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115-685: The Sahasrara is described in a few medieval hatha yoga texts including the Śivasaṃhitā and the Tirumantiram , but not within the Paścimāmnāya and Nath traditions; the Kubjikamatatantra describes only the six lower chakras. The scriptures vary in the position of the Sahasrara; the Shiva Samhita states that it is beyond the body, whereas others place it at the fontanelle or brahmarandhra on

230-612: A High Court Judge in Calcutta , he studied Sanskrit and Hindu philosophy, particularly as it related to Hindu Tantra . He translated numerous original Sanskrit texts and lectured on Indian philosophy , Yoga and Tantra. His book, The Serpent Power: The Secrets of Tantric and Shaktic Yoga became a major source for many modern Western adaptations of Kundalini yoga practice. It presents an academically and philosophically sophisticated translation of, and commentary on, two key Eastern texts: Shatchakranirūpana (Description and Investigation into

345-488: A beginner, states the historian of religion Mircea Eliade , the asanas are uncomfortable, typically difficult, cause the body to shake, and are typically unbearable to hold for extended periods of time. However, with repetition and persistence, as the muscle tone improves, the effort reduces and posture improves. According to the Haṭha yoga texts, each posture becomes perfect when the "effort disappears", one no longer thinks about

460-559: A controlled diet is one of the three important parts of a complete and successful practice. The text does not provide details or recipes. The text states, according to Mallinson, "food should be unctuous and sweet", one must not overeat and stop when still a bit hungry (leave a quarter of the stomach empty), and whatever one eats should please Shiva . Haṭha yoga teaches various steps of inner body cleansing with consultations of one's yoga teacher. Its texts vary in specifics and number of cleansing methods, ranging from simple hygiene practices to

575-456: A downward moving Kuṇḍalinī ( adha ) associated with contraction. According to the scholar of comparative religion Gavin Flood , Abhinavagupta links Kuṇḍalinī with "the power that brings into manifestation the body, breath, and experiences of pleasure and pain", with "the power of sexuality as the source of reproduction" and with: the force of the syllable ha in the mantra and the concept of aham ,

690-519: A half coils. Swami Vivekananda describes Kuṇḍalinī briefly in his book Raja Yoga as follows: According to the Yogis, there are two nerve currents in the spinal column, called Pingalâ and Idâ, and a hollow canal called Sushumnâ running through the spinal cord. At the lower end of the hollow canal is what the Yogis call the "Lotus of the Kundalini". They describe it as triangular in a form in which... there

805-499: A latter-day scholar on Kuṇḍalinī and its physical basis, and a former member of the Theosophical Society . According to Carl Jung "the concept of Kundalini has for us only one use, that is, to describe our own experiences with the unconscious". Jung used the Kundalini system symbolically as a means of understanding the dynamic movement between conscious and unconscious processes. According to Shamdasani, Jung claimed that

920-483: A master, the awakening of the kundalini cannot take anyone very far on the Path; and such indiscriminate or premature awakening is fraught with dangers of self-deception as well as the misuse of powers. The kundalini enables man to consciously cross the lower planes and it ultimately merges into the universal cosmic power of which it is a part, and which also is at times described as kundalini ... [but it] cannot dispense with

1035-496: A new form of comparative psychology opened up." The American writer William Buhlman began to conduct an international survey of out-of-body experiences in 1969 in order to gather information about symptoms: sounds, vibrations and other phenomena that commonly occur at the time of the OBE event. His primary interest was to compare the findings with reports made by yogis such as Gopi Krishna who have referred to similar phenomena, such as

1150-436: A secret astral passage, the coiled way of the kundalini in the coccygeal plexus, and upward through the sacral, the lumbar, and the higher dorsal, cervical, and medullary plexuses, and the spiritual eye at the point between the eyebrows, to reveal finally the soul's presence in the highest center (Sahasrara) in the brain. Krishnamacharya, often called the "father of modern yoga", described kuṇḍalinī differently. To him, Kuṇḍalinī

1265-521: A system of chakras was overlaid onto the earlier bindu-oriented system. The aim was to access amṛta (the nectar of immortality) situated in the head, which subsequently floods the body, in contradiction with the early Haṭha yoga goal of preserving bindu. The classical sources for the mudras are the Gheranda Samhita and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika . The yoga mudras are diverse in the parts of

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1380-463: A water wash and others describing the use of cleansing aids such as cloth. Prāṇāyāma is made out of two Sanskrit words prāṇa (प्राण, breath, vital energy, life force) and āyāma (आयाम, restraining, extending, stretching). Some Haṭha yoga texts teach breath exercises but do not refer to it as Pranayama. For example, section 3.55 of the GherandaSamhita calls it Ghatavastha (state of being

1495-463: Is shaktipat where one individual's Kuṇḍalinī is awakened by another who already has the experience. Shaktipat only raises Kuṇḍalinī temporarily but gives the student an experience to use as a basis. The twentieth century yogi and mystic Gopi Krishna , who helped to bring the concept of Kuṇḍalinī to the Western world, stated that As the ancient writers have said, it is the vital force or prana which

1610-600: Is "said to represent the teachings of Virūpākṣa ". According to Mallinson, this figure is most likely the Buddhist mahasiddha Virupa . The c. 10th century Kubjikāmatatantra anticipates haṭha yoga with its description of the raising of Kundalini , and a 6- chakra system. Around the 11th century, techniques associated with Haṭha yoga also begin to be outlined in a series of early Hindu texts. The aims of these practices were siddhis (supranormal powers such as levitation) and mukti (liberation) . In India, haṭha yoga

1725-482: Is a branch of yoga that uses physical techniques to try to preserve and channel vital force or energy. The Sanskrit word हठ haṭha literally means "force", alluding to a system of physical techniques. Some hatha yoga style techniques can be traced back at least to the 1st-century CE, in texts such as the Hindu Sanskrit epics and Buddhism's Pali canon . The oldest dated text so far found to describe hatha yoga,

