Course transcript

What is Kundalini and what is the purpose of awakening it

Welcome to part 1 of this course. The topics we’ll be covering in this section are

What you’ll learn in this lesson:

1. What Kundalini is
2. What the purpose of Kundalini Awakening is
3. About the 3 main nadis
4. Shiva and Shakti as energy
5. What can trigger a Kundalini Awakening
6. My personal experience with Kundalini Awakening
7. How Kundalini Awakening works
8. What the signs and symptoms of Kundalini Awakening are
9. What the signs and symptoms of a spontaneous Kundalini Awakening are (aka Kundalini
syndrome)
10. Tips for getting through a Kundalini Awakening

Let’s start with the word “Kundalini”. In Sanskrit, Kundal means "coil" and Lini means "nerve"
or "line". In Sanskrit, a language in which every noun is accorded a gender, the word ‘Kundalini’
is feminine.

“Our kundalini is the yin, or divine feminine, to our yang, or divine masculine. It's the receiving
to the giving, the intuitive behind the logic, the contentment within the striving, and the sensual
within the sexual… when kundalini - this pulsating, creative, feminine power within each of us -
joins with our male spirit quality, it sparks unity within ourselves as well as with the Divine.” -
Cyndi Dale, Kundalini: Divine Energy, Divine Life

This feminine energy is known by many different names throughout the world, including chi in
China and ki in Japan. In Hinduism, it is serpent power, personified as the goddess Shakti. In
Buddhism its life force; and in Tantric sex it’s the source of intimacy. It’s a manifestation of
prana (vital life force energy) that comes into the physical body when we’re still in the womb
and it settles at the base of our spine.

“In men, the region of fire which is triangular in form and brilliant as the molten gold is situated
in the middle of the body. In its (the region of life’s) centre, the purifying, beneficial and subtle
flame is situate. Two digits above the anus and two digits below the sexual organ is the centre of
the body for men. Nine digits from (or above) the centre of the body and four digits in length and
breadth is situated an oval form. In its midst is the navel. In it, is situated the Chakra (viz., wheel)
with twelve spokes. In the middle of the Chakra, the Jiva (Atman) wanders, driven by its good
and bad deeds. As a spider flies to and fro within a web of fine threads, so Prana moves about
here. In this body, the Jiva rides upon Prana. Lying in the middle of the navel and above it, is the
seat of Kundalini.

This body is ninety-six digits in length. Prana extends twelve digits beyond the body. He who
through the practice of Yoga reduces his Prana within his body to make it equal to or not less
than the fire in it becomes the greatest of the Yogins.

Prana moves in the nostrils, the throat, the navel, the two great toes and the lower and the upper
parts of Kundalini.

The functions of Prana are inspiration, expiration and cough.” – Atharva-Veda

Other names for this feminine energy include:

 Al-Lat
 The Great Mother
 Ruah
 Pachamama
 Sophia
 Light flame
 Cosmic energy
 Divine force
 Spirit fire
 Living flame
 Mothering intelligence
 Mana
 The supreme power
 Christ consciousness

In Eastern tradition, Kundalini is our own evolutionary force and potential; it is the Divine
within. Kundalini lays coiled, dormant, at the base of the spine in the Muladhara or Root chakra
like a sleeping snake. The images most often associated with Kundalini are a snake coiled 3 ½
times in the Muladhara or ascending up the spine. Why a serpent? Because they're powerful and
after shedding their skin they're figuratively reborn much like we can feel after a Kundalini
awakening. In Eastern traditions, it’s believed that this "serpent" energy can be intentionally
woken by the practice of certain yoga poses, pranayamas, mantras, mudras, and kriyas.

"The sleeping Kundalini is awakened by agitating it, like hitting a snake with a stick. It then
stands erect and enters the Sushumna nadi, like a snake entering its burrow." - Yoga Kundalini
Upanishad

Once woken, Kundalini surges upward through the Sushumna nadi and pierces 6 of the 7
chakras. Once it reaches the 7th chakra, the Sahasrara, at the crown of the head it is said to merge
into pure consciousness and endow the practitioner with enlightenment.

"Having pierced the six chakras, kundalini Shakti merges with Shiva at the thousand-petaled
lotus at the crown of the head. That is the supreme state. That is the cause of liberation." - Yoga
Kundalini Upanishad

Liberation = enlightenment = pure consciousness = freedom from all limitations/the field of all
possibilities

In short, it’s a powerful healing experience that reminds you where you came from, what you are
and what your purpose is.

Nadis
‘Nadi’ is a Sanskrit word meaning “tube,” “channel” or “flow”. Some say that the word ‘Nadi’
translates as "nerve" but they’re not a physical tube or conduit; they're a part of the subtle body.
Nadi’s are channels or currents in the subtle body through which prana travels. It’s believed that
there at least 72,000 nadi’s in the subtle body but there are three main nadi’s:

1. the Sushumna which connects the Muladhara chakra to the Sahasrara chakra through the
center of the spinal cord. The word ‘Sushumna’ means "very gracious" or "kind" in
Sanskrit.
2. the Ida starts at the Muladhara chakra and corresponds to the left hand side of the body
 and the right hand side of the brain and is said to terminate at the left nostril. Ida is
introverted and is associated with the moon and feminine energy. The word ‘Ida’ means
"comfort" in Sanskrit.
3. and the Pingala starts at the Svadhistana chakra and corresponds to the right hand side of
the body and the left hand side of the brain and is said to terminate at the right nostril.
Pingala is extroverted and is associated with the sun and masculine energy. The word
‘Pingala’ means “tawny” or “orange” in Sanskrit.

