What Is Kundalini Awakening?
Imagine seeing the world with an expansive vision. You have a keen perception that combines innumerable perspectives at once. You understand your feelings perfectly. You also sense how others are interpreting the world, how others feel. Their judgments are clear to you. With adequate practice and guidance, this is some of the enlightenment that comes through Kundalini Awakening. Awaken the dormant energy within you.
Exploring Kundalini Awakening through the Parable of Shiva And Shakti Kundalini is often described as dormant serpent energy coiled up at the base of the spine. Imagine a resting snake, coiled eight times, waiting to unleash its magnificent power at the base of a great mountain. She has within her infinite energy potentiating. She is the force of creation, resting, longing to rise up to be in union with consciousness at the heights of spiritual bliss.
It is said that the serpent is Shakti, a goddess that is legendary for having created all that is. One of two protagonists in a sort of “big bang” origin story, inspired by her longing to be one with Lord Shiva, the other protagonist.
Lord Shiva symbolizes consciousness and the unmovable power of the observer. He is said to have been meditating for thousands of years while Shakti danced for him. Her longing to be at one, dancing with her beloved provokes him to open one of his three eyes. She beckons for him to dance with her. He closes his eye and rests back in meditation for thousands of more years, awaiting her absolute clarity that joining in harmonious union with him is her true desire. As her longing intensifies, she determines that she must dance with her Beloved Lord Shiva. At that, his three eyes open, they dance together, and all at once the universe unfolds into creation. All of nature is created as a result of their union.
The witness is consciousness, unmoving, and unchanging. Nature is all that dances, all that moves and changes in this world. The witness or seer within each of us is Shiva and the nature of all things around us and within us is Shakti. When Shiva and Shakti are separate, spiritual awakening cannot take place. That separate state is known as a duality. The very merging of Shiva and Shakti obliterates duality and opens the spiritual river of oneness through which Kundalini flows.
According to Yogarupa Rod Stryker, “awakening to this vision of ourselves and the world we live in as ultimately nondual,” is the path to happiness and true spiritual awakening. The bliss state is not conditional. That means the ecstasy of a kundalini awakening does not depend that life plays out in any specific way. It’s the type of sheer joy felt by Eckart Tolle as he describes his awakening in, The Power of Now. The unconditional bliss and oneness that a kundalini awakening produces can be experienced only from a state of Samadhi. Samadhi means to be at one with all things, feeling no separateness or duality from anything in creation. It is a state that yogis strive to realize after many years of mastery under a guru. It is exceedingly rare that anyone has sustained states of Samadhi without a deep well of daily practice and a guru or master teacher as a guide.
What is Kundalini Awakening
According to Dr. David Frawley, Kundalini is the concentrated energy of awareness or attention. It is not an energy apart from consciousness, but rather the energy that manifests with consciousness when it becomes free from thought.” That is why a dedicated meditation practice can enable kundalini to flow, as the cessation of thoughts is a goal of certain forms of meditation on the path to oneness.
Kara-Leah Grant explains, “When Kundalini awakens, a person may experience deeper empathy with others, and this empathy can almost become telepathic. There is greater sensitivity, higher energy levels, sometimes psychic abilities or deep knowing, aging can appear to slow down, creativity and charisma can increase, as can internal peace and knowing. There is a sense of being part of All that Is. The greater mysteries of life are no longer mysteries.”
A person that realizes spiritual enlightenment through a kundalini awakening may choose to work in the healing arts. They tend to work in harmony with their true life’s calling, perhaps signaling a change of careers. They may lose interest in material things while becoming more generous. They may speak less and chose words with deeper clarity and meaning.
Warning: Subtle Body Awakening in Progress
A kundalini awakening is not so much a physical force, but the movement of the energy of the subtle body. Therefore you cannot undergo an awakening without taking the right steps to open and purify the channels of the subtle body. If you are not rightly prepared, a kundalini awakening might cause a ruckus that can feel like a breakdown. Take caution as you explore awakening the serpent energy within you.
