Kundalini

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Kundalini ( Sanskrit , feminine, कुण्डलिनी, kuṇḍalī śakti , a form of Devi , Kundalini serpent, "serpentine power") denotes an etheric force in humans described in tantric scriptures . In Tantrism one speaks metaphorically of a sleeping, curled up snake (Sanskrit: kundala "rolled, coiled"), as it lies in every person at the lower end of the spine, in the lowest chakra .

Diagram of the chakras and Kundalini in a person

The Kundalini Power

According to the tantric teaching, there is a force in every person called Kundalini. According to Tantrism, this is located at the lower end of the spine and is symbolically represented as a curled up snake sleeping in the lowest chakra . It is considered to be the closest force to matter in humans. It should be able to be awakened and ascend through yogic practices, whereby the main transforming energy centers or chakras are pierced (Satchakrabedha “piercing the sixchakras”). If it reaches the highest chakra, it should unite with the cosmic soul and the human being should achieve the highest happiness. Only here does it unite according to Tantric teachings in its transformed form with the cosmic-spiritual forces. Since the rising of energy according to the classical teachings also harbors dangers, good preparation and an internal cleansing process should be decisive, which is why many schools develop the heart center first. There are always cases that tantrics interpret as a “spontaneous awakening” of the Kundalini.

Some representatives of early Western psychology also dealt with the Kundalini phenomenon, above all the Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung .

The Kundalini Process

In order to activate this “physo-psychic” etheric energy, several methods have been developed, such as Kundalini Yoga . In a first stage, the adept tries to train and purify the way of life, nutrition, behavior and character by means of meditation and similar practices, which can be very different depending on the tradition. Sometimes the higher self announces the Kundalini awakening through dreams . The rain of the Kundalini, which was previously sleeping, leads to an increased body temperature, which, however, cannot be compared with a high fever. Once activated, the Kundalini process develops a certain dynamic of its own, which has to be learned to control through further careful training. As a rule, the process has a strong impact on the well-being of the person concerned and can itself lead to unpleasant and undesirable side effects.

As a rule, the Kundalini should rise in stages and it should even be able to withdraw again if the third energy center in the umbilical region is not reached. According to the tantric view, it rarely rises to the crown chakra, where “pure consciousness” (or Shiva ) is located. Then, according to some directions, the actual Kundalini process begins, which is described as an alternation of ascending, warm and descending, cool flow of energy.

The most diverse yoga directions deal with the topic of Kundalini. Most yoga asanas , however, do not directly serve to awaken Kundalini. Some yoga schools are specifically concerned with Kundalini and want to use their exercises to prepare the body for the delicate process of the ascending Kundalini. Care is taken that the chakras are cleansed and "permeable" so that the Kundalini can rise unhindered.

Kundalini practice of various yoga directions

• In Kundalini Yoga , the strong reference to the Kundalini power is already recognizable from the name. As with yoga as a whole, there are also different schools or directions within Kundalini Yoga.
• Typical for the yoga practice of the direction made known by Yogi Bhajan in the West are physically demanding exercises with fast movement sequences, combined with periods of rest and meditation .
• Also in Kriya Yoga certain exercises for awakening the chakras and the so-called Kriyas (purification exercises ) are taught. They should serve the preparation of the body and the systematic awakening of the Kundalini.
• In Sahaja Yoga the Kundalini should be awakened spontaneously and gently. In contrast to the painful experiences described, the awakening of Kundalini should be experienced here as a joyful feeling and in the form of noticeable cool vibrations on the hands and above the head.

Side effects

As a side effect of the ascending Kundalini physical effects are described, which are supposed to be caused by the violent flow of energy. They include hot flashes; H. a feeling of warmth, spasms of cold, convulsions (involuntary shaking, tremors, sudden nodding movements of the head), chronic and temporary pain throughout the body that is difficult to diagnose, stinging (like a bite) in the big toe and all over the body, numbness of the hands and feet up to the whole body, fluctuations in the sex drive, sudden noises and outbursts of feeling (laughing, crying), ecstatic bliss, inner images and visions .

The physical symptom of "heating up" is deliberately evoked by certain schools of Tibetan Buddhism using certain techniques. A classic method, the tummo , consists in drying woolen blankets soaked in ice water on the naked body in winter. In this way, the control of body temperature is to be practiced under extreme conditions.

See also

• Kundalini meditation active meditation by Osho

literature

• Gopi Krishna : Kundalini - awakening the spiritual power in people , 1983, ISBN 3-502-62364-3
• Swami Satjananda Saraswati : Kundalini Tantra ISBN 978-3-928831-33-8
• Joachim Reinelt: The great Kundalini book , 2006, ISBN 3-89427-315-1
• John Woodroffe : The Serpent Power , Madras: Ganesh & Co., 1978
• Wolfgang Rudra: Kundalini - The energy of nature - The nature of energy in humans , 1993, ISBN 3-9802560-1-4
• Lee Sannella: Kundalini Experiences and the New Sciences , 1999, ISBN 3-922026-45-1
• Kiu Eckstein , Kundalini Experiences, A Master-Student Encounter , 2008, ISBN 978-3-89427-381-1

Individual evidence

1. ^ BKS Iyengar : Light on Yoga ; Barth Verlag (2005). ISBN 3-502-61166-1 .
2. ↑ Arthur Avalon / John Woodroffe : The Serpent Power (1918).
3. ↑ Sivananda Radha (Swami): Kundalini Yoga in Everyday Life , Darmstadt (2006); ISBN 3-89767-501-3 .
4. ↑ Carl Gustav Jung: The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga . Translation from English. Zurich 1998. ISBN 3-530-40684-8 .
5. ↑ Swami Sivananda Radha: Kundalini Yoga in Everyday Life , Darmstadt (2006); ISBN 3-89767-501-3 .
6. ^ Bonnie Greenwell: Kundalini ; Lübbe Verlag (1998); ISBN 3-7857-0915-3