“On the neuroscience of it all, it is bringing the two sides of the brain together on the limbic
region with the reptilian mind in action with the pineal gland and a fusion occurs; we stop our
minds and we become awake.” - Raja Choudhury

Shiva and Shakti

I’ll be getting into this topic more in a later lesson but I want to touch on it quickly now for
clarity sake. Here, Shiva and Shakti are not the four-armed deities familiar to Hindus. Shiva is
the masculine principle and the fabric of reality, pure consciousness. Shakti is the feminine
principle and infuses everything within the cosmos with energy, she is infinite creative power.
Shakti is present within all of us, and it is this inner presence that is called Kundalini Shakti. The
creation of the universe is said to result from the union of Shiva and Shakti - pure consciousness
meets creative power and BAM you get the creation of the universe. So, when I personally refer
to Shiva and Shakti, I’m not talking about them as deities but as aspects of energy.

Kundalini triggers
A Kundalini awakening can be triggered by:

 A spiritual awakening
 Intense energy work (such as Reiki)
 Psychedelics
 Sexual experiences
 Traumatic life event
 Yoga practice
 Meditation
People have also experienced spontaneous Kundalini awakening. This happens, well,
spontaneously lol meaning there is no intention or expectancy of an awakening, the person is
completely unprepared for what they are experiencing.

My experience
For me, I had a spiritual awakening followed by a series of events over several years that
triggered my Kundalini awakening. I was asleep when Shakti reached my Sahasrara chakra and
reunited with Shiva. The first night I had a dream that a woman shot light out of her hands and
hit me with it in my solar plexus. When I woke up I had a pretty good idea of what this meant
but I wasn’t fully “awake” yet. The next night I had more like a realization than a dream really; I
was asleep but it was like I was in a meditative state – I was asleep but I was aware. In this state I
woke up to the truth, that perception is illusion, that separation is an illusion, and that everyone
and every thing is One; we are aspects of Shiva, like a zygote that begins as a single cell but
rapidly divides in the days following fertilization. I didn’t just understand it on an intellectual
level, I felt the truth of it – or rather, I remembered the truth. At one point I was floating in the
cosmos then realized I was the cosmos, then I was back on earth hugging a wooden table because
I could feel its vibration, its awareness, and I loved that table like it was my child. When I woke
up in my bed I found myself in a state of shock but because of all my years of “prep” work I
understood what was happening so I didn’t freak out or think I was losing my mind or shrug it
off as an intense but ultimately meaningless dream.

Kundalini awakening is often described as powerful and intense and overwhelming, but for me I
feel like it was a gradual slow burn that eased me into it so when Shakti finally made it to my
Sahasrara chakra and reunited with Shiva I wasn’t overwhelmed. I understood what happened
and remembering the Truth actually brought me a deep sense of peace.

“As kundalini ascends through the chakras, mental limitations are gradually removed so
consciousness can shine in its pristine glory. Mental fluctuations settle down and the mind
becomes serene. Awareness flows smoothly and the mind becomes a vehicle for bliss and
happiness.” - Susan G. Shumsky, Exploring Chakras: Awaken Your Untapped Energy

Signs and symptoms

Signs and symptoms of a Kundalini awakening can include:

 Energetic sensations like electricity in the body or lightning bolts along the spine
 A sensation of insects or snakes crawling along the spine
 Feelings of intense heat in the spine or in specific chakras
 Waves of intense pleasure, bliss, or ecstasy even leading to orgasm
 Big emotional shifts or mood swings
 Sensory overload
 Internal sounds that no one else can hear like buzzing, thunder, or celestial sounds
 Waves of wisdom or insight
 Heightened creativity
 Psychic abilities unlocked
 Mystical visions
 Intense compassion
 A sense of wholeness and connectedness
 Past life flashbacks
 Deep sense of purpose

“When Kundalini awakens, a person may experience deeper empathy with others, and this
empathy can almost become telepathic. There is greater sensitivity, higher energy levels,
sometimes psychic abilities or deep knowing, ageing can appear to slow down, creativity and
charisma can increase, as can internal peace and knowing. There is a sense of being part of All
that Is. The greater mysteries of life are no longer mysteries.” – Kara-Leah Grant

This can happen spontaneously in a split second or over days, weeks, months, or even years. As I
said earlier, I went through years of what I call “prep” work where I studied and practiced both
personal and spiritual growth; I did a ton of intentional clearing and healing work on my energy
body and my mental health, which triggered in my Kundalini awakening. If you’re not prepared,
a kundalini awakening can feel intense, scary, overwhelming, and like you’re having a mental
breakdown. The more personal and spiritual growth work a person has done before Kundalini
awakens, the smoother the process – at least from my experience, anyways. If a person has a
spontaneous awakening with little work on themselves, they’re in for a rough road.

