Kundalini
Kundalini is a Sanskrit word meaning either "coiled up"
or "coiling like a snake." There are a number of other translations of the term
usually emphasizing a more serpent nature to the word - e.g. 'serpent power'.
The caduceus symbol of coiling snakes is thought to be an ancient symbolic
representation of Kundalini physiology.
The concept of Kundalini comes from yogic philosophy of ancient India and refers
to the mothering intelligence behind yogic awakening and spiritual maturation.
It might be regarded by yogis as a sort of deity, hence the occasional
capitalization of the term.
Within a western frame of understanding it is often associated with the practice
of contemplative or religious practices that might induce an altered state of
consciousness, either brought about spontaneously, through a type of yoga,
through psychedelic drugs, or through a near-death experience.
According to the yogic tradition Kundalini is curled up in the back part of the
root chakra in three and one-half turns around the sacrum. Yogic phenomenology
states that kundalini awakening is associated with the appearance of
bio-energetic phenomena that are said to be experienced somatically by the yogi.
This appearance is also referred to as "pranic awakening". Prana is interpreted
as the vital, life-sustaining force in the body. Uplifted, or intensified
life-energy is called pranotthana and is supposed to originate from an apparent
reservoir of subtle bio-energy at the base of the spine. This energy is also
interpreted as a vibrational phenomena that initiates a period, or a process of
vibrational spiritual development.
The source text for the concept of kundalini is the "Hatha Yoga Pradipika"
written by Swami Svatmarama (English translation, 1992) somewhere between the
twelfth and fifteenth centuries. Any examination of the topic should include
this work. The pradipika is one of the later developments in yoga sacred texts.
Hatha Yoga is strictly speaking a forcing technique which has as its primary aim
the forcing of the arising of kundalini.
The main emphasis is a difficult regime of breathing techniques meant to
increase the store of "prana" in the body. The well known physical postures are
only meant to be an aid to maintain peak physical fitness, so as to support the
real work of the breathing practices. All of this has, according to tradition,
to be accompanied by prolonged and unbroken meditation practice (for which the
main text is the "Yoga Sutras of Patanjali"). The text adds that great good
fortune is another requirement, i.e.luck, for the procedure to succeed. However,
these techniques are not without dangers.
The Interpretation of Kundalini
Two early western interpretations of Kundalini were
supplied by C.W. Leadbeater (1847-1934), of the Theosophical Society, and the
analytical psychologist Carl Jung (18751961).
Jung's seminar on Kundalini yoga, presented to the Psychological Club in Zurich
in 1932, has been widely regarded as a milestone in the psychological
understanding of Eastern thought and of the symbolic transformations of inner
peace.
Kundalini yoga presented Jung with a model for the developmental phases of
higher consciousness, and he interpreted its symbols in terms of the process of
individuation. (Princeton University Press Book description to C. G Jung - "The
Psychology of Kundalini Yoga", 1999).
A few western translators interpret the energetic phenomena as a form of psychic
or paranormal energy, although the western parapsychological understanding of
psychic energy, separated from its cultural-hermeneutic matrix, is probably not
the same as the yogic understanding. Yogic philosophy understands this concept
as a maturing energy that expresses the individual's soteriological longings.
Viewed in a mythological context it is sometimes believed to be an aspect of
Shakti, the goddess and consort of Shiva.
Kundalini might be said to be a popular concept, since it is widely quoted among
various disciplines of yoga and New Age beliefs. However, the recent
popularization of the term within new religious movements has - according to
some scholars of religion - not contributed to promote a mature understanding of
the concept (Sovatsky, 1998). As with many eastern contemplative concepts there
exist considerable difficulties, and possible semantic confusion, connected to
the way these concepts are adapted to a western context.
This has led to somewhat different interpretations and applications of the
concept of Kundalini within the spiritual and contemplative culture in the west.
On the one hand there are the New Age popularizations, and on the other hand
there is the traditional lineage of Kundalini Yoga understood from its cultural
background and interpreted within the academic fields of Religious Studies,
Pastoral Theology and Transpersonal/Humanistic psychology.
With the tools of these academic traditions it is possible to give different
interpretations to the concept of Kundalini; such as physiological
interpretations, psychological interpretations, clinical interpretations,
religious interpretations, mythological interpretations and spiritual
interpretations.
Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini Yoga is a meditative discipline - or a system
of meditative techniques and movements - within the yogic tradition that focuses
on psycho-spiritual growth and the body's potential for maturation. The practice
of Kundalini Yoga consists of a number bodily postures, expressive movements and
utterances, characterological cultivations, breathing patterns, and degrees of
concentration.
