Kundalini Awakening Symptoms
Symptoms of Kundalini Awakening
Real Life Experiences & Descriptions of Kundalini Rising
Are you going through a kundalini awakening episode or experience? Let’s find out…
Kundalini awakening symptoms are truly a very intriguing subject. Really there is no correct answer to the question, “What are the symptoms of Kundalini Rising?”, as thankfully, each of us is absolutely unique and thus, on a unique trajectory on the path to Kundalini Awakening. That said, there are some common kundalini experiences that are often reported, which I would like to share with you in this article.
Although we can draw up endless lists of symptoms from third party accounts, I would like to instead make this series about kundalini symptoms that you or I have actually experienced. In this article, I will give a recent account from one of my students about what she experienced shortly after class, and then I will add my own kundalini experiences and observations as well.
In the comments section, I encourage you to add any kundalini awakening experiences or symptoms you have felt, so others can better understand what they might be going through. Here is the recent email I received from my student, Aida:
Aida’s Experience of Kundalini Awakening:
I am a student of the “Gentle Kundalini Class”. I just finished taking a series of exercise specifically for the spine.
As I left the class I felt energized as I usually feel after each class, but this time it was a little different, I was feeling extra aware of my surrounding. Like a light turned on. My back was so straight. It lasted all day.If I could go to class every morning I would go. It makes my day start right in every way. And there are times when I am not feeling like going to class and I push myself to go and do not regret it.Thank you for being my teacher.Aida D.
For those interested, here is a link to the Spinal Warmup Kundalini Yoga Kriya we did in class that day. Thank you Aida, for sharing your personal experiences with us.
This particular experience of kundalini is very interesting and significant. This is because it is the common experience of advanced meditation and of kundalini yoga. In the article, Powerful Kundalini Yoga Battles Profound Zen Meditation, I described my own such experience with kundalini awakening, but not from doing kundalini yoga, but instead from doing Silent Mind Meditation!
Aida’s experience points at the two things that all yoga and meditation boils down to. Energy and Awareness.
My favorite description of Kundalini Yoga is, “The Yoga of Awareness,” and as you see from her account, she felt more aware, as the energy of kundalini had risen up her spine. In meditation, it is the same. The demand for intense awareness, in order to comprehend the thought process via direct perception, leads to energy (kundalini) rising up and elongating the spine. Awareness then follows.
Jiddu Krishnamurti describes this experience of kundlaini energy flowing up the spine as “The rush of water filling up and thus causing a pipe to stand erect.”
When we insist that the spine be straight during meditation, it is simply to facilitate this awakening and thus, to assist in being more aware. I have experienced kundalini rising and puling up with such force, during meditation, that it sometimes make me feel as if I am going to be launched right off the ground or as if it’s going to pull my head off and up into the sky.
Symptoms of Kundalini Awakening:
I am going to describe some of the physical symptoms my students or I have felt due to kundalini awakening. I know there are many emotional and mental symptoms as well, and you are welcome to share those with us in the comments section below. I am grouping the experiences into 3 categories, common, uncommon and rare, according to what I have observed.
Common Kundalini Awakening Symptoms:
- Tingling in the body and brain region. Also sometimes described as ants walking, tickling energy or flushes of energy. The brain being flushed with energy is quite pleasant :-).
- Heat or cold in the system, or running along various channels and chakra centers.
- Fluttering or twitching of muscles.
- Pinching or burning in various regions of the body or brain.
Uncommon Kundalini Awakening Symptoms:
- Pressure in the Third Eye Region (Ajna Chakra). This is pressure, tingling or other sensation in the center of the forehead. Can go on for years (14 years and counting so far for me). Caution: If the pressure, due to certain practices, intensifies to uncomfortable levels you feel are “immense”, you should cease that practice and consult a competent kundalini yoga teacher.
- Sudden bursts of energy anywhere in the body. These are almost always short lived, from a few seconds to a few minutes.
- Spontaneous yoga asans or kundalini yoga movements. They may come on spontaneously, or they may take over, as if on auto-pilot when one is practicing Kundalini Yoga Kriyas or Exercises (For an example see article: Explosive Kundalini Rising in Class Today).
- Kundalini Shakti rising up and elongating the spine.
