Many yoga lecturers know Kundalini as an vitality apply, however few discover its roots in Tantra- the philosophy that connects creation with consciousness.
Tantra and Kundalini Yoga are two historic paths that designate how consciousness and vitality work collectively in life. Tantra provides understanding, whereas Kundalini Yoga gives the direct expertise of that reality.
In Tantric philosophy, life is seen because the play of two inseparable forces; Shiva, the nonetheless consciousness, and Shakti, the artistic energy. From their union arises the whole lot in existence, from refined thought to strong matter.
When Shakti unfolds from the stillness of Shiva, it creates layers of actuality generally known as tattvas – shifting from pure consciousness to the bodily world. This motion known as the descent of vitality, the place the unseen turns into seen as matter.
Kundalini Yoga describes the identical journey in reverse the return of vitality from matter to spirit. The divine energy that created the universe lies dormant on the base of the backbone as Kundalini Shakti. When woke up and guided upward via the chakras, it dissolves internal limitations and awakens greater consciousness.
Collectively, Tantra and Kundalini Yoga reveal the total circle of existence, from unity to range, and again to unity once more.
Tantra and the idea of creation
In Tantra, creation is just not a one-time occasion however a steady unfolding of consciousness into vitality. At its core are Shiva and Shakti the nonetheless and the dynamic features of 1 actuality. When Shakti stirs inside Shiva’s stillness, creation begins to take type.
From this primary motion come up thirty-six tattvas, or ideas of existence. They present how pure consciousness transforms step-by-step into the bodily world. The ultimate stage of this descent is Prithvi Tattva, the earth component the place spirit turns into matter.
This course of is named the descent of vitality. But whilst vitality takes type, it by no means loses its divine essence. The identical consciousness that created the cosmos additionally lives inside every particular person. Recognising this reality is the muse of all Tantric apply.
Additionally Learn: Idea of Creation in Tantra
The reverse journey: involution and religious evolution
Kundalini Yoga teaches the reverse of creation- a course of referred to as involution, or the return of vitality to its supply. This inward motion is just not about escape however about rediscovering the divine inside.
In yoga, this is named Bhūta Shuddhi, the purification of the 5 components: earth (Prithvi), water (Apas), hearth (Agni), air (Vayu), and house (Akasha).
Via breath, meditation, and consciousness, these components are harmonised and absorbed again into each other from the dense to the subtle- till solely consciousness stays.
This internal purification is the true that means of religious evolution. As vitality rises, the senses withdraw inward, the thoughts turns into nonetheless, and consciousness expands. The yogi experiences the identical vitality that when descended as creation now shifting upward as liberation.
Additionally Learn: Bhuta Shuddhi – Yogic Course of to Purification of 5 Components
Understanding kundalini: that means and symbolism
The phrase Kundalini comes from kundal, that means coil. It refers back to the coiled religious vitality resting on the base of the backbone, within the Root Chakra. This vitality is Shakti in her potential type the dormant energy of creation inside the human being.
Even whereas dormant, Kundalini sustains life by releasing a mild movement of prāṇa, the life pressure. When woke up, she rises via the Sushumna Nadi, the central channel, activating every chakra and reworking consciousness at each stage.
Kundalini is revered because the Divine Mom, the artistic energy of Shiva. Her awakening isn’t just an brisk expertise however a religious rebirth the return of vitality to its supply, the assembly of Shakti and Shiva inside.
Additionally Learn: Nadis and Chakras: Working Mechanism of Refined Physique
The image of the coiled serpent
Kundalini is usually proven as a serpent coiled three and a half instances on the base of the backbone. This can be a image of potential vitality, resting but able to awaken.
The three coils symbolize the three gunas, or qualities of nature:
- Sattva — steadiness, readability, and peace
- Rajas — exercise, ardour, and motion
- Tamas — inertia, heaviness, and ignorance
The half coil represents the spark of consciousness past these three the notice that results in freedom.