1840-503: Is a power called the Kundalini, coiled up. When that Kundalini awakens, it tries to force a passage through this hollow canal, and as it rises step by step, as it were, layer after layer of the mind becomes open... When it reaches the brain, the Yogi is perfectly detached from the body and mind; the soul finds itself free. ... The left is the Ida, the right Pingala, and that hollow canal which runs through

1955-462: Is a type of religious experience within the Hindu tradition, within which it is held to be a kind of "cosmic energy" that accumulates at the base of the spine . When awakened, kuṇḍalinī is described as rising up from the muladhara chakra , through the central nadi (called sushumna ) inside or alongside the spine reaching the top of the head. The progress of kuṇḍalinī through the different chakras

2070-404: Is advised to follow the path in an open-hearted manner. Kuṇḍalinī is considered to occur in the chakra and nadis of the subtle body . Each chakra is said to contain special characteristics and with proper training, moving Kuṇḍalinī through these chakras can help express or open these characteristics. Kuṇḍalinī is described as a sleeping, dormant potential force in the human organism. It

2185-411: Is an integral part of asanas . According to section 1.38 of Haṭha yoga pradipika , Siddhasana is the most suitable and easiest posture to learn breathing exercises. The different Haṭha yoga texts discuss pranayama in various ways. For example, Haṭha yoga pradipka in section 2.71 explains it as a threefold practice: recaka (exhalation), puraka (inhalation) and kumbhaka (retention). During

2300-648: Is associated in popular tradition with the Yogis of the Natha Sampradaya . Almost all hathayogic texts belong to the Nath siddhas , and the important ones are credited to Gorakhnath or Gorakshanath (c. early 11th century), the founder of the Nath Hindu monastic movement in India, though those texts post-date him. Goraknath is regarded by the contemporary Nath-tradition as the disciple of Matsyendranath (early 10th century), who

2415-404: Is at the back of the head, at the point where many Brahmins keep a tuft of hair. It is symbolized by a crescent moon on a moonlit night, with a point or bindu above it. This is the white bindu, with which yogis try to unite the red bindu below. It is said to be the point through which the soul enters the body, creating the chakras as it descends and terminating in the coiled kundalini energy at

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2530-524: Is believed to achieve different levels of awakening and a mystical experience , until Kundalini finally reaches the top of the head, Sahasrara or crown chakra , producing a profound transformation of consciousness. Swami Sivananda Saraswati of the Divine Life Society stated in his book Kundalini Yoga that "Supersensual visions appear before the mental eye of the aspirant, new worlds with indescribable wonders and charms unfold themselves before

2645-534: Is celebrated as a saint in both Hindu and Buddhist tantric and haṭha yoga schools, and regarded by tradition as the founder of the Natha Sampradaya. Early haṭha yoga works include: The earliest haṭha yoga methods of the Amṛtasiddhi , Dattātreyayogaśāstra and Vivekamārtaṇḍa are used to raise and conserve bindu ( semen , and in women rajas – menstrual fluid) which was seen as the physical essence of life that

2760-495: Is complex and requires certain characteristics of the yogi. Section 1.16 of the Haṭha yoga Pradipika , for example, states these to be utsaha (enthusiasm, fortitude), sahasa (courage), dhairya (patience), jnana tattva (essence for knowledge), nishcaya (resolve, determination) and tyaga (solitude, renunciation). In Western culture, Haṭha yoga is typically understood as exercise using asanas and it can be practiced as such. In

2875-557: Is crucial in all yogas, but it is the mainstay of Haṭha yoga. Mudras and certain kundalini-related ideas are included in Haṭha yoga, but not mentioned in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali . Patanjali yoga considers asanas important but dwells less on various asanas than the Haṭha yoga texts. In contrast, the Haṭha yoga texts consider meditation as important but dwell less on meditation methodology than Patanjali yoga. The Haṭha yoga texts acknowledge and refer to Patanjali yoga, attesting to

2990-401: Is described by Haṭha yoga texts in terms of divine sounds, and as a union with Nada-Brahman in musical literature of ancient India. Haṭha yoga is a branch of yoga. It shares numerous ideas and doctrines with other forms of yoga, such as the more ancient system taught by Patanjali . The differences are in the addition of some aspects, and different emphasis on others. For example, pranayama

3105-477: Is either prepared or unprepared. According to Hindu tradition, in order to be able to integrate this spiritual energy, a period of careful purification and strengthening of the body and nervous system is usually required beforehand. Yoga and Tantra propose that Kuṇḍalinī can be awakened by a guru (teacher), but body and spirit must be prepared by yogic austerities, such as pranayama , or breath control, physical exercises, visualization, and chanting. The student

3220-433: Is in the shape of a plough. It represents the primal sound from which emanates all of creation. This chakra is located on the crown of the head. It is white in color and possesses 100 white petals. It marks the end of the sushumna central channel. It is responsible for different levels of concentration: dharana , dhyana and savikalpa samadhi . The Guru Chakra is located above the head, just below Sahasrara proper. It

3335-518: Is mentioned in the Upanishads (9th – 7th centuries BCE). The Sanskrit adjective kuṇḍalin means "circular, annular". It is mentioned as a noun for "snake" (in the sense of "coiled") in the 12th-century Rajatarangini chronicle (I.2). Kuṇḍa (a noun meaning "bowl, water-pot" is found as the name of a Nāga (serpent deity) in Mahabharata 1.4828). The 8th-century Tantrasadbhava Tantra uses

