The mysterious kundalini: myths and reality.
SOMATIC AND MENTAL EFFECTS OF KUNDALINI AWAKENING
Most people who have experienced the awakening of Kundalini describe it as a set of spiritual, psychic, psychophysiological phenomena and sensations.
Awakening of Kundalini can cause a whole spectrum of the most diverse effects – from a state of falling in love, a meditative state, to a strong psychological shock.
In the Shandilla Upanisad (Sloka 1.20) it is said that when the kundalini awakens, “sweat appears in the early stages, in the middle stage – a concussion of the body, and on the last stage – levitation in the air.”
Turning to scientific works, one of the most comprehensive studies of the Kundalini phenomenon is presented by Boni Grinnwell [1], which analyzes the signs of kundalini manifestation and gives descriptions of a number of cases of awakening of this energy (as in the ascetics of yoga and tantra, and in ordinary people). Another work on describing the effects of kundalini is the work of Gopi Krishna [2] – a man who faced this phenomenon completely unprepared. He survived the spiritual crisis and described its manifestations. The effects of Christopher S. Kilham [3] are also very well described.
There are classical somatic phenomena, often accompanying the Kundalini movement, the most common of which are:
1) sensation of heat in the base of the spine. This feeling can be pleasant, sometimes a person can seem to be sitting on something hot. Often this feeling is accompanied by a very strong sexual desire.
2) a strong fever, accompanied by a rapid heartbeat. The temperature can rise, as with a cold.
3) chills.
The effects of points 2 and 3 in yoga are associated with the activation of the channels Ida (Lunar cold energy) and Pingala (solar hot energy), which are still unbalanced. In scientific terminology, this is the parasympathetic (responsible for relaxation) and sympathetic (responsible for activity) nervous systems that are irritated (activated) as a result of the rise of kundalini.
4) the severity and “fullness” of the limbs. In yoga this is due to the fact that due to the uncleanliness of the channels, the prana fingers, feet, feet, which can cause swelling and swelling, swelling, are unevenly filled. Over time, it goes by itself, tk. prana is naturally harmonized.
5) sounds in the ears – whistling, ringing bells, pawning ears, buzzing, buzzing, voices, various melodies. In yoga it is believed that all these experiences precede the more subtle “real”, inner sounds used in Nada Yoga. These are signs of purification of the channels of anahata – the chakra (heart center) and the central channel (sushumna, spine).
6) a feeling of “goosebumps”, itching or burning, an erection of the hair on the body. In yoga this is associated with the discovery of surface channels and marmas (active points) on the skin. In those places where the channels are spammed or clogged, the sensations can be very strong. As far as purification in these places there is a feeling of bliss, a sense of “transparency” of the skin.
7) the sensation of some “shallow diffuse motion” inside the body – in tissues, vessels – is often described as thin streams flowing through channels.
8) trembling without chills (in “Shiva-sutras” is described as “campaign”).
9) vibration of the spine – the spine can begin to tremble, small and fast as a vibrator, and it does not occur because of fatigue or muscle tension, and occurs only with meditation.
10) vibration in the body. Sometimes the body can flex during sitting, and the head can be thrown back, the knees can tremble, sometimes a person can sit up in a meditative position and jump slightly. There may also be involuntary contractions of the abdomen, twitching of the shoulders, muscle spasms in the throat. In yoga this is explained by the fact that energy begins to move along energy channels, but the channels are still narrow, uncleaned. As the channels expand, these effects disappear.
11) slight rocking of the body in the form of barely noticeable deflections of the body back and forth (manifested in the sitting position). Sometimes there is noticeable swaying for an outsider, accompanied by a twitch or rotation of the head (in the “Shiva-sutras” it is described as “ghurni”).
12) the sensation of unusual lightness in the body, or “falling in the void,” or loss of control over one’s physical body, or a sense of flight (levitation), floating, often accompanied by a temporary sensation described as “penetration into the Clear Light” (in Shiva- sutras “is described as” udbhava “).
13) orgasmic sensations and waves of ecstasy against this background.
