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Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini is the basic energy which controls the world and is the manifestation of the divine energy and is the basis of consciousness. Kundalini is raised and activated by shaktipat from a competent guru and is raised to higher chakras mainly through rigorous meditation. Practicing kundalini yoga without a guru is extremely not advisable.

The following chart, figure, color, the location of chakras and their corresponding bija mantras are provided for 'academic' purposes. Meditation on chakras in the absence of a guide is not recommended.

CHAKRA (GLAND)        LOCATION  MANTRA  COLOR(PETALS)
Muladhara (sexual)          root       LUM     red(4)   
Svadhisthana      4in below navel  VUM     purple red(6)
Manipura (adrenal)    navel      RUM     violet(10)
Anahata (thymus)    heart          YUM     golden pink(12)
Vishuddha (thyroid)   throat       HUM     grey(16)
Ajna (pitutary)     3rd eye          OM      white(2)
Sahasrara     crown     silence  blue (1000)

Patanjali's Yoga sutra, talks about Kundalini as follows:

According to the physiology of raja yoga, a huge reserve of spiritual energy is situated at the base of the spine. This reserve of energy is known as the kundalini...When the kundalini is aroused, it is said to ravel up the spine through six centers of consciousness, reaching the seventh, the center of the brain. As it reaches the higher centers, it produces various degrees of enlightenment. The process is best explained in the words of Ramakrishna Paramahmsa:

The scriptures speak of seven centers of consciousness. The mind may dwell in one or the other of the centers. When the mind is attached to worldliness, it dwells in the three lower centers... The mind has no higher spiritual ambitions or visions. It is immersed in the cravings of lust and greed.

The fourth center is at the heart. When the mind learns to dwell there, man experiences his first spiritual awakening. Then he has the vision of light all around. Seeing this divine light, he becomes filled with wonder and says: "Ah, how blissful!" His mind does not then run to the lower centers.

The fifth center is at the throat. He whose mind has reached this center is freed from ignorance and delusion. He does not enjoy hearing or talking of anything but God.

The sixth center is at the forehead. When the mind reaches this center, there is the direct vision of God, day and night. Even then, there is a little trace of ego left in the aspirant...It is like a light in a lantern; one feels as if one could touch the light but cannot, because of the obstructing pane of glass.

The seventh center is at the top of the head. When the mind reaches it, samadhi is attained. One becomes a knower of Brahman, united with Brahman.'

The kundalini is the part of the soul which comes before, and prepares the body before the soul can actually enter it. After the creation of the physical body is completed, it becomes dormant at the base of the spine. Yogis use that same energy to reach back to the soul, then to God.

The kundalini is the divine energy leading the person to the higher goal slowly and gradually. As a part of this awakening it brings about, so to say, some negativity as part of the cleaning process.

If your goal of life is liberation, then devotion, dedication, and the grace of the Divine will surely take you to the goal. Since the Kundalini is an intelligent force, it could be a reason to cause major changes in your life to push you towards the goal.

The principle of Kundalini Maha Yoga is that once the energy is awakened through shaktipat,it remains active for ever.

Each of the seven chakras has several spiritual qualities. These qualities are intact within us, and even though they might not always be manifest, they can never be destroyed. When the Kundalini is awakened, these qualities start manifesting spontaneously and express themselves in our life. Thus, through regular meditation, we become automatically very dynamic, creative, confident and at the same time very humble, loving and compassionate. It is a process which starts to develop by itself when the Kundalini rises and starts to nourish our chakras.

Mooladhara Chakra

The first chakra is situated below the sacrum bone in which resides the Kundalini, and its main aspect is the innocence. Innocence is the quality by which we experience pure, childlike joy, without the limitations of prejudice or conditionings. Innocence gives us dignity, balance, and a tremendous sense of direction and purpose in life. It is nothing but simplicity, purity and joy.

It is the inner wisdom that is ever present in the little children, and gets sometimes clouded by our modern lifestyles. But it is a quality which exists eternally within us and cannot be destroyed, waiting to be manifest as pure joy when the Kundalini rises.

Swadishthan Chakra

The second chakra is the chakra of creativity, pure attention and pure knowledge. It is the one which connects us to the inner source of inspiration, and enables us to experience the beauty around us. The pure knowledge given by this chakra is not mental, but it is direct perception of the Reality, that can be felt in our palms and indicates our subtle blockages. Also this is the center of pure, steady attention and power of concentration.

On the physical level it looks after our liver, kidneys, and the lower abdomen. When we think too much, this center gets drained of energy and diseases like diabetes or blood cancer can occur when this chakra goes completely out of balance.

Nabhi Chakra

The third chakra is the one that gives us the sense of generosity, complete satisfaction and contentment. On the left side, the main quality of this center is peace - clearing this chakra can relieve stress and tensions. On the right side, it looks after our liver which is the organ of our attention and power of concentration.

When enlightened by the Kundalini, the Nabhi chakra gives us our spiritual ascent, righteousness and inner sense of morality, and complete balance at all levels in our life.