This imagery additionally displays the three states of consciousness– waking, dreaming, and deep sleep — with the half coil symbolising the fourth state, Turīya, or pure consciousness.
When Kundalini awakens, she lifts us past the boundaries of the thoughts into this fourth state the nonetheless gentle of self-awareness. The serpent thus symbolises transformation, knowledge, and the rise of internal energy.
Additionally Learn: The Symbolism and Energy of the Serpent in Kundalini Yoga
The movement of vitality: ida, pingala, and sushumna
In line with yogic philosophy, the awakening of Kundalini is dependent upon the steadiness of vitality shifting via three refined channels within the physique, referred to as nāḍīs. These nāḍīs are the invisible pathways via which prāṇa the life pressure flows and sustains each physique and thoughts.
Simply as rivers carry water throughout the earth, the nāḍīs carry vitality via the internal panorama of consciousness. Among the many 1000’s of vitality channels, three are mentioned to be most vital: Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna. Collectively, they create the muse for pranic steadiness and religious awakening.
Ida Nadi – The Lunar Channel
Ida Nadi runs alongside the left aspect of the backbone. It’s linked with the moon’s cooling and calming vitality and governs the psychological and emotional nature of our being. When Ida is lively, it encourages introspection, stillness, and sensitivity.
In yogic symbolism, Ida is linked with the Ganga River, representing purity, instinct, and movement. An individual dominated by Ida vitality tends to be mild, reflective, and inward-focused.
Pingala Nadi – The Photo voltaic Channel
Pingala Nadi flows alongside the precise aspect of the backbone. It carries the solar’s warming and activating vitality, supporting vitality, power, and outward expression. When Pingala is dominant, the thoughts turns into alert, the physique feels energised, and motion arises naturally.
Pingala is symbolically linked to the Yamuna River, representing motion, dynamism, and the artistic hearth of life.
Sushumna Nadi – The Central Channel
Sushumna Nadi flows via the centre of the backbone, connecting the Mūlādhāra Chakra on the base with the Sahasrara Chakra on the crown of the pinnacle. This channel represents religious consciousness and serves because the pathway for Kundalini Shakti to ascend.
When Ida and Pingala are unbalanced, Sushumna stays dormant. However as soon as these two currents movement in concord, prāṇa naturally enters Sushumna, permitting the internal vitality to rise. This balanced state is the true essence of Haṭha Yoga — “Ha” that means the solar and “Tha” that means the moon. Haṭha Yoga goals to unite these two forces so the central channel can awaken.
In yogic symbolism, the assembly level of the three nāḍīs Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna known as Triveṇī Saṅgam, the sacred confluence of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati. Simply as these rivers merge in concord, the steadiness of pranic currents inside us awakens a deeper religious movement.
When prāṇa begins to maneuver freely via Sushumna, the breath turns into quiet, the thoughts turns inward, and meditation deepens naturally. That is the primary motion of Kundalini Shakti — the second when internal vitality begins its upward journey, main in direction of awakening and expanded consciousness.
The union of solar and moon: the that means of hatha Yoga
The phrase Haṭha Yoga comes from two Sanskrit sounds Ha, that means solar, and Tha, that means moon. These two forces symbolize the twin energies that form each the universe and the human physique.
The solar symbolises Pingala Nadi, the channel of heat, vitality, and motion. The moon symbolises Ida Nadi, the channel of coolness, calmness, and reflection. These two currents are continually flowing inside us, shaping the rhythm of physique and thoughts one creating motion and exercise, the opposite bringing relaxation and renewal.
In each day life, one in all these energies typically dominates. When the photo voltaic present is just too robust, we turn into stressed, pushed, and tense. When the lunar present is just too robust, we really feel uninteresting, drained, or withdrawn. The intention of Hatha Yoga is to deliver steadiness between the 2, creating concord in each the nervous system and consciousness.
