What is Kundalini?

Kundalini is the feminine divine spiritual energy, ‘Shakti’. It lies dormant in the human body and is awakened by the grace of a Siddha Guru such as Guru Siyag. Once awakened, theShakti frees the body from ailments and diseases and leads the practitioner to the realization of the Self. The location of the Kundalini and its connection to the human body are described below:

God dwells in both the male and the female form at two opposite ends within every human body. Over the crown of the head is a subtle, invisible point called Sahasrara where male divine, Shiva, dwells. Down at the end of spinal column is another subtle, invisible point called Muladhar (the supporting root of the body) where Goddess Kundalini dwells. Between these two divine centers there are six subtle, invisible chakras — cosmic energy hubs — which are placed vertically upon each other at brief intervals in a subtle column called Sushumana  that runs parallel to the physical spinal column. These chakras start upward from the point near the bottom of the spinal column and then go up to the throat. Beyond the throat chakra is another key point at the centre of the forehead (a little over the point between eyebrows), which is called Ajnachakra or the Third Eye. All the six chakras are connected with a vast but invisible network of 72,000 Nadis — tube-like blood vessels spread all over the body.

Kundalini lies dormant (sleeping), coiled like a serpent at the base of the spinal column in three and a half layers with the tip of its tongue in its mouth. The word ‘Kundal’ in Sanskrit means coil. So this feminine power is described as Kundalini — the coiled one. This entire structure comprising Nadis, Chakras and Kundalini is real but so subtle that it cannot be detected by any modern medical scientific probe.

Signs of Kundalini Awakening

The most obvious and unambiguous indications of Kundalini awakening are Yogic Kriyas (movements, asanas, mudras etc). However, what if you don’t experience Kriyas? Is your Kundalini awakened?

In the absence of Yogic Kriyas, the following are signs of an Kundalini awakening. This list is by no means exhaustive; it mentions only those experiences that have been reported to us.

• Heating or cooling of palms and crown of head. Some practitioners experience a rising heat or cold along the spinal column.
• Seeing bright lights or colors during meditation, and even prophetic visions. A heightened intuition may constantly guide a practitioner with a ‘gut feeling’ or ‘instinct’ about a person or impending event.
• A sudden surge in emotions: a feeling of deep love and empathy for everyone around you. Many individuals also feel extremely joyful or even euphoric. Some compare this to a kind of ‘high’ and describe it as an experience of walking on clouds all day long. On the other hand, some practitioners experience great distress — a sudden onslaught of sadness that breaks into weeping over many hours. However, that bout of unhappiness and its release is later described as a cathartic event that unleashed many years of pent up emotions.
• A feeling of widening and deepening during meditation — an expansion of the inner self in such a manner that the physical body seems inconsequential in comparison.
• In contrast, some experience a constricting of the self to the point that the individual feels like a tiny speck.
• A very large number of Guru Siyag’s Yoga practitioners have no experiences during meditation: no Kriyas, no sensations, no emotional outbursts, no subtle movement on the inside at all. How do these individuals know their Kundalini has awakened? Guru Siyag says that the most important experience for any practitioner is change. He explains, “If your life remains the same as it was before you began the Yoga, there is no upward movement, if you and your personality remain unchanged then know that your Kundalini has not awakened. Your Sadhana (spiritual practice and discipline) is lacking in some way.” Those practitioners that have no experiences during meditation, may experience great changes in their life:
• Consistent meditation and silent chanting affect the Vrittis (tendencies — please see earlier post for more information). This spells a change in food habits: a dislike and eventual abandoning of meat and alcohol (and other opiates). A development in preference for foods those are light and nutritional for the body and a dislike for harmful foods.
• A change in social life and relationships: without the practitioner trying, people with mal intentions or toxic personalities make an exit. Often times, people around us with their words or actions and in extreme cases mere presence, sap us of our positivity. As the practitioner grows in Sadhana, the inner energy repulses negativity. Individuals who promote the practitioner’s spiritual evolution make an entry or re-entry from the past in some cases.
• The practitioner’s disposition and temperament changes: the practitioner becomes more and more inward looking and becomes aware of his / her own traits and shortcomings. As this spiritual awareness grows, flashes of anger become infrequent, the practitioner is quick to apologize when at fault, empathy increases, and most importantly the seeker becomes acutely aware of his / her responsibility in breaking the chain of negativity.
• As before, this list is not exhaustive. An entire book can be written about the number of changes a person goes through when the Kundalini awakens. In comments, please describe a significant change you have experienced after you began the practice of GSY.

Why is Kundalini called Shakti?

In Hinduism Shakti refers to the female divine principle that creates and moves through the entire universe. Not only is Shakti a creatrix but she is also the driving force behind all change. While Shakti brings the universe into existence, she is also the agent of liberation from it. She manifests in many ways in the material universe. In Hinduism, each of her aspects is represented by a specific Goddess such Amba (courage), Laxmi (prosperity), Saraswati (knowledge), Radha (devotion) etc. To Rishis (spiritual seers), she is the path of spiritual evolution, and they named her ‘Kundalini’. Through     Tapasya (disciplined spiritual practice) they realized that Shakti is the very consciousness force — Chetna — that energizes the whole universe and all the objects and creatures inhabiting it.

