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.
this is me again….i think its all crazy…dunno wats wrong wid me…i am goin crazy….i am like 15 and all this is making me go nuts…by the way my sunsign is scorpion..does it have anything to do wid this…one thing is true..i love lord hanuman…i seriously swear by him and cant even think of anything else..i hope i am not goin mad…do i need to visit a psychiatrist?wat eva…this thing is making me loose my sanity…
I forgot to add that after I experienced the sensation, I couldn’t sleep for hours! I ended up just getting three hours of sleep. LOL!
Thanks again!
Thank for this article. I am not sure if what I experienced yesterday morning was a kundalini awakening experience or not but it was so intense and pleasurable.
I am new to yoga, although I did not really sought to start practicing yoga. I received an email spam about some mysterious “finger healing” techniques that promised miraculous results regarding curing of ailments, receiving luck, or pursuing wealth. I became interested (who wouldn’t, right?).
as I started researching these so called finger healing techniques, it turned out that they are called mudras. further research led me to various websites that showed many different mudras and meditation techniques that I’ve started doing just a few days ago. I am not a yoga practitioner but I did study the martial art Aikido for many years and it included zen meditation (although I did not participate in any advance zazen classes). my meditation background was simply 20 minutes of breathing meditation before an Aikido class (I did this for almost ten years but have stopped since I moved to a city where no Aikido dojos are close).
now that I’ve been introduced to mudras. I started meditating when I can, simply a few minutes here and there and either sitting down or lying in bed.
yesterday morning, when I went to bed to sleep (I work night so I sleep in the day time), I decided to meditate while lying down and used the gyan mudra. I simply had my arms at my sides and I used the same breathing techniques we used in my old Aikido classes. after about five minutes into my meditation, I was almost dozing off, I felt this warm sensation on my lower back that went up my back, went into my head and then dissipated into a cool feeeling throughout my whole back and head (the only way I can describe the cooling is like when you put vicks vapor rub on your skin and fan it, that type of cooling sensation). while this was happening I felt as if someone turned on the lights (you know that sensation of brightness you get when someone turns on the light while your eyes are closed?) and everything felt bright.
I quickly opened my eyes but the room was still dark but the feeling of pleasure and contentment was unmistakably present! it felt absolutely wonderful and it is something I’ve never experienced at all.
Again, I don’t know if that is a kundalini awakening but finding and reading your article it seems very close to it (a kundalini awakening experience). whether it is or not, I am very pleased and astounded to have experienced it and it pushed me now to do more research about yoga.
thank you for your excellent website and the enourmous generosity you have for showing beginners the proper way to practice yoga. this is my first day in visiting your site and I’ve already learned many things.
Namaste SeekingShiva,
Thank you for providing those Kundalini resources. Yes, I agree, when dealing with powerful meditations such as OM mantra, it is important to go slow.
Best,
Anmol
Hi Sara,
I will write more on 2012 in the near future.
Best,
Anmol
Hi Nick,
Spiritual practice is difficult enough, specially real meditation, so don’t think negatively and add more obstacles to your path. Think Kundalini will help fix your spinal issues instead.
Also, Kundalini is said to reside in the brain, with chakras being switches to ignite these various brain regions, so from that view, your problem is significantly less.
All Good Wishes,
Anmol
Hi Anmol,
I would like to get into kundalini awakening but I have lower back problems where my lumbar spine is over-bent and causes me a lot of pain. Will this stop the kundalini rising? I have had little kundalini experiences, nothing huge like the ones described here, but I have a feeling most of it may be blocked by my spinal issues. What can I do about it? Thanks.
Nick
Why are more people experiencing this as 2012 approaches? What is the significance there?
Kundalini is the best thing that could happen to human being but it also makes you treat your self little differently.
Here are some other links which I find very helpful
http://www.aypsite.org/forum/
http://biologyofkundalini.com/
Rest Anmol has done a very wonderful job but I believe not everyone can handle OM meditation and leaves many of us too ungrounded.
So go slow.
I like his site and I hope to learn and grow more.
Namastey
hi anmol,
now a days i feel an astral sound of high frequency originating within my ears.
I m in hostel these days, before somedays when i was in my home i was doing 2 or 3 pranayams my vibrations were considerably increased and due to that i think nightfall became frequent nd i hav to leave some of pranayams and condition was so that if i practise just 2 cycle pranayam my vibration increases and nightfall occurs that night, but now adays if i perform some vigoroys pranayams then also no considerable change in vibrations occurs what could b the reason and were those symptoms favourable.
actually in one of spiritual book i read that nightfall is obvious and we hav to control it by will power but my will power is not that much strong presently, i think u r understanding plz slove this problem
Dear Jhumki,
Take your time, trust in the divine and build up your health.
Best,
Anmol
dear sir,
thnks a lot..u have helped me…plz temme have to make the energy rise up to ur spine…but the thing is all dis is pretty scary…
Hi Jane,
Relax. First and most important, remember all storms pass. Here are some answers..
1. Kundalini can be experienced in countless different ways, so the traditional “symptoms” do not have to be present in one’s journey to God.
2. Many people experience Kundalini, but the more profound experiences are not common. Although, seem to be getting more common as we approach 2012.