The Void

Surrounding the second and the third chakra is the Void which stands for the principle of mastery (guru principle) within us. In many spiritual traditions, this area is the "ocean of illusions" that needs to be crossed with the help of a spiritual guide. When the Kundalini is awakened and passes through the Void, this principle of mastery is established within us. Thus in Sahaja Yoga you become your own guru, your own spiritual guide since you can feel on your fingertips all your subtle problems and have the power to cure them using your own Kundalini. Moreover, establishing this center helps us get rid of all our habits, laziness, gross attachments, and everything that enslaves us in a way or another: we become our own master.

Following false "gurus" who are more interested in power tricks or your purse can damage very much the Void area. But after Self Realization, everything can be cured through the purifying power of the Kundalini in meditation.

The Heart Chakra or Anahat Chakra

The fourth chakra, the chakra of the heart, is the place where resides our Spirit, our true Self, which is eternally pure and unaffected by anything, like a shining diamond hidden within us which witnesses all our actions. After Self Realization, our attention becomes for the first time connected to our Spirit and we gradually become aware of it. Our misidentifications with our ego or conditionings drop and we start becoming identified with our Spirit, which is our true nature.

On the physical level, this chakra looks after our heart and lungs - if affected it can cause asthma or various heart conditions.

It is from our heart that the compassion and love manifests, and also the heart chakra is the one that gives us the sense of responsibility and pure behaviour towards others. The heart chakra manifests in the center (at the level of the sternum bone) as complete security and confidence. All our worries, doubts and fears are destroyed when the heart chakra is fully enlightened by the Kundalini.

Vishuddhi Chakra

The fifth chakra is the chakra of diplomacy, of pure relationships with others, and of playful detachment. It removes all our guilts and remorses when it is opened by the Kundalini, and gives us a kind and compassionate voice. The tendencies to dominate others or to feel dominated by others, the feelings of superiority or inferiority and all jealousies are removed when this chakra is nourished by the Kundalini. Also, the Vishuddhi is the chakra which gives us the connection with the whole, enabling us to feel our oneness and the fact that we are all part and parcel of the whole.

The Agnya Chakra

The sixth chakra is the chakra of forgiveness and compassion. Forgiveness is the power to let go of anger, hatred and resentment and to discover, in humility, the nobility and generosity of the Spirit. It is the one that dissolves all our ego, conditionings, habits, false ideas of racialism, and all our misidentifications. It is the narrow gate which opens the way for our consciousness to ascend to its final destination, which is the seventh center.

Roving eyes, watching impure things, or self-centeredness damage this chakra. Watching the sky, earth or nature can help cleanse it.

The Sahasrara Chakra

The seventh center integrates all the chakras with their respective qualities. It is the last milestone of the evolution of human awareness. Nowadays, we are at a level which corresponds to this chakra, and our consciousness is able to easily enter into this new realm of perception, which is beyond our limited mind and concepts, and which becomes absolute at the level of the Sahasrara. This chakra gives us the direct, absolute perception of Reality on our central nervous system.

This is precisely what is achieved by Self Realization, through the spontaneous awakening of the Kundalini given by Sahaja Yoga.

A word about the three channels of energy. The left channel (blue) corresponds to our past, emotions, desires, affectivity. Its termination is the superego, which is the storehouse of all our memories, habits and conditionings. The right channel (yellow) corresponds to our actions and planning, to our physical and mental activity. Its termination is the ego, which gives us the idea of I-ness, the sense that we are separate from the world. The central channel is the channel of ascent, it is the power which sustains our evolution and guides us, consciously or unconsciously, towards the higher awareness of the Sahasrara (seventh chakra).

The workings of Self Realization and subtle aspects of the chakras and channels are too extensive to be explained here. They are part of a knowledge which is not only to be studied at the mental level, but to be experienced directly. This new level of consciousness can be achieved after Self Realization, through the regular practice of Sahaja Yoga.

Meditation is a technique to break addiction to thought; in essence it is directed concentration.

Meditation is not sitting for thousands of years struggling to become mindless. Meditation is the action of becoming aware of all that is, within you and outside of you. You focus and direct your mind within you, deep, deep within you. So deep within that you end up back outside, never to be without. You become aware of all, within the one action of meditating.

Sit straight. Put your left palm flat against the center of your chest, with the fingers pointing towards the right, the left thumb extended up towards the chin. Your right palm is flat on top of the back of the left hand, thumb extended up towards your chin. Now calmly breathe in through both nostrils and breathe out through your rolled tongue. (Open the mouth slightly, extend the tongue out slightly, and curve the tongue in a 'u'.) You are exhaling out, through the rolled tongue. Breathe long and deep.

"This will give you the deepest silence of the self. You'll hear the silence. Silent meditation is only where you can hear yourself. Otherwise, it's not silent. When you can extend to the point where you can hear your own heartbeat, you are done!

Inhaling through a rolled tongue will stimulate certain meridians and cause our glandular system to secrete. This in turn will change the chemistry of our brain, and delete toxic programs.

When you are done with this meditation, you have learned the calm, quiet, silent, solitary meditation and remember inside of us all is a world within worlds, just waiting for us to experience.