Is Kundalini awakening almost impossible?

Question: It is said that awakening the Kundalini in this Kali Yuga (age of falsehood) is almost impossible. One has to go to the Himalayas or some secluded place and serve a Guru for many years to get one’s Kundalini awakened. Is this true?

It is a myth that it takes several years or decades for a Guru to awaken his disciple’s Kundalini, and that they both have to retreat to the hills or go in to isolation. Guru Siyag dismisses this myth, saying “Kundalini awakening is not a figment of someone’s imagination. I am aware that some people do employ imagination when dealing with yogic philosophy because they lack real experience of Yoga. Some Gurus even go the extent of saying that the Kundalini can be awakened if the seeker practices Yoga for 20 years! To this, I say, ‘Is there any guarantee that both the Guru and his disciple will live for 20 years? Why slog for 20 years for something that can be achieved today? Why not attain consciousness here and now? This talk about 20 years is nothing but pure hassle; nothing is to be gained from it. It takes only a moment to awaken the Kundalini if the Guru is a follower of the path of truth and is empowered spiritually to do so.” These kinds of myths have been propagated by Gurus who don’t have any kind of realized ability but are simply cashing in on the mystery that shrouds Kundalini awakening. Not all Gurus are empowered to awaken this Shakti, and since Siddha Gurus are rare, these fake masters have used the scarcity of information on Kundalini awakening in their favor to advance theories that make them seem all-powerful.

Though a Siddha Guru may seem ordinary in appearance, he is an extraordinary, transformed being. He has realized himself and reached the pinnacle of evolution, and has been bestowed with the ability to awaken the Kundalini of seekers. Such a Guru is in an eternal state of Chaitanya (pure consciousness), and thus becomes the conduit for the flowering of consciousness in others.

What happens when Kundalini is awakened?

When the Kundalini is awakened, she activates and energizes the entire network of Nadis and Chakras, and it starts pulsating with divine energy like a large electrical circuit.

The awakened Kundalini begins to rise up slowly through Sushumana and passes through all the six chakras one by one as the disciple practices mantra-meditation regularly. For the Kundalini to rise up freely, her passage through Sushumana must be clear. However, if the practitioner has any impurity in his body in the form of any physical or mental disease, addiction or the burden of his past Karma, Kundalini’s passage is blocked. Since Kundalini is a divine force who knows the innermost secrets of the practitioner’s body and his past, present and future, she clears these impurities as she rises up. She cleanses the practitioner’s being by inducing yogic kriyas and movements. The kriyas energize and rejuvenate those limbs and organs in the body that are affected by diseases, impurities or addictions and also remove any blockages created by stress. On a more subtle level, the Shakti helps the practitioner strip away the layers of conditioning or Samskar as  gathered over many lives so that his real Self is revealed to him.

After passing through the last chakra at the throat, Kundalini enters the Ajnachakra. This is the final gate from where she climbs up and meets her male counterpart, Shiva, in Sahasrara. When Kundalini unites with Shiva, her journey in the human body is complete. This leads to the practitioner’s attaining Atmajnana — self-realization. He then understands that he is not just a physical body but part of Brahman — the vast, supreme, limitless, eternal consciousness which is called God. This realization frees him from the unending cycle of life and death and leads him to Moksha.

Is Kundalini is a dangerous force?

Question: I have often heard many saints and spiritual practitioners say that the Kundalini is a dangerous force, and that the awakened Kundalini can cause the practitioner serious harm. Is this true?

The Kundalini is a divine force that can only be awakened and regulated by a Siddha Guru such as Guru Siyag. A Guru who does not have the authority or ability to awaken the Kundalini in seekers and still forcibly does so using herbs, Tantra or Hatha Yoga can cause great harm to a seeker. This can be understood through the following example: Lightning in the sky and electricity in our homes and offices is the same type of energy. While lightning is a very raw force that can prove to be destructive, electric current is delivered to our homes and surroundings through power lines and wires. This current does not harm us because we receive a very controlled form of the energy, and only as much as is necessary for us. Similarly, the Kundalini is a divine and yet raw energy. Just as overhead power lines supply us with a controlled electric current, so too the Guru is the medium through whom the Kundalini can be experienced in a modulated and gentle way.

Only those practitioners experience the harmful effects of the Kundalini who try to use unsafe means (on their own, through an inexperienced Guru or drugs) to awaken the Kundalini. Guru Siyag says that the Kundalini is often referred to as a fire. When awakened by a Siddha Guru it is a fire that cools but when awakened by force, it burns.

What are Yogic Kriyas ?

Question: What are Yogic Kriyas ? Some of these Kriyas seem frightening because they involve screaming, shouting and strange body movements. What would happen if these Kriyas don’t stop?