- Incredible feeling of love and desire for your partner (not ordinary lust, alcohol induced or otherwise :-). Usually comes upon you spontaneously, deep in the night. Sex feels like it’s the first such experience and the intense feelings of attraction emanate from somewhere beyond yourself.
- Unfortunately, pain in the lower back, back of the neck and headaches.
Rare Kundalini Awakening Symptoms:
- Experience of divine light within. Very intense light, usually pure white and incredibly beautiful. I call it the Radiation of the Lord.
- Tremendous vibratory energy (sometimes feels like it’s coming from the inner ears). Very blissful, but can intensify to the point where it would completely overwhelm your consciousness if you let it.
- Spontaneous bliss, intensely pleasurable.
- This one is a bit scary. Complete paralysis of the body. Complete immobility and rigidity takes place. As with the all consuming vibratory energy, it requires some courage to allow.
- This one is exceedingly rare. I have experienced it only once in my life, and have only ever read about it being experienced by one other – the master of awareness, G. I. Gurdjieff. The arms and legs churn like that of a baby. It happens naturally and cannot be simulated. It is also intensely pleasurable and quite a remarkable experience.
There are of course a wide range of transcendental experiences, some of which you will find described in the category Spiritual Enlightenment Experiences. Above, I have provide those that are more commonly associated with kundalini awakening, although many would argue, including Swami Vivekananda, that all enlightenment experiences have to do with kundalini entering the brain region in some capacity.
So if you have experienced some kundalini symptoms as well, please do share them with us below. I think it will benefit others identify if what they are going through is actually symptoms of the ever mysterious kundalini awakening.
Dear Asha,
It is not unusual for Kundalini to awaken at this age. My most intense awakenings also took place when I was 17. First it is important to get all medical tests done, then I would suggest practicing relaxation techniques to see if they help, as stress can also cause your symptoms. Relaxation techniques will also help you cope with these symptoms better even if they are not stress related.
Let me know how it goes.
Best,
Anmol
Hi Dean,
If the lump was at the junction between the neck and spine, this is documented as part of spiritual transformation for some. It should be sensitive to the touch.
Headaches could be fine, but they are also related to pranayama practice as well. Try Kundalini Yoga with normal breathing and let me know how it goes.
Best,
Anmol
Dear Ra,
Are you doing corpse pose and relaxing after SCK and Kundalini Practice. The difficulty with Kundalini symptoms is that they can cause anxiety, stress and fear which then exacerbate many symptoms and add new ones.
I am more in favor of listening to the body, and backing off completely if necessary, than fighting through phases if they are too uncomfortable. What this approach does, is ensure that the symptoms are indeed tied to the practice and not manifesting due to any other reasons.
Your approach is in line with this I can see, but as I suggested it is fine to stop entirely and evaluate what happens before diving back in. The body is enormously intelligent and we should not fight against it’s in built wisdom.
So back off if needed and do more simple awareness oriented meditation and relaxation and then restart slowly. Let me know.
Love & Light,
Anmol
Hey, just wanted to give you a few of the symptoms that I experienced that led me to the path. Looking back, I know that I had several signs that Spirit was trying to get my attention, but apparently I wasn’t ready or just didn’t get the message. These included feeling little energy waves running back and forth through my body leaving me with a nice tingly feeling. I also occasionally felt like I was having an “out of body” experience. Finally, I also could feel “energy rings” that were like hula hoops cruising up and down my energy body. However, for me, the “defining” moment was when I was laying in bed one morning and my crown chakra just burst wide open, I ‘saw’ intense white light (I have no idea how long my entire experience lasted) for a relatively short period of time, then it was this brilliant blue light that just flowed in to me like beautiful, cleansing water, sloshing around and through me leaving me moaning in pure bliss and ecstasy. That did it for me, I got the message that great things were in store for me if I got on the path. I have been learning ever since.