Kundalini syndrome
A spontaneous awakening or an intentional awakening without grounding yourself can result in
what is known as “Kundalini syndrome”. Symptoms can include:

 Inability to regulate body temperature

 Joint pain
 Intense headaches
 Nausea
 Depersonalization
 “Breaking” with reality
 Severe mood swings
 Hallucinations
 Severe anxiety
 Suicidal thoughts

“Kundalini awakening offers a profound opportunity for those called to follow a spiritual path. It
gradually releases many patterns, conditions and delusions of the separate self. It can be
threatening to the ego-structure because a person may feel a loss of interest in their old life and
identity, and consciousness may go into unfamiliar expansive or empty states that are
disorienting. It also makes people who are unfamiliar with it afraid they are ill or losing their
minds. So understanding is important.” – Bonnie Greenwell, [Link]

Tips
Some tips for getting through a Kundalini Awakening:

1. Surrender – Do not fight Kundalini energy or try to stop it. Once activated, Kundalini
energy cannot be stopped and by trying to resist or stop it you’ll just make getting
through it that much harder on yourself. Let it flow wherever it needs to go.
2. Work with the energy – Communicate with her, ask her what she needs and allow her to
answer (this means listening to your intuition, emotions, and physical body cues) then
attend to those needs.
3. Treat your body with compassion – Kundalini awakening can be gnarly on the physical
body so be kind and gentle with it.
4. Dance – Kundalini awakening can feel hella intense and at times can either amp up or
burn out your energy, and cause insomnia, involuntary jerking or spasm movements, and
intense heat inside the body. When this happens, gentle dancing/movement can help relax
and cool things down.
5. Accept the new you – When Kundalini awakens you go through major changes on all
levels and this includes your personality, self-perception, likes and dislikes, old patterns,
 your wants and desires, and even your needs. Some people find this confusing,
uncomfortable, and downright scary so they try to resist it but all this does is make their
lives and the experience harder. This goes back to tips one and two, surrender and work
with the energy. Be open and curious to these changes.
6. Detach from judgment – Those who already have a meditation practice will be familiar
with this tip. Observe thoughts, memories and/or past life flashbacks, intense emotions,
and personality traits without grabbing on and attaching to them. Observe what is going
on but leave judgment at the door.
7. Get grounded – An intense and/or spontaneous Kundalini awakening can feel like you’re
having a psychotic break, grounding yourself can help you with your sense of sanity. A
couple of ways to do this are through meditation or being out in nature.
8. Clean up your diet – Kundalini energy helps to purge your cells of toxins so by having a
clean/non-processed diet and drinking lots and lots of water you’re not only helping
yourself out but you’re helping Kundalini energy do her job of expelling toxins from your
cells easier.

The ultimate goal of spiritual practice is not to produce short-lived experiences, but rather, to
reveal the true divine nature of the consciousness within us.

The purpose
The purpose of a Kundalini Awakening is three-fold:

1. To heal trauma and clear Karma

2. To remember who your true Self is (pure consciousness)

3. To lift humanity up as a whole

"Teach yourselves, teach everyone his real nature, call upon the sleeping soul and see how it
awakes. Power will come, glory will come, goodness will come, purity will come, and
everything that is excellent will come when this sleeping soul is roused to self-conscious
activity." - Swami Vivekananda

Myth buster
I’m going to take a quick sec here to add that having a Kundalini awakening does not mean that
that person is better than those who haven’t had one. A Kundalini awakening has nothing to do
with status; that type of thought is pure ego. Our true nature is divine - infinite, timeless, without
cause and untouched by worldly affliction.

Before we move on with the rest of the course I feel it’s important to bust a common myth/belief
that once a person has reached the liberation stage – that is to say that Kundalini has made her
way to the Sahasrara chakra – that the person has reached the end of their spiritual journey and
now fully understands everything in a single blast of white light. That’s just not how it works –
at least not for those of us who aren’t dedicated monks, anyways. Kundalini rising isn’t always a
one-time deal but we’ll touch more on that later. My point is that as a person living an average
Westerner lifestyle that has gone through a Kundalini awakening, I can tell you from my
experience that I don’t believe to understand all the mysteries life or that I walk this earth as a
pure vessel with no ego attachments. I did experience massive instantaneous shifts around my
fear-based desperate need for money and my concepts about time and space (which now are
laughable to me) but liberation is the discovery of our innate divinity.

“Kundalini is the ancient Sanskrit name for the primal life force that animates all living
entities—the evolutionary force behind all living matter.... Shaktipat is a Sanskrit word for the
process of activating the higher Kundalini-Shakti energy, initiating the process of spiritual
growth and enlightenment and advancing personal evolution dramatically. This has also been
called the "Baptism by fire" and "second birth"—a truly sacred mystical experience.

