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Kundalini-yoga
Throughout this article kundalini-sakti has been described as a latent, individualised
form of the creative principle that underlies all
manifestation. When awakened, distinctions between the individual and the cosmos
and the material and the Divine are dissolved in the realisation of the unity of
Siva and Sakti. The term kundalini itself is most often translated as 'she who is
coiled', which is related to literal meanings such as serpent, coiled, winding,
and spiralled, all of which have some reference to the traditional image of kundalini-sakti
as a dormant serpent coiled three and a half times at the base of the spine.
Tantric texts mention a number of ways in which the dormant kundalini can be awakened:
spontaneously at birth; by the performance of austerities that have as their aim
the purification of the sadhaka; through tantric intiations such as the panca-makara;
by the grace of the guru in the form of saktipata; by taking specially prepared
herbs that some identify with soma, an intoxicating drink used in Vedic rituals;
or through the dedicated practice of forms of sadhana that are collectively referred
to as kundalini-yoga.
As was mentioned in the previous section, the emphasis of Tantric sadhana on awakening
the dormant kundalini-sakti is informed by an understanding of the subtle physiology
of the human body. Central to the practice of kundalini-yoga, therefore, is an engagement
with this subtle physiology which is commonly cast in terms of prana, nadis and
cakras.
Prana (from the verb root an = 'to breathe' + pra = 'forth') is most obviously the
air perceived in the mouth and nostrils which is the breath that sustains all life.
Associated with this 'life breath', though more subtle and pervasive, is prana as
the principle of vitality that underlies and supports all natural processes. In
the human being prana is thought to be responsible for maintaining physiological
functions through the five major pranas or 'vital airs'.
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Prana (not to be confused with the term prana as the genus of which this prana would
be a species) is the rising current, pervading the upper-half of the torso and responsible
for drawing the life-breath into the body, mostly through the act of inhalation.
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Apana is the descending current, associated with exhalation, excretory and reproductive
functions, which pervades the lower-half of the torso, including the area around
the navel and the abdomen, as well as the anal and genital regions.
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Udana is the rising current in the throat, associated with speech and belching,
though also pervading the extremities of the body in the head, arms and legs.
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Samana is the midcurrent, pervading the middle portion of the torso between the
navel and lower ribs, and associated with digestion.
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Vyana is a diffuse current that is thought to pervade the whole body and to be responsible
for regulating and coordinating the musculature as well as the other pranas.
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Collectively the pranas or vital airs contribute to what is referred to as the pranayama-kosa,
which is one of five kosas (from the verb root kus = 'to enfold') or sheaths that
envelop the individual self. The five kosas are the annamaya (physical), pranayama
(prana or vital), manomaya (mental), vijnamaya (intellectual), and anandamaya (bliss).
In the order listed, the kosas are progressively more subtle, with the more subtle
kosas enfolding the less subtle ones within them.
In addition to the vital airs, a network of nadis or subtle channels mark the pathways
traced by the flow of prana throughout the pranayama-kosa (the nadis should not
be confused with the network of arteries, veins and nerves that belong to the annamaya-kosa).
Some texts place the number of nadis at 72,000, others at 350,000, others again
hold that they are countless, though all recognise three principal nadis which are
referred to as susumna, ida and pingala. The most important of these is susumna,
which is also called the brahma-nadi because it is through this channel that kundalini-sakti
rises when awakened, liberating the sadhaka before the Absolute (Brahman).
The susumna-nadi is said to rise along the vertical axis of the torso coincident
with the spinal column, with the ida- and pingala-nadis winding around susumna and
meeting at six of the seven major cakras (meaning 'wheel or circle', from the verb
root car = 'to move'). As with the nadis, the number of cakras or 'wheels' or 'centres'
of prana within the pranayama-kosa is not unanimously specified, however most if
not all accounts of the seven major cakras place them where the principal and other
nadis converge. While there is a degree of variation in descriptions of the major
cakras, their most commonly cited characteristics might be summarised in ascending
order as follows.
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Muladhara-cakra (from mula = 'root or source' + adhara = 'to support') is the root
cakra, located at the base of the spine where the kundalini-sakti lies dormant,
and is portrayed as a four-petaled lotus. It is associated with earth element in
Hindu cosmology, the bija-mantra ('seed-sound') 'lam', the sense of smell and the
lower limbs in the body, and is said to regulate the body's excretory functions.
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Svadhisthana-cakra (from sva = 'self' + adhisthana = 'basis or ground') is located
at the root of the genitals, though some texts situate it at the end of the spine,
two finger-widths above muladhara-cakra. It is depicted as a six-petaled lotus,
and is associated with the water element, the bija-mantra 'vam', the sense of taste,
the hands, and fertility.
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Manipura-cakra (from mani = 'jewel' and pura = 'city or fortress') is located around
the level of navel and is represented as a ten-petaled lotus. It is associated with
the element of fire, the bija-mantra 'ram', the sense of sight and digestion.
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Anahata-cakra ('unstruck') is located at the level of the heart and is pictured
as a twelve-petaled lotus. It is associated with the element of air, the bija-mantra
'yam', the sense of touch and the functions carried out by the heart, lungs and
diaphragm. When the anahata-cakra is enlivened by the rising kundalini a subtle
inner sound (nada) becomes evident. This sound is 'unstruck' in the sense of having
no empirical cause, being instead an aspect of the fundamental and omnipresent vibrancy
of Sakti's creative activity.