What Happens When Your Kundalini Awakens
If Kundalini is awoken, the energy is said to rise up from the base of the spine from the root chakra, which in parable has been referred to as the base of the mountain. The energy ascends to the peak, which correlates with the crown chakra and the pineal gland. (Carrellas, B. (2007). Urban tantra: sacred sex for the twenty-first century. Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts. ) “When the pineal gland is activated, a major change in consciousness is experienced, explains Carrellas, author of Urban Tantra.” According to Stryker, awakening the kundalini energy causes a, “state of vision that is super sensory where we can access our highest potential.”
Take Heed; Awakenings May Not Be Contained
If a practitioner is unprepared or the kundalini awakens spontaneously, there can be an experience of total inner chaos due to changes in motivation, appearance, diet, weight gain or loss, sensations in the crown of the head, and shifts in personality that an unguided and/or underprepared person might not be able to handle. A Spontaneous Arousal of kundalini energy can happen as a result of “intense energy work, drug use, sexual experiences, abuse or trauma, yoga practice or life events,” explains Grant.
The awakening may cause spiritual distress and a total breakdown resulting in a massive life crisis.
Some people lose jobs and relationships; others experience difficult emotions from a traumatic past as if the trauma is being relived in the moment. The test is weather they can overcome and learn from the past or be beaten by the same daemons from an earlier time. If you are well trained and guided, with strong and steady spiritual practices, you are more likely to manage these astonishing changes and sensations. It is sensible to follow a particular path, to be trained to know the signs and symptoms of a Kundalini Awakening, and to be aware of the changes that may occur so that you have spiritual practices and support of masters to guide you through.
How to Awaken Your Kundalini Energy
Open Your Sushumna Nadi and Cease Thinking
According to Dr. David Frawley, “The awakening of kundalini requires that prana or life force enter into the Sushumna or central channel. This occurs when the prana is withdrawn from its fixation through the thought process on the external world.” /video/pranayama-meditation) In order to open the central channel or Sushumna Nadi, one can practice alternate nostril breathing along with a number of yoga and tantra practices or focus, breath, and movement.
To withdraw the senses from the Physical Body and to cease thought on the external is exceedingly difficult. The ability to do so, even for a brief moment, is the result of the Practices of the fifth, 6th, and 7th limbs of yoga which will ultimately lead practitioners to the 8th and final limb, Samadhi. The fifth-seventh limbs can be roughly translated to one sense withdrawal, one-pointed focus of the mind, and concentration without an object. Learning the 8 limbs of yoga in sequential order is important. It is crucial to learn to draw the senses inward prior to learning to focus on one object at a time. Focusing on one object must be done before focus can be dissolved to no sense object. All of those skills must be ascertained prior to dissolving a sense of self that leaves the meditator in a state of Samadhi, in perfect union with all that is.
Dedicate to Your Spiritual Practice
You can attempt to experience a kundalini awakening by practicing tantra, yoga, as well as other spiritual practices with fervor and dedication for many years. It is ill-advised to rush this process by abusing drugs or partaking in advanced practices meant for practitioners with years more expertise.
Study With a Teacher
Study with a master teacher. Choose someone with personal experience in spiritual awakening to prepare yourself for a safer transcendence into a higher consciousness and state of oneness.
Know the Origin of the Energy
Depending on whom you study with and what particular tradition you study, you may learn that Kundalini rises from different points of origin. Yogarupa Rod Stryker states definitively that the kundalini life force energy arises from the navel or Third Eye Pineal Gland chakra. This is different from what was earlier described as kundalini living dormant at the root chakra in the base of the spine. Depending on the lineage you study, the practices will differ to bring you to experience this heavenly, and potentially precarious, spiritual awakening.
Know the Difference
If you are not in a state of Samadhi or complete, then what you may experience is not truly a kundalini awakening. What it may be instead is some of your energy centers waking up and gaining life force energy. This is more commonly what people have experienced in the yoga and meditation communities and is regularly confused with a deeper experience of a true kundalini awakening. Be aware that there is a difference.