14) light flashes. As a rule, appear before the eyes (face), in the between the eyebrows, sometimes – in the heart. The light can be bright, like lightning or a lamp, more often white, but there is another gamma, and sometimes – dim. The color scale may indicate increased activity of a particular chakra (for example, red color – root and sexual chakra, green – heart chakra, etc.). There is also a phenomenon such as a sudden burst of energy that rises on the spine, often accompanied by an increasing saturation of colors (a kind of “internal fireworks”).
15) experience of blissful delight in the body, accompanied by flashes of clarity of consciousness (in “Shiva-sutras” is described as “ananda”).
At the psychoemotional level , as various researchers have pointed out, the main signs of the awakening of Kundalini are:
1) experience of “inner fire”. Sensation of a special “spiritual heat” that covers the whole body. Usually this is a state of extreme pleasure, but sometimes, in the case of resistance to the ego, it can also provoke extremely negative reactions.
2) sharp mood swings. From absolute enthusiasm to extreme depression down to suicidal impulses, and the transition can occur in a short period of time. Therefore very often the signs of Kundalini are interpreted as Manic-depressive psychosis, which, from the point of view of spiritual traditions, is fundamentally erroneous.
3) change in sexual temperament. It happens completely different – from a complete loss of interest in sex, to a sudden explosion of half-savage sexual activity.
4) exacerbation of intuition. The feeling of “inner knowledge”, when a person inside himself knows exactly how “right”. This applies not only to some practical situations (what decision to take, etc.), but also “globally”, as a sense of inner knowledge of the world order.
5) the emergence of parapsychological phenomena – clairvoyance, foresight, telepathy, lucid dreaming, prophetic dreams, Jung synchronicity, unexpected vision of the aura, chakras, spontaneous regression in various variations: the awakening of memories of past emotions, events, people, psychological traumas, which a person can not identify as happening to him (presumably – episodes from “vulgar lives”). In each case, something is activated.
6) the feeling of “the unity of everything with everything”. The state of expansion of consciousness that is difficult to speak in the language of words, when a person feels part of a single stream, and this gives an indescribable pleasure. A person who has experienced the rise of the Kundalini feels that he is being led by a certain superior force towards him.
7) increased sensitivity, both physical and mental, up to an extreme degree. A deeper feeling of music, literature, spiritual texts, etc. Experience of “universal love”.
8) the vision of certain symbols in the imagination (a frequent example is the appearance in the dream of the image of the Serpent).
10) a significant concentration of the mind, a decrease or a complete halt to the internal dialogue.
11) partial enlightenment or clarity in certain matters, as well as insights of various kinds.
12) creative inspiration – in art, poetry, science.
13) experiences of bliss of various kinds, for example, sometimes the practitioner is so good that he wants to laugh constantly, or dance, or sing.
In different people, the awakening of kundalini can be accompanied by different effects. Everything depends on the physical state and features of the psyche, as well as on the quantity and quality of the energy that awakens. If the power of ascending energy is small or small, a person simply experiences some visions and fantasies. If this force is sufficient, it opens up a huge potential, experiences a state of clarity, and is completely transformed. “With the increase in Kundalini, much is changing. You feel more powerful, more alive, the acuteness of your feelings increases. I find that today my feelings serve me better than when I was younger. Feelings are associated with chakras, and when Kundalini grows, the improvement affects all areas. The food is getting tastier, it’s easier to catch subtle flavors, the colors are getting lively, the touches are more distinct, music has space volume and so on. The world becomes more alive, more sensual … A person at this time usually feels joy, a sense of expansion of consciousness and calmness. This is a wonderful sensation. When this happens, you need to focus your attention, meditate and do so that it does not become for you something more than just a sensation. In doing so, you can look into the power of Kundalini by an effort of reason, for a long time gaining a sense of clarity of consciousness, acuity of sensations, strength and joyful lust for life. Although Kundalini phenomena are usually short-lived, some of them can last long enough. Once I came across a six-week flare-up of Kundalini activity. During this time I ate moderately, slept very little and practiced yoga, meditated a lot and was always in a state of ecstasy.