This happening of Kundalini awakening and ultimate union with a higher consciousness are
described by a Sanskrit word "Sahaja". This means literally "born with," spontaneous or
effortless. The implication is that the entire mechanism is inborn - part of human anatomy - and
is activated in a spontaneous and natural way without undue or extreme efforts.” - Dr. Larry
Jensen PhD, DD, MBA
The History of Kundalini
What you’ll learn in this lesson:

1. About the ancient Rishis

2. The importance of the Upanishads
3. The Advaita Vedanta path
4. About Swami Vivekananda
5. C. W. Leadbeater and his book about chakras
6. About Swami Muktananda
7. About Yogi Bhajan

Although there is evidence of knowledge of Kundalini dating as far back as 2500 BC with the
Sumerian Caduceus, the Eastern tradition of Kundalini that we are most familiar with in modern
times goes back at least 2000 years. It is this ancient Indian tradition mixed with modern
Western tradition that this course focuses on. The importance of learning the history of a
tradition and modality was deeply instilled in me by my Reiki Master and thus I feel it is
important to teach the history of Kundalini as best as it can be understood in modern times. In
order to truly understand Kundalini, you must understand its roots.

"In ancient India, the holy sages, known as Rishi’s, sought enlightenment by exploring within
their bodies and minds to discover the supreme divinity hidden deep inside. Their remarkable
insights and the special techniques they devised were recorded in Sanskrit scriptures called
Upanishads. A total of 108 Upanishads are included in the Vedas, the main scriptures for all
Hindu religious and spiritual practices. Twenty of those Upanishads are dedicated to the theory
and practice of Kundalini yoga. These yoga Upanishads are the ultimate source for the entire
body of teachings on Kundalini yoga. The separate tradition of Advaita Vedanta is based on
twelve other Upanishads, which are focused on gaining spiritual knowledge rather than yogic
practice. All 108 Upanishads contain the sacred revelations of the Rishi’s." - Swami
Tadatmananda

Advaita Vedanta
Advaita Vedanta refers to the non-dualistic school of Hindu philosophy. Advaita means absence
of the duality between subject and object. The Advaita school believes that Brahman is the one
and only reality and everything else is a projection or illusion. This school also believes that
Atman, the individual self, has no separate existence of its own, it is a projection or reflection of
Brahman in each being. In other words, it’s pure consciousness experiencing itself through each
person.

"It is conceptualizing, thinking, imagining, creative non-stuff and it is constantly interacting with
itself to create all modes of experience." - Deepak Chopra

In Advaita, a Jiva is a deluded soul experiencing duality and separation due to egoism, desires,
karma, and other impurities. When the person is fully withdrawn and made silent through
detachment, purity and renunciation, they can see the “Supreme” Self hidden in all and attain
liberation.

Advaita school also forms part of Vaishnavism, Saivism and Shaktism under different names.

Inner Pilgrimage
The Rishi’s envisioned sacred places in the body to be visited through an inner pilgrimage. This
inner pilgrimage is a meditation practice in which you deliberately imagine particular deities and
sacred places within your body. The Darshana Upanishad says the Himalayas are at the top of
your head, Lord Shiva dwells on your forehead, Varanasi is between your eyebrows,
Kurukshetra is in your chest, and Prayaga is in your heart. When the Rishi’s portrayed the seven
chakras, their intent was not to describe objects that actually exist in the body. Rather, they
prescribed a practice in which chakras, deliberately superimposed on the body, were to be
visualized for the sake of meditation.

“In the body up to the knee is the aspect of the earth, from there till hip it is the aspect of water,
up to the heart is the aspect of fire, up to middle of eyelids is the aspect of air and then up to the
middle of the skull is the aspect of the sky. In the aspect of earth Brahma has to be placed, in the
aspect of water Vishnu should be placed, in the aspect of fire Rudra should be placed, in the
aspect of air Iswara should be placed and in the aspect of sky, the Sadashiva should be placed.” -
Jabala Darsana Upanishad, Sama-Veda
Kundalini comes to the West
Swami Vivekananda, known as "America's First Guru", brought the concepts of yoga,
meditation, and Indian wisdom to America in September 1893 at the first World’s Parliament of
Religions in Chicago. His speeches at the World’s Parliament of Religions made him famous as
an ‘orator by divine right’ and as a ‘Messenger of Indian wisdom to the Western world’.

After the Parliament, Swami Vivekananda spent nearly three and a half years spreading Vedanta,
mostly in the eastern parts of the US and also in London. Swami Vivekananda built a bridge
between Indian culture and Western culture by interpreting Hindu scriptures, philosophy,
institutions, and way of life to the Western people in an idiom which they could understand. He
also added several original concepts based on his own transcendental experiences and vision of
the future.

"You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself."

"You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There
is no other teacher but your own soul."

First published in 1927, The Chakras: A Monograph written by famed clairvoyant C. W.

Leadbeater was the first to introduce the chakras to the West. However, Swami Tad-atma-nanda
described it as "filled with Western occultism and doctrines of the Theosophical Society of
which Leadbeater was a member whose perspectives were utterly foreign to the original texts of
the Rishi’s.”