If you are called to experience a kundalini awakening, to be shifted and changed from the depths of your being, do so carefully and with guidance. Take your time learning the practices from your chosen spiritual path. Know the signs and symptoms of a kundalini awakening. Be prepared to undergo a major shift in consciousness. Prepare to be awakened.
About the Author
What Happens During a Kundalini Awakening? Stages, Signs, & Symptoms
Kundalini is an ancient concept that originated in India’s early yogic and tantric traditions thousands of years ago. It’s often described as a powerful life force energy. Kundalini represents the potential for spiritual awakening and transformation that exists within every person. Within the teachings of yoga, the rise of Kundalini is viewed as both a sacred and transformative process that unites body, mind, and spirit.
For centuries, yogis, seekers, and mystics have written about the profound changes that accompany the kundalini experience. Many describe it as an unfolding of inner energy that brings clarity, creativity, and deep spiritual connection, often cultivated through dedicated yoga practice and mindful living. This awakening can also bring old emotions or patterns to the surface for healing, sometimes even those carried from past lives. The experience is both illuminating and intense, guiding the individual toward greater self-awareness, harmony, and spiritual growth.
As we explore this mystical experience more closely, it helps to understand what Kundalini truly is and how it moves through the body to awaken higher states of consciousness.
Table of Contents
- What Is Kundalini Energy?
- What Is a Kundalini Awakening?
- Stages of a Kundalini Awakening
- 10 Kundalini Awakening Symptoms
- What Are the Dangers of Awakening the Kundalini?
- How to Safely Activate the Kundalini
- What Should You Do if You Are Experiencing a Spontaneous Awakening?
What Is Kundalini Energy?
Kundalini energy is a dormant spiritual life force believed to rest at the base of the spine, often symbolized as a coiled serpent. In yoga and tantra traditions, it represents divine consciousness that connects the physical body with the spiritual realm. When this energy awakens and rises through the body’s energy centers, or chakras, it sparks deep transformation and brings greater self-awareness, vitality, and inner harmony. This movement of energy is known as Kundalini rising. With proper guidance, the awakening of Kundalini supports balance across body, mind, and spirit while promoting healing and spiritual growth.
Kundalini is said to originate in the root chakra (Muladhara) near the base of the spine. As it ascends, it passes through each of the body’s seven chakras, including the sacral (Svadhisthana), solar plexus (Manipura), heart (Anahata), throat (Vishuddha), and third eye (Ajna) centers, before reaching the crown chakra (Sahasrara) at the top of the head. This upward movement represents the awakening of higher consciousness, guiding the individual from physical awareness toward spiritual enlightenment.
What Is a Kundalini Awakening?
A Kundalini awakening is a spiritual experience that marks the moment when dormant spiritual energy becomes active within the body, setting in motion a profound inner transformation. Rather than being a single event, it is an unfolding process that can bring waves of physical sensations, emotional release, and heightened awareness as the energy begins to move more freely.
For some, awakening occurs gradually through years of yoga, meditation, or breathwork. For others, it may arise spontaneously, sometimes triggered by deep emotional healing, a life-changing event (such as a near-death experience), or the energetic transmission of a spiritual teacher known as shaktipat. Regardless of how it begins, the awakening often reveals new levels of consciousness, creativity, and inner peace while also stirring unresolved emotions that come forward to be healed.
Because this energy can be powerful and unpredictable, traditional teachings emphasize preparation and guidance. Grounding practices, self-care, and support from an experienced yogi or spiritual mentor can help integrate the awakening experience with stability and clarity.
In Gaia’s original series Yogic Paths, one episode delves into the traditions of Kundalini and Kriya Yoga, systems designed to activate and redistribute energy within the body. The concept of kundalini is explored, along with the syncretic practice of twentieth-century Kundalini Yoga, which combines kriya, yogic movement, dynamic breathing, Sikh practices, and chanting mantras to elevate consciousness.