3. It is important to be as healthy as possible, when dealing with Kundalini. Emotionally, physically and mentally. My advise to anyone having Kundalini Awakening symptoms is to listen carefully to what their body is asking for and cater to it (diet change, more exercise, yoga, meditation, more rest, walks in nature, etc.)
4. There is plenty of literature on Kundalini, just not in the western self-help books, which are based on relatively improving the dualistic experience, instead of based on the Truth of Oneness.
Please take up some yoga breathing exercises and meditation. It will help calm down your mind and reduce your anxiety. Trust life.
All Good Wishes,
Anmol
Hi Louissa,
Your experience is certainly Kundalini Awakening. The pain is similar to what others have felt in the head region as well. Good to know you have someone helping ease the discomfort.
Breathing exercises can also be very useful to you. Try some of the yoga pranayamas on the website. They have helped many with migraines and headaches.
Ultimately, spiritual awakening often requires one to have “A certain indifference to physical comfort.”
Check following article for more on that…
J Krishnamurti Ponders his Kundailni Awakening
Keep us posted.
All Good Wishes,
Anmol
Thanks Laurel, I will keep you posted on what happens. Also along the same lines, a congregation prayed for me yesterday and my pain was gone for the entire day. I don’t belong to a church, but these people care about me and decided to do this – and it worked!! Today however, the pain is back, but it is much lesser than before. I will take your kind words and start praying also as you have suggested.
Thank you so much for your guidance.
Regards
Louissa
Prayer never hurts. It is my opinion most humans have energy attachments. It is my belief that if you ask God for help God will never fail you, ever. It is always between you and God.–that is the ONLY relationship you ever work out in this world. So yes prayer will help you. I believe I have always existed from the beginning of time. Now I am earnestly seeking to help the world, maybe for the first time. Seek out your intentions. What do you really want for this world? If your will is to help, fully surrender to your creator (not some random entity or attachment), surrender to the being that allows all things to exist and ask for divine help. Doesn’t matter if you even believe what I am saying. In earnest pray to be a better person, pray for your consciousness to be one that helps other beings. This hurts nothing. You can’t go wrong by asking your will to be one of kindness to all life and in that there is no fear. You have done your best. Rest in the peace of your creator and throw off anything that separates you from peace.
Hi Serenity,
Thanks for sharing your experiences on Kundalini Awakening with us. Also for providing the resources and books that you have found helpful.
I am curious as to which Chakra Meditation CD you used? Wanted to know if it used just music, seed sounds or was a guided meditation.
Do keep us posted on your findings, it is very beneficial to others to get first hand accounts from those who are experienced as well as knowledgeable.
All Good Wishes,
Anmol
Hi Anmol & Lauren, I am not sure (like Jane) if what I am experiencing is Kundalini Awakening. My Chiroprator friend also tells me I have blockages up my spine and an energy in my lower back – she suggested it could be an entity that has attached itself. The med’s the doctors have given me only make the pain worse and the only thing that helps is massage, reiki and chiropractic re-adjustment.
Lauren, should I be praying like you?
Please help, any guidance would be beneficial to me.
Hi, it’s me again. I recently wrote to you about energy in my spine and in the crown of my head. Well, I don’t have bursts of energy in my spine anymore, but I do feel warmth in the crown of my head, my tailbone vibrates on and off and now I have been trouble sleeping. But anyways, you said it was probably along the lines of kundalini activity, but I just want to let you know, that i have never practiced yoga or meditation (well, okay, I have a 20-minute yoga DVD that I’ve done a couple of times in my lifetime). And I am very young (only 16!), I have no spiritual guru, (I think it would be literally impossible for me to get one because of where I live and my age) but I have been personally spiritual from the age of fourteen. Reading about all of this kundalini and the dangers of it has scared me and I have been overwhelmed with anxiety about it, to the point where I think about it…a lot. Sometimes I don’t know if this is even real kundalini, or if it’s all in my head-like I just think about it too much. I fear that I will go insane and lose my mind because of all the scary articles I’ve read about it. It’s all just made life so confusing, and I feel a sense of hopelessness about this. What am I doing? Does it sound like I just have obsessed anxiety? Good God, I know I’m not ready for some intense kundalini awakening. I need more time, I need to be OLDER. I would think you would have to have meditated at least once in your life, which I haven’t. I know I probably sound like I’m going crazy, which maybe I am(?), but I really, REALLY need some guidance and comfort at this point.
Thank you. =))
PS: I went to a chyropractor/neurologist about the bursts of energy in my spine, and after a two-hour examination and a couple X-rays, he said my spine and neck is out of line and I have some blockage and restriction in my lower back, but he isn’t sure why that would cause that weird energy down my spine. He has treated me for awhile now, but he said if I keep feeling weird “energies”, he will have to look into MS.
PSS: Do lots of people experience kundalini in their lifetime? Like is experiencing kundalini the only path to God?
What are your viewpoints on spontaneous kundalini awakenings? Are they dangerous? Is kundalini in general a dangerous force? How come kundalini is never mentioned in any spiritual, self-help books?
(I can’t help but laugh due to all of the questions I’m asking you, if don’t want to answer all my questions, I understand, considering you would probably have to write a book to answer my questions)