Having read Leadbeater’s book myself, I can say that Swami Tadatmananda isn’t wrong,
Leadbeater’s descriptions of the chakras are very much foreign to the original text of the Rishi’s,
but I don’t think Leadbeater’s views were entirely incorrect either. I don’t agree with all of it but
I do see it as a mix of Eastern and Western perspectives. Leadbeater as a clairvoyant, along with
others, describes the Chakras from a psychic view rather than a purely philosophical view. He,
along with other clairvoyants, psychically saw the chakras then described them as best he could.

In the 1970’s Swami Muktananda introduced kundalini yoga to the West, teaching a version
extensively adapted by the Kashmiri Shaiva tradition to which he belonged. In 1975, he founded
the Siddha Yoga Ashram in Oakland, in the California Bay area, and founded the SYDA
Foundation in the United States to administer the global work of Siddha Yoga meditation. He
also wrote many books; sixteen of which are still kept in print by the SYDA Foundation.
Around this same time Yogi Bhajan brought his version of kundalini yoga from India to the
United States, replacing its traditional Sanskrit mantras with others from his the Sikh path. He
gave his first public lecture in the United States on January 5, 1969, at the East West Cultural
Center. Despite the centuries old taboo against teaching Kundalini Yoga publicly, Yogi Bhajan
knew that it was the most effective technology he could share to heal bodies and minds. In his
Kundalini Yoga classes he told stories about the Sikh Gurus and talked about the virtues and
values that would bring happiness. Over the next few years he sowed the seeds for institutions
and events that have multiplied worldwide, attracting thousands of people who embraced the
3HO way of life. To provide a structure for the teachings, the 3HO Foundation was legally
incorporated in California on July 29, 1969 and the Kundalini Research Institute was founded in
1971. Through his efforts, Sikh Dharma became officially incorporated and recognized by the
US Government as a Religion on April 10, 1973.
The Dance of Shiva and Shakti
What you’ll learn in this lesson:

1. Shiva in the Shaiva tradition

2. Shakti in the Tantric tradition
3. What role Kali “The Destroyer” plays in Kundalini awakening
4. About Samadhi

Shiva
Shiva is the primal soul, pure consciousness and Absolute Reality in the Shaiva traditions. Shiva
is both formless and with form. He is rebirth, reawakening. He is both the energy and
consciousness of the whole universe and he is also Rudra, a living being in the world as well. He
is also known as the Destroyer of the ego and the representation of ultimate stillness, the
unswayable observer.

Shakti
“Shiva can exist in total consciousness and bliss but without Shakti activating it you cannot have
worlds, you cannot have procreation, and you cannot have karma and seduction.” - Raja
Choudhury

Shiva’s counterpart, Shakti, plays a major role in all of this. Shiva just is. As pure consciousness,
he doesn’t actually do anything, he doesn’t participate in the world he just sits in stillness. In
Tantra, the only way to align with the vibration of the universe – that is, to wake up - is through
Shakti because Shiva can’t participate, he is passive. But she needs that male vibration to create a
union, Tantra calls this the Dance of Shiva and Shakti. So, Shiva is consciousness and Shakti is
energy.

“Only when Shiva and Shakti combine can action, movement and creation arise. Until energy is
impregnated with consciousness it is ignorant, disordered, aimless and “blind”. Energy alone can
produce nothing; consciousness bestows upon it content, form and direction. Conversely,
consciousness without energy is dormant power, sleeping energy, and on its own is unable to be
the cause of anything… In this state of absolute consciousness [when Shakti and Shiva unite in
the Sahasrara chakra] there are no polarities and therefore no more sorrows; there is only
everlasting joy, unconditional love, unlimited compassion and total understanding for all living
beings.” - Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda
Whereas Shiva is paternal love that gives us consciousness, clarity and knowledge, Shakti is
maternal love that surrounds us with warmth, caring and protection. Shakti symbolizes the
feminine principle, the activating power and energy. She is vitality, movement, change, nature,
abundance, and the provider. She is Kundalini. When we look at the stories of Shakti she has
always come when humans are at their historic worst. She comes to restore and remind us of who
we are.

“Yes, Shakti is Grace and beauty but Shakti is also capable of correcting things, realigning us.
That’s the power of Shakti.” - Raja Choudhury

Kali
Kali is “accelerated Shakti”. Shakti as the mother says “Don’t’ worry, all is well” as she takes
you by the hand and gently guides you to awakening. Kali as the destroyer says “You will lose
everything” and shocks you into waking up. Whereas Shakti moves gently and steadily, Kali
works fiercely and quickly. In this way, Kali brings us to the rock bottom feeling, the “dark night
of the soul”, so that we have no choice but to awaken. It is also my belief that she is the cause of
the spontaneous Kundalini awakening. Kali in this aspect is the destroyer of demons, that is to
say of the ego and ignorance; she is the great purifier.

Samadhi
The word Samadhi means “To place together” “Unification of mind” or “Union”. It is often
called The Bliss State. It’s a state of intense concentration achieved through meditation at which
union with the divine is reached, when Shakti and Shiva unite and the Jīvātmā dissolves. It is the
ultimate goal of meditation, and truly, Kundalini awakening. Samadhi is attained when the
meditator, the process of meditation, and the object of meditation become One. With the union of
these three points of view the certainty and experience of So Ham “I am that” occurs. There is no
longer any sense of separateness. Consciousness and self-awareness continue, but not in the
previous duality of “I am me” and “You are you” or “I am a human being and God is something
else outside of me”. The inner Self remains with the Supreme Self. Samādhi is the highest state
of consciousness that a human can reach in life.