Since that time, I have started seeing things in my third eye, if my physical eyes are open, it manifests as a faint blue outline of glyph like objects superimposed over whatever I’m looking at. If my physical eyes are closed, I see energy bodies that are like electric blue wireframes.
hi there Anmol,
I just wanted to know that sometimes I get this awfull symptoms in my body and I wanted to know whether these symptoms are the symptoms of the rising of kundalini.I started to get these symptoms last year December , I used to feel this immense pressure in my skull as if my head was going to explode and as a result of it I used to take pain killers but that did’nt work so I used to sleep most of the time.My hands and feet get very cold sometimes and I start sweating . I always feel there is some sort of a presence with me. And whenever I have dreams , Those dreams start to get really intense and as a result of what ever happened in my dream or what ever actions happened .I get the pain next morning . These symptoms usually occur after I finish studying or reading and mostly after praying. I’m only 17 years old.Is it normal for kundalini to rise in this age or am I experiencing something else.Please I would like to know. Thank you.
Hi,
I’ve been meditating for about a year and sometimes would get headaches on the side my head (the temple) but then I read that I should be focusing my attention on the heart area and after doing that the headaches begin to cease. But recently, I started doing kundalina and pranyama breathing and the headaches in that area begin to return and I started having trouble sleeping and then a lump came up on the back of my head. I think it was a swollen gland. It went away in about a week but was frightening. Can you offer any insight into what might be going on?
Thanks,
Dean
Dear Anmolji,
As mentioned in the past, Mother Kundalini evidently is guiding my practices. I try to trust this, yet my mind needs the security of the word from a human teacher. This is because we have nothing to compare our inner experience with, to know that our sources are truly what they say they are.
I was doing SCK Intermediate level for 22 Min. a day
Subag: (5 parts) 5 minutes each per day.
Had started Cat for 2-4 min (because since fear became intense).
Heat has been lodged in my face, top of head, neck and top-side of arms for a long time. Because of this and because i forget to drink (but do drink more than i used to), “She” cut me back to only SCK 13 min., adding one minute per day…and stopped the other Kriyas.
I eat cucumbers
Take Chamomile extract
Drink Chamomile Tea and 1/2 water / 1 Apple juice mixture .
I eat more yin foods, but it doesn’t change much.
Occasionally do Varun Mudra, but not good for my type (pitta-Kapha).
Eyes/mouth/nose dry out
Stiff neck (for weeks now)..feels like arthritis and muscle tension
Upper spine stiff between scapulae)
Space-out easily if i let it happen
The rest of me feels fine/better and i LOVE practice.
I don’t mind the heat but want to proceed safely.
Any suggestions?
The Ong Namo Gurudev Namo mantra is supposed to “protect” us when said prior to Kriyas:
Does it protect from:
*Kundalini “sicknesses”
*From heat damage?
*Any other problems that could arise?
slini
17 June, 2009 Thank you for this forum. Initially I thought I had a heat related problem even though I wasn’t heat stressed as my friend drove us towards a lake. I had lower back pain with a headache and neck pain as well before observing white sparkles and a huge star~burst becoming more white, like the contrast is turned up too high on a TV until becoming most bright white for about 5 minutes, pupils very small, eyes fluttering and most breath taking, then tapering back to normal vision, lasting about 15 minutes total time. I was totally blinded with a bright white light , only viewing the peripheral edges with a white mist. And I usually tingle with goosebumps on certain areas of my body or all over becoming electrified. I first thought the bright white light in my eyes was from heat exhaustion/stoke though I didn’t hear the “Choo~Choo train” due to abnormal blood pressure in the brain nor did I feel heat stressed on a mid~morning in Tucson, AZ as my friend was driving us to John F. Kennedy lake for a fun day of fishing. I asked her to turn around, that something was amiss. When she returned to her driveway at her home my vision became crystal clear with highlights of white sparkles reflecting from the rear bumper of her parked car sitting on her property. It was later when the thought impression of “Kundalini Awakening” registered within my mind. Live and learn:) Thank you for blinding me to the Kundalini Light(*) Love, Peace and Compassion, Geri(*)
Sometimes I used to feel pressure in the region of my heart, ajna chakra and crown chakra. However, I have never been to intense meditation class. All I do is search some meditation techniques in youtube. I thought the pressure I experience was related to sprituality but after reading your post I am certain. Thank you!
Like Zarielle said I also hear some constant buzzing noise. However, I hear it only when I am not thinking anything maybe trying to concentrate.Is this also some spiritual sign?
