The teachings and writing in this article comes directly from Swami Tadatmananda from the Arsha Bodha Center. There is a lot of new ager thought about this school of practice, so to the intention of creating this article was primarily to satisfy my curiosity on the matter. Swami Tadatmananda recounts what the original texts wrote about the practice and explores both objective and subjective experiences. Key points bolded.
In ancient India, the holy sages, known as rishis, sought enlightenment by exploring within their bodies and minds to discover the supreme divinity hidden deep inside. Their remarkable insights and the special techniques they devised were recorded in Sanskrit scriptures called upanishads. A total of 108 upanishads are included in the Vedas, the main scriptures for all Hindu religious and spiritual practices. Twenty of those upanishads are dedicated to the theory and practice of kundalini yoga. Those yoga upanishads are the ultimate source for the entire body of teachings on kundalini yoga.
Kundalini yoga became well-known in the West largely as the result of a 1967 book in which Gopi Krishna described his amazing experiences of kundalini. Gopi Krishna was a government employee from North India whose intense meditation had awakened his dormant kundalini with astonishing and sometimes harrowing results. His book reached the shores of America just at the time when the hippies had taken great interest, both in Hindu mysticism and in psychedelic experiences from hallucinogenic drugs like LSD. Gopi Krishna's mind-bending encounters with kundalini seemed to resemble the LSD experiences of the hippies, and this perhaps, attracted them to kundalini yoga. When spiritual teachings leave the lands of their origin and are retold in different cultures and in different languages, they're subject to being revised or altered in various ways. Some changes are necessary, like the translation of Sanskrit scriptures into English. But other changes can muddle or distort the meaning of the original texts. And, all too often, spiritual teachings become totally corrupted when they're misinterpreted by people whose perspectives are utterly foreign to the originals. For example, a famous book on the seven chakras written by C.W. Leadbeater was filled with Western occultism and doctrines of the Theosophical Society of which Leadbeater was member. Carl Jung, the famous psychoanalyst, gave a seminar on kundalini yoga as a method for individuation, which is a special therapeutic process he devised. More recently, Yogi Bhajan brought his highly personalized version of kundalini yoga from India to the United States, replacing its traditional Sanskrit mantras with others from his own Sikh religion.
Westernized versions of the chakras present them in hues of the rainbow instead of their traditional colors, and associate them with emotions, which the rishis never intended. The New Age movement has commodified the chakras, using them to advertise crystals, colorful stones, scented oils, and self-improvement seminars… The rishis seem to have deliberately left many details up to the imagination of practitioners, and this suggests that the rishis' creative use of deliberate superimposition could legitimately be used by later practitioners as well. Based on this, modern adaptations, like rainbow-hued chakras, could certainly be considered acceptable, so I have to reconsider my earlier condemnation of what I called, distortions and misrepresentations of contemporary Western yogis. If a particular adaptation is truly helpful for practitioners, then it need not be criticized. But we can't be naive; not all adaptations are helpful. Some might even be detrimental, like modifications introduced by unqualified teachers or by gurus with ulterior motives like those who charge a fee for shaktipaat.
Students with intense physical reactions to Kundalini were taught that whenever a chakra is pierced, kundalini will produce spontaneous vocalizations and body movements. This isn't taught in the yoga upanishads. But when students are led to believe that occasional shrieks and jerks are sure signs of progress, a suggestion is planted in their minds that can trigger reactions later. Psychologists say that suggestions like these work in the same way as placebos. A patient's trust in a doctor enables a placebo to actually produce desirable effects. Similarly, student's trust in a guru enables meditation to produce reactions like those we observed. Swami Dayananda was highly critical of the way kundalini yoga is usually taught, and he put the blame on the problem of experience seeking. He said, many modern gurus put far too much emphasis on gaining spiritual experiences, and not enough emphasis on gaining spiritual wisdom. All experiences are temporary, including experiences of kundalini. After a powerful spiritual experience comes and goes, you might remain utterly unchanged, unless you actually learn something from that experience.
If enlightenment is gained through spiritual knowledge, then what's the point of raising your kundalini and piercing your chakras? To answer this, we have to discern two distinct factors that are required to accomplish anything, factors the rishis called primary cause and secondary cause. If you want to make rotis for lunch from flour and water, the primary cause is fire, since a fire's heat can bake bread. A stove and pan are also needed, but they don't produce heat, so they're considered secondary causes. For any goal, primary and secondary causes are both necessary (reflected by Shiva and Shakti); without a fire, stove, or pan, you won't have any rotis to eat. This demonstrates an important point: Spiritual knowledge is the primary cause for enlightenment, because it can remove the veil of ignorance and reveal the divinity within. But yoga is the secondary cause. So, without yoga, enlightenment is impossible. Both spiritual knowledge and yoga are required, as the Yoga Tattva Upanishad says: Without yogic practice, how can spiritual knowledge free you from suffering? Without spiritual knowledge, how can yogic practice free you from suffering? Both are required for liberation. Many kinds of yogic practices can help you gain enlightenment, including karma yoga – selfless service, raja yoga - meditation, bhakti yoga - devotion, hatha yoga - postures and breathing exercises, and of course, kundalini yoga.
