Kundalini Yoga -- as Envisioned by the Ancient Yogis

Awakening.

The Soul

One of the things you hear less about is the second thread. There is the white sutra coming in the top of the head, connecting you with the divine. And then there is a second, the more direct thread that enters the heart and joins the Sushumna there in a kind of T. That plexus or meeting of threads is a sort of super chakra, a spirit-driven one we call the soul. Where Shakti meets Shiva, Prakriti meets Purusha.

This is why devotional and other heart-based practices are so potent. They take advantage of the direct connection through the heart. It is also why the awakening heart is such a profound point on the journey, both the ascending opening of Love and the descending awakening of divine love.

Compassion dawns from the upper energy flowing into the heart, higher passion from the lower energy flowing up into the heart. Again, these are not practices but experiences when the flow opens.

Many other practices are mental or sensory (Gyan or karma yogi) or physical.(Hatha) Each has their best use and best times on the journey as the Purushas table illustrates, but don’t neglect that heart.  

Awakening

The awakening process includes a number of components. The increasing connection with transcendent spirit, the clearing of those energy knots, the refinement of the energy system to support finer values of energy (higher resolutions), and the movement of energy into higher levels.

Some describe the energy moving up systematically, but for most, different parts open at different times. “Spiritual experiences” may be related to opening and movement of the upper 3 chakras, especially the third eye and crown.

The third eye brings us celestial and divine sight. The talents of seers and visionaries. The crown is our connection to the divine. Often prior to or with awakening, the upper 2 make a major connection. If this is sudden, it’s characterized by a brilliant flash of white light that absorbs everything.

This is the gateway to cognitions and profound knowledge not available through the lower centers. Some equate it with enlightenment, but again, awakening is not experienced. This is secondary to the process. Some people don’t get this stuff clear until much later, long after waking. Also, as a master once said, everybody can realize, not everyone will cognize.

Once the connection to the divine is established, the divine begins to descend through the centers. Adyashanti talks of Self-moving forward and absorbing the head, heart, and gut. As these are related to the ego, divine, and identity, they are also related to the 3 main higher states of consciousness.

Thus the evolution of enlightenment runs parallel to the descent of the divine.

“This direct relationship with God is first established on the level of Being and then comes to be on the level of feeling; from there it enters the field of thinking and then finds its way on to the sensory level of experience.”
— Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

The upper three are the spiritual centers. However, when the energy descends, it spiritualizes all of them.

One important detail here that I’ve seen presented a number of ways. Some describe chakras above the head, post crown. When this is first experienced, the divine can seem above the head, like more layers. But when this opens after awakening, the perspective shifts, and the upper chakras as if flip over and turn out to be another mirroring. (see below) The same 7 chakras are mirrored with divine versions, descending. Remember this is non-linear non-physical – it’s all about perspective and perception. How you’re looking.

So they’re not really separate chakras, but the divine energy is quite different and quite a bit higher resolution. In a way, they’re kind of concurrent spiritual chakras, overlaying the existing ones, like the bodies do above. If you had good experiences with the ascending openings, wait until you see what descending brings. Far more profound.

This little table illustrates how they might be numbered and how it folds. So we might count 7 or 12, depending on how we wish to look.

7 >	/	Crown	Divine
6 /	/ 8	Third eye	Divine sight
5 /	/ 9	Throat	Divine voice
4 /	/ 10	Heart	Divine heart
3 /	/ 11	Gut	Divine power
2 /	/ 12	Gonad	Divine passion
1 /	<	Root	Grounded

Devata

As this process deepens, the whole perception changes several times. The intelligence and intention inherent in anything or event happening becomes increasingly obvious. Events no longer appear as random but rather an orchestrated dance of astonishing complexity and perfection.

If one perceives this from a personalized perspective, these intelligent laws are perceived as ‘devata’, essentially what a westerner would call angels and fairies. Complete with personalities. (laughs)

When consciousness evolves, perception evolves with it. The perception of conscious intention shifts from an energy system into the flow or movement of consciousness.

“From the cosmic perspective, they are seen for what they are. The whole body is seen differently. Energy centers are seen as a flow of consciousness. It’s not even energy anymore.”
— Lorne Hoff

Becoming – Why Seven?

