Because we are spirit imbedded in a physical body, all of the cells of our bodies are like parts of a hologram, containing the memories of whatever has happened to us. So it happens that as the energies that intend to transform us move through the body, any areas where energy, pain, memory, or contractions are stored will react. This is what we are feeling when there are pains, jerking movements, heat, vibrations, rushes and other phenomena during and following a kundalini arising. Our subtle field is opening and coming undone, and preparing to be rewired.
Opening the Chakras
Many people have associated kundalini movements with opening the chakras, which as described in Chapter 5, are part of the classical subtle body model used in India to describe how as contraction releases, old patterns drop away and new possibilities emerge. These energy vortices where the subtle, physical, and causal bodies intersect are where memory, sensation, thought, emotion and consciousness merge. Each chakra is believed to carry specific tendencies and to be blocked by certain reactive contractions and patterns. Generally, the chakra at the base of the spine is associated with our foundation in the world, our sense of stability in being here. The second chakra is associated with sexual energies and impressions, the third with power and a feeling of capability in the world, the fourth (near the heart) with love and receptivity, the fifth (in the throat) with verbal and creative expression, and the sixth (between and above the eyebrows) with intuitive awareness.
There are extensive writings that place psychological or esoteric meaning on chakras, and it is beyond the scope of this guide to explore all the nuances and philosophies regarding chakra change and transformation. (Books about chakras are included in the Appendix.) Various spiritual systems focus on specific chakras, such as the base (to open kundalini energy), the heart (in the Self-inquiry taught by Ramana Maharshi) and the sixth (also called the third eye), which is believed in some yoga systems, and some western esoteric practices, to be the primary modulator of all the other chakras, and the doorway into other-dimensional experience. In my observation the kundalini energy can manage the changes of the chakras quite effectively without much help from us, if we will only relax, and surrender to the whole process of deconstruction or getting rewired, which is how it often feels.
If energy seems stuck in a particular chakra the tension can be released in several ways. Often it is helpful to simply move attention to another area, because energy tends to follow attention. So if there are headaches or chest pain, gently bringing awareness into the belly can balance and harmonize the system. Feel the belly open and expand with each breath, and allow the energy in your lower body to move and come alive. If the second or third chakras are over-stimulated, imagine a wide transparent tube running from the base of your spine to the crown of your head, and let your energy flow upward into the heart or higher, flowing gently up and down as you breathe. With each inhalation let the energy move up and with exhalation back down again. Increase the width of the tube until this is comfortable. Relax your breath, and use your imagination to create spaciousness within you.
If the throat chakra is blocked (a common condition) try singing, roaring, deep humming noises, or other sounds and look for areas in your life where you are restricting your expression, and begin to tell the truth. Spiritual seekers often get stuck because they believe they cannot express anger, and so feelings become knotted in the throat. Finding a safe way to release what you really feel can help unblock the throat and the heart.
There are yogic asana (or movement) practices to open the body, and sounds or tones called Bij mantras, mentioned earlier, that can relax and expand the contraction of blocked chakras. Some spiritual systems use visualizations along with breathing practices to accomplish this expansion, for example sitting in a meditative state, and consciously moving your breath into each chakra as you inhale, beginning at the base, and then, as you exhale, imagining the breath moving upward gently to the next chakra, until each is energized and open. You can learn some of the asana or breathing practices techniques from a person who teaches Ashtanga or Raja yoga. Kundalini yoga also teaches stimulating breathing practices, although they may be overwhelming for someone who has already activated kundalini energy. Gentle healing forms of QiGong or Tai Chi can also be helpful. I especially like Wild Goose Qigong which is done with gentle flowing movements. There are gentle hands-on body treatments such as acupressure and Amma massage that open up energy using pressure points on the body. Cranial-sacral work is a specialized treatment on the head done by some body therapists that can also relax and open up the energy patterns that may be blocked. A general rule in exploring energy practices is to evaluate how you feel later, and stop doing things that over-stimulate you or cause discomfort.
Sometimes when energy is consistently stuck in one place, causing pain, it is related to a psychological contraction, or even an apparent other-life experience. In such cases this is a call for some psychological counseling or perhaps past-life regression work, to release a knot or unconscious memory. People are sometimes surprised to discover psychological issues arising in the spiritual process and hope to bypass them with more meditation or by experiencing liberation. But in many cases these issues must be addressed on the relative level, in order to facilitate the clearing process. If we want to move through this process in a healthy way it is important to respect the needs of the body/mind that has brought us into it.
People carry their pain in different ways, just as we live our lives in different ways, and so there can be a wide variety of responses to this movement of energy, or clearing. Everyone has a specific personal pattern related to which chakras are more or less functional. If there are physical problems from an old injury there may be areas of the physical body that are especially sensitive, and it can feel as if kundalini energy is concentrated to do repair work there. If our diet has been unhealthy or our lifestyle causes us to live where there is toxic emotional energy, this can leave us more vulnerable to difficulties in the emotional component of the subtle field, subject to greater fluctuations of moods.