The nadis and pranas are not material in nature; they're subtle, non- tangible. Your brain is tangible; it weighs about two pounds. But your mind is not tangible; it has no size or weight. In the same way, the nadis and pranas are non-tangible, subtle, unlike the nerves and blood vessels in your body. There are three main nadis, the sushumna which rises inside your spine from its base to the crown of the head, the ida, which terminates at your left nostril, and the pingala, which terminates at your right nostril.
Do chakras and nadis actually exist inside our bodies, or are they just concepts envisioned by the rishis long ago? When addressing this question, many scholars and practitioners fall into the trap of treating nadis and chakras identically: either both are real, or both are imagined. But, this assumption turns out to be incorrect. First of all, nadis belong to a pre-scientific model of the human nervous system, but the seven chakras are not part of that model, because chakras are not involved in channeling prana throughout the body. Nadis direct the flow of prana, not chakras, which serve a very different purpose. To understand how chakras are different, consider this: Nadis are widely referred to in all 108 upanishads, but chakras are mentioned mostly in the 20 yoga upanishads. This shows that that chakras have a more specialized role than nadis, a role specific to the practice of kundalini yoga. What is that role? Chakras are richly symbolic forms that have been envisioned by the rishis and deliberately superimposed on the body for the sake of meditation, like the deities and sacred places in the body imagined during the practice of inner pilgrimage. Deliberate superimposition, of this sort, is widely used, like when we superimpose the God of the cosmos on statues standing barely three feet tall, or when we superimpose monetary value on little bits of paper. Such symbolism is powerful and useful, as it is in kundalini yoga, when chakras and their associated deities are deliberately superimposed at locations along the spine to serve as focal points for meditation. Now we can see the difference between nadis and chakras. Nadis are part of a model for the human nervous system, which obviously exists. Chakras, on the other hand, are deliberately superimposed on the body, and are to be visualized during meditation. To explain this difference, scholars say we have to differentiate between descriptive statements and prescriptive statements. Descriptive statements describe the nature of existent things, whereas prescriptive statements prescribe or specify what we should or shouldn't do. When we interpret scriptures, it's crucial to correctly determine which statements are descriptive and which are prescriptive. Many modern practitioners believe that chakras truly exist inside their bodies. Fortunately, this belief is extremely helpful in the practice of kundalini yoga. To believe in the divinity of a three-foot tall statue on an altar helps people pray. To believe that these little bits of paper are valuable helps us buy things. And to believe that chakras truly exist inside the body helps practitioners meditate. All these beliefs are helpful. The value of a belief is not in its veracity, but in its ability to help us. Beliefs are not right or wrong; they are helpful or harmful. And to believe in the existence of chakras is an exceedingly helpful belief, one that need not be challenged or dismissed.
****The creation of the universe is said to result from the union of Shiva, the masculine principle, and Shakti, the feminine principle. Here, Shiva and Shakti are not the four-armed deities familiar to Hindus. Shiva is the fabric of reality that gives existence to everything, like clay gives existence to pots and bowls. Because clay is inert, a separate creative force is needed to transform it into various objects. Similarly, Shiva lacks the creative force needed to produce the universe. Only when Shiva is accompanied by Shakti's infinite creative power can the universe arise. Shakti infuses everything in the cosmos with energy, including every atom in your body. In this way, Shakti is present within you, and it is this inner presence that is called kundalini shakti.
Some contend that kundalini yoga is a self-sufficient means for liberation or enlightenment. But, all forms of yoga, including kundalini yoga, are secondary causes for enlightenment. To get enlightened through kundalini yoga alone is like making rotis with a pan and stove, but no fire. The primary cause for enlightenment is spiritual knowledge, which removes the veil of ignorance and reveals your true nature. Kundalini yoga helps you gain that knowledge by leading you to a state of meditative absorption known as samadhi. Samadhi is the goal of many meditation techniques, and for good reason. In that state of absorption, all distracting mental activities are removed, and all that remains is you, your true nature, stripped of everything that's not you. After emerging from samadhi, you have an opportunity to grasp a life-changing lesson from that unique experience -- that your true nature is pure consciousness, utterly independent of your body, mind, and the world around you. In this way, the state of samadhi produced by kundalini yoga can be a gateway to enlightenment.
I fell into a state of absorption, samadhi, just like I had many times before using other techniques. Samadhi is somewhat like being blissfully immersed in deep sleep, except that you remain fully awake. When you wake up from sleep, you know you slept; when you emerge from samadhi, you know you were absorbed. Anyone who experiences samadhi for the first time will find it a great achievement. And anyone who discovers their true nature to be pure consciousness, utterly independent of the mind, body, and world, will find this recognition to be absolutely life changing. Without doubt, many practitioners of kundalini yoga have reached these great heights and were blessed by their efforts. But my prior practice has already blessed me in these ways, so my experience of kundalini's triumphant ascent seemed to lack the tremendous intensity that other practitioners describe.