From a place of infinite silence, alertness and liveliness arise. The liveliness stirs alertness into awareness and awareness becomes aware of itself.  The observation of Self by itself causes the one to step into Itself, creating an apparent duality and the trinity of the observer, observation, and process of experience. This is the trinity you hear of in many faiths.

We could call them the first 3 ‘chakras’ of God. There are 2 further principles at work here. As above, so below, and mirroring. In other words, what arises within God is mirrored and repeated at successive levels of resolution.

This takes place within divinity, within creation, within the universe and within you. Thus when the sutra or intention descends, a bubble of awareness forms we call the universe, the 1 unfolds into 3.

The 3 are joined by the second thread connection at the heart, creating a fulcrum. The upper 3 principles mirror over the fulcrum into 7.

The 7 then found the various resolutions of our physicality described above. As mentioned before, the 7 chakras pre-exist the rest of the energy system and are the same ones shared by all life in the universe.

Again, the layers interpenetrate rather than them being stacked in a physical way. Like electrons, they are areas of probability, or rather a possibility. As they are mirrors, they are not separate either.

Closing

This is a brief overview of a very large subject. There are a number of ways of seeing this, dictated by where you are standing and what quality of energy you bring. I cannot say my vision is complete or perfect in any way. But this is how I understand it now. I hope it’s shed a bit of light on the nature of your presence in the world.

Even the description itself here is of several ways of seeing what is not separate. There is only one of us, completely inclusive but expressing always.

Davidya

Practical Understanding of Subtle Energy System.

Firstly, understand that biology responds to energy and light, not just chemicals. For example, the skin produces Vitamin D and tans when exposed to sunlight. Biologists have discovered individual cells respond to specific energy and light frequencies. Pay attention to the energy you’re feeding yourself mentally, emotionally, and physically.

If you look at depictions of the subtle body, they tend to show each body out wider than the previous. The physical, the etheric close in, the emotional aura, and the causal glow. But keep in mind the causal infuses all of them. The highest spirit “body” has no limits and interpenetrates all.

To give you a sense of how different chakras energy feeds a given area of life, here’s a chart. Keep in mind, these are generalizations. Again, this isn’t about doing direct energy work but rather being mindful of your active resistances so you can release them, thus allowing the energy to flow more smoothly.

		Mental Body	Emotional Body
7	Crown	higher Intuitive	Unity
6	Third eye	Imagination / Gnosis	Unbounded freedom
5	Throat	Conceptual	Bliss, Compassion
4	Heart	‘Feeling’	Love
3	Solar Plexus	Reason, will	Passion, anger
2	Gonads	Social	Desire, lust
1	Root	Animal, connected	Fear, despair, grounded

A simple overview of what constitutes healthy functioning energy can be useful. Note that this is not so much about the quantity of energy as may be implied by “low” and “high”. That’s more just how we experience it subjectively. The actual mechanism is a balance of what are known as gunas – sattva, rajas, and tamas.

There is also no “wrong” energy here. This is about quality and balance, not good and bad.

A big reason for quality and balance issues is resistance, a need to do some allowing. The key with resistance is seeing it, so this is designed to help with that. If you tend to vacillate back and forth between low and high, perhaps this is an area needing balance. Sometimes, finding a balance is just a matter of shifting attention or focus.

Please don’t treat these as gospel but rather a general overview to give you a sense of it. Where exactly you hold the resistance can be misleading as acupuncture illustrates. An energy point in one place can affect the body in another. Thus you have a certain experience but store the holding elsewhere. Look to the resistance and let the holding release itself.