Yogic Kriyas are spontaneous involuntary Asanas (postures),  mudras (gestures), pranayama  (breath movements), sensations and other movements induced by the awakened Kundalini during meditation. In other words they are a sign of Kundalini awakening. The practitioner can neither start, stop nor control these yogic Kriyas (body movements) willfully. The Kriyas are specifically unique to each practitioner like a custom-made program. The physical and mental make-up, and spiritual background of each practitioner is entirely different. What applies to one will not to the other. The Shakti knows  the specific postures a practitioner needs to undergo to rid the body and mind of ailments, and to progress on the spiritual path. Yogic postures under Guru Siyag’s Yoga are therefore not standardized nor are they orchestrated willfully like those in a conventional Yoga school. An observer watching people participate in group meditation under Guru Siyag’s Yoga is often astonished to notice that almost each participant undergoes entirely different yogic postures.

During meditation, some sadhaks scream, shout, cry or bang their hands and legs on the floor or perform some strange body movements. Outwardly, these Kriyas present a frightening spectacle. An observer might think that the practitioners who are going through these Kriyas must be suffering great pain or agony. A beginner sometimes fears something has gone wrong with his meditation or that these Kriyas are caused by negative energies. But it is not so. Kundalini being a divine Shakti knows the innermost secrets of every practitioner’s body and his past, present and future. She therefore induces only those Kriyas that are necessary to root out any diseases, mental afflictions, bad habits, addictions or stress the practitioner may have. The Kriyas can therefore be likened to a cleansing process, one that will leave the practitioner disease, stress and addiction free. In short, Kriyas spell an end to all kinds of suffering.

No harm can ever come to practitioners going through these types of Kriyas. The awakening of the Kundalini and its subsequent progress is controlled and regulated by the Siddha Guru. By his grace, the practitioner has only those experiences that foster spiritual development. Besides, the Kundalini is referred to as the ‘Mother of the Universe’. Her only goal is to free the seeker from all physical, mental afflictions and Karmic debts, and lead him to self-realization. Gurudev says, “The Kundalini is a Mother-force. Can a mother ever harm her child?”

Practitioners must not get disturbed or frightened by these Kriyas. Despite this knowledge, if a seeker still feels very uncomfortable or scared by the Kriyas, he should pray to Gurudev to stop them without breaking his meditation. His prayer will be answered immediately and the kriyas will stop.

Also, there is no danger of these Kriyas going on beyond the meditation session. Before beginning meditation, a practitioner can himself set a time-limit by praying to Gurudev asking Him to help one meditate for the desired time. A practitioner then finds that his meditation comes to an end precisely at the pre-set time limit.

Are Kriyas to happen necessary?

Question: When I meditate I don’t experience anything – no yogic kriyas, no sensations and no visions. Does this mean my Kundalini has not awakened?

Many disciples wonder if there is something wrong with their meditation practice because they don’t experience yogic postures during meditation. Experiencing yogic postures or Kriya s during meditation is not necessarily the sole indicator of the awakened Kundalini. These postures occur according to the body’s need. Gurudev says, “The awakened Kundalini will exercise control over the body, breath, mind and intellect and then the practitioner will undergo involuntary yogic movements. The movements will not happen as per your desires. Only those parts of the body that are ailing will experience movements. The Kundalini will first stimulate it and then bring about Kriyas in that part until it is completely healed.” This means that if your body is healthy, you will not experience Kriyas. Doing mantra-meditation regularly is sufficient for your progress. You should leave the rest to the Kundalini, which Gurudev has awakened in your body.

You may experience changes in other spheres of life: Improvement in material status is also the result of your mantra-meditation practice. Regular practice of Guru Siyag’s Yoga (GSY) leads to the practitioner’s positive transformation and gradual decline in his health problems and material difficulties. Gurudev says, “When the practitioner meditates he attains intuitive knowledge (Pratibh Jnana), and then becomes conscious of the pitfalls and benefits of his decisions. Because of this knowledge the practitioner will not experience failure for the rest of his life.” As the practitioner gains knowledge he later reaches a stage where he realizes that the diseases or ailments and worldly worries which had been haunting him for a long time, have all disappeared completely. With dedicated mantra-meditation practice, practitioners also experience a change in their Vritti (tendencies). There are three kinds of tendencies: Sattva (lighted, pure, intelligent and positive), Rajas (passionate and energetic) and Tamas  (negative, dark, dull and inert).

The three tendencies influence a person’s attitude, choices and habit. At any given point, one tendency dominates over the other two. Regular chanting of Guru Siyag’s mantra subdues or suppresses the Rajasic and Tamasic qualities, and elevates the Sattvic quality and eventually consolidates it permanently. The dominance of the Sattvic quality in turn orients the person toward positive, conscious, intelligent and pure thoughts and actions. His preferences of food and drinks too change. The overall result of this change is that whatever that is negative and detrimental to the person’s physical and mental wellbeing and spiritual evolution leaves him of its own accord — without the person’s conscious efforts to make this happen.