3450-525: Is not an energy that rises: it is a blockage that prevents prāṇa vāyu (breath) from entering the suṣumnā and rising. This interpretation came partly from his own experience and partly from teachings of two sects of Vishnu-worshiping temple priests. Sir John Woodroffe (1865–1936) – also known by his pseudonym Arthur Avalon – was a British Orientalist whose published works stimulated a far-reaching interest in Hindu philosophy and Yogic practices. While serving as

3565-432: Is one of the components of an esoteric description of the " subtle body ", which consists of nadis (energy channels), chakras (psychic centres), prana (subtle energy), and bindu (drops of essence). Kuṇḍalinī is described as being coiled up at the base of the spine. The description of the location can vary slightly, from the rectum to the navel. Kuṇḍalinī is said to reside in the triangular sacrum bone in three and

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3680-482: Is one of the most influential texts of Haṭha yoga. It was compiled by Svātmārāma in the 15th century CE from earlier Haṭha yoga texts. Earlier texts were of Vedanta or non-dual Shaiva orientation, and from both, the Haṭha Yoga Pradīpika borrowed the philosophy of non-duality (advaita). According to Mallinson, this reliance on non-duality helped Haṭha yoga thrive in the medieval period as non-duality became

3795-597: Is practice alone that leads to success. Sectarian affiliation and philosophical inclination are of no importance. The texts of Haṭha yoga, with some exceptions, do not include teachings on metaphysics or sect-specific practices. Haṭha yoga represented a trend towards the democratization of yoga insights and religion similar to the Bhakti movement . It eliminated the need for "either ascetic renunciation or priestly intermediaries, ritual paraphernalia and sectarian initiations". This led to its broad historic popularity in India. Later in

3910-472: Is said to be the most subtle chakra in the system, relating to pure consciousness, and it is from this chakra that all the other chakras emanate. When a yogi is able to raise their kundalini (energy of consciousness) up to this point, the state of Nirvikalpa Samādhi is experienced. Exercises for the Sahasrāra Chakra are: There are also special Meditations on the Sahasrāra Chakra. In some versions of

4025-549: Is spread over both the macrocosm, the entire Universe, and the microcosm, the human body... The atom is contained in both of these. Prana is life-energy responsible for the phenomena of terrestrial life and for life on other planets in the universe. Prana in its universal aspect is immaterial. But in the human body, ...The brain is alive only because of Prana... an enlightened person ... [becomes] compassionate and more detached. There would be less ego, without any tendency toward violence or aggression or falsehood. The awakened life energy

4140-406: Is the mother of morality, because all morality springs from this awakened energy. Since the very beginning, it has been this evolutionary energy that has created the concept of morals in human beings. The American comparative religions scholar Joseph Campbell describes the concept of Kuṇḍalinī as "the figure of a coiled female serpent—a serpent goddess not of "gross" but "subtle" substance—which

4255-424: Is to be thought of as residing in a torpid, slumbering state in a subtle center, the first of the seven, near the base of the spine: the aim of the yoga then being to rouse this serpent, lift her head, and bring her up a subtle nerve or channel of the spine to the so-called "thousand-petaled lotus" ( Sahasrara ) at the crown of the head...She, rising from the lowest to the highest lotus center will pass through and wake

4370-468: Is white, with 12 white petals, upon which is written guru . It contains a circular moon region, within which is a downward pointing triangle containing a jeweled altar, with the crescent moon below and circular bindu above. Inside the bindu is the seat, near which are the gurus footstools, upon which are the gurus feet. This position is considered very important in Tibetan tantric practice of deity yoga , where

4485-475: The Khecarīvidyā , states that khechari mudra enables one to raise Kundalini and access the stores of amrita in the head, which subsequently flood the body. The spiritual teacher Meher Baba emphasized the need for a master when actively trying to awaken Kuṇḍalinī: Kundalini is a latent power in the higher body. When awakened, it pierces through six chakras or functional centers and activates them. Without

4600-534: The Yogatattva Upanishad teaches a system that includes all aspects of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and all additional elements of Haṭha yoga practice. Kundalini In Hinduism , kundalini ( Sanskrit : कुण्डलिनी , romanized :  kuṇḍalinī , lit.   'coiled snake', pronunciation ) is a form of divine feminine energy (or Shakti ) believed to be located at

4715-536: The Anuttarayoga Tantra tradition of Buddhist Vajrayana . It is triangular, with 32 petals or channels that point downwards, and within it resides the white drop or white bodhicitta . Through meditation, the yogi attempts to unite this drop with the red bodhicitta in the navel, and to experience the union of emptiness and bliss. It is very important in the Tantric practice of Phowa , or consciousness transference. At

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4830-589: The Bihar School of Yoga ; and Swami Satchidananda of Integral Yoga . The Bihar School of Yoga has been one of the largest Haṭha yoga teacher training centers in India but is little known in Europe and the Americas. Theos Casimir Bernard 's 1943 book Hatha Yoga: The Report of A Personal Experience provides an informative but fictionalised account of traditional Haṭha yoga as a spiritual path. Yoga as exercise , of

4945-456: The Buddha describes pressing the tongue against the palate for the purposes of controlling hunger or the mind, depending on the passage. However, there is no mention of the tongue being inserted further back into the nasopharynx as in true khecarī mudrā . The Buddha also used a posture where pressure is put on the perineum with the heel, similar to modern postures used to stimulate Kundalini . In

5060-570: The Kabbalistic Tree of Life , which rests at the head of the tree, and represents pure consciousness and union with God. Within the Sufi system of Lataif-e-sitta there is a Lataif called Akhfa , the "most arcane subtlety", which is located on the crown. It is the point of unity where beatific visions of Allah are directly revealed. Hatha yoga Traditional Hatha yoga ( / ˈ h ʌ t ə , ˈ h ɑː t ə / ; IAST : Haṭha-yoga )