	Healthy(sattva, balance)	Low energy (tamas or inertia)	Excess energy (rajas or fire)
7	connection with divine, open-mindedness, presence	closed mind, apathy, holding onto beliefs, spiritual cynicism.	disconnect from spirit, excessive attachments, living in our heads, even with spirit.
6	intuition, lucid dreams. wisdom, vision, imagination. spiritual gifts	denial, Maya as covering	illusion. Maya intellect alone
5	speak my truth, integrity, resonant full voice, sense of timing and rhythm, surrender	how to put into words, wallflower, secretive, don’t want people to know who I am.	gossip doesn’t know when to be silent, talks too much
4	unconditional love and bliss, social and spiritual identity, empathy, accepting	Fear of intimacy, afraid to be vulnerable	A people pleaser, not rock the boat, martyr, actor in the drama
3	Disciple to stay balanced, confident, energetic, responsible, reliable, the rock.	Submissive, not making choices for self. Follower	Controlling, over competitive, dominating, hyper, showing off, always right.
2	Passion for life, embrace change, enjoy pleasure. Sexual satisfaction. Ability to flow with life. Graceful. Emotional intelligence. Spiritual maturity.	Avoid pleasure, fear of sexuality, lack of passion. Emotional numbness, Poor social skills, uncertainty. Boredom & depression.	Too fast. Addictions (substance & relationships), obsessive attachments, emotional dependencies. Large mood swings
1	Feel grounded, strong physical and emotional sense, physical health, comfortable in body, solid, live in now. Order, cleanliness, prosperous, can sit still	Flighty, vague, maybe, restlessness, difficulty manifesting	obsessing about health and order, lethargic, always wanting, workaholic, hoarding, excess spending, resistance to change, fear and anxiety

Bhairava Mudra!

Myths and Resistance.

Count

One of the things you’ll run into is variations in chakra count. Some will suggest 5 or 9 or 14 or even 22. They may include the feet or other centers in the head, for example. This is because there are both major and minor centers, plus different ways of looking. Same reason the meridians are described a little differently than the nadis. It simply depends on how you’re looking and what you’re counting.

I describe 7 for several reasons. Primarily because this is the way creation becomes and using the principle as above, so below, it’s clear that this fits here. Also, unlike other chakras, the 7 are pre-created and are the ones met by the Ida and Pingala.

Towards the end, I describe why 7 in more detail. I also talk about how the 7 can be seen as 12 when divinity descends.

Myths

The biggest issue is the idea that the kundalini energy needs to be pushed. From what I’ve seen, that’s a bad idea as you can cook your nervous system.

Secondly, it is through the spirit that we awaken, not through energy manipulation. It is perfectly possible to awaken before the kundalini is completely clear.

The better approach is to work on infusing transcendence and clearing our resistance. The Kundalini will rise naturally when sufficient purification and refinement has taken place. I’ll review that shortly.

I appreciate that there are whole systems devoted to awakening the kundalini energy. But there’s the big difference between techniques to clear and techniques to push. Kundalini may bring some flashy experiences, but that stuff can be a trap. In the original teaching I studied, these subjects were barely mentioned.

Some suggest the 7 states of consciousness correspond to the awakening 7 chakras, but this is not true. Self-realization, the 5th state, already involves transcending the 7th chakra. 

Some suggest mind or ego or some other function is associated with a specific chakra. These are effects of a blend of energy, not a specific chakra. See above.

Some people describe the ascent of kundalini energy as a symptom of awakening. Really it is simply a symptom of awakening kundalini, rising prana in clearing channels. For some people, the clearing will be gentle. For others, there may be some big flash. That just means it cleared more suddenly. Many people will experience only minor energy events. Twitches, warming, and so forth.

Also, the chakras often don’t “flower” sequentially from the bottom. I know people that were more or less backward. It depends on where you may have been storing your resistance and where you give your attention. Some are clear above and blocked below, some the other way around. I discuss some symptoms or a little of how to tell in Part 4.

Some people may experience the energy “uncoiling” and rising the spine. Or simply a great deal of ‘fire’ in one area. But this is more about clearing. When the way is clear, it will flow smoothly.

It’s also important to understand that this is not just about clearing the main line. This is also about clearing the other thousands of energy channels. As with all growth and development, it’s not a tidy linear thing.

Some will suggest to you that you must conserve your kundalini energy because it’s limited in some way. Have sex, and it won’t rise to divinity. As I outlined prior, Hogwash. For one, kundalini is almost unlimited when it is clear. For another, it will flow easily from one to another use, especially if the channels are fairly clear.

The issue with sex or food or anything else is quality over quantity. You want to consume with quality and you want to avoid over or under stimulating yourself too much. Moderation in all things.

Posture is another one. Good posture is healthy for the physiology. But it has nothing to do with subtle energy. Remember, the main line is straight whatever position you’re in. Comfort, not strain is the way to peace.

