What is Kundalini and What is Kundalini Yoga?
by Guru Singh Khalsa, MSS
Imagine an intuitive, specialized, spiritual power, physically existing within your own body, able to be consciously activated and awakened to its fullest potential... leading you to a fulfilled life of happiness and ultimately spiritual enlightenment. Kundalini: a word you may have heard before refers to this physical, anatomical and mystical energy that when activated will lead to all of the above.
The purpose of any spiritual practice is to bring the freedom, power
and fulfillment, rightfully available to every human being. All
Spiritual practices recognize that the awakening of the Kundalini
brings this consciousness. Kundalini is the basic energy of life.
Kundalini is a Sanskrit word meaning coiled power; centered in the
human body at the base of the spine; it is a powerful nerve coiled
three times.
The three coils of the Kundalini are:
(1) Prana-Kundalini - the energy that gives life to the physical body.
(2) Chitta-Kundalini - the energy of our mind and emotions.
(3) Para-Kundalini - the energy of our spiritual Self.
In order for us to achieve spiritual awareness, this energy must be
awakened and drawn upward through the spine to the crown of the head.
This is where Kundalini yoga comes in. A powerful and ancient style of
yoga it involves postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayam),
and hand positions (mudras), Kriyas (combinations of the above) and
chanting (mantra). When practiced consistently all this makes possible
the Kundalini energy moving up through the spine. Specific sets of
exercises - called kriyas - combine postures, breathing and movement to
release, direct and balance the energy stored all over the body. This
stimulates and balances our glands and organs, energizes the nerve
ganglia connections known as chakras, and removes blockages standing in
the way of our personal fulfillment. Each Kriya includes sets of
movements designed for a specific purpose - stimulating the nervous
system gives mental clarity and improved relaxation, cleansing the
glands and organs balances and stabilizes our emotions, opening and
relaxing the heart brings about energy and vitality; all of which is
emotionally and physically healing.
Once the Kundalini is activated and begins sending its energy up
through the spine it causes chemical secretions in the pineal,
hypothalamus and pituitary glands in the brain that result in an actual
physical change in our brain chemistry and then in turn our
consciousness. This advanced consciousness is known as non-dualism. In
other words - there is no separation between the God-Self and the
individual-self. We experience that: we are Divine and we don't have to
search outside to find it.
The sensations we feel when all of this is working properly is the
physical, mental and emotional- body - mind - spirit - energy
clarifying within our entire being. This experience is completely
palpable and definable in real-time terms. It is said in Kundalini yoga
- "The God that cannot be experienced and the experience that cannot be
explained are of little value to the human psyche." In Kundalini Yoga
the goal is to be cognizant of it all; the individual experience and
awareness transforms from mundane to divine, from duality to unity. By
opening and raising the Kundalini energy our true human nature - loving
and compassionate - is readily able to reveal and sustain itself. When
the Kundalini is fully awakened we experience the complete unity of our
existence; our experience shifts from a limited duality (with all of
the worldly struggles) to recognizing the oneness of all things. While
we still experience the diversity, opposition and complexity of our
daily lives, we understand this all to be a part of the larger whole;
we see patterns of reason and magic behind the seemingly random events
of the world. In other words this is not a "LA - LA" experience; this
is an "AHA" experience.
While it is theoretically possible for a person to have an instant
awakening, it is extremely rare (close to never). A far more common
occurrence is for this realization to progress gradually. Disciplined
work in Kundalini yoga and meditation - practiced over time - delivers
the joyous experiences of our divine consciousness - this is our
birth-right.
