K is for Kundalini

 

 As always, a huge shout out to Ninja Minion Master Captain Alex and his army of ninja minions! 

My Theme: Yoga.  For those of you who don't know, I've been working on obtaining my yoga teacher's certification for the past year and am just a little over a month from graduating with my RYT200.  As such, I figure there's no better way to spend this month than teaching you folks some of what I've learned.

 

In yogic philosophy, kundalini is an energy source that, when aligned with all seven chakras, leads to a shift in consciousness wherein one reaches a level of enlightenment.  It is described as a sleeping serpent coiled at the base of the spine (kundalini literally meaning "she who is coiled") which is awakened by breathing practices (meditation).

 

Several yogis and yoginis have claimed to have awakened kundalini energy and describe the sensation as a surge of power coming from the base of the spine (root chakra) and shooting upwards through the remaining 6 chakras to 'explode' out of one's crown chakra.  When this happens, one's shakti energy (that of the subtle body) is combined with one's shiva energy (that of the cosmos) in a blessed union resulting in a level of enlightenment or clear-sight not otherwise experienced.

 

Yes, it sounds kind-of esoteric and not the kind-of thing normally experienced in a run-of-the-mill yoga class.  That's because it is and, usually, it's not.  Individuals practice meditation for years to achieve such a state and even then it is fleeting (but then again, what in life isn't?)

However, that doesn't mean that we can't strive for it and practice the techniques that can help us try to achieve it.  Because meditation, however it is done. is ALWAYS a good thing.