Via the common apply of asana (posture), pranayama (breath management), mudra (gesture), and bandha (vitality lock), the Ida and Pingala channels are purified. As steadiness develops, vitality begins to movement freely via the Sushumna Nadi, the central channel that results in greater consciousness.
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That is the true goal of Hatha Yoga not solely to construct power or flexibility, however to arrange the physique and thoughts for religious awakening. When the solar and moon energies unite, the internal present opens, and Kundalini Shakti begins to rise naturally.
Hatha Yoga is due to this fact the muse of Kundalini Yoga. It steadies the physique, regulates the breath, and quiets the thoughts. As soon as these three are aligned, the dormant vitality inside awakens with out pressure or effort.
The union of solar and moon isn’t just a symbolic idea- it’s a dwelling expertise. It brings steadiness to each side of life: exercise and relaxation, thought and silence, outer motion and internal stillness. When this internal concord is achieved, the breath flows evenly, the thoughts turns into peaceable, and consciousness turns inward.
This balanced state marks the primary gentle of transformation the start of the awakening of Kundalini.
Kundalini yoga: the trail of transformation
Kundalini Yoga is usually seen as the subsequent step after Hatha Yoga. Whereas Hatha Yoga balances the physique and thoughts by cleaning the vitality pathways, Kundalini Yoga works immediately with the internal life force- the dormant energy of Shakti that rests on the base of the backbone.
The aim of this apply is to awaken Kundalini and information her gently upward via the chakras, the refined vitality centres alongside the backbone. Every chakra displays a unique stage of consciousness and expression of vitality. Because the Kundalini strikes via them, the restrictions tied to every stage dissolve, permitting greater states of consciousness to unfold.
When vitality awakens at a chakra, the pure qualities of that centre akin to creativity, willpower, compassion, or readability start to shine extra freely. This course of is usually described because the flowering of consciousness. Simply as lotuses bloom one above one other, every chakra opens in its personal time, revealing the hidden potential inside.
The ascent of Kundalini is a gradual and pure course of that unfolds via constant apply, self-awareness, and purity of life. It’s supported by conventional yogic instruments, together with:
- Asana – prepares and strengthens the physique.
- Pranayama – regulates the breath and awakens prana (life vitality).
- Bandha and Mudra – direct vitality inward and upward.
- Mantra and Meditation – focus the thoughts and refine vibration.
As Kundalini rises, it purifies the nāḍīs (vitality channels), cleanses the thoughts, and awakens religious consciousness. The practitioner begins to really feel a deep internal readability and reference to life. Particular person consciousness expands naturally towards the common.
In its essence, Kundalini Yoga is the science of transformation. It refines the decrease energies of intuition and need into greater energies of knowledge and consciousness. The sleeping potential turns into woke up energy, and strange expertise transforms right into a path of realisation.
When Kundalini lastly reaches the Sahasrara Chakra on the crown of the pinnacle, she unites with Shiva, the nonetheless consciousness. This union marks the fulfilment of the yogic journey the merging of vitality and consciousness, matter and spirit. It’s the state of oneness, identified in Tantra as liberation (moksha) or Sat-Chit-Ananda- Being, Consciousness, and Bliss.
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Key texts and classical sources
The roots of Kundalini Yoga and Tantra lie within the historic Sanskrit scriptures that describe each the philosophy and the sensible science of awakening. Amongst these, two texts are thought-about the first sources:
- Ṣaṭ-Chakra-Nirūpaṇa (Description of the Six Chakras)
- Pādukā-Pañchaka (5 Verses on the Footstool of the Guru)
These classical works map the refined physique, explaining the chakras, nāḍīs, and the rise of Kundalini Shakti via every stage of consciousness till her union with Shiva on the crown of the pinnacle. They element the movement of prāṇa, the indicators of awakening, and the transformation that unfolds as consciousness expands past the boundaries of the thoughts.
