Much of the focus, research, and material on Kundalini awakening in the body is on the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual changes that occur. There is not a great deal of information on the pure energetics of Kundalini and how it courses through the body. Today I will introduce the energetics of intelligent Kundalini, its purpose, and how it courses throughout the body.

At first, Kundalini awakens. Kundalini can awaken out of one of three channels- the sushumna (or central channel, basically the spine), ida or pingala (which begin in the second or third chakra, basically). If Kundalini awakens through the sushumna it will first be felt behind the area of the tip of the coccyx and perhaps in the sacrum. If Kundalini awakens in Ida or Pingala it will begin in the lower abdomen or around the area of the belly button.

The first rising of Kundalini is typically fierce. Other people may feel energetic awakenings up the spine, but there is a difference between activation of chakras or simply feeling energy awakening the stored material in the chakras and Kundalini. Activation of your own energy in the spine can be intense- bringing up emotions and experiences with currents of electrical sensations in the spine. Kundalini is like having a volcano erupt up your spine. Especially the first few times it arises.

As I have discussed previously, Kundalini will work its way up the spine until it comes across significant blockage. This is typically in one of the first three chakras- the chakras of our own past, ancestry, deep emotions, and family issues. The massive amount of volcanic energy will then “explode” the chakra it is at- releasing a lot of stored material in that chakra.

Since Kundalini is intelligent it will continue to go through cycles of going back into the first chakra into a somewhat dormant state and then becoming really active and rising as far as it can to release more stored emotions and physical-spiritual-energetic material. Depending on the force of the Kundalini (more forceful Kundalini means it can break through blockages more quickly resulting in more severe physical-emotional-spiritual issues on the part of the experiencer) eventually it will make its way up to the center of the brain.

At some point this will be a full circuit. Kundalini is initially coiled in the first chakra and as it arises and works it way through blockages it will uncoil. When it is fully uncoiled (three and a half times) it will be completely through its first cycle. If you have had an awakening through Ida or Pingala it is likely the energy is stuck and you will need to find help to activate it through the sushumna.

Next, the Kundalini will arise out of the crown chakra. For many this feels like a burst of energy. Energy like an explosion will be felt strongly from the first chakra through the crown of the head. This will lead to a whole host of physical, mental, and spiritual changes within a very short period of time. In a way it is a sort of death- the death of everything that you knew and who you thought you were. This period can be very disorienting.

After the Kundalini has made its circuit you will begin to feel a glow around your head and other people will remark about a certain light or energy in your eyes.

Kundalini can now awaken in Pingala and Ida if it has not already. This will lead to visions of DNA, feelings on the right and left sides of the body and spine. This is the caduceus symbol that we see in Greek mythology and modern Western medicine. Ida and Pingala further release the second and third chakra and go into the nostrils and eyes and further into the brain. Those pathways will clear and awaken. The light around the head will grow larger and brighter.

Kundalini will again and again rise through the central channel. This may be like a gentle wave or a strong rush, depending on what is needed. Since Kundalini is a conscious energy it is individual as to what happens. You may need another huge push of energy flowing through your central column, clearing out large amounts of material. You may also need Kundalini to simmer in your first chakra, scraping the bottom of the barrel… getting to all of the deep and dark issues of that chakra. The simmering can be more difficult than the bursts for many people, as I have heard time and again that (for example) when K is simmering in the first chakra people have melted through their pants and felt unbearable itching, pain, or discomfort in that area. The appearance of physical issues with or without cause can appear (always get checked out by Western med if you are having physical issues, just because you are going through a spiritual process doesn’t mean you are not going through a physical one as well).

Next, Kundalini will flow through the major channels of the body. We are composed of energetic channels called meridians in Chinese Medicine or sen lines in Thai Bodywork. Twelve of these (or ten in Thai Bodywork) are major channels. We will begin to feel Kundalini flowing and opening those channels.

Kundalini will also begin to flow through the minor chakras. We have many minor chakras, the most notable in our hands and feet. These will begin to open and Kundalini will flow to and through them.

We will then feel flow to each organ, each tissue, each layer of our body, each cell of our body. This will result in not only our head but our entire body attaining a sort of glowing quality to it.

A central column will develop. For some, this happens earlier in the process. This means that we will feel a column extending to a minor chakra below our feet (called the Earth chakra) to the chakra above our heads (the one above the crown called the Heaven chakra). At first this may be a vertical column going through our bodies. In time as we have our organs, tissues, layers, cells, even our DNA cleared this column will extend and fill our entire aura. We will now have energy flowing completely around us from six inches or more surrounding our physical bodies.

In time we will realize a “bubble” or energy surrounding our Heaven chakra. This chakra above our heads will at first look like a bubble or circular energy as we gain access to greater divine flow. Eventually the chakra above our head will expand and we will have access to the further chakras above our head which are pure divine flow (not having to do with us as individuals at all).

This realization and direct experience of the chakras above the head and the feeling of direct divinity will allow for us to open the chakras below our feet. This will connect us to our primal, animalistic nature. We will realize our humanity and relish our sexual, emotional, and even the shadowy nature of our physical and spiritual selves. No longer are we able to separate the world into neat “good” “evil” “dark” and “light” or even “spiritual” and “physical”. Many people stop themselves before this stage because of puritanical and deeply entrenched belief systems about the nature of spiritual awakening. If anything awakening the upper chakras allows for us to deeply explore and find comfort in our lower chakras and their primal and emotional drives.

Finally we will open more again. The vertical columns surrounding us and opening the further chakras above our heads and below our feets will expand. They expand again surrounding not only our own original field and definition of self but the entirety of divine flow.

At this point Kundalini is no longer differentiated from Shakti. Shakti becomes Kundalini in the physical form. Kundalini is the guiding force that creates the physical further differentiating into qi (which then goes on to create the elements, the rest of our physical nature, everything we can see, taste, sense of “ordinary” reality). At some point we realize the pure flow of Shakti through us and no longer differentiate it as Kundalini. We reconcile and understand all of our layers- physical, emotional, spiritual- and realize that they are the same thing. We realize that we are home- we are who we are and in the full embrace of divine flow.

There is more beyond this, but I have not read any accounts or personally gone beyond this point. I imagine to do so would mean to no longer be in a physical body. It is common to think that Kundalini has a completion process or an “end” point. In our culture we love end points and to graduate from something. If we fully submit and surrender to this process we know that there is no end point. We expand as much as we allow ourselves to. As long as we have physical bodies we will have issues come up, we will have material to process. This may be in the very highest “Heaven” chakra or it may be in the first chakra. Even after we have fully felt Kundalini flow through every cell of our bodies it may need to return and work on a deeper level through the sushumna, or the first and second chakra. By allowing it to do as it is guided we will continue to develop and awaken.

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