5175-550: The Mahāsaccaka sutta ( MN 36), the Buddha mentions how physical practices such as various meditations on holding one's breath did not help him "attain to greater excellence in noble knowledge and insight which transcends the human condition." After trying these, he then sought another path to enlightenment . The term haṭha yoga was first used in the c. 3rd century Bodhisattvabhūmi , the phrase na haṭhayogena seemingly meaning only that

5290-530: The Yogabīja teach a yoga based on raising Kundalinī (through śakticālanī mudrā). This is not called haṭha yoga in these early texts, but Layayoga ("the yoga of dissolution"). However, other early Nāth texts like the Vivekamārtaṇḍa can be seen as co-opting the mudrās of haṭha yoga meant to preserve bindu. Then, in later Nāth as well as Śākta texts, the adoption of haṭha yoga is more developed, and focused solely on

5405-464: The bodhisattva would get his qualities "not by force". The earliest mentions of haṭha yoga as a specific set of techniques are from some seventeen Vajrayana Buddhist texts, mainly tantric works from the 8th century onwards. In Puṇḍarīka's c. 1030 Vimalaprabhā commentary on the Kālacakratantra , haṭha yoga is for the first time defined within the context of tantric sexual ritual: when

5520-866: The siddhis are symbolic references to the cherished soteriological goals of Indian religions. For example, the Vayu Siddhi or "conquest of the air" literally implies rising into the air as in levitation, but it likely has a symbolic meaning of "a state of consciousness into a vast ocean of space" or "voidness" ideas found respectively in Hinduism and Buddhism. Some traditions such as the Kaula tantric sect of Hinduism and Sahajiya tantric sect of Buddhism pursued more esoteric goals such as alchemy (Nagarjuna, Carpita), magic, kalavancana (cheating death) and parakayapravesa (entering another's body). Mallinson, however, disagrees and suggests that such fringe practices are far removed from

5635-449: The subtle body , there are actually several chakras, which are all closely related, at the top of the head. Rising from Ajna , we have the Manas chakra on the forehead, which is closely associated with Ajna. Above Manas there are Bindu Visarga at the back of the head; Mahanada; Nirvana, which is located on the crown; Guru; and the Sahasrara proper, located above the crown. The Bindu Visarga

5750-586: The "dominant soteriological method in scholarly religious discourse in India". The text lists 35 great yoga siddhas starting with Adi Natha (Hindu god Shiva) followed by Matsyendranath and Gorakshanath. It includes information about shatkarma (six acts of self purification), 15 asana (postures: seated, laying down, and non-seated), pranayama (breathing) and kumbhaka (breath retention), mudras (internalized energetic practices), meditation, chakras (centers of energy), kundalini , nadanusandhana (concentration on inner sound), and other topics. The text includes

5865-458: The "higher spiritual path of Raja yoga ". This common disdain by the officials and intellectuals slowed the study and adoption of Haṭha yoga. A well-known school of Haṭha yoga from the 20th century is the Divine Life Society founded by Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh (1887–1963) and his many disciples including, among others, Swami Vishnu-devananda  – founder of International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres ; Swami Satyananda  – of

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5980-407: The "vibrational state" as components of their kundalini-related spiritual experience . He explains: There are numerous reports of full Kundalini experiences culminating with a transcendental out-of-body state of consciousness. In fact, many people consider this experience to be the ultimate path to enlightenment. The basic premise is to encourage the flow of Kundalini energy up the spine and toward

6095-405: The 11th-century Amṛtasiddhi , comes from a tantric Buddhist milieu. The oldest texts to use the terminology of hatha are also Vajrayana Buddhist. Hindu hatha yoga texts appear from the 11th century onward. Some of the early hatha yoga texts (11th-13th c.) describe methods to raise and conserve bindu (vital force, that is, semen , and in women rajas – menstrual fluid). This was seen as

6210-417: The 20th century, states Mallinson, this disconnect of Haṭha yoga from religious aspects and the democratic access of Haṭha yoga enabled it to spread worldwide. Between the 17th and 19th century, however, the various urban Hindu and Muslim elites and ruling classes viewed Yogis with derision. They were persecuted during the rule of Aurangzeb ; this ended a long period of religious tolerance that had defined

6325-415: The Buddhist elements (such as the deity Chinnamasta which appears in the earliest manuscripts and was originally a Buddhist deity, only appearing in Hindu works after the 16th century). However, the earliest manuscript makes it clear that this text originated in a Vajrayana Buddhist milieu. The inscription at the end of one Amṛtasiddhi manuscript ascribes the text to Mādhavacandra or Avadhūtacandra and

6440-483: The Indian and Tibetan traditions, Haṭha yoga integrates ideas of ethics, diet, cleansing, pranayama (breathing exercises), meditation and a system for spiritual development of the yogi. The aims of Haṭha yoga in various Indian traditions have included physical siddhis (special powers, bodily benefits such as slowing age effects, magical powers) and spiritual liberation (moksha, mukti). According to Mikel Burley , some of

6555-452: The Nath siddhas , and the important early ones (11th-13th c.) are credited to Matsyendranatha and his disciple, Gorakhnath or Gorakshanath (11th c.). Early Nāth works teach a yoga based on raising kuṇḍalinī through energy channels and chakras , called Layayoga ("the yoga of dissolution"). However, other early Nāth texts like the Vivekamārtaṇḍa can be seen as co-opting the hatha yoga mudrās. Later Nāth as well as Śākta texts adopt

6670-614: The Six Bodily Centers) written by Tantrik Pūrnānanda Svāmī (1526) and the Paduka-Pancakā from the Sanskrit of a commentary by Kālīcharana (Five-fold Footstool of the Guru). The Sanskrit term "Kundali Shakti" translates as "Serpent Power". Kundalini is thought to be an energy released within an individual using specific meditation techniques. It is represented symbolically as a serpent coiled at