A lot of thanks for your reply, Anmol. Yes it is my experience also that pranayams are too powerful especially I was doing it too much to get rid of my disease. But now, I think I have learnt my lessons and have to keep things under control. Therefore, doing asanas (10-12 basic postures as in shivanda yoga) and meditation also. Once again thanks for your reply.
Hi Addy,
Don’t do just pranayama. It is too powerful. Balance your program with yoga asanas or any other physical fitness routine, to prepare it better to deal with higher levels of energy.
It is fine to stop for a while, allow things to settle down a bit and then pick up slowly from there. Specially with pranayama, one should not rush rush.
Generally pressure in forehead is fairly common with spiritual practice, headaches not so much. So you have taken a good decision and see how it goes from here.
Drastic changes in diet can also create challenges in the body, so make sure you keep an eye on that as well.
Let me know.
Best,
Anmol
Hello Anmol, around one year before I started to have psoriasis patches, then I started doing prnayama, ofcourse during this time I was mostly on fruits and vef diets, the dieases cured, but I continued by pranyama, I also started doing mediatations, but now past 3-4 months i am having kundalini awakening experiences, heaviness in forehead, vibrations in spine, twitching all over the body, but i think the most profound one is heaviness in forehead, Intially, I enjoyed those symptoms but know especially the pressure in head, which sometimes convert into headace. Well, I am trying to cope up with it, but just wondering what shall i do with my pratices. Presently, have stopped doing prnayama, infact doing yoga postures and meditation. So what do u think, well I am trying my best to ignore this, and of the opinon that more energy in time will cure the things. Want to have your opinon espcially on pressure in forehaead.
anmol, i was doing the spinal warm ups while steadily looking at my third eye and ears started to ring, i couldnt hear that well, i was feeling a vibration in my face and chest region, i could feel vibrating or tingling somewhere in my eye region, then when i rested in corpse pose, my body was tingling, my throat felt weird, it became hard to breath, so i started to panic and jumped up, then i went back into corpse pose
Hi Ed,
Are you still having such headaches? If so, do you have them when you do shoulder stand or inverted postures. It seems like its due to pressure.
Let me know.
Best,
Anmol
Dear Zarielle,
Although your experiences do overlap with kundalini awakening symptoms, due to family history and the difficulty you are experiencing, I don’t want to make a casual suggestion online.
I would suggest finding a competent Kundalini Yoga Teacher or Ayurvedic Doctor and seeking some advise from them personally.
Let me know how it goes.
Wishing you all the best.
God Bless You,
Anmol
Hi Matt,
Welcome to our world. Yes your experience is certainly very much like others who have had an awakening and a taste of the non-dual nature of Reality (as in, you and the bird were one – Patanjali’s Samyama, but easier to simply understand that as an experience of the One Self (as in you walking in existence)).
Such openings do happen early and suddenly due to various reasons and then leave one a little awed and lost. Usually wanting the experience back again (even though you don’t), but nothing really wrong in that, after all it was quite magnificent. In general, it will not happen again just the same, but other magnificent experiences will happen later.
I look at these early experiences as invitations to walk the spiritual path. My suggestion is to begin a consistent, strong personal meditation practice, and then enjoy the affair with Infinity which will undoubtedly happen.
Let me know if you want guidance on where to start. The free online meditation classes are available here as well.
Thanks for sharing with us.
Best,
Anmol
Headaches: Never had a headache problem until I started yoga. Now get one behind and above the eyes, about a 1/2 palm size area but ONLY AFTER BENDING THE SPINE FORWARD (Plow posture for instance). Seems if it was due to Kundalini it would occur after the use of other postures also?
Hi Ed,
I have not read your pieces yet, but plan to…thank you in advance!
Hey Matt,
I stumbled across your post and it intrigued me! I had a dream two nights ago where I was lying on a bunk bed, the top bunk (ive never had a bunk bed by the way), and it seemed the ceiling was sort of pulsating or some sort of energy was changing things. Anyway, it reminded me of your experience slightly, funny because I randomly scrolled down the page here and just decided to read your post. Last year I had what they term a spontaneous kundalini awakening. It seems like in the last few months it has found a way to reactivate so I’m going through the motions again. E-mail me if you like at leilah011@yahoo.com. I am curious to know a little more about your experience and why your recent/sudden? intrigue.