Some describe the energy flow as being blocked. This is rarely the case. The flow is simply restricted. Like blood flow in clogged arteries. Has to slow down or go around. Creates friction. Not flowing smoothly and freely through us.

Some suggest the intersections of the Ida and Pingala created the chakras, similar to the way the others are by the meetings of nadis. And there is a way to see it like this, but the higher view shows the 7 coming in first and the Ida and Pingala twining because of them. I talk about why in Part 5.

Resistance

I talk a lot about resistance on this blog. How we hold or push against our experiences. These holdings are stored “physically” in our energy system. Some describe them as literal knots in the nadis. We can even experience them like this, as lump-like knots in places like the shoulders. Those muscles are pulling tight from energy stimulation.

In Sanskrit, the word for such knots is Granthi. However, this is often used to refer to primary knots in the main sushumna, even to 3 primary places they’re found. As this varies by person and there are many secondary channels to clear also, this approach is an overemphasis on certain experiences. I’ve also found that major blockages are often between chakras, not in the vortexes themselves. No hard and fast rules here. But you may become aware of constriction, a crust, or some general muckiness to be cleared.

These knots can be formed for any number of reasons:
– physical injury
– emotional traumas
– psychological resistance
– any kind of incomplete healing
– drugs can plug things up
– poor diet
– pretty much anything excessive
– pretty much any kind of avoidance
– stress
– resistant beliefs
– the ego and identity structures
– karmic carry-overs, known as samskaras or past impressions.

In other words, much of our baggage, history, and personhood is stored in our energy body. For most people, the bulk is held in the lower bodies but there are bits scattered all over. Some quite physical, some more subtle, like the identity.

One of the reasons people recommend meditation is because it offers the experience of transcendence. Another reason, and why I recommend effortless meditation, is that it brings deep rest to the physiology, allowing it to relax, to let go of the holding. This allows the nadis to unblock and the energy to flow freely again.

At one point, I thought of karma and stress as synonymous. However, karma simply means action. Stress is resistance, its opposite. However, the aspect of stress that causes us to repeat poor habitual behaviors is the mechanism that keeps us on what is known as the “wheel of karma”, the rotating cycle of repeating unresolved, resisted experiences.

We will have clearing taking place through any sort of healing process. Much of it will be like tiny shifts. But sometimes, we may feel tingling, heating or cooling of a specific area, muscle twitches and jerks, sudden brief intense emotions, and so forth. If a large blockage clears, we can sometimes feel discomfort while the cruddy energy moves out. That’s a good time to lie down for a few minutes to let any off feelings pass.

If you experience a sudden chakra opening, they can be quite powerful. Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi talks about the awakening 2nd. The heart being the seat of the soul and pure love can also be very profound. I’ll explore this more a little further on. Just be reminded that flash is not necessary and is not the important part. Flash just means contrast. Most flash arises because of a sudden change rather than a more gradual, smooth opening. That’s all.

After we do some serious clearing, there can be a sense of a lightened load, greater inner light, relief, more energy, and sometimes a sense of peace or happiness.

The Bodies and Energies.

Bodies

While all this energy moves about in subtle and gross channels, it creates what we think of as our “body”. But there is also what one might call field effects that interact with the chakra energies, producing what some call subtle “bodies”. Best way to think about it is that chakras are the roots of the divine in us and the bodies are those roots working at different resolutions. (I avoid using frequencies as that’s misleading)

The bodies are not the bodies of each chakra but bodies of a general resolution or level of density. The chakra energies work at all resolutions, although lower ones are more prominent at the denser energies and vice versa.

The Upanishads refer to these bodies or fields as the 7 purushas. The lower ones are sometimes called koshas or sheaths. Purusha is sometimes a term used to describe the one cosmic being or the soul or consciousness. In fact, there is only one purusha. But at different resolutions, it appears to be separate people with separate energy bodies. Simply put, the more consciousness is focused, the more localized it seems to be.