6785-680: The Supreme Bindu, the Second Coil of Shankhini wraps around the Supreme Nada, the Third Coil of Shankhini wraps around Shakti, and the Half-Coil of Shankhini enters into Sakala Shiva, beyond which is Parama Shiva. Ama-Kala is the experience of samprajnata samadhi . Visarga is symbolized by two small rings, one of which is inside Ama-Kala, and the other of which is below Supreme Bindu, which represents

6900-400: The Supreme Nada; then Shakti; and then unites with and absorbs Sakala Shiva; before finally being absorbed into Parama Shiva, which is the final stage of nirvikalpa samadhi. Sahasrara or Sahastrar is related to the crown of the head. It is typically associated with the fontanelle and the intersection of the coronal and sagittal sutures of the skull. The crown wheel is important within

7015-816: The West were K. Pattabhi Jois famous for popularizing the vigorous Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga style, B. K. S. Iyengar who emphasized alignment and the use of props in Iyengar Yoga , and by Indra Devi and Krishnamacharya's son T. K. V. Desikachar . Krishnamacharya-linked schools have become widely known in the Western world. Examples of other branded forms of yoga, with some controversies, that make use of Haṭha yoga include Anusara Yoga , Bikram Yoga , Integral Yoga , Jivamukti Yoga , Kundalini Yoga , Kripalu Yoga , Kriya Yoga , Sivananda Yoga and Viniyoga . After about 1975, yoga has become increasingly popular globally, in both developed and developing countries. Haṭha yoga practice

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7130-667: The Yogi, planes after planes reveal their existence and grandeur to the practitioner and the Yogi gets divine knowledge, power and bliss, in increasing degrees, when Kuṇḍalinī passes through Chakra after Chakra, making them to bloom in all their glory..." Yoga gurus consider that Kuṇḍalinī can be awakened by shaktipat (spiritual transmission by a Guru or teacher), or by spiritual practices such as yoga or meditation. There are two broad approaches to Kuṇḍalinī awakening: active and passive. The active approach involves systematic physical exercises and techniques of concentration, visualization, pranayama (breath practice) and meditation under

7245-463: The base of the spine, in the muladhara . It is an important concept in Śhaiva Tantra , where it is believed to be a force or power associated with the divine feminine or the formless aspect of the Goddess. This energy in the body, when cultivated and awakened through tantric practice, is believed to lead to spiritual liberation . Kuṇḍalinī is associated with the goddess Parvati or Adi Parashakti ,

7360-457: The base of the spine. When Woodroffe later commented upon the reception of his work he clarified his objective, "All the world (I speak of course of those interested in such subjects) is beginning to speak of Kundalinî Shakti." He described his intention as follows: "We, who are foreigners, must place ourselves in the skin of the Hindu, and must look at their doctrine and ritual through their eyes and not our own." Western awareness of Kuṇḍalinī

7475-401: The base of the spine. It is often described as the source of the divine nectar, or amrita , though this is sometimes said to come from either ajña chakra or lalita chakra. This nectar falls down into the digestive fire ( samana ) where it is burnt up. The preservation of this nectar is known as "urdhva retas" (literally: upward semen). The white drop is associated with the essence of semen, while

7590-475: The belief that these aerate and assist blood flow to targeted regions of the body. Before starting yoga practice, state the Haṭha yoga texts, the yogi must establish a suitable place. This is to be away from all distractions, preferably a mathika (hermitage) distant from falling rocks, fire and a damp shifting surface. Once a peaceful stable location has been chosen, the yogi begins the posture exercises called asanas . These postures come in numerous forms. For

7705-477: The best diet is one that is tasty, nutritious and likable as well as sufficient to meet the needs of one's body and for one's inner self. It recommends that one must "eat only when one feels hungry" and "neither overeat nor eat to completely fill one's stomach; rather leave a quarter portion empty and fill three quarters with quality food and fresh water". According to another text, the Goraksha Sataka , eating

7820-491: The bliss of spiritual liberation ( moksha ), which is the enjoyment of Shiva's creative activity and ultimate union with the Goddess. In the influential Shakta tradition called Kaula, Kuṇḍalinī is seen as a "latent innate spiritual power", associated with the Goddess Kubjika (lit. "the crooked one"), who is the supreme Goddess ( Paradevi ). She is also pure bliss and power (Shakti), the source of all mantras, and resides in

7935-607: The body and gaining most benefits from the practice of Haṭha yoga. Eating, states the Gheranda Samhita , is a form of a devotional act to the temple of body, as if one is expressing affection for the gods. Similarly, sections 3.20 and 5.25 of the Shiva Samhita includes mitahara as an essential part of a holistic Haṭha yoga practice. Verses 1.57 through 1.63 of the critical edition of Haṭha Yoga Pradipika suggests that taste cravings should not drive one's eating habits, rather

8050-463: The body involved and in the procedures required, as in Mula Bandha , Mahamudra , Viparita Karani , Khecarī mudrā , and Vajroli mudra . The Haṭha Yoga Pradipika text dedicates almost a third of its verses to meditation . Similarly, other major texts of Haṭha yoga such as the Shiva Samhita and the Gheranda Samhita discuss meditation. In all three texts, meditation is the ultimate goal of all

8165-403: The body, causes liberation through her upward, illusion-shattering movement. Despite mostly being associated with Shaiva and Shakta traditions, the concept of Kundalini Shakti is not at all alien to Vaishnavism . Narada Pancharatra, A popular Vaishnava text gives a detailed, although somewhat different description of Chakras and Kundalini Shakti. According to William F. Williams, kuṇḍalinī