The movements and the body-work should not - according to some scholars of
religion - be considered mere stretching exercises. The concept of life-energy -
pranotthana - is central to the practice and understanding of Kundalini Yoga. It
also gives special consideration to the role of the spine and the endocrine
system in the understanding of yogic awakening. Recently, there has been a
growing interest within the medical community to study the physiological effects
of meditation, and some of these studies have applied the discipline of
Kundalini Yoga to their clinical settings.
Kundalini in the World's Religions
Kundalini is mainly associated with Hinduism. However,
Kundalini as a spiritual experience is thought to have parallels in many of the
mystical and Gnostic traditions of the world's great religions.
Many factors point to the universality of the phenomenon. The early Christians
might have referred to the concept as 'pneuma', and there are some recent
parallels in contemporary Christian Charismatic 'Holy Ghost' phenomena.
Religious studies also note parallels in Quakerism, Shakerism, Judaic Shuckling
(torso-rocking prayer), the swaying zikr and whirling dervish of Islam, the
quiverings of the Eastern Orthodox hesychast, the flowing movements of tai chi,
the ecstatic shamanic dance, the ntum trance dance of the Bushman, Tibetan
Buddhist tummo heat as practiced by Milarepa, and the Indically-derived
Andalusian flamenco (Sovatsky, 1998). Kundalini practice is centerfold in
Japan's Aum Shinrikyo group and Kundalini-yoga is also one of the stages the
practitioner is able to achieve.
Kundalini Rising
According to yogic terminology the force of Kundalini is
supposed to be raised through meditative exercises and activated within the
concept of a subtle body, a body of energy and finer substance. This process has
been explained in detail by Motoyama (1981) and by Sharp (2005). Motoyama bases
the bulk of the Kundalini raising practices listed in the book on the notable
Swami Satyananda Saraswati, as well as on personal experience in helping people
in various stages of Kundalini awakening. Sharp provides a kundalini meditation
called The Great Invocation along with detailed guidance on controlling and
managing the energy flow and subsequent manifestation.
Kundalini-experiences are often understood in terms of the Hindu chakra system,
the understanding of psycho-spiritual energy centers along the spine (Scotton,
1996). According to Hindu tradition the Kundalini raises from the root-chakra up
through the spinal channel, called sushumna, and it is believed to activate each
chakra it goes through.
Each chakra is said to contain special characteristics (Scotton, 1996). In
raising Kundalini, spiritual powers (siddhis) are also believed to arise, but
many spiritual traditions see these phenomena as obstacles on the path, and
encourages their students not to get hung up with them (Kason, 2000). Although
the opening of higher chakras are believed to mark advanced spiritual unfoldment,
it is important not to measure spiritual growth solely by the opening of higher
potentials. According to this view chakras might be under- or overdeveloped, and
lower chakras are thought to be just as important as higher.
Spiritual literature also describes instances where Kundalini is said to be
initiated. Initiation of kundalini activity is usually considered to take place
by a practice called shaktipat. This is a form of 'laying on of hands' where
physical contact to the body or the forehead of the subject by the guru, or
initiator, is supposed to cause an experience of Kundalini that later may
persist or grow with continuing practice, or fade away if practice is stopped.
Scotton (1996) mentions that kundalini-symptomatology is associated with such
practices as shaktipat. He also gives a case-example of such a practice from an
American meditation retreat.
According to much contemporary spiritual literature, and the field of
Transpersonal Psychology, it is not considered wise to engage in any of these
practices without the guidance of a credible teacher or without thorough
psychological preparation and education in yoga. Any form of intense
contemplative or spiritual practice without the support of a cultural context,
or without the support of thorough psychological preparation, is usually
considered to be unfortunate, and in some cases even dangerous. Traditional
teachers of kundalini meditation also warn neophytes of the potential dangers of
experimenting with kundalini Yoga techniques. These warnings should not be
underestimated. A growing body of clinical and psychological literature notes
the growing occurrence of meditation-related problems in Western contemplative
life. Among these we find the Kundalini Syndrome (which is presented more
closely later in this article) and different forms of "wind illness" described
in the Tibetan tradition.
Kundalini Syndrome
Theorists within the schools of Humanistic psychology,
Transpersonal psychology and Near-Death Studies describe a complex pattern of
motor functions, sensory, affective and cognitive-hermeneutic symptoms called
the Kundalini Syndrome. This psychosomatic arousal and excitation is believed to
occur in connection with prolonged and intensive spiritual or contemplative
practice (such as meditation or yoga) or as a result of intense life experience
or a near encounter with death (such as a near-death experience).