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Visuddhi-cakra ('purity') is situated at the level of the pit of the throat, and
is depicted as sixteen-petalled lotus. It is associated with the ether element,
the bija-mantra 'ham', the sense of hearing, the mouth and skin, and speech.
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Ajna-cakra ('command') is situated at the level of the eyebrows and is pictured
as a two-petaled lotus. It is associated with manas, which is that aspect of the
mind concerned with coordinating sensory impressions (indriyas), as well as the
sense of individuality (ahamkara). It is also referred to as the guru-cakra because
it is the subtle organ through which direct communication from the guru is made
possible, as well as being an area often touched by the guru when saktipata is given.
When enlivened, ajna-cakra is said to become an organ of clairvoyance which is why
it is popularly called the 'third eye'.
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Sahasrara (thousand-petaled) is strictly speaking not part of the cakra system or
the pranayama-kosa, as it is the enlivening of this cakra that leads to the transcendence
of body-based consciousness. It is located above the crown of the head, is represented
as a thousand-petaled lotus, arranged in twenty layers of fifty petals, and is the
seat of 'higher' awareness. It is also referred to as brahma-randra ('the hole of
Brahman'), the subtle aperture through which liberated individuals are said to leave
the body, and as such is the gateway to the Absolute (Brahman).
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Kundalini-yoga employs a range of practices intended to purify the nadis and cakras
both in order to awaken the dormant
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kundalini-sakti that lies coiled in muladhara-cakra, and to ensure that when awakened
the kundalini ascends through the susumna-nadi rather than the ida- or pingala-nadis,
which can lead to serious physiological and psychological disturbances. These practices
include disciplines commonly associated with hatha-yoga (see separate article) such
as the satkarmas, asanas, pranayama, mudras, and bandhas, as well as others that
focus more directly on the major nadis and cakras and which in recent years have
been referred to as kriya-yoga (see the section below). The purification of the
nadis and cakras enables the refinement and regulation of the flow of prana which
prepares the sadhaka for the awakening of the kundalini-sakti. More specifically,
when the flow of prana through the ida- and pingala-nadis is harmonised, it is possible
for that flow to be withdrawn and directed into the susumna nadi.
There are various accounts of what is involved in awakening the kundalini-sakti.
For instance some hold that it is prana that ascends when kundalini uncoils and
clears the opening to the sumumna-nadi, while others seem to presume that it is
something empirically distinct from prana that both uncoils and ascends when kundalini
is awakened. These differences aside, whatever it is that ascends sumumna-nadi must
pierce the three granthis (from granth = 'to string together') or knots, which according
to some authorities are situated where the three major nadis converge: brahma-granthi
at muladhara-cakra, visnu-granthi at anahata-cakra, and rudra-granthi at ajna-cakra
(other specifications of the location of the first two granthis cite the navel and
throat centres). When the brahma-granthi is pierced instinctive drives such as those
associated with survival, sensuality, sexuality and procreation are said to be transcended.
With the piercing of visnu-granthi comes a greater harmonisation of the individual
with the cosmos at large, while the piercing of rudra-granthi brings with it the
transcendence of the limitations of ego- or I-based consciousness (ahamkara).
As the awakened kundalini-sakti ascends the susumna-nadi, enlivening the cakras
and piercing the granthis, it initiates various yogic processes that are thought
to bring about the complete purification and rejuvenation of the human being. Many
of these processes involve the spontaneous performance of familiar practices such
as mudras, asanas and pranayamas, which suggests that these may have their origin,
at least partially, in observations of the body's responses to kundalini experiences.
The enlivening of the cakras significantly heightens their functions, and so it
is prudent to raise the kundalini to anahata-cakra as soon as possible to avoid
the dangers involved in stimulating the lower three cakras without the mediating
affect of the heart centre.
As long as prana moves through the ida- and pingala-nadis one's attention is directed
outwards, however as kundalini ascends that attention is drawn increasingly inwards
as a measure of the flow of prana from these and other nadis in the limbs and torso
is drawn into the susumna-nadi. A notable drop in the temperature of the parts of
the body that prana is withdrawn from is accompanied by a dramatic increase in the
temperature of the crown of the head as kundalini ascends susumna-nadi. As this
occurs the sadhaka experiences a progressive dissolution of everyday awareness,
the culmination of which is the merging of individual consciousness in the Absolute
as kundalini enters sahasrara. This is how Tantra understands the state of samadhi
(from the verb root dha = 'to hold' + the prefixes a + sam = 'together completely),
which can be recognised by an observer by the spontaneous interruption of the breath
(kevala-kumbhaka) due to a suspension in the flow of prana.
Given the Tantric principle that liberation is to be realised in and through the
human body, the permanent awakening of kundalini requires the five kosas to have
been adequately prepared for the transformation involved. This preparedness can
be understood in terms of the realisation of correspondences between the individual
and the cosmos that guides many aspects of Tantric sadhana. If the sadhaka is not
adequately prepared kundalini returns to muladhara-cakra, the cakras and nadis resuming
their usual functions though in a heightened and more integrated fashion. Repeated
awakenings may therefore be required before the sadhaka is able to transcend his
or her attachment to their individuality (ahamkara) by turning towards the higher
or pure (suddha) Self (aham). When this takes place, kundalini remains in sahasrara
which is the goal of kundalini-yoga, and the realisation of the unity of Siva and
Sakti.
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