Through the Lenses of Science, on the Wings of Spirituality (Chakra Samhita) - 4

Kundalini

continued from last issue…

Misconceptions

The awareness amongst people is inadequate of the vital ‘Kundalini’ concept. Furthermore, even the people with awareness of this concept, have multiple misconceptions. Better to have a reality check of some common misconceptions.

Misconception V/S Reality

Kundalini is a hypothetical concept
Profuse research is available on this subject; millions of people have passed through the Kundalini awakening experiences, sages and sears have spoken and written about Kundalini for centuries, and even modern science acknowledges the existence of Kundalini.
Only hermits can awaken Kundalini
The ascetics, monks, sears and lay persons, all humans have Kundalini. Therefore, anyone can awaken Kundalini.
A Guru (Spiritual Master) is a prerequisite for Kundalini awakening
No, the ‘guru’ is not a precondition. Of course, with the guidance and blessings of the right guru, one can move rapidly on this path. When locating a normal residence/office address, one has to resort to Google Maps; a guide in the form of a guru would prove of immense facilitation on a distinctive path like Kundalini awakening.
Awakening is a terrifying process
Innumerable changes take place in the body at the cellular and the nervous system level during this process. Hence, people sometimes develop a fright of experiencing incredible changes never witnessed before. Conversely, the changes are happening for ultimate ‘good’.
The concept of ‘Kundalini’ applies to a few specific religions
Kundalini exists in all human beings, irrespective of their religion. So evidently, the concept applies to all when everyone has got this power. That’s why; various ancient cultures cross the globe have referred to Kundalini in one or the other name.

Kundalini Awakening Experiences

One goes through distinctive, multiple experiences on the path of Kundalini awakening. The experiences so vary that the subject requires an extensive discussion. My future book ‘The Magic of Kundalini’ would deal with this topic in detail. At the moment, we aim to have a deeper understanding of Chakras (have extracted the contents of this article series from the book ChakraSamhita, currently available in Gujarati. Its English, Hindi, French, Punjabi, Marathi etc. versions would be published in near future.) Hence, we are keeping the conversation confined to a few common experiences, at this juncture

Stiffened body
The body stiffens as if following a hypnotist’s command, waist and body straight.” This stiffening is an indication that the energy has surged to the higher Chakras.
Yogasana, Pranayam and Mudra (Yoga postures, hand postures and yogic breathing exercises)
One’s body may impulsively turn into yogic body postures, some of them very intricate, too.
Likewise, pranayam can start on its own. There may be as varied breathing patterns as Bhastrika with a very fast breathing pace, or a pattern named Plavini wherein the breath fills up the abdomen so deep that it swells like of a pregnant woman and then it seems that the breathing has stopped.
One may form diverse hand postures (Mudra) spontaneously. At times, hands form an Abhay Mudra (blessing posture), and stay for a long in that posture, without fatigue.
Symptoms similar to diseases/emotional imbalance
The energy works in multiple ways in the body and the mind, digging out diseases and emotions hidden deep inside, as an intense cleansing process starts. Consequently, the body may manifest various symptoms resembling diseases; such as chest pain, short breath, digestive system disturbances, altered sleeping and appetite patterns, reduced or heightened libido etc. One may experience bouts of blissfulness or gloominess or any other intense emotion. All these manifestations eventually fade away with continued mediation.
Heightened sensitivity to light and sound
The body and the Chakras become so sensitive that various chakras straightway feel water, food, climate changes etc.; e.g., if the Crown Chakra becomes sensitive, the temperature of a hot or cold drink or even the taste of food is felt on the scalp of the head.
Snakes
As such, The other name for Kundalini is ‘Serpentine Power’. Various scriptures illustrate Kundalini as spirals at the end of the spine. Many ancient cultures also symbolize Kundalini with a serpent. As if in conformity with this, snakes appear oftentimes in vision during meditation or sleep – motionless or even moving on the body.
Orbs
Orbs are balls of light, considered to be positive spirits with no physical body. In the last 15 years or so, scientists have carried out ample research relating to orbs. Even three-day seminars of scientists, solely dedicated to Orbs were arranged in Sedona, Arizona. The picture here gives an idea of how the orbs might look like, and the following album contains numerous pictures of orbs.
https://www.facebook.com/jitpatwari/media_set?set=a.542648429078508&type=3
Such orbs appear in vision during meditation.
Energy particles
Particles of cosmic energy all the time keep on moving in the sky, shining like tiny diamond-like stars, frequently visible with naked eyes, in places where the energy is high. A person going through the process of Kundalini awakening may observe such particles with open eyes or during meditation, with closed eyes.
Watching self
A person may spot his/her own body in front of closed eyes, the whole body sometimes and only the face or the eyes, at times.
One gets intuitions of future events
Eye-related experiences
— As the eyes adjust to the newly received energy, one may experience inflammation of the
eyes, watery eyes etc.
— Dazzling light appears against closed eyes as if thousands of suns are shining
— Can have visions of one or more lit oil lamps
— Various Deities and Gods may appear in meditation
— The colours look brighter.

These experiences are indicative, not exhaustive. People witness one or more of these experiences or some different experiences. At first, such experiences appear complex to comprehend while remaining confined within the boundary of the usual intellect. Nevertheless, all experiences have a scientific base. The readers desiring to know more in this regard may please check a https://www.facebook.com/Self-Tune-In-274610603329454/.

We conclude the discussion on ‘Kundalini’ now, and would familiarize ourselves with one more topic, i.e. ‘Nadi’ (subtle energy channels) in the ensuing article, and thereafter, would proceed on to the concept of Chakras.

(… to be continued)