For contemporary readers, these historic teachings had been translated and illuminated by Sir John Woodroffe, writing underneath the identify Arthur Avalon, in his famend work The Serpent Energy. This e-book brings collectively the unique Sanskrit verses and Woodroffe’s detailed commentary, making a bridge between conventional Tantric knowledge and trendy understanding of vitality and consciousness.
Whereas The Serpent Energy provides deep philosophical perception, a extra accessible and practice-based information could be present in Kundalini Tantra by Swami Satyananda Saraswati. Written in clear, easy language, this e-book presents the identical ideas in a approach that’s straightforward to use. It explains the connection between the chakras, breath, and thoughts, and gives protected, systematic strategies for awakening vitality via yoga and meditation.
Collectively, these two texts symbolize the 2 important features of the Kundalini custom:
- The Serpent Energy reveals the scriptural basis and philosophical depth,
- Kundalini Tantra provides the sensible steering for on a regular basis yogic life.
Each remind us that Kundalini Yoga is just not a contemporary invention, however an historic science of consciousness that continues to information honest seekers towards steadiness, consciousness, and religious awakening. By learning these texts, practitioners acquire not solely the strategy of awakening vitality but additionally the knowledge to method it with reverence, persistence, and purity of intention. study not solely how to awaken vitality, but additionally why it have to be approached with purity, persistence, and reverence.
Kundalini because the goddess and purpose of yoga
Within the yogic and Tantric traditions, Kundalini is honoured because the Divine Mom, the dwelling Shakti inside each being. She represents the artistic energy of the universe- the pressure via which consciousness takes type as life. Resting silently on the base of the backbone, she holds the blueprint of each creation and awakening.
Kundalini is usually described because the counterpart of Shiva, who symbolises pure consciousness. Shiva is stillness, the unchanging witness; Shakti is motion, the ability of creation. Collectively, they type the 2 features of a single actuality. When they’re seen as separate, life seems divided — between internal and outer, spirit and matter, self and world. Once they unite, this sense of division dissolves, revealing the pure state of wholeness.
The aim of Kundalini Yoga is to revive this internal union. When the dormant Shakti awakens, she begins her ascent via the Sushumna Nadi, rising via the chakras and purifying every stage of consciousness. When she reaches the Sahasrara Chakra on the crown of the pinnacle, she merges once more with Shiva, symbolising the realisation that vitality and consciousness had been by no means really aside.
This union marks the fulfilment of yoga- the state of Samadhi, the place consciousness turns into one with the supply. On this expertise, the yogi realises the essence of Sat-Chit-Ananda:
- Sat – pure existence,
- Chit – pure consciousness,
- Ananda – pure bliss.
Right here, the physique and thoughts stay lively, however they not create separation. Each breath and motion turns into an expression of the identical divine rhythm. The world is not seen as one thing exterior of us, however because the dance of Shiva and Shakti- consciousness in movement.
Thus, Kundalini is each the Goddess and the purpose of yoga the journey and its vacation spot. When Shakti unites with Shiva inside, the yogi realises that the seeker, the trail, and the divine are one and the identical. That is the essence of Tantra to recognise that each one of creation is sacred, and awakening lies not in escape, however within the consciousness of unity that already exists.
Conclusion
The teachings of Tantra and Kundalini Yoga describe one steady journey the motion of divine vitality from its supply into creation, and its return to pure consciousness. Tantra helps us perceive how this vitality manifests, whereas Kundalini Yoga reveals the way it can rise once more via apply and internal self-discipline.
This journey begins on the base of the backbone, the place Kundalini Shakti rests in silence. Via yoga, breath, and meditation, this vitality awakens and ascends via the chakras, clearing blocks and opening deeper understanding.
The awakening of Kundalini is just not a bodily occasion however an internal transformation. When the vitality reaches the Sahasrara Chakra, it unites with Shiva, symbolising the whole union of vitality and consciousness.
The message of Tantra is timeless: what we search exterior is already inside. Via regular apply, persistence, and consciousness, Kundalini Yoga helps us return to that reality the state of steadiness, readability, and pleasure that’s our pure essence.