To have this experience means realization of the truth or rather remembering the truth –
remembering that you are Divine. Becoming liberated is by no means the end of the journey,
rather you will now begin a new phase of spiritual evolution. Often those who become liberated
also become teachers. Some, like me, remember its part of their purpose to teach these practices
to aid others along their path, while others teach through their personal practice and actions
and/or simply through their presence. Have you ever been in the presence of someone who just
feels safe, warm and comforting but also playful? You may not have even been in their physical
presence but their energy reaches you through books or videos or even social media. For me, this
is what I experience with Deepak Chopra. This is also an example of what Gabrielle Bernstein
refers to as “Being the Light” wherever you are.

English version of Srī Shankarāchārya’s Bhajan praising the God-Realised, liberated

consciousness:

I am not this mind, nor intellect, ego or consciousness,

Nor the Gyāna Indriyas or the Tattvas.
My form is pure consiousness and absolute bliss
I am CHIDĀNANDA RŪPA SHIVA, the Supreme Self.

I am neither the five Prānas nor the seven Dhātus,

Nor the five Koshas, nor this bundle of Karmas
I am CHIDĀNANDA RŪPA SHIVA, the Supreme Self.

In me exists neither attachment nor duality,

Neither greed nor jealousy, neither hate nor anger.
I have nothing to do with the illusion of the ego,
And also I am not bound by the four laws of the Purushārtha
I am CHIDĀNANDA RŪPA SHIVA, the Supreme Self.

I have neither sin nor virtue, nothing to do with either happiness or sorrow,
Or with Mantras, pilgrimages, the Vedas or ceremonies
I am neither the food, nor the one nourished, nor the enjoyer
I am CHIDĀNANDA RŪPA SHIVA, the Supreme Self.

I am the Ātmā, immortal and unborn

Time, space and death have no power over me
I have neither father nor mother, neither relatives nor friends
No Guru and no student
I am CHIDĀNANDA RŪPA SHIVA, the Supreme Self.

I am desireless and formless.

I exist in all living beings
I am not bound, nor require liberation
My form is truth, consciousness and bliss
I am CHIDĀNANDA RŪPA SHIVA, the Supreme Self.
Koshas and Karma
What you’ll learn in this lesson:

1. About the 5 Koshas

2. What Karma is
3. How to clear bad karma
4. The psychology and neuroscience of creating new habits

In Eastern tradition, it’s believed that before we can attain liberation we must clear our Karmas
and purify the ego so that the Ātmā (the individual self and our True Divine Self) can detach
itself from the five Koshas that veil it and hamper its free development. This is the work of
Kundalini rising. It’s my belief that we don’t so much need to detach from these Koshas entirely
as we need to work with them in a way that serves our highest good. I’m also a fan of good
karmas. With that said, I get why Eastern tradition believe and teach what they do. Being
attached to our Koshas and Karmas can absolutely cause suffering and thus impede our personal
and spiritual development BUT I feel that we can and should still work with them while learning
to let go.

Koshas
The word ‘Kosha’ means sheath, body or layer. Each of us has five bodies/layers, one encased
by the next starting from the outermost layer and moving through the layers to the core of the
Self. The five koshas are:

1. Annamaya: the physical body. This is about really being in tune with our body, knowing
what kind of food it needs and how much, and what kind of movement it needs and how
it will respond. Things like eating disorders, obesity, and injuries can occur as well as
feeling spacey, ungrounded, and fearful when we are unaware of our physical body. It’s
healthy to be in tune with your body BUT becoming attached to it can also cause
suffering in the sense of fear, fear of how it looks and feels, fear of becoming injured or
worse. Remember, you have a body but you are not your body. Your body is just a
vessel; you’re a Divine being having an experience.
2. Pranamaya: the vital energy sheath. This is our energy body. This sheath is concerned
with life giving energy and vitality, the nadis, the chakra system and elements, breath
flow patterns, perceptive and motors sense, and personal energetic signature. Prana can
get stuck and we can feel “drained”, tired, bored, depressed or restless when we don’t
work with the energy body. When we’re in tune with the energy body we can feel calm
 and relaxed as well as alive and full of energy. Whether we’re in tune with our energy
body or not can affect our personal energetic signature. If our vibration is low our
signature can feel pretty crappy to be around. Have you ever been around a “Debbie-
downer” type or someone that seems to be perma-pissed at the world? Or on the flip side,
have you ever been around someone who feels like a warm hug or like they eat and shit
rainbows? These are examples of personal energetic signatures. If our vibration is low we
feel crappy and if our vibration is high we feel good. Again, we want to be aware of this
kosha and work with it but we don’t want to be attached to it.
3. Manomaya: the mental sheath. This corresponds with thoughts, emotions and the nervous
system. This sheath is concerned with the thinking mind, persona, and ego. It is where we
store mental structures (beliefs, opinions, perceptions) and trauma from our childhood.
When we’re not aware of this sheath or how to work with it we can get lost in negative
patterns that don’t serve us, as well as passing thoughts, perceptions, and emotions. We
can get lost in fantasies and daydreaming and worry. Have you ever become
overwhelmed with panic just by thinking about a worst-case-scenario? Or angry at
someone over a conversation you had in your mind? We can make the mental sheath
work for us by detaching from the thoughts, emotions, and perceptions that aren’t serving
us and/or are just passing by. Just because you have a thought doesn’t mean you need to
attach to it. The same goes for limiting beliefs and patterns. If it doesn’t feel good, let it
go.
4. Vijnanamaya: the wisdom sheath. This corresponds with awareness, inner knowing and
higher intelligence. This is where our intuition, insights, and creativity come from. We
work with this sheath when we’re in meditation; when the thinking mind gets quiet,
wisdom can arise. Those who do any form of psychic readings are tapping into this
sheath. We also work with this sheath when we’re engrossed by a project or when we’re
problem-solving. This is where the ego and attachment starts to naturally fall away,
where we simply observe.
5. Anandamaya: the bliss sheath. This sheath is concerned with joy, unconditional love,
ecstasy, tenderness, and contentment. This is our true nature, we are bliss, and yet it is the
most hidden part of us. It is associated with the state of Samadhi, meaning we tap into
this sheath when we’re in deep meditation, when we’re fully immersed in the moment,
when we’re no longer separate from the experience.

