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Awakening the Kundalini Shakti

What is the Kundalini Shakti?
The Kundalini Shakti is the stuff legends stem from. It's mired in mythology, abstract spirituality and occult mysticism. But let's dispel all that and hear what yoga has to say.

The Kundalini Shakti (aka prana, chi, energy) is the power that lies dormant in the Muladhara chakra (at the base of the spine). It resembles a sleeping serpent coiled 3 1/2 times facing down. When awakened, it rises up through the Sushumna nadi (the central energy pathway, like spinal cord is the central pathway of the nervous system), activating the major Chakras (energy hubs) until it reaches the Ajna chakra (Third Eye). When this happens, a higher level of consciousness is reached and Siddhis (psychic abilities) are realized. But how do you awaken the sleeping Kundalini shakti?

Consciousness in Prana
Essentially, Kundalini being energy, is like electricity. But unlike electricity which is pure energy, Kundalini or prana for that matter has consciousness or an inherent intelligence to it.

Breath and Pranayama
Air is not the source of prana
Breath and prana are closely related to each other. When you understand this by heart, everything in yoga makes more sense. But there is a lot of misconception here. Because Pranayama (regulated breathing) activates Prana (energy), yoga practitioners (me included at one point), think that we get energy from the air we breathe. That is not true even though it seems like it.

We are born with a finite amount of Prana which we deplete as we live our day-to-day lives. When our Prana is completely depleted, there is no more life force left in us, and therefore, we die. So breathing per se, does not add prana in our system - otherwise, we can live indefinitely.

It's actually the other way around. Breathing is the physical manifestation of Prana - because we are activating our prana, therefore we are able to breathe. Putting it another way, regulating our breathing (Pranayama), activates the energy that already resides within us. Air is not an external source of energy.

Where does all that excess energy come from?
Then how come we become insanely strong when doing Pranayama, if not from the air we regulate from breathing? Actually, these are the questions that have long plagued me until I got the answers many years later. We have massive amounts of energy within us, but lie dormant, in the same way the Kundalini shakti remains dormant until awakened. Science even says every cell in our body pacts 1.4 volts of energy (depending on your reading source, it ranges from .07 to 1.5 volts). We have 50 trillion cells in our body. Can you imagine how much energy that is? Putting it in context using Einstein's relativity equation of E=mc², it takes little mass to produce an enormous amount of energy. The energy unleashed by the atomic bomb that incinerated Hiroshima and Nagasaki only took a mass the size of 1/4 of one nickel - a quarter of your fingernail.

Things to Know about Prana (energy)

1. Nadis - prana flows through energy pathways called Nadis. There are 72,000 Nadis in our bodies, of which the Sushumna is the most important. When Nadis are blocked, Prana cannot pass through and we undergo what is commonly called "getting sick"
2. Ida and Pingala Nadis - after the Sushumna, the Ida (moon, female, chandra, right brain hemisphere) and the Pingala (sun, male, surya, left brain hemisphere) are the 2 most important Nadis. When we move prana upwards along the Ida nadi, we inhale. When we move prana down the Pingla nadi, we exhale. Breathing is the result of prana moving and not the other way around
3. Prana, Mind, Matter - Prana is closely associated with mind and matter. Every one of them affects the other. It is best to see them as a singularity with just different functions
4. Chakra - prana crisscrosses along the spine through 7 energy hubs called the Chakras. This activates the Chakras and different Chakras give rise to different Siddhis
5. -

The 5 Yogas and Kundalini
There are a few types of yoga and here's how Kundalini plays a role in it. They differ in their methodology but somehow aim for the same objective - lifting the veil of ignorance and opening consciousness to a singularity and pushing away the sense of separation (I am better than the next guy, I'm doing this for my own selfish benefit, I don't care about other people, I'm full already but let me eat a little bit more, ).....that we are the same.

1. Hatha yoga - championed by the Nath yogis, they maintain that Kundalini shakti can be awakened by generating heat by fusing Apana vayu & Prana vayu in the Muladhara chakra through Mula bandha & Uddiyana bandha. The heat awakens the Kundalini and it penetrates the Sushumna nadi (located alongside the spinal cord) on its ascent up towards the Ajna chakra.
   
   In short, it takes Pranayama, Kumbhaka, and Bandha (energy locks) to awaken Kundalini and push it up.
2. Raja yoga - Patanjali's yoga sutras are the best examples of Raja yoga - the yoga of the mind. In this tradition, the kundalini is awakened and pulled up by sharpening the mind to have a single-pointed focus.
   