Stages of a Kundalini Awakening
Kundalini awakening is often described as unfolding in three main stages, each reflecting a deeper level of awareness and transformation. While every journey is unique, most experiences follow this natural progression: Awakening, Purification, and Integration.
1. Awakening
This first stage begins when dormant spiritual energy starts to move. Awakening may occur gradually through consistent yoga, meditation, or breathwork, or arise spontaneously during moments of emotional healing or insight. Many people notice heightened awareness, stronger intuition, and subtle sensations of energy flowing through the body.
2. Purification
As the energy becomes more active, old emotions, memories, and energetic blockages surface to be released. This can lead to intense emotional waves, vivid dreams, or physical sensations as the body and spirit cleanse and realign. Though sometimes uncomfortable, this stage clears the way for higher states of consciousness.
3. Integration
In this final stage, the energy flow stabilizes and awareness deepens. The individual begins to embody new levels of peace, clarity, and compassion, feeling more connected to their purpose and the divine. Integration is an ongoing process, a continual balancing of spiritual insight with everyday life.
10 Kundalini Awakening Symptoms
Kundalini awakenings can manifest through a variety of physical, emotional, and spiritual symptoms. These symptoms are indicative of the flow of energy that is activated and ascends along the spine, impacting different aspects of the individual’s life.
Physical Sensations
As kundalini energy begins to rise, it often initiates noticeable physical sensations. These changes can be intense but are usually a sign that energy is moving and blockages are beginning to clear.
1. Intense Energy Sensations in the Spine
One of the most common symptoms of kundalini awakening is the sensation of energy moving along the spine. This may feel like tingling, heat, or vibration rising from the base of the spine to the crown of the head, often described as the movement of a serpent.
2. Changes in Sleep Patterns
During kundalini awakening, it is common to experience alterations in sleep patterns. This may include insomnia, frequent awakenings during the night, or a need to sleep more than usual. These changes are a response from the body to the increase in energy and spontaneous movements.
3. Physical Pains and Tensions
The rise of kundalini energy can cause aches and tensions in different parts of the body. These pains are usually temporary and are associated with the release of energetic blockages. The most common areas of discomfort include the back, neck, and shoulders.
Emotional and Psychological Changes
Beyond the body, kundalini awakening brings deep emotional and psychological shifts. These changes can foster personal insight, spiritual connection, and greater emotional sensitivity.
4. Increased Emotional Sensitivity
Kundalini awakening can intensify emotions, making people feel more sensitive and vulnerable. Repressed emotions may rise to the surface, requiring attention and proper processing. This heightened sensitivity can also lead to a deeper empathy with others.
5. Renewed Sense of Purpose and Destiny
Kundalini awakening often brings a renewed sense of purpose and destiny. People may feel a sudden clarity about their mission in life and a strong drive toward fulfilling their deepest goals. This sense of purpose can inspire significant changes in career, relationships, and lifestyle, aligning them more closely with their true desires and values.
6. Feelings of Joy and Unconditional Love
During kundalini awakening, many people experience deep feelings of joy and unconditional love. This expansive love is not only directed toward loved ones, but also toward humanity in general and nature. This experience of universal love can transform one’s life perspective, promoting greater compassion and connection with others.
7. Episodes of Mental Clarity and Spiritual Vision
Kundalini awakening can lead to episodes of mental clarity and spiritual vision, where one attains a deeper understanding of life and the universe. These moments may include profound insights, solutions to personal problems, and a stronger connection with intuition. The mind becomes more open and receptive to new ideas and experiences, facilitating personal and spiritual growth.
Spiritual or Energetic Experiences
These symptoms reflect more subtle, energetic changes that occur as spiritual awareness expands. Often deeply transformative, these experiences may feel mystical, intimate, or even blissful.
8. Heightened Intuition and Spiritual Perception
As kundalini awakens, many people experience an increase in their intuition and spiritual perception. They may have visions, vivid dreams, or a heightened sense of connection with the universe. This increase in spiritual perception helps guide the individual on their path of self-discovery and spiritual growth.
