Kundalini is a form of yoga practice as well as the energy that arises within us as we deepen our spiritual practice. Kundalini is oftentimes, described as a coiled snake wrapped around herself 3 times with her tail in her mouth to represent bounded, suppressed energy which is located at the base of our spine, dwelling within the first chakra, Muladhara. Muladhara is the seat of our grounding, security and stability. It is our foundation, what connects us to our Earth.
Through the development of a spiritual practice, we learn to open the energetic channels within us so that we feel more grounded, secure and stable, developing a firmer foundation on which to launch our life in the direction we desire. Various yogic practices, such as, asana movement and pranayama breathing exercises, assist us with raising our Kundalini energy. we must cultivate and environment or vessel in our physical body and mind to handle raising energy. Otherwise, we can experience negative effects.
For example, when I was younger and really off balance, as I shared in my blog, “Pain. The Ice Breaker for Spiritual Growth”, I took an advanced Kundalini Yoga class. I was completely unprepared for this movement of energy I initiated within myself. I had raised my Kundalini energy so much and too fast. Rather than feel elated, free and open, I felt so angry, like I wanted to punch someone. Which by the way is completely out of character for me! I have never punched anyone in my life! And I certainly didn’t plan to do so after yoga class!
I had suppressed my anger and grief down so much for so long that it was natural for it to erupt in the way it did. Being spiritual means being fully awake and alive to all that life has to offer, the sukha and the dukha, the sweet as well as the bittersweet, respectively. When I lived in India for a time, there is a tradition of eating jaggery, date palm sugar, wrapped in a neem leaf on the new year. The jaggery represents the sweetness in life and the neem leaf, the bitter reminding us to acept both aspects of life gracefully and with gratitude.
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