8280-683: The center of the spinal cord is the Sushumna. ... The canal is closed at the lower end, ... near what is called the sacral plexus... The different plexuses that have their centers in the spinal canal can very well stand for the different "lotuses" of the Yogi. When Kuṇḍalinī Shakti is conceived as a goddess, then, when it rises to the head, it unites itself with the Supreme Being of ( Lord Shiva ). The aspirant then becomes engrossed in deep meditation and infinite bliss. Paramahansa Yogananda in his book God Talks with Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita states: At

8395-449: The command of the yogi in deep meditation, this creative force turns inward and flows back to its source in the thousand-petaled lotus, revealing the resplendent inner world of the divine forces and consciousness of the soul and spirit. Yoga refers to this power flowing from the coccyx to spirit as the awakened kundalini. Paramahansa Yogananda also states: The yogi reverses the searchlights of intelligence, mind and life force inward through

8510-587: The contradictory goals of raising Bindu, inherited from the Amritasiddhi , and of raising Kundalini, inherited from the Kubjikamatatantra . Post- Hathayogapradipika texts on Haṭha yoga include: According to Mallinson, Haṭha yoga has been a broad movement across the Indian traditions, openly available to anyone: Haṭha yoga, like other methods of yoga, can be practiced by all, regardless of sex, caste, class, or creed. Many texts explicitly state that it

8625-451: The earliest formulations, Haṭha yoga was a means to raise and preserve the bindu, believed to be one of the vital energies. The two early Haṭha yoga techniques to achieve this were inverted poses to trap the bindu using gravity, or mudras (yogic seals) to make breath flow into the centre channel and force bindu up. However, in later Haṭha yoga, the Kaula visualization of Kuṇḍalini rising through

8740-530: The exhalation and inhalation, the text states that three things move: air, prana and yogi's thoughts, and all three are intimately connected. It is kumbhaka where stillness and dissolution emerges. The text divides kumbhaka into two kinds: sahita (supported) and kevala (complete). Sahita kumbhaka is further sub-divided into two types: retention with inhalation, retention with exhalation. Each of these breath units are then combined in different permutations, time lengths, posture and targeted muscle exercises in

8855-457: The five between, and with each waking, the psychology and personality of the practitioner will be altogether and fundamentally transformed." According to the Gorakṣaśataka , or "Hundred Verses of Goraksa", hatha yoga practices such as the mudras mula bandha , uddiyana bandha, and jalandhara bandha , and the pranayama practice of kumbhaka can awaken Kundalini. Another hatha yoga text,

8970-470: The goals of bubhukshu (seeker of enjoyment, bhoga). Some Haṭha texts place major emphasis on mitahara , which means "measured diet" or "moderate eating". For example, sections 1.58 to 1.63 and 2.14 of the Haṭha Yoga Pradipika and sections 5.16 to 5.32 of the Gheranda Samhita discuss the importance of proper diet to the body. They link the food one eats and one's eating habits to balancing

9085-403: The guidance of a competent teacher. These techniques come from any of the main branches of yoga, and some forms of yoga, such as Kriya yoga and Kundalini yoga , which emphasize Kuṇḍalinī techniques. The passive approach is instead a path of surrender where one lets go of all the impediments to the awakening rather than trying to actively awaken Kuṇḍalinī. A chief part of the passive approach

9200-664: The guru or deity is often visualized as above the crown, bestowing blessings below (for example in the Vajrasattva purification meditation). Within Sahasrara, there are yet more levels of organization. Within the triangle begins a series of ever higher levels of consciousness: Ama-Kala, the First Ring of Visarga, Nirvana-Kala, and Nirvana Shakti, which contains the Second Ring of Visarga. From here, Kundalini becomes Shankhini, with 3-and-a-half coils. The First Coil of Shankhini wraps around

9315-429: The latter's antiquity. However, this acknowledgment is essentially only in passing, as they offer no serious commentary or exposition of Patanjali's system. This suggests that Haṭha yoga developed as a branch of the more ancient yoga. According to P.V. Kane, Patanjali yoga concentrates more on the yoga of the mind, while Haṭha yoga focuses on body and health. Some Hindu texts do not recognize this distinction. For example,

9430-568: The mainstream Yoga's goal as meditation–driven means to liberation in Indian religions. The majority of historic Haṭha yoga texts do not give any importance to siddhis . The mainstream practice considered the pursuit of magical powers as a distraction or hindrance to Haṭha yoga's ultimate aim of spiritual liberation, self-knowledge or release from rebirth that the Indian traditions call mukti or moksha . The goals of Haṭha yoga, in its earliest texts, were linked to mumukshu (seeker of liberation, moksha). The later texts added and experimented with

9545-432: The mantra, I noticed that my breathing was getting heavier. Suddenly, I felt a great impact of a rising force within me. The intensity of this rising kundalini force was so tremendous that my body lifted up a little and fell flat into the aisle; my eyeglasses flew off. As I lay there with my eyes closed, I could see a continuous fountain of dazzling white lights erupting within me. In brilliance, these lights were brighter than

9660-507: The need for the grace of a Perfect Master. In his book, Building a Noble World , Shiv R. Jhawar describes his Shaktipat experience at Muktananda's public program at Lake Point Tower in Chicago on 16 September 1974 as follows: Baba [Swami Muktananda] had just begun delivering his discourse with his opening statement: 'Today's subject is meditation. ... 'Kundalini starts dancing when one repeats Om Namah Shivaya.' Hearing this, I mentally repeated

9775-417: The peculiar exercises such as reversing seminal fluid flow. The most common list is called the shatkarmas , or six cleansing actions: dhauti (cleanse teeth and body), basti (cleanse rectum), neti (cleanse nasal passages), trataka (cleanse eyes), nauli (abdominal massage) and kapalabhati (cleanse phlegm). The actual procedure for cleansing varies by the Haṭha yoga text, some suggesting