9. Changes in Sexuality
Kundalini activation can also lead to changes in sexuality. These may include an increase in libido, new ways of experiencing pleasure, and a deeper connection with one’s partner. Sexual energy may feel more sacred and spiritually linked, leading to greater integration of body and spirit in the sexual experience.
10. Perception of Inner Lights and Colors
It is common for people going through kundalini awakening to perceive inner lights and colors during meditation or even in everyday life. These visions are often accompanied by a sense of peace and well-being, and may indicate the flow of energy through the chakras and the opening of internal spiritual channels.
What Are the Dangers of Awakening the Kundalini?
Awakening the kundalini can be a powerful and transformative experience, but it also carries certain dangers if not handled properly. Kundalini energy is intense and can cause physical, emotional, and mental imbalances if not activated and channeled correctly.
- Energy overload: A flow of energy that is too intense can cause overwhelming sensations and physical discomfort. It is important to proceed with caution and under the guidance of an experienced instructor.
- Emotional instability: The abrupt release of repressed emotions can cause anxiety, fear, and other intense emotional states. Emotional support during this process is crucial.
- Mental disorientation: Uncontrolled activation of the kundalini can lead to confusion, loss of focus, and episodes of disconnection from reality. Maintaining balance and a safe practice is essential.
- Sleep problems: Changes in sleep patterns can result in insomnia or extreme fatigue. It is important to pay attention to the body’s needs and allow for sufficient rest.
Social isolation: Intense and personal experiences may lead to isolation or difficulty relating to others. Maintaining healthy social connections is essential for emotional balance.
How to Safely Activate the Kundalini
Activating the Kundalini is a gradual process that calls for patience, preparation, and the guidance of an experienced teacher. Approaching this practice with care helps ensure a safe and balanced awakening. Try the following to support a smooth activation:
- Start with foundational practices
- Begin with gentle yoga and meditation to prepare the body and mind for increased energy flow.
- Incorporate conscious breathing (pranayama) and yoga postures (asanas) to open and balance the chakras.
- Focus on slow, mindful progress rather than forcing the experience.
- Support the body and mind
- Maintain a balanced diet, regular exercise, and adequate rest to strengthen your physical and emotional foundation.
- Stay hydrated and avoid intoxicants or unhealthy substances that can disrupt energy balance.
- Create a peaceful daily rhythm to help the body integrate energetic shifts more easily.
- Seek experienced guidance
- Work with a qualified instructor, yogi, or spiritual guide who understands Kundalini activation.
- An experienced teacher can offer safe techniques, grounding exercises, and emotional support throughout the process.
- Proper mentorship ensures that the awakening unfolds naturally, without unnecessary strain or imbalance.
What Should You Do if You Are Experiencing a Spontaneous Awakening?
A spontaneous Kundalini awakening can feel intense and confusing, but with mindful care, it can become a powerful opportunity for growth and healing. Manage the experience safely by:
- Focusing on self-care
- Practice meditation, gentle yoga, or conscious breathing to stay calm and centered.
- Prioritize rest and relaxation to help your body adjust to the energy flow.
- Seeking supportive community
- Join meditation groups, yoga classes, or spiritual circles to connect with others who understand the process.
- Sharing experiences and advice can provide comfort and perspective.
- Keeping a journal
- Record your sensations, emotions, and insights during the awakening.
- Journaling helps you track patterns, understand your progress, and reflect on lessons learned.
- Reaching out for guidance
- If the experience feels overwhelming, speak with a spiritual mentor, energy healer, or therapist familiar with Kundalini awakening.
- Proper support can help you stay grounded and integrate the changes in a healthy way.
A Kundalini awakening is a journey of surrender and growth. As the energy rises through the body, it can bring mystical experiences, moments of clarity, and a deep sense of connection to something greater. The process invites you to let go, trust, and allow the energy to move as it needs to. With patience and awareness, it can lead to balance, peace, and a lasting sense of spiritual wholeness.
