Every year the Watkin’s magazine publishes the names of the top 100 spiritual teachers on the planet. Bend it like Budhha yoga in Portimao, Portugal wanted to see what some of these teachers have to say about Kundalini and spiritual awakening.Our students also enjoy learning more about this topic in our Philosophy classes during the 200 hour teacher training courses so we thought to have a look at what the top spiritual leaders have to say.
Have you ever seen the world with an expansive vision? The enlightenment of understanding can come from feeling whole and complete and at the same time sensing how others are interpreting the world around them. This expansive vision can come through from a Kundalini awakening. Kundalini is a term that is used to refer to our vital force, prana or energy we all hold within us. This universally acknowledged and deeply ingrained potent source of energy is also recognised with a number of different labels such as Holy Spirit, Shakti and based on a contextual belief system. The identification or name is not important here because this potent, vibrational force which is the catalyst for this bliss does not have words to describe it. As soon as you try to name it. The experience is gone…poof!
The aim of Kundalini is to awaken the potent, serpentine energy within oneself and thus, those who decide to pursue this practice of connecting to this powerful energy are said to be rewarded with higher conscious awareness and thus, spiritual enlightenment (Taylor, 2015).
Kundalini awakening is a process of experiencing specific energy that is associated with the resolution of all of the issues, conditioning patterns, emotional trauma, pain ect… Over the last few years, there are more transcendental experiences which yoga students have been experiencing. For example, one moment you are meditating peacefully and the next you feel out of body and one with all living things and in ecstasy. This is normal and is a part of the yoga journey and a level of awakening. Feeling happy to be alive is our birthright! These students have had their Kundalini awakening from different perspectives or practices and have gone to live healthy and productive lives.
The concept of Kundalini activation comes to the consciousness that has been dormant and coiled at the base of the spine since birth and that is the source of life force. Yoga science has suggested that Kundalini may arise as a result of spiritual practices or may be in response to life events. One can find the acknowledgement of this spiritual experience in many yogic and tantric traditions (Field, 2016).
More and more people are coming forward and are sharing their very personal experiences with this other worldy dimension to the world. There are countless people, spiritual leaders, activists, authors and scientists that have played an important role in changing the world and thus are known as the most spiritually influential living people (de Castro, 2015). These people are assisting with the evolution of human beings to reach a higher state of consciousness. That is, they are assisting us to transcend from the dense material, fear-based survival mode into a joyful, peaceful and love-based higher frequency dimension.
According to Andrew Weil, “What part of ourselves needs to evaporate in order to concentrate on our essence? What do we have to let go?” Dalai Lama, a Tibetan Buddhist Monk has been inspiring through his words of spiritual wisdom for decades. One of his famous quotes “Nothing is permanent” make us believe that the problems in life are temporary and one can easily go through them by not being overly-sensitive or over-reactive. At our 200 hour Ashtanga and Vinyasa teacher training we teach a variety of meditation and pranayama practices daily to help cultivate peace starting from within.
The Watkin’s top 100 spiritual leaders and other such personalities are contributing their part in assuring that awakening to a higher dimensional vision of ourselves and the world we live in continues to grow.
“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” (Desmond Tutu)
According to David Lynch, “The thing about meditation is: You become more and more you”. On the other hand, Alejandro Jodorowsky has highlighted that
“Awakening is not a thing. It is not a goal, not a concept. It is not something to be attained. It is metamorphosis”.
Since yoga is originally taught as a route of enlightenment, those who are interested in enlightenment are now seeking out Kundalini -style yoga as their yoga practice of choice. For the discovery of your own Kundalini energy, focus on your breath, sit up straight and reject negativity by focusing on some of the more positive aspects of life (Taylor, 2015). Be sure to move your body through exercise, walk along in nature, watch the sunset, activate your interest and enjoy every day.
Kundalini awakening, itself, is not dangerous but forcing oneself may harm yourself. The krya practices, techniques and methods are not to play foolishly with. This is very powerful stuff!
Please remember to have good body awareness and be aware of how you are feeling. Your body and emotions are your compass with these practices.
A person experiencing Kundalini awakening may experience physical (headache, increased heart rate etc.) and mental (fear, anxiety, irrational thoughts etc.) kinds of symptoms (Jindani and Khalsa, 2015).
According to Caroline Myss, “What drains your spirit drains your body. What fuels your spirit fuels your body.” Hamza Yusuf, on the other hand, has quoted that “Reality of things is hidden in the realm of the unseen”. Kundalini yoga awakening, when done with proper preparation, can play a significant part in activating your Shakti and balancing your body, mind and soul.
References
- de Castro, J.M., 2015. Meditation has stronger relationships with mindfulness, kundalini, and mystical experiences than yoga or prayer. Consciousness and cognition, 35, pp.115-127.
- Field, T., 2016. Yoga research review. Complementary therapies in clinical practice, 24, pp.145-161.
- Jindani, F.A. and Khalsa, G.F.S., 2015. A yoga intervention program for patients suffering from symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder: A qualitative descriptive study. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 21(7), pp.401-408.
- Taylor, S., 2015. ENERGY AND AWAKENING: A PSYCHO-SEXUAL INTERPRETATION OF KUNDALINI AWAKENING. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 47(2).
