The Mysterious Kundalini

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The Mysterious Kundalini

From the scriptures we learn that God created man in His image, from the dust of mother earth, and then “put into him his spirit, the spirit of the man” (Moses 3). I imagine that the best way to fill a vessel (in this case, a man) is through the top, starting at the Crown Chakra and allowing the spirit to descend through the doors of the chakras, which knot the physical and ethereal bodies together (see the “Chakra” chapter).

Because of the Fall of Adam, not only were humans separated from God, but their consciousness also fell, quite literally. The pure, true, spiritual self that was flowing through Adam and Eve’s physical bodies fell toward the lower chakras and earthly desires. With this fall, most of the spiritual life force (Kundalini energy) became coiled and knotted at the base of the spine, creating the “natural man” state. However, our Father, being all knowing and loving anticipated the Fall and prepared a way for fallen man to come again into  the presence of God—namely a Savior—Jesus Christ. All they had to do was to covenant with God to obey His laws and when they erred, repent.  

Repentance means literally to re-turn to God, and in fact, all acts of sincere repentance literally return some of the energy in the body to the upper, spiritual centers. The ultimate form of returning occurs when the Kundalini energy awakens from its coiled sleep at the base chakra and rises through the straight path of the central spinal channel (shushmana) to the spiritual centers of the body (chakras) and ultimately to God. This upward shift in energy is truly enlightening and is what allows each of us to “put off the natural man” (Mosiah 3:19). When our divine Kundalini energy rises through the body to the crown chakra where it can meet and mingle with God’s energy and then returns back through the body, it is quite life changing. If you keep in mind Jesus’s teaching that “the Kingdom of God is within you,” (Luke 17:21) then this may be a deeper layer of meaning for what is described in Doctrine and Covenants 65:5: “The Son of Man shall come down in heaven, clothed in the brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of God which is set up on the earth.”

This may also be an explanation for what occurred on the day of Pentecost, as described in described in Acts 2:3–4: “And there appeared unto them cloven tongues of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were filled with the Holy Ghost.” I have experienced this kundalini rising/baptism of fire many times, and the only way to describe how it feels is like being reborn.

Kundalini energy is real and is flowing through your body right now. This energy feeds your entire nervous system and is very powerful, though most of this power is locked below the fourth vertebra. The majority of people never tap into even the smallest bit of this energy. This lack of use has been likened to having a Ferrari and never taking it out of first gear.The word Kundalini means “the curl of the lock of the beloved’s hair.” It is considered “the nerve of the soul.”

Knowledge of Kundalini energy has existed for centuries, but for most of that time, the knowledge was kept secret from the general populace. Because of this secrecy, many inaccurate representations of Kundalini energy have made their way into the world’s web of information. Kundalini energy is powerful, but it is not dangerous when a person’s body has been prepared to properly use and integrate the energy. In fact, when a person practices Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan® , the Kundalini rises quite naturally and easily and is never forced to rise.

When the Kundalini energy rises, amazing things happen. As it flows through the straight path of the spine and reaches the top of the skull, the pineal gland starts to secrete, and major changes in our consciousness take place. The energy then returns down into the body, and major changes take place in a person’s life[1]—changes that might previously have seemed impossible, such as the happenings in Acts 2 and in the stories shared in this book. When the Kundalini is awakened, our true spiritual nature unfolds, accompanied by the Christ-like attributes that we have been striving to attain. Keeping the Kundalini raised and balanced is another matter and requires discipline and daily practice.

With limited spiritual technology, this kind of awakening can take decades—maybe even centuries—of repentance, disciplined spiritual practice, service, more repentance, slow growth and struggle against the natural man, and so on. But through the practice of scientific meditations and specific yoga kriyas that have been preserved by dedicated holy men since ancient days, raising the Kundalini can occur easily and naturally. A person’s true divine nature gracefully unfolds.

The Kundalini energy is often referred to as the serpent force. In fact, the Kundalini rises through three central nadis (ethereal nerves): the shushmana, which runs straight along the spine, and the ida and pingala, each of which make two-and-a-half turns as they spiral upward from the base of the spine. You may recognize that motif because it is the symbol printed on medical documents and buildings. This symbol, called the caduceus, shows two snakes intertwined around a staff. The caduceus was likely inspired by the the biblical story of Moses and the brass serpent, and is a perfect representation of the flow of Kundalini.

Serpent symbolism is highly prevalent in the Christian canon and is of a dual nature. Many scholars suggest that the symbol was used anciently, and maybe even before the foundation of the world,[2] to represent Jesus Christ; but Satan distorted the symbol and became known as the “old serpent,” thereby creating this paradox. [3]

Many scriptures, however, refer to the serpent as the true symbol of deity. My favorite example is when Moses throws down his staff; it turns into a snake (for the second time); and then, in a kind of serpent showdown, it swallows the snakes of Pharaoh's magicians (Exodus 7:10–12). And in John 3:13–14, Jesus clears up any confusion about the serpent symbolism when He tells Nicodemus, in veiled language, the way to be born again: “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.”