If there has been abuse of any kind, or there is a history of alcoholism or drug-use, the body may be especially challenged to release residual contraction and/or toxins during this awakening. Tolerance and patience is required. If there is a tendency towards contraction, and a strong desire for control, the process can be very difficult because of concepts and fears about losing control and habitual resistance. There is an old saying that "What one resists, persists," that seems especially true during a kundalini experience. Imagine the freedom in your life if you completely released that knot in your belly that wants to be in control, trusting you can respond appropriately to whatever arises without planning ahead.
General Guidelines
Here are ten basic guidelines that can help you move through this experience. Notice, I do not say you can integrate this experience. You can’t, and the attempt to do so only makes it more difficult, because it is an effort to put the mind in charge, and this process is much greater than mind, so you cannot control it. When the kundalini has done its work and your awakening becomes more about consciousness remembering itself, then your life is integrated or dissolved into it. This will be explored more fully in The Awakening Guide. At this stage the task is to learn how to dance with the unruly new flows of life that are surging through your body. Here are the ten guidelines.
1. The energy may feel coarse and intense at times. But it is rarely painful. Usually it is the fear and the attempt to stop it that causes pain. At times it is just an inevitable stage of the work. If you are having lots of body movement, lay down once or twice a day on the bed, and invite the energy to move through you and clear out whatever doesn't belong to you, and whatever is in your best interest to release at that moment. Usually you might shake involuntarily, or feel waves of vibration running through your body, for just a few minutes -- maybe up to 20 – until it stops, and you will feel more relaxed. You especially need to do this if you work in an environment w
here you may be picking up negative energy, or the pain of others, such as in hospice or hospitals, healing or therapeutic work, or where there is a lot of alcohol use.
If you are having persistent physical pain in this process you should have a medical evaluation. The rushes of energy can easily cause metabolic imbalances, hormone or electrolyte disturbances, potassium deficiency, over-stimulation of adrenal or thyroid glands, over-activity in the nervous system, digestive disturbances and other problems. Usually these pass, but medical care (especially if the thyroid or adrenals are not functioning properly), or consultations with Ayurvedic practitioners, can help to restore balance to the system. (It is not likely to stop the energetic phenomena.) As discussed earlier, Ayurveda is the holistic medical system that comes from ancient India and is still practiced today. Some doctors of Chinese medicine also know dietary and herbal methods of harmonizing energy. If there are consistent headaches, a common complaint, it is useful to assess your diet and stressors to identify any factors that contribute to them, learn to move energy downward into the heart area, reduce stress, and spend time in natural settings where you can deeply relax. Sometimes giving up sugar, or gluten, wine or cheese helps release headaches. Do not do concentration practices, especially those that focus on the third eye, if you are experiencing headaches.
2. Discover what your body really wants to eat. Often people need to make major dietary changes such as giving up alcohol and recreational drug use, avoiding red meat, eating smaller and simpler meals. If you have a persistent problem with kundalini, do detective work to see what is happening when the problem arises. How long since you ate and what did you eat? Would a small piece of hearty whole grain bread calm it down? Perhaps chamomile or burdock root tea? Do you need more protein? Some yogis recommend drinking a mix of warm milk and ghee, with sugar in it (not honey, which raises heat), for calming and cooling the energy. Some suggest dark chocolate after long meditations, to restore the loss of lecithin in the body.
Another option is to have a good analysis done with an Ayurvedic practitioner, who can assess your body type and balance, and recommend the optimal diet and herbs for you. There is much variation in what people need to do, and sometimes people have long periods with no appetite at all, or long periods with a voracious appetite. Usually a diet focused on rice, grains and vegetables is most useful, but proteins are also important. If you tend not to eat much meat, try a powdered protein and mineral supplement every day, and add beans and nuts to your diet. Be good to your body, and eat moderately or lightly. There is no advantage to fasting, which can intensify the difficulties. Alcohol, recreational drugs, and even cigarette smoke will increase toxins and stress on the body. In times of intense energy some people report that eating some hamburger or other red meat will calm things down a bit, grounding them. Others report that heavy breads and root vegetables are helpful. It is best to listen to what your body wants, experiment, and nurture yourself appropriately.
3. Focus more in the heart and the belly than in the head. Look for practices that bring you into the present moment, here and now, eyes open, grounded. A devotional practice such as chanting, or doing a heart-centered meditation, can help the energy open you to an experience of the deeper part of yourself, the eternal part. Service to others or creative expression from the heart can help you move outward into more loving connections, and this keeps the awakening more balanced. If you have a divine image, (a god, goddess, spiritual teacher, saint, or symbol), that is comforting, use it as an ally during this time, talking to him, or her, or it, and asking for support. Some people report that feeling surrounded by light, or visualizing being wrapped in gray silk, seems to calm things down. All of these are powerful archetypal energies that help the psyche when it is moving through challenging changes.