Karma
The word ‘Karma’ means ‘action’, ‘work’ or ‘deed’. When we think of the word Karma we
associate it as the consequence of our actions – typically in regards to what we perceive as
negative actions - meaning every thought, word, and deed has a consequence, and that becomes
your karma. It’s often thought of as a form of Cosmic justice, you do a bad thing and the
Universe punishes you. It can also be a playground sort of philosophy of what-goes-around-
comes-around; if you do a bad thing, bad things will happen to you, and if you do a good thing,
good things will happen to you. Of course when you look at the world and the people living in it,
this concept of karma has an obvious gaping hole in it. Good things happen to bad people all the
time just as bad things happen to good people. This concept is flawed because how we think of
karma is misunderstood.

“And here they say that a person consists of desires,

and as is their desire, so is their will;

and as is their will, so is their deed;

and whatever deed they do, that they will reap."

- Brihadraranayaka Upanishad 1,000 BCE

In Eastern tradition, it’s believed that karma comes from one simple thing: desire. We desire
food, love, safety, status, sex, money, and on and on. And this includes the consequences we
desire, what outcomes we'd like. And if we don’t get what we want we can get upset, frustrated,
and even traumatized - and that becomes what we call bad karma. It’s not to say that these
desires are inherently “bad” and that’s why it’s considered bad karma; it’s the thoughts,
emotions, and attachments that leave us feeling unhappy. Feeling frustrated feels bad and thus
becomes bad karma; when someone hurts us and we become traumatized by the experience this
also becomes bad karma. When we feel happy, this becomes good karma. When we help
someone else or they help us, it feels good and so we create good karma. Its energy and this
energy gets stored in both the subtle and physical bodies. A baby is born with little or no karma
because it has no thoughts or ideas to start with but because this karma “energy” is stored in the
subtle and physical bodies the baby may inherit karma from their parent’s ancestral legacy and
DNA, or even from the child’s past lives.

When the Vedic seers looked at what they thought was the cause of desire, they called this state
Avidya, meaning ignorance, the ignorance of not knowing who you really are, of feeling
incomplete and unfulfilled. The knowledge they thought was the cure to it was that we are Shiva,
pure consciousness, this Divine mind that is the universe come into being. This journey from
Avidya to Vidya is this karmic journey.

“Vidyā gives insight, in the spiritual sphere it leads to salvation, in the mundane sphere it leads
to progress and prosperity. Vidyā illuminates the mind and shatters illusions, increases
intelligence, power and efficiency; develops the intellect and makes it more re-fined; it effects a
complete transformation as the root of all happiness and as the source of illumination and
power.” – Wikipedia

So, bad karma accumulates from desires, negative thoughts, and trauma. All is not lost though.
There are ways to clear this bad karma. One of them is this Durga chant specifically for clearing
bad karma:

“Om Aim Hrim Klim Chamundaye Viche.”

Om: Universal sound

Aim: goddess Maha Saraswati

Hrim: goddess Maha Lakshmi

Klim: goddess Maha Kali

Chamundaye: destroyer of demons

Viche: Shield, be victorious in me

“Goddess Maha Saraswati, goddess Maha Lakshmi, goddess Maha Kali, destroy all my bad
karma and release me to victory.”

It’s recommended that you chant this daily for 44 - 66 days straight.

Psychology and Neuroscience

The more bad karma we store the more prone we become to diseases, dysfunctions, and
hormonal shifts and imbalance of the endocrine system. We can become susceptible to bad
habits and addictions such as abuse of drugs, alcohol, sugar, tobacco, and so on.