9890-505: The physical essence of life that was constantly dripping down from the head and being lost. Two early hatha yoga techniques sought to either physically reverse this process of dripping by using gravity to trap the bindhu in inverted postures like viparītakaraṇī , or force bindu upwards through the central channel by directing the breath flow into the centre channel using mudras (yogic seals, not to be confused with hand mudras , which are gestures). Almost all hathayogic texts belong to

10005-427: The posture and one's body position, breathes normally in pranayama , and is able to dwell in one's meditation ( anantasamapattibhyam ). The asanas vary significantly between Haṭha yoga texts, and some of the names are used for different poses. Most of the early asanas are inspired by nature, such as a form of union with symmetric, harmonious flowing shapes of animals, birds or plants. According to Mallinson, in

10120-417: The pot). In others, the term Kumbhaka or Prana-samrodha replaces Pranayama. Regardless of the nomenclature, proper breathing and the use of breathing techniques during a posture is a mainstay of Haṭha yoga. Its texts state that proper breathing exercises cleanse and balance the body. Pranayama is one of the core practices of Haṭha yoga, found in its major texts as one of the limbs regardless of whether

10235-455: The practice of asana , and chanting of mantras . Kundalini yoga is influenced by Shaktism and Tantra schools of Hinduism. It derives its name from its focus upon the awakening of kundalini energy through regular practice of mantra , Tantra , yantra , asanas or meditation . When kundalini is awakened spontaneously or without guidance it can lead to kundalini syndrome which sometimes presents as psychosis . The concept of Kuṇḍalinī

10350-416: The practices of hatha yoga mudras into a Saiva system, melding them with Layayoga methods, without mentioning bindu. These later texts promote a universalist yoga, available to all, "without the need for priestly intermediaries, ritual paraphernalia or sectarian initiations." In the 20th century, a development of hatha yoga focusing particularly on asanas (the physical postures) became popular throughout

10465-469: The preparatory cleansing, asanas, pranayama and other steps. The aim of this meditation is to realize Nada- Brahman , or the complete absorption and union with the Brahman through inner mystic sound. According to Guy Beck – a professor of Religious Studies known for his studies on Yoga and music, a Hatha yogi in this stage of practice seeks "inner union of physical opposites", into an inner state of samadhi that

10580-445: The process of individuation, with sensitivity towards a new generation's interest in alternative religions and psychological exploration." In the introduction to Jung's book The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga , Sonu Shamdasani puts forth: "The emergence of depth psychology was historically paralleled by the translation and widespread dissemination of the texts of yoga... for the depth psychologies sought to liberate themselves from

10695-457: The raising of Kundalinī without mentioning bindu. Mallinson sees these later texts as promoting a universalist yoga, available to all, without the need to study the metaphysics of Samkhya-yoga or the complex esotericism of Shaiva Tantra. Instead this "democratization of yoga" led to the teaching of these techniques to all people, "without the need for priestly intermediaries, ritual paraphernalia or sectarian initiations." The Haṭhayogapradīpikā

10810-550: The red bindu is associated with menstrual fluid. This chakra is sometimes known as the Indu, Chandra, or Soma Chakra. In other descriptions, it is located on the forehead - white, with 16 petals - corresponding to the vrittis of mercy, gentleness, patience, non-attachment, control, excellent-qualities, joyous mood, deep spiritual love, humility, reflection, restfulness, seriousness, effort, controlled emotion, magnanimity and concentration. The name of this chakra means "Great Sound", and it

10925-540: The rule of his predecessors beginning with Akbar, who famously studied with the yogis and other mystics. Haṭha yoga remained popular in rural India. Negative impression for the Hatha yogis continued during the British colonial rule era. According to Mark Singleton , this historical negativity and colonial antipathy likely motivated Swami Vivekananda to make an emphatic distinction between "merely physical exercises of Haṭha yoga" and

11040-464: The six chakras along the central channel. In Shaiva Tantra, various practices like pranayama , bandhas , mantra recitation and tantric ritual were used in order to awaken this spiritual power and create a state of bliss and spiritual liberation. According to Abhinavagupta , the great tantric scholar and master of the Kaula and Trika lineages, there are two main forms of Kuṇḍalinī, an upward moving Kuṇḍalinī ( urdhva ) associated with expansion, and

11155-482: The stultifying limitations of Western thought to develop maps of inner experience grounded in the transformative potential of therapeutic practices. A similar alignment of "theory" and "practice" seemed to be embodied in the yogic texts that moreover had developed independently of the bindings of Western thought. Further, the initiatory structure adopted by institutions of psychotherapy brought its social organization into proximity with that of yoga. Hence, an opportunity for

11270-468: The sun but possessed no heat at all. I was experiencing the thought-free state of "I am", realizing that "I" have always been, and will continue to be, eternal. I was fully conscious and completely aware while I was experiencing the pure "I am", a state of supreme bliss. Outwardly, at that precise moment, Baba delightfully shouted from his platform, ‘I didn't do anything. The Energy has caught someone.' ' The experience of Kuṇḍalinī awakening can happen when one

11385-503: The supreme being in Shaktism , and with the goddesses Bhairavi and Kubjika . The term, along with practices associated with it, was adopted into Hatha Yoga in the 9th century. It has since then been adopted into other forms of Hinduism as well as modern spirituality and New Age thought. Kuṇḍalinī awakenings are said to occur by a variety of methods. Many systems of yoga focus on awakening kuṇḍalinī through: meditation , pranayama ,

11500-418: The supreme subjectivity as the source of all, with a as the initial movement of consciousness and m its final withdrawal. Thus we have an elaborate series of associations, all conveying the central conception of the cosmos as a manifestation of consciousness, of pure subjectivity, with Kuṇḍalinī understood as the force inseparable from consciousness, who animates creation and who, in her particularised form in

