Note: For the complete lessons, with additions, see the AYP Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living Books.

Lesson 280 - Kundalini Reminders

From: Yogani
Date: Thu Jan 12, 2006  1:13 pm

New Members: It is recommended you read from the beginning of the web archive, as previous lessons are prerequisite to this one. The first lesson is, "Why This Discussion?"

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Q: Over the holidays I had the most interesting experience.

One evening, as I was getting ready for bed, I started shivering. Though I was not feeling cold at all, I was shivering. I thought nothing of it and simply took out another sheet and cuddled under them. However I was now shaking uncontrollably.

This went on for about 5 minutes or so. Then I felt my lower back getting very warm, as though someone had put a heating pad on there, nearing a burning sensation. But the heat was not coming from an outside source. Then as suddenly as my shivering had started, it stopped...for a few moments.

As it started up again, it felt as though millions of electrical impulses were being forced, in spurts, from my lower back to the navel area. All the while I was "shivering" like before, but noticed this time that the epicenter of the shivering was concentrated around the navel area. The spurts went on for a few minutes, and like my lower back, now my navel felt intense heat, though not as much as the lower back. And just like before, it subsided as quickly as it had begun...for a few moments.

The same scenario happened, but this time the spurts started from the navel and where being forced upward, ending at the area around the chest and lungs. For the lower back and navel, I could almost pinpoint where the impulses were concentrated. However with this area, it was more difficult. It felt as though is was being discharged, coming from the spine, moving towards the chest, but spreading out into the whole area of the chest, not so much a single point. Kind of like blowing flour from your hand. And just like before, it subsided as quickly as it had begun...for a few moments.

This time it started from the chest and moved towards the throat. However this time it felt as though it had lost its momentum. I could barely tell where it was ending.

I have to say that it was a very humbling experience. I don't know if that was kundalini or not, but I was helpless throughout the experience. Whatever was going to happen, all I could do was observe, as I was pretty much physically debilitated from the intense "shivering". At first I was scared, but after I felt it at the navel, I thought perhaps that it could possibly kundalini, at which point I was no longer afraid. I figured it knew what it was doing and I would step back and let it do what it had to do - not that I had any choice in the matter.

One thing is for sure, I am now a believer that kundalini is VERY REAL. I always thought it was something subtle and esotheric, but to me, it was very tangible, and with a definite physical manifestation.

I believe!


A: That was a beaut. Balance and self-pacing in practices are the first things that come to mind on reading your dramatic kundalini experience.

That, and a reminder that the idea of "breaking through" to higher levels in the body with these kinds of experiences is somewhat of an illusion. I know this is not your intention. It just happened, right? Yet, the idea can creep in that "this is it," and we should now focus on cultivating these kinds of dramatic breakthrough events. To be honest, there is no such thing as a final opening of this kind, and there is barely such a thing as a significant incremental opening. These things rarely happen in quantum leaps, even though they might appear to be doing so. There is the idea out there that all we have to do is bring the energy up to the top and then we are done -- enlightened. Not so.

Rather, there are endless degrees of purification and opening going on to infinity. The Secrets of Wilder novel provides a scenario representing this process. No matter how big a jolt we might get, or how high up, we are still only at the beginning of the next stage. So there is no rush to open a particular physical area and break through into higher centers with all this. We can arrive there via natural means (a la AYP style practices), and be much more comfortable going at it that way.

Of course, our bhakti will always be begging for more, and therein lies the balancing act. John Wilder had a tough time with this, balancing his bhakti with his sometimes frenetic pace, learning his lessons as he went along. We all have to do this...

I mention all this because, while the big experiences may seem like a lot progress-wise, they are all baby steps. The real big progress comes from long term stable daily practice. And that can be with no big jolts at all. In fact, the big jolts can lead us into energy overdoses that can delay our practices for days, weeks or months. An intentional big jolt breakthrough approach is a slower path!

Which is not to say we will not ever have them. It can can happen sometimes, as you have experienced, even with a stable practice routine. It is a reminder that we are dealing with powerful forces within, and should keep that in mind as we manage our practices day-to-day. If we are pushing too hard in practices, we can have this kind of delayed reaction. Therefore, it is good to keep a smart foot on that accelerator (our practices).

So now you have some proof that something is really going on in there. You have become a believer in your own inner potential. :-) 

May it be an inspiration to settle down into a long term stable routine that will steadily open things up. Then, one morning you will wake up and realize that without even noticing you traveled a thousand miles further than all the jolts in the world could take you.

If we are steadily cultivating inner silence, and gently coaxing up ecstatic conductivity, all will unfold naturally and more quickly than any energy breakthrough experience can deliver.

Thanks for sharing that one, and all the best as you move ahead from here.

The guru is in you.

Note: For detailed instructions on building a balanced daily practice routine with self-pacing, see the Eight Limbs of Yoga Book.

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