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Meditation
Support
Awakening
Kundalini Harmoniously
By Bharat Cornell
Our level of
consciousness depends primarily on the direction our energy takes
in the spine. According to yoga science, cosmic energy enters the
body at the base of the brain, then descends down the spine and
out through the chakras and nervous system to fulfill our physical
needs. Unfortunately for the meditator, this outward flowing energy
draws the mind outward also. Paramhansa Yogananda spoke of this
when he said, "The contemplative mind, attempting its return
to divinity, is constantly dragged back toward the senses by the
life currents." He continued, "When the energy can be
coaxed to reverse its flow from the senses to the brain, it reveals
to our consciousness another world." A world—not of matter
but of Spirit.
Every person
has a positive magnet at the top of the head (the spiritual eye
and crown chakra), which pulls our consciousness upward toward our
innate oneness with God. At the same time there is a magnet at the
base of the spine that pulls us toward negativity, selfishness,
and unawareness. The French have a phrase, nostalgie de la boue,
nostalgia for the mud—in other words, our longing to return
to the less aware state from which we've evolved. Kundalini, centered
at the base of the spine, is the outward thrust of our consciousness
that is identified with matter. This storehouse of energy is what
pulls our mind toward restlessness when we meditate.
True inner religion
is reversing the life force away from its lair at the base of the
spine and uniting it with the positive pole at the top of the head.
When this union happens, enlightenment occurs. Some seekers, hearing
how important raising the energy is, use violent breathing exercises
and other intense practices to shake loose the life currents. Kundalini
is a great power, however, which like fire, if misused or mishandled,
can be extremely harmful. Over-stimulating Kundalini by too physical
and willful means generates tremendous heat in the body and can
damage the nervous system.
In his book,
The Path, Swami Kriyananda begins his chapter on Kriya Yoga—the
highest technique for awakening Kundalini—with the following
words from the Bible: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they
shall see God." There is a good reason why every spiritual
tradition encourages students to follow moral precepts—doing
so puts them in tune with their Godly nature. Whenever we think
generous or loving thoughts, energy is released upward, while any
personal desire draws Kundalini downward in order to fulfill that
desire.
Yoga's purpose
is redirecting the life force up the spine. To achieve this lofty
goal, our outer life has to reinforce our meditative efforts, otherwise,
contractive attitudes bring our life force downward and opposite
to where we are trying to go spiritually.
Kundalini can
be likened to a large river: If one's motives are right, Kundalini
is drawn up safely through the inner spine, just as a river follows
its natural channel. However, if a seeker motivated by ego forces
Kundalini upward by extreme breathing exercises, his consciousness
isn't internalized and refined enough to allow the energy to flow
freely in the spine's deep channels. This forced energy has to flow
somewhere, and as it does, it can damage the nervous system, like
a river overflowing its bank.
Yogananda strongly
discouraged using intense yoga practices and taught a balanced and
spiritually mature approach to enlightenment. His path, which is
the one we follow, is completely safe and doesn't force Kundalini
so problems to the nervous system don't occur. Yoga techniques are
marvelous for stimulating the life force, but they have to be used
in a broader context. Combining purity of heart and right attitude
with scientific technique makes for a united and total effort. When
yoga is practiced in a loving spirit of self-offering, the life
currents are released upward harmoniously in a safe, yet powerful
way.
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