There is historical evidence (and I personally believe) that Jesus knew and taught yoga technology to his closest disciples. Christ often gave sacred teachings in a veiled fashion. While the scripture in John 3 reminds us to look to Christ and live, there is an even deeper symbolism.

Jesus Christ was the great crossover artist. He was both God and man. Throughout the Gospels, Christ refers to His mortal body as the “Son of Man,” as distinguished from His divine identity and consciousness, regarding which He refers to himself as the “Son of God.” Therefore, Son of Man not only refers to Christ’s body, which would be raised on the cross, but also refers to all people, who must raise the divine spark within them, the metaphorical serpent coiled at the base of the spine (the Kundalini energy).

Christ’s answer to Nicodemus’s question of “How is it done?” has many layers. His answer shows that He is both the power through which this second birth occurs (the Atonement) and the model of what must occur within us. Our consciousness must be “lifted up” (reversing its downward flow and sending it back up to divine consciousness) through the straight path of the spine. Perhaps this process is what Christ was referring to when He advised us to take up our own cross and follow Him. As Paul explained, “God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power” (1 Corinthians 6:14). Eternal life is predicated on our ability not just to have intellectual knowledge of God, as Nicodemus had, but also to elevate our consciousness to Christ consciousness, to be “raised in immortality” (Alma 5:15).  

Kundailni Quick Reference Guide

• Kundalini: The essential true self, your divine potential, and consciousness. The energy of the soul itself.
• Kundalini energy is flowing through your whole body, but most of it is locked at the base of the spine.
• Kundalini Yoga teaches that the Kundalini is raised from the base of the spine through three main nadis (ethereal nerves): the sushmana, or central spinal channel, and the ida and pingala, which coil around the spine in a serpentine fashion, ending at the right and left nostril.[4] The path of the Kundalini resembles the healing serpent symbol, called the caduceus.
• When the Kundalini energy rises to the Crown Chakra, the Kundalini energy blends with cosmic energy (God/Holy Spirit) and then travels back down through the body, creating major changes in consciousness. Many people describe this process as a rebirth into Christ consciousness.
• Some people think Kundalini Yoga and the Kundalini energy are dangerous. According to Yogi Bhajan, the only danger is when you force something external and artificial, like a drug, into you. The Kundalini energy is God’s energy and is already within you. Yogi Bhajan explained, “It is a normal capacity that you are not utilizing. If you start utilizing the energy, where is the danger?”[5] He added, “as long as you practice a balanced kriya, there is no problem. The truth is Kundalini Yoga produces whole human beings”[6] who cannot be manipulated.[7]
• When a person practices Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan, the Kundalini rises naturally and easily and is never forced to rise.
• Sometimes people feel physical sensations, such as tingling or heat, or see flashes of color. These experiences may be indicators that something good is happening, but Yogi Bhajan called them “glitter at the bottom of the ladder” and not evidence the Kundalini has risen. When a person maintains a daily practice, the Kundalini unfolds so naturally that it may be imperceptible at first. The true indicator that the Kundalini has risen is in the “consistent character and noble behavior of an individual.”[8]
• The Kundalini rises not just because of exercises but because of a total lifestyle of consciousness, including faith, repentance, covenant making and keeping, selfless service, and healthy eating. Everything we do affects our vibration and our Kundalini energy, and our Kundalini energy affects everything in our lives.

[1] Shakti Parwha Kaur Khalsa, Kundalini Yoga: The Flow of Eternal Power (New York: Berkeley, 1996), 49.
[2] In speaking of the dove as an identifying symbol of the Holy Ghost, Joseph Smith said, “The sign of the dove was instituted before the creation of the world, a witness for the Holy Ghost, and the devil cannot come in the sign of the dove.” One implication of this statement is that other signs, symbols, and tokens may have been instituted in premortality to represent deity. And though Satan could not usurp the symbol of the dove, he could and does usurp other symbols, especially the snake. See Andrew Skinner, “Serpent Symbols and Salvation in the Ancient Near East and the Book of Mormon,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 10, no. 2 (2001): 54.

[3] Skinner, “Serpent Symbols and Salvation,” 42–55.

[4] Khalsa, Kundalini Yoga, 48.

[5] Yogi Bhajan, The Aquarian Teacher: KRI International Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training Level I (Santa Cruz, NM: Kundalini Research Institute, 2007), 26.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Khalsa, Kundalini Yoga, 49.

[8] Ibid., 50.