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All about Kundalini.
Almost all spiritual traditions speak of Kundalini, the inner spiritual power, in one form or another. The Japanese call it “ki”, the Chinese “chi”, and in Christianity it is known as the Holy Spirit. In Mexico Kundalini was worshiped as the serpent-god Quetzalcoatl, the Kung people of the Kalahari Desert call this power n/um.
Yoga
The term yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word “Yuja” which means “to combine”, “to unite”. Yoga combine the Mind with the Body. Yoga considers the human as an absolute combination of Self (Soul) Mind and Body. Yoga accepts the life situation as we find it and suggests methods by which we can transcend human limitations.
India has a long and unbroken tradition of yogic discipline, dating back. The large number of spirituals adepts who have lived In India have followed various modes of spiritual discipline (sadhana) as instructed by their Masters, and through their personal experiences they have enriched knowledge of Yoga. Yogic knowledge was largely transmitted orally from Master to the disciple.
The word Yoga means union and it refers to union between one’s self and the spiritual entity who is not only one’s deepest self but is at the same time the omniscient deity of the universe.
The goal of Kundalini Yoga is ego transcendence, leading to union with the divine and the concomitant state of blissful consciousness which is called Samadhi; that is illumination. This is the same goal that other yoga’s set – the methodology, the science of Kundalini Yoga, however differs dramatically from the others.
Some of the major types of Yoga are:
- Hatha – Yoga of physical discipline
- Bhakti – Yoga of devotion and worship
- Karma – Yoga of service and sacrifice
- Jnana – Yoga of intellectual understanding
- Raja – Yoga of meditation
Excerpt from the Shiva Sutras:
The Supreme Awakening
The yogī accomplishes this by collecting his mind and putting it on that point. Although the mind is always flickering and does not exist in one point, through the practice (sādhanā) of one-pointedness, it becomes easy for the yogī to maintain one point. He then discards the differentiation of objectivity and subjectivity and perceives the objective world, which consists not only of external objects but also of his body of wakefulness, his body of the dreaming state, and his body of the dreamless state (nīla-deha-prāṇa- buddhyātmanaḥ), and the negation of these, which is the void state (śūnya), in its real way as the limbs of his universal body. When you make your mind enter into the light of consciousness then your mind feels this whole universe as one with that universal being.
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Kundalini Vijnanarahasya (Isvara Svarupa Svami Laksmana Joo Maharaja)
Kundalini is considered to be the most advanced of all yogic practices. It does not involve any external worship or external rituals. The practice is done entirely within. The accomplished practitioner of Kundalini becomes fully conscious of his/her identity with that which manifests the universe. Kundalini refers to the ultimate union of Shiva and Shakti. The Shakti in her form as Kundalini is awakened by practicing certain austerities. Shiva, the principal of divine consciousness resides at the Sahasrara Chakra at the crown of the head. It is only by leading Kundalini from the root centre of the base of the spine successively through each chakra to the crown chakra that the polarities, Shiva and Shakti unite. Through this union the highest state is attained.
Shiva is pure Consciousness, the static centre of all things, the substratum of all change. The Shiva principle can never be seen, it can only be known by its effects. It is dependent on Shakti, the active or dynamic aspect of Consciousness, to bring it to manifestation. We come to know Shiva only through Shakti.
According to yogins, the sahasrara thousand petaled lotus at the crown of the head, is the seat of the prakasa aspect of Pure Consciousness or Shiva, while the Shakti aspect of the Self is said to be located, in the muladhara chakra.
When a spiritual seeker receives divine grace, the Shakti awakens and starts moving upwards through the channel of shushumna nadi, from the muladhara chakra to the sahasrara, to unite with Shiva. As the divine Shakti begins rising through shushumna nadi the various chakras are revealed and illuminated by its radiance. The brightness of the illumination grows gradually with the absorption of the various elements located in the chakras, and it’s reaches its culmination when Shiva and Shakti unite at the highest level in the sahasrara. The illumination mentioned above is sometimes called the “Fire of Consciousness” (Chidagni) which once kindled by the fire of grace never dies.
Self-Purification
During the process of self-purification and bodily deification, the yogin simultaneously engages in yogic breathing practices (pranayama) for the awakening and elevation of Kundalini. Through utilization of such introverted yogic techniques as yogic-locks (bhanda-s) and postures (asana-s), the breath enters and ascends the central channel. This arising breath (udana-prana) thereby propels the Kundalini upwards towards the higher cakra-s. The purpose of these techniques is to catalyse internal incineration. Hence the cosmic fire is understood to be awakened Kundalini.