Purusha	is	includes	practice
Annamaya	food	etheric, physical	Hatha yoga
	5 elements: earth, water, fire, air, space
Pranamaya	prana	vital, emotional, sub-con.	Pranayama
	5 pranas: breath, elimination, voice, metabolism, circulation
Manonmaya	lower mind	ideas, mental forms, vital mind	Meditation
	5 Indriyas or sense impressions (subtle senses)
Vijnanamaya	higher mind	illumined, intuitive, intellect	Study
Anandamaya	bliss	the gap	(bliss)
Chaitya	soul	witness in the heart	(heart)
Sat	one	the one, consciousness	(oneness)

Sat leads to Sat Chit Ananda, full Self-realization.

Don’t get the idea that the bodies are separate. They are more like a rainbow of light, gradually shifting energies but with certain distinct qualities like the color bands. Each layer can be sub-divided into sub-layers in various ways, like a vital-mind overlapping mind with emotions. They also interpenetrate, so models calling for things like a physical-mental level as an awareness of the body is unnecessary as the mental body interpenetrates the physical.

[Update: recently ran into a reference to Chittamaya kosha and Atmamaya Kosha. These would not be recognized by some as they are typically seen as infinite, for example. However, in higher stages, even Atman is recognized as a kosha. ]

You’ll notice that ideas like “thoughts” and “emotions” occur at several resolutions. If you’ve had much meditation experience, you’ll recognize thoughts can be subtle or gross, as can feelings. What we call “mind” is a blend of energies.

There are a lot of other names for the subtle bodies, some I’ve used on this blog. A typical model is:

Physical

Etheric

Vital or emotional, sometimes called astral (widely abused term)

Mental or causal

Soul

In the above model, Annamaya includes the Physical and Etheric. Pranamaya is the vital/ emotional, and the higher mind would be the causal. There is clearly a strong relationship between the chakras and purushas, even if it isn’t directly 1:1. The Purushas are the divine flowing into form.

It’s less useful to call what’s above Anandamaya as a “body” as they’re not local. Bliss is on the edge of the “gap” or transcendent, placing anything beyond that pre-manifest. However, the soul body can be said to be the Purusha of the universe, sometimes called Hiranya Garbha or golden egg.

Pranas or Energies

Prana, life force or chi is another concept that’s almost universal. It is pneuma in Greek, ruah in Hebrew, mana in Polynesian.

Like the organs of action, pranas arise from the rajas guna of Prakriti. Yet prana itself is the energy that causes the gunas to move. Prana is the movement of Prakriti or nature. Prana is one but subdivides into 5 types. Prakriti itself is Shakti, the feminine aspect of God. Shakti might be defined as divine intention. We could also say prana is stirred by observation of Prakriti by Purusha. Purusha is Shiva, the male aspect of God.

Thus we can see pranas arise on the observed side whereas the purushas & chakras arise from the observer side. This is not a real difference but is perceived as such until well into unity.

Pranas are most dense in the Annamaya Purusha but most obvious in the vital body. Yet they operate in more subtle forms through the emotions and mind too. By the bliss body, it’s falling back into the source. It has the quality of air (movement) but can be seen to associate with other elements. Different pranas are also associated with general areas of the body and generally associated with a chakra. When they flow freely enough, they rise in volume up to the Sushumna, and one has “kundalini experiences”.

Prana	function	use	movement	element	chakra
Prana	breathing	assimilation, primary life force	forward, inward	air	heart
Apana	elimination	excretory, exhalation, reproduction	downward	earth	root
Udana	voice	evolutionary, will, mind	upward	space	throat
Samana	metabolism	digestion, growth, discrimination	balancing	fire	navel
Vyana	circulation	nutrients, thoughts	outward	water	nadis, 2nd

The different pranas create the different organs and aspects of the physical body. There is an association in the table with the mentioned elements and chakras, but this is generalized. Some further differentiate sub-types, such as 7 pranas in the head.

Some people can see the flow of prana as auras, especially the Samana prana. These are typically aspects of the etheric and vital bodies. Some people can see or “sense” deeper purushas although I’ve not corroborated which sorts of glows (golden, white, etc.) correspond with which purushas.

“A yogi, perfectly understanding Prana, and who can control it, would have control of the universe. All nature would be under his control.”
— Charlie Lutes

We’re built of energy and divine bodies, flowing through a point of observation. Next, we’ll explore how Myths and Resistance fit in.

By Davidya