   This is achieved through Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi.
3. Jnana yoga - yoga of knowledge, using the powers of the mind to discern the real from the unreal. Through knowledge, understanding and reasoning, the layers of reality are sifted through until absolute reality becomes apparent. This pursuit for self-realization through knowledge, also awakens Kundalini
4. Bhakti yoga - yoga of devotion to the divine. This entails complete trust and surrender. Again, when this pursuit reveals the singularity of everything and removes duality, Kundalini awakens
5. Karma yoga - yoga of selfless action for the benefit of others. In short, it's service to humanity - like what Mother Theresa has done all her life. I'm not even sure if you have to do any Downward Dog or Pranayama on this one, but this devotion to service awakens Kundalini

2 Ways to Awaken Kundalini

1. Pushing from below - Hatha Yoga is known for this. From Muladhara chakra, Kundalini is awakened and pushed up through Pranayama + Kumbhaka + Bandha. Asanas also activate the chakras along the spine which help pushes up the ascending Kundalini. Chanting also activates the heart chakra and push up the upward Kundalini
2. Pulling from above - Raja Yoga is a good example. Through meditation, the yoga of the mind, the Kundalini is magnetized upwards to the Sahasrara chakra on top of the head.
3. Small Deeds, small awakening - Kundalini awakening isn't necessarily a one-moment event. Moreover, the little practice marginally awakens Kundalini...the chant, the asana, the mudra, the daily practice, the positive thought, tapas, etc. This is why people who have a long practice testify that over time, they have developed clarity of thinking, strength, resilience from disease, radiance, and divine lustre. Every good thing done amounts to the awakening of Kundalini

Should Kundalini be Awakened?
Yes, BUT! Kundalini is a validation of our spiritual journey. There are specific practices geared towards speedy activation of Kundalini. It's not a question of whether we can or cannot activate Kundalini. The more compelling question is, "Is the practitioner ready for a Kundalini awakening?". When Kundalini awakens, Nada sounds are heard, hideous-looking dieties become visible and interactable. A person's mental imbalance and emotional disturbance are amplified. Any unresolved personal trauma is reignited. This is HUGE. If the person is not ready (and I've heard of such accounts), they can freak out. It's best not to rush the Kundalini awakening, but simply to keep going deeper into the yoga practice. When the person is ready, Kundalini will awaken on its own...and the person is strong enough by then to handle the energetic surges and reality shifts.

Beginner Kundalini Awakening Exercise

1. Asana - do some kind of stretching + asana
2. Padmasana or Siddhasana - sit with a straight spine
3. Double in-Breath - do a double in-breath and hold, activate the 3 chakras
4. Double out-Breath - do a double out-breath and empty the lungs. Repeat the above until you cannot
5. Sambhavi mudra - still seated, resume normal breathing and bring awareness on the 3rd eye. Feel the Kundalini being awakened and being pulled up
6. The above routine encompasses Hatha Yoga (asana + pranayama + kumbhaka + bandha) and Raja Yoga (Sambhavi mudra meditation)

Ending Thoughts
Even though Kundalini awakening should not be the goal (let's face it, Kundalini awakening means Siddhi activation which can be intoxifying according to yogic text), as a yoga practitioner pushing boundaries to experience what lies ahead, includes that phase of Kundalini awakening. Yes, I want to experience what it's like when that happens. I won't deny the ego this desire entails or the curiosity of playing God when Siddhis are activated. That's part of my humanity and I offer no apologies nor feel shame for having that thought at the back of my mind.

When that happens and I develop my Siddhis, my analogy is more like being given a Lamborghini to play with. Yes, I will take it on the Autobahn and floor it. After a few days, I'm sure I'd be satiated and I'd bring my senses back to normal. I'd probably give away the Lamborghini since it already played its role. That's how Kundalini awakening comes across to me at this point.

I don't really know what I will do when that happens. Even if that never happens, it's ok. My yoga practice has given me many gifts already...strength, clarity of thinking, resilience from disease, delayed aging, vitality, harmony with my universe, acceptance of things I cannot change or fix, etc. This is plenty. I'm privileged already. But having said that, if Kundalini awakening is offered, I won't say no.

--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

Kundalini Resources

1. Kundalini Consortium - how and why kundalini, neuroplasticity, distance healing, mindfulness, meditation, near-death and out-of-body experience, and other metaphysical phenomena occur and how they influence evolution, creativity, and biology (DNA)

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Siquijor Island Map

Siquijor - Cebu (Liloan) - Cebu City BUS Trip

(as of Jan 2023)

There is only one bus plying this route - Sugbo Urban. Tourist class coach, a/c, comfortable, Sun-Fri (these dates keep changing). P420 for bus, P275 for ferry to Liloan. Larena Port around 5 am, makes a clockwise roundtrip around Siquijor Island - Larena, Enrique Villanueva, Maria, Lazi (stops at Lazi market for breakfast and leaves 6:50 am), San Juan, Siquijor (arrives 8am, P50 from Lazi to Siquijor Poblacion) and catches the 1pm ferry at Larena Port (Sundays at 3 pm) for Liloan, Cebu and resumes its land route. Arrives Cebu City (South Bus Terminal) 10 pm.

Sugbo Urban is the cheapest and most convenient way because it goes around the island (clockwise) along the circumferential road, passing through - Enrique Villanueva, Maria, Lazi, San Juan, Siquijor...and back to Larena where it takes the ferry at 1 pm. This saves you the hassle and high transport cost of a tricycle. Besides, it's a long trip from the other side of the island to be taking by tricycle.

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