11615-589: The term kundalī , glossed by David Gordon White as "she who is ring-shaped". The use of kuṇḍalī as a name for Goddess Durga (a form of Shakti ) appears often in Tantrism and Shaktism from as early as the 11th century in the Śaradatilaka . It was adopted as a technical term in Hatha yoga during the 15th century, and became widely used in the Yoga Upanishads by the 16th century. Eknath Easwaran has paraphrased

11730-596: The term as "the coiled power", a force which ordinarily rests at the base of the spine, described as being "coiled there like a serpent". Kuṇḍalinī arose as a central concept in Shaiva Tantra , especially among the Śākta sects like the Kaula . In these Tantric traditions, Kuṇḍalinī is "the innate intelligence of embodied Consciousness". The first possible mention of the term is in the Tantrasadbhāva-tantra (eighth century), though other earlier tantras mention

11845-564: The term; it is a tantric Buddhist work, and makes use of metaphors from alchemy . A manuscript states its date as 1160. The text teaches mahābandha , mahāmudrā , and mahāvedha which involve bodily postures and breath control, as a means to preserve amrta or bindu (vital energy) in the head (the "moon") from dripping down the central channel and being burned by the fire (the "sun") at the perineum. The text also attacks Vajrayana deity yoga as ineffective. According to Mallinson, later manuscripts and editions of this text have obscured or omitted

11960-433: The time of death, a yogi can direct his consciousness up the central channel and out of this wheel in order to be reborn in a Pure Land, where he can carry on his tantric practices, or transfer that consciousness into another body or a corpse, in order to extend life. In the West, it has been noted by many (such as Charles Ponce in his book Kabbalah .) that Sahasrara expresses a similar archetypal idea to that of Kether , in

12075-419: The top of the head where the soul leaves the body at death. The Sahasrara is described as a lotus flower with 1,000 petals of different colors. These are arranged in 20 layers, each with approximately 50 petals. The pericarp is golden and within it a circular moon region is inscribed with a luminous triangle, which can be either upward- or downward-pointing. Often referred to as a thousand-petaled lotus , it

12190-420: The top of the head—the crown chakra —thus projecting your awareness into the higher heavenly dimensions of the universe. The result is an indescribable expansion of consciousness into spiritual realms beyond form and thought. Sri Aurobindo was the other great scholarly authority on Kuṇḍalinī, with a viewpoint parallel to that of Woodroffe but of a somewhat different slant - this according to Mary Scott, herself

12305-519: The total number of limbs taught are four or more. It is the practice of consciously regulating breath (inhalation and exhalation), a concept shared with all schools of yoga. This is done in several ways, inhaling and then suspending exhalation for a period, exhaling and then suspending inhalation for a period, slowing the inhalation and exhalation, consciously changing the time/length of breath (deep, short breathing), combining these with certain focussed muscle exercises. Pranayama or proper breathing

12420-404: The transition from samprajnata samadhi to the oneness of asamprajnata samadhi. Here Kundalini absorbs even the experience of samadhi, through the power of supreme control (Nirodhika-Fire). Here Kundalini passes into the supreme void, which is the experience of asamprajnata or nirvikalpa samadhi, and becomes Shankhini. Shankhini wraps around and absorbs the Supreme Bindu, which is the void; then

12535-526: The type seen in the West, has been greatly influenced by Swami Kuvalayananda and his student Tirumalai Krishnamacharya , who taught from 1924 until his death in 1989. Both Kuvalayananda and Krishnamacharya combined asanas from Haṭha yoga with gymnastic exercises from the physical culture of the time, dropping most of its religious aspects, to develop a flowing style of physical yoga that placed little or no emphasis on Haṭha yoga's spiritual goals. Among Krishnamacharya's students prominent in popularizing yoga in

12650-468: The undying moment by restraining the bindu [i.e. semen] of the bodhicitta in the vajra [penis] when it is in the lotus of wisdom [vagina]. While the actual means of practice are not specified, the forcing of the breath into the central channel and the restraining of ejaculation are central features of later haṭha yoga practice texts. The c. 11th century Amṛtasiddhi is the earliest substantial text describing Haṭha yoga, though it does not use

12765-409: The undying moment does not arise because the breath is unrestrained [even] when the image is seen by means of withdrawal ( pratyahara ) and the other (auxiliaries of yoga, i.e. dhyana , pranayama , dharana , anusmrti and samadhi ), then, having forcefully ( hathena ) made the breath flow in the central channel through the practice of nada , which is about to be explained, [the yogi] should attain

12880-402: The visualization of Shakti in the central channel and the upward movement of prana or vital force (which is often associated with Kuṇḍalinī in later works). According to David Gordon White, this feminine spiritual force is also termed bhogavati, which has a double meaning of "enjoyment" and "coiled" and signifies her strong connection to bliss and pleasure, both mundane physical pleasure and

12995-566: The world as a form of physical exercise . This modern form of yoga is now widely known simply as "yoga". According to the Indologist James Mallinson , some haṭha yoga style techniques practised only by ascetics can be traced back at least to the 1st-century CE, in texts such as the Sanskrit epics (Hinduism) and the Pali canon (Buddhism). The Pali canon contains three passages in which

13110-454: Was constantly dripping down from the head and being lost. This vital essence is also sometimes called amrta (the nectar of immortality). These techniques sought to either physically reverse this process (by inverted postures like viparītakaraṇī ) or use the breath to force bindu upwards through the central channel . In contrast to these, early Nāth works like the Gorakṣaśataka and

13225-584: Was strengthened by the interest of Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung (1875–1961). "Jung's seminar on Kundalini yoga presented to the Psychological Club in Zurich in 1932 was widely regarded as a milestone in the psychological understanding of Eastern thought and of the symbolic transformations of inner experience. Kundalini yoga presented Jung with a model for the developmental phases of higher consciousness, and he interpreted its symbols in terms of

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