In the spiritual practitioners circles, there is a lot of debate over whether kundalini awakenings are safe.
- Many people are hesitant to practice kundalini because they are afraid of experiencing such a powerful awakening.
- Everyone's experience is unique and dependent on their previous experiences and present lifestyle.
For many, the experience may be joyful, filled with emotions of love and a sense of all things being linked.
- Others may compare it to a terrible drug trip or even a psychotic break, in which practitioners experience abnormal sleep cycles, identity shifts, or despair.
- Because of this disparity, many Westerners are afraid of the coiled snake lurking in their spine, waiting to strike.
- Kundalini is revered and honored in our culture. Her energy is attempting to awaken, expand, and connect you to your own inner energy, which is an entirely benign process.
Kundalini Awakenings are Uncommon among Western students
- This is because hatha yoga is done in a less spontaneous manner. Instead of performing postures that release energy blockages unique to their body, people are attempting to hold the poses in a certain way.
- Many instructors, however, warn against using severe pranayama or other techniques to promote waking. Instead, it should happen on its own time, when the body is ready.
- If you don't first open the central channels of the nervous system, raising the serpent power along the axial pathway is not only impossible, but also very dangerous to attempt, because instead of entering the central channel (sushumna nadi), it is likely to force itself into the ida or the pingala nadi, on either side of the axial pathway.
Kundalini tells us that awareness is much more than most of us have ever realized, which may be overpowering and confusing.
- People who have a psychotic break after waking, typically come from a difficult familial history, are under a lot of stress, and don't have adequate emotional support.
- Nonetheless, anybody who is afraid during such an awakening to seek help from a therapist (such as a transpersonal psychologist) or a teacher who has gone through it.
Like any other kind of yoga, Kundalini yoga should be undertaken with care especially if you have signs of any of the following:
- Breathing difficulties
- Suffering from joint pain
- Have a balance problem as a result of an injury
- Are you planning on a pregnancy?
NOTE: If you're unsure if Kundalini is appropriate for you, see your doctor to see if there are any precautions you should take or if there is a safer workout option you might try.
You may also want to read more about Kundalini Yoga here.