Self-Purification
During the process of self-purification and bodily deification, the yogin simultaneously engages in yogic breathing practices (pranayama) for the awakening and elevation of Kundalini. Through utilization of such introverted yogic techniques as yogic-locks (bhanda-s) and postures (asana-s), the breath enters and ascends the central channel. This arising breath (udana-prana) thereby propels the Kundalini upwards towards the higher cakra-s. The purpose of these techniques is to catalyse internal incineration. Hence the cosmic fire is understood to be awakened Kundalini which burns up the limited selfhood of aspirant.
Jnaneshwar Maharaj expresses this poetically:
Baba Muktananda said:
The yogic scriptures explain that the samskaras are stored inside the shushumna nadi, and then Kundalini awakens and enters the shushumna, she begins to dislodge and expel them.
While the samskaras are being removed, they rise into our awareness and we experience them, sometimes it’s with great intensity. If your mind tends to become agitated or angry, for example, your state may seem to get worse for a while. If we have a problem with fear our fearfulness may increase temporarily.
(It is like a process by which we are consciously witnessing arising feelings and accepting it in this way, integrating it with consciousness where there is no separation, neither attachment or detachment. There is consciousness – awareness in the state of neutrality, without any concept in this way the mind is clear, there is no ego, no maya… just presence of existence, all is one, one moment, one place and in the same time at all times and all places, now… only now… truth! Everything else is burned in the flame of truth, cut with the sword of Maha Kali – dissolving the ego. Shakti is cutting away at the roots of our tendencies.)
(Just witness the process, with gratitude that these things are being eliminated from our system by the process of acceptation and letting it go because what comes, goes, nothing in this reality is “permanent”. We can observe only the flow of shakti which changes all the time from form to form, from senses to emotions, to mind always changing and changing, sensations coming and going, emotions coming and going, thoughts coming and going all sounds, visions … coming and going… you just let go. Don’t follow any off those, just be aware of all changes, reside in this consciousness and relax.)
Indulging the samskaras, acting them out, judging them, or repressing them – these approaches are not helpful. Kundalini will expel the tendencies from our system in due course. Meanwhile, we can cooperate with the process by simply witnessing it.
Jnaneshwar Maharaj expresses this poetically:
“Now I pay my respects to the God and Goddess who are limitless primal parents of the universe. The lover himself, out of boundless love, becomes the beloved, and the beloved becomes the lover. Each taking place of the other, they reside on the same charming spot. They are made of same substance and share same food. They are so averse to separation that not even their child, the universe, can disturb their union. Seated on the same ground, wearing the same garment of light.”
Baba Muktananda said:
“Whatever thoughts one has come from the central nadi, and all ones’ karmas and impressions from many lives are lodged here. All the different states we experience – desire or greed, inspiration or dullness – arise from the shushumna. In the upper region of the shushumna are such qualities as contentment, peace and knowledge, while in the lower regions lie the passion of lust, greed, anger and all the feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. When your Shakti is awakened, all the past impressions and karmas come out. That is why when you first receive saktipat, you sometimes feel very angry. You shouldn’t be afraid when you get into such a state it happens because the Shakti is expelling the karmas of countless lives”
The yogic scriptures explain that the samskaras are stored inside the shushumna nadi, and then Kundalini awakens and enters the shushumna, she begins to dislodge and expel them.
While the samskaras are being removed, they rise into our awareness and we experience them, sometimes it’s with great intensity. If your mind tends to become agitated or angry, for example, your state may seem to get worse for a while. If we have a problem with fear our fearfulness may increase temporarily.
(It is like a process by which we are consciously witnessing arising feelings and accepting it in this way, integrating it with consciousness where there is no separation, neither attachment or detachment. There is consciousness – awareness in the state of neutrality, without any concept in this way the mind is clear, there is no ego, no maya… just presence of existence, all is one, one moment, one place and in the same time at all times and all places, now… only now… truth! Everything else is burned in the flame of truth, cut with the sword of Maha Kali – dissolving the ego. Shakti is cutting away at the roots of our tendencies.)
(Just witness the process, with gratitude that these things are being eliminated from our system by the process of acceptation and letting it go because what comes, goes, nothing in this reality is “permanent”. We can observe only the flow of shakti which changes all the time from form to form, from senses to emotions, to mind always changing and changing, sensations coming and going, emotions coming and going, thoughts coming and going all sounds, visions … coming and going… you just let go. Don’t follow any off those, just be aware of all changes, reside in this consciousness and relax.)
Indulging the samskaras, acting them out, judging them, or repressing them – these approaches are not helpful. Kundalini will expel the tendencies from our system in due course. Meanwhile, we can cooperate with the process by simply witnessing it.
The path of Goddess
Join us for a 9-day trip to one of the oldest cities in the Indian subcontinent. Varanasi (Benares) is located by the river Ganges, occupies a central place in the Hindu world pilgrimage tradition. The ghats in Varanasi are steps on the banks of the river, they are associated with imysterious legends and mythologies. Many yogis, ascetics, and masters, including Buddha lived and taught here.