This technique is rather complex, so it needs lots of time to learn and practice. More than that, kundalini yoga seems like a difficult way to gain a state of absorption that can more easily be reached through other techniques. But then, if there are easier paths to samadhi, why is kundalini yoga so widely taught? Its popularity is very likely in response to the problem of experience seeking. The pursuit of worldly experiences can prevent people from seeking spiritual growth. But, if kundalini yoga promises them exciting new experiences, they might consider practicing it. Then, their practice could lead them to realize that something far more valuable than exciting experiences is within reach. Such a recognition could wean them away from experience seeking, and incline them to pursue enlightenment instead
It's often called bellows breath, because of its vigorous exhalations. Bellows are used to force air into a fire to raise its temperature. Bhastrika pranayama certainly raised my temperature; it's very energizing. With each exhalation, I also pulsed my abdomen muscles, which shook the organs inside the trunk of my body, where the muladhara chakra is located. This shaking is said to help wake up the serpent sleeping there.
Our inner pilgrimage begins with the muladhara chakra at the base of the spine. Mula means root, and this chakra is the root or starting place for this practice. Each of the lowest five chakras represent one of the five elements known in ancient times - earth, water, fire, air, and space - from the most gross, earth, to the most subtle, space. Inside the muladhara chakra, the element earth is represented by a yellow square. It's interesting that the yoga upanishads specify colors for each of the five elements, but they say nothing about the color of each chakra.
The svadhisthana chakra, also known as the sacral chakra. Svadhisthana means the seat of existence, and this chakra is fittingly located at your seat, the sacrum. It has six petals and is associated with the element water, which is represented by a white crescent moon. Vam is the mantra for the element water. The deity abiding in this chakra is Vishnu, God in its aspect as sustainer of the universe. Just as the element water sustains life, Vishnu sustains the world.
Manipura means abode of gems. It's also called nabhi chakra, because it's located behind the nabhi or navel. It not accurate to call it solar plexus chakra, because that plexus is located well above the navel. The manipura chakra has ten petals and is associated with the element fire, which is represented by a red triangle. Ram is the mantra for the element fire. The deity abiding in this chakra is Rudra, a fierce aspect of Shiva, usually depicted as a warrior or hunter.
Anahata chakra, the so-called heart chakra, located along the spine at chest level. Anahata means that which cannot be struck, injured or killed, referring to one's soul. This chakra has twelve petals and is associated with the element air, aptly so, being near the lungs. The element air is represented by a smoky, six-pointed figure. Yam is the mantra for the element air. The deity abiding in the anahata chakra is a beneficent form of Shiva, depicted as looking in all directions simultaneously, to bless everyone. Shiva is often called god of destruction, but it might be more accurate to call him, god of transformation, purification, and growth, since all these depend on the destruction of a prior condition, so a new and better state can arise.
Vishuddha chakra, located at the throat. Vishuddha means pure, untainted. This chakra has sixteen petals and is associated with the element space, which is represented by a transparent circle. Ham is the mantra for this element. The deity abiding in the vishuddha chakra is the bi-gendered form of Shiva, whose right side is male and left side is female. This form of Shiva reminds us that none of us are exclusively male or female; nature is exuberant in its diversity and avoids such absolute divisions. Meditating on this form helped me accept feminine qualities which are as much a part of me as the masculine ones.
Between my eyebrows. Ajna means a command or order, which shows this chakra's association with the mind, our so-called command center. Even though the ajna chakra is located between the eyebrows, to call it third eye chakra is problematic, since the yoga upanishads make no references to a third eye. The ajna chakra is completely different from the others. It's not associated with a particular deity or any of the five elements. And since it's not associated with an element, it has no mantra, although later traditions associate it with the mantra, om. The ajna chakra stands at the threshold between the five elemental chakras in the body below and the transcendent sahasrara chakra above. From muladhara upwards, each chakra has an increasing number of petals, but the ajna has only two. Even though the rishis don't specify a deity for this chakra, they do prescribe visualizing a linga of light, by which they mean a form of Shiva as pure consciousness within the ajna chakra. But there's a misnomer here - you can't actually meditate on consciousness because as the meditator, you are that very consciousness. You can only meditate on objects in your mind which are illumined by the light of consciousness. So, in Vedanta, to meditate on consciousness means to meditate on the meditator, that is, to reflect on your own essential nature as pure consciousness.
Sahasra means one thousand, which is the number of petals in the sahasrara chakra at the crown of the head. The rishis give no further details about this chakra. In fact, in many texts, the sahasrara is not considered a chakra at all. It lies beyond the chakras, outside the body; it's usually depicted on the outer surface of the head, not within it. In Hindu scripture, the number one thousand stands for infinity, suggesting that the sahasrara chakra is infinite in height and breadth, infinite in brilliance, infinite in splendor. When kundalini shakti finally reaches this limitless expanse, it's amazing journey is complete. According to the rishis, after ascending to the sahasrara chakra, kundalini shakti merges into pure consciousness and loses its individuality altogether.