4. Do something to help your body be more open, such as yoga, Tai Chi, dance, acupressure, massage, movement processes, long walks in nature, or whatever you are drawn to. If you don't know what is best for you try several things, and stick with what feels the best. The physical body is the vehicle that will ultimately carry and ground your spirit and awakening. No matter how deep your realization, you will be living in a human body for a few more years. The better it is cared for, the more options you have to express realization when it occurs. However, a person who is weak or dying can also be a beautiful and complete expression of the Divine, and poor health does not preclude enlightenment. Those who have sat with someone who was dying have seen that as attachment to the body releases, more and more light shines through. There are a few biographies of people who awakened within the dying process. While we are living, having an open and flexible body accomplishes the same thing, with a lot less pain and distraction. Making the body "disciplined" by over-doing exercise is not of any use either. Find a middle way, where your body is in harmony with your spirit.
5. Wake up each day expecting not to know what will happen, and looking with curiosity for the events to unfold. Instead of worrying and controlling, simply be present to whatever arises, intending to meet it fully. Whatever happens in the process of spiritual awakening will be unpredictable and will move on, if you are simply the one noticing it, and not doing battle or making a big project out of it.
6. You may have emotional swings, energetic swings, psychic openings, and other undesired shifts that feel unfamiliar, and foreign to the person you think you are. Be the observer. Don't feel you have to fix or change anything. Recognize that these are natural correlates to awakening and try to avoid becoming either enchanted or distracted by them. They are movements of mind and if you can witness them pass, rather than engaging them, they will move by more quickly.
7. If you have serious trauma in your history, and have never had therapy, it could be useful in releasing the pains of the memories that come up around the events. Many people who report spiritual awakenings have had troubled childhoods. Such experiences often serve as a great catalyst in the search for Truth. I have noticed that people who had good therapy before their awakening often have much less difficulty. Therapy teaches you to express, to witness, to release and to move on. Your therapist does not have to know much about kundalini, as long as he or she does not discount that part of your process. What you want to focus on is releasing issues related to the trauma, and you want a therapist who is experienced and compassionate, and sees your spiritual orientation as a motivation and a support for the process of healing.
8. This process is your opportunity to wake up to your true nature, so begin to explore through meditation and spiritual teachings where this is leading you. Some people wake up first, and then experience a kundalini arising; others have the kundalini process moving through as a preparation for awakening consciousness. The arising occurs to do the clearing out work, so is part of either model, and is not a mistake. Waking up means that you realize or remember yourself as pure consciousness, and ultimately something before consciousness that cannot be defined. You know yourself as a bright, aware, detached and unconditionally loving presence that is universal and eternal, and it is completely free of influence from all the conditions and memories that you associate with as a personal identity. But as long as you believe in your personal conditions and stories, emotions and thoughts, it has to experience life filtered through them.
The conditioned mind is what brings variety and drama to the game of life, but it also causes suffering and fear of death. We glimpse the Truth about the deep expansive silence that is the ground of our being when we have samadhi and satori experiences. The early Gnostics called it gnosis (knowledge) or the One. Some spiritual teachings, such as Advaita Vedanta and Zen, go directly for the realization, while others see it as a gradual path accomplished through years of spiritual practices. Either way the end is the same. When you know who you are, the world becomes as Shakespeare said, a stage, and you the player, and life is more light and thoughts less intrusive, and the kundalini process settles down into a mellow pleasantness.
9. Give up going places that are s
tressful and being with people who cause you pain. Sometimes people seem to be more acutely sensitive when kundalini arises. They can't tolerate the energy of large discount warehouses, or smoky nightclubs, or the kind of family gatherings that are tense and competitive. Similarly, promiscuous sexuality brings too much divergent energy into the body. Watching violence in the media may also disturb the energy field. It's okay to take care of yourself and find more quiet time, more intimate friends, and even a new job, if the old one is overly stressful. Don't feel you have to prove anything by forcing yourself to be someone you aren't. Give up the fantasy that if you are "enlightened" you should be happy wherever you are or under all circumstances. Rediscover what is naturally comfortable for you to do, and to be. Live more authentically. In this process you may also find a new creative urge, which is a wonderful opportunity to express what is happening. Draw, write, dance, work with clay, paint, garden -- all of these are great ways of nurturing yourself through the deep psychic changes you are experiencing.
10. Find an awakened teacher to hang out with. For many people with spiritual awakenings, meditation is an intrinsic part of their lives. An awakened teacher will bring you a transmission of peace, and an opportunity to sit deeply in the silence of your true nature. He or she can be of any spiritual persuasion or none, can understand kundalini or not be interested in it. Seek one who demonstrates tolerance and compassion, even if they have little time for idle questions or those who lack authenticity. When you learn from them the art of sitting and just being, you will find the cure for the suffering of life. In time the activity of the mind and complaints of the body fall away, and there is a deep understanding and love that arises, which brings a sense of completion, openness, freshness and an invitation to the expression of the greater Self. When awakening is complete, there is no question it has been the whole purpose of your life. You don’t know where it is going but you no longer care. You surrender to the dance, knowing it is a dream.
The Kundalini Guide: A Companion For the Inward Journey (Companions For the Inward Journey Book 1) Page 10