or surrender of his ego to the Guru. Since this kind of devotion is the prime qualification for receiving divine grace, the Guru in this case is duty-bound to initiate the seeker making such a Sankalpa.  The ‘Mahabharata’ makes a mention of a rare case in which Eklavya, the legendary archer, got initiated into Yoga by merely making a resolute plea before an idol that he had made in the likeness of Guru Dronacharya to favor him with initiation. Eklavya’s plea was so intensely sincere that Guru Dronacharya’s consciousness had to respond positively to it though he was not present there in person or aware of Eklavya’s resolve.