According to these fields of study the Kundalini syndrome is of a different
nature than a single Kundalini episode, such as a Kundalini arousal. The
Kundalini syndrome is a process that might unfold over several months, or even
years. If the accompanying symptoms unfold in an intense manner - that
de-stabilizes the person - the process is usually interpreted as what Stanislav
Grof has termed "spiritual emergency"
Interdisciplinary dialogues within the mentioned schools of psychology (see
references below) have now established some common criteria in order to describe
this condition, of which the most prominent feature is a feeling of energy
travelling along the spine, or progressing upwards in the body. Motor symptoms
are said to include tremors, other spontaneous or involuntary body movements and
changes in respiratory function.
Sensory symptoms are said to include subjective changes in body temperature -
feelings of heat or cold - a feeling of electricity in the body, persistent
sexual arousal syndrome, headache and pressure inside of the head, tingling,
vibrations and gastro-intestinal problems. Cognitive and affective symptoms are
said to include psychological upheaval, stress, depression, depersonalization or
derealization, intense mood-swings, but also moments of bliss, deep peace and
other altered states of consciousness. Within the mentioned academic traditions
this symptomatology is often referred to as the Physio-Kundalini syndrome or
Kundalini-experience Awakening.
Transpersonal literature emphasizes that this list of symptoms is not meant to
be used as a tool for self-diagnosis. Any unusual or marked physical or mental
symptom needs to be investigated by a qualified medical doctor.
Kundalini and Physiology
Contemporary spiritual literature often notes that the
chakras, as described in the esoteric kundalini documents, bear a strong
similarity in location and number to the major endocrine glands, as well as
nerve bundles called ganglions.
One speculation is that the traditional practices have formalized a method for
stimulating the endocrine glands to work in a different mode which has a more
direct effect on consciousness, perhaps ultimately by stimulating the release of
DMT by the pineal gland, which may be analogous to the 'pineal chakra'.
The late Itzhak Bentov studied Kundalini from an engineering perspective.
According to Bentov (1990), the 7.5 Hz oscillation of the heart muscle rhythm
induces mechanical Hz frequencies in the brain, that in turn create a stimulus
equivalent of a current loop. The nerve endings in that loop correspond to the
route through which the Kundalini "rises".
This current polarizes the brain part through which it flows in a homogenous
way, effectively releasing tremendous amounts of stress from the body. The body
then becomes an effective antenna for the 7.5 Hz frequency, which is one of the
resonant frequencies of the ionosphere. In layman's terms, you then pick up
information from the air.
This might account for repeated descriptions of heightened senses as a result of
rising Kundalini, e.g. as described by Yogananda: "The whole vicinity lay bare
before me. My ordinary frontal vision was now changed to a vast spherical sight,
simultaneously all-perceptive."
Pathological Kundalini
When practiced in a religious context, Kundalini is
mostly beneficial and benevolent. However, examples exist of historical figures
suffering from kundalini symptoms, such as zen master Hakuin, Saint Theresa, and
Nietzsche. The physiological precursors of kundalini also have the potential to
diverge into some peculiar types of pathology, as when induced via violence and
outside a religious context, where it may be part of a post-traumatic response.
Post-traumatic stress disorder researcher Dr. Jonathan Shay (1994) describes
several cases with kundalini-like symptoms in his book Achilles in Vietnam.
According to transpersonal theorists the phenomenon of kundalini is not
necessarily pathological in itself, but it might produce serious physiological
and psychodynamic symptoms if it is activated outside a proper socio-cultural
context, or if it conflicts with already existing and underlying psychopathology
or issues connected to overall human development.
The coiled and dormant 'feminine' energy, refers to the vast potential of
psychic energy contained within us all. It is normally symbolized as a serpent
coiled into three and a half circles, with its tail in its mouth, and spiraling
around the central axis (sacrum or sacred bone) at the base of the spine. The
awakening of this serpent and the manifestation of its powers is a primary aim
of the practice of Kundalini Yoga. The image of coiling, like a spring, conveys
the sense of untapped potential energy that will spring into action soon. For
now we remember in small doses.
Kundalini can be described as a great reservoir of creative energy at the base
of the spine. It's not useful to sit with our consciousness fixed in our head
and think of kundalini as a foreign force running up and down our spine. The
concept of kundalini can also be examined from a strictly psychological
perspective. From this perspective kundalini can be thought of as a rich source
of psychic or libidinous energy in our unconscious.