When we look at psychology and neuroscience and how new patterns form in the brain, we find
that it takes about 66 days to completely create a new synaptic pathway. All neural
connectivity’s that give us a bad habit or karmic trauma need to be rewired. We’re not able to
completely burn away the wiring of the old habit but we can introduce new pathways, habits, and
ideas that can alter our brain chemistry; and they’ve found that this takes about 66 days to
complete.

The old tantric teachings say 44 days of doing a mantra or a pranayama will heal a karmic
passage and create a new one. When the new pathway comes into action, the old becomes
suppressed; it doesn’t go away but it becomes low in its volume and ability to chatter in the
upper brain or our biology. We begin to lose the grip of that karmic element and start to become
free of it. Again, according to psychology and neuroscience, if we give it the full 66 days rather
than just the 44 the Tantric’s recommend, the new synaptic pathway will be completely created
and that karmic element will be all but burned away entirely.
The Sevenfold Chakra System
What you’ll learn in this lesson:

1. What the chakras are and what they look like

2. The cause and effects of blocked and overactive chakras
3. About the elements, seed mantras, and mudras

In the following videos I’ll be going in depth with the individual chakras but I wanted to start
with what the chakras are and how they work as a whole first.

What they are and what they look like

The 7 chakras are energy centers that lie along energy channels, absorbing and emitting energy.
Each one holds a very specific vibration and has a very specific purpose. Six of these energy
centers are located along the spine and up into the head. The 7th chakra, the Sahasrara or Crown
chakra, is located just above the head and it sits like a halo; it connects to us through the bindu
area on our head. The word ‘chakra’ means wheel. They are often described as having petals or
spokes but this description is symbolic as the ancient Rishis didn’t believe that the chakras were
real, that they actually existed in the body; they were only used for meditation purposes.

“The drawings of the chakras made by the Hindu yogis for the use of their pupils are always
symbolical, and bear no relation to the actual appearance of the chakra, except that an attempt is
usually made to indicate the colour and the number of petals. In the centre of each such drawing
we shall find a geometrical form, a letter of the Sanskrit alphabet, an animal, and two deities, one
male and the other female.” - C.W. Leadbeater, The Chakras

Throughout the centuries and into modern times we’ve learned that the chakras are real and not
purely symbolic. True that they aren’t physical things in the physical body like organs but they
do actually exist; they exist in the subtle body. They are spinning energy centers that process and
distribute energy entering them through the different nadis. Each chakra operates at a unique
frequency and they transform the frequencies into different sensations, namely thought, emotion
and physical. And rather than having petals or spokes they refract subtle energy that the brain
interprets as colors.

“The chakras do this in the same way that the eye refracts light. When different frequencies of
light which enter the brain are interpreted by the brain as different colors, the chakras, by
refracting subtle energy, in effect break it down into particular impressions that make an impact
on the person.” – Keith Sherwood, Chakra Therapy

Blocked and overactive

Although the chakras are not physically a part of us like our organs are they can still have an
effect on our physical body and have physical associations with specific organs and endocrine
glands. Physical problems are often the result of a blockage in the energy flow in the chakra
system causing the organs or glands to not function properly. These blockages are created by bad
Karma (unfulfilled desires, stress, fear, trauma). When these blockages occur, the chakra can
spin sluggishly or even appear to stop spinning altogether. When this occurs we can experience
symptoms such as headaches, sore throat, and digestion issues, and in some cases more severe
symptoms such as cancers and other diseases. Just as the subtle body can affect the physical
body, the physical body can also affect the subtle body.

“Mistreatment or accidents to the physical body also affect the etheric body since it must employ
its energy to repair the physical body. If, due to mistreatment of the physical body, the etheric
body is overworked, the etheric vitality is drained and the etheric body is unable to properly
transmit impressions made by the mental and emotional bodies. The person in this condition
seems to be mentally and emotionally unresponsive.

It becomes clear that the physical body and the subtle bodies must all work together as a team.
This can be accomplished when their vibratory rates are in proper alignment with each other just
as the strings of a piano must be tuned so that the notes are in harmony with each other.” –
Victor Kuivinskas

The chakras can also become overactive in the same way that they can become blocked through
bad karma. For example, an overactive Root chakra may be caused by a person feeling like they
aren’t having their basic human needs met (unfulfilled desire) causing them to feel fearful and
anxious, to act out impulsively and go into survival mode.
“The chakras act like a series of valves in a system connecting a water tap to a garden hose. Once
the tap is turned on, the water should flow smoothly through the system. But if there is a kink in
the hose (analogous to a blockage of energy) or if any of the valves are too open or to closed, this
affects the proper functioning of the whole unit… By maintaining an open and smooth flowing
channel of energy through our chakras, by freeing ourselves of the mental or emotional traumas
that can cause blockages, we can pre-empt the onset of physical disease.” – Liz Simpson, The
Book of Chakra Healing

Elements, Seed Mantras, and Mudras

Each chakra is connected with one of the elements: earth, water, fire, air, ether, light and space or
cosmic energy. These elements are associated with the planes of survival, emotion, will,
compassion, self-expression, wisdom, and spirituality. Each element has its own seed mantra
which consists of a single syllable or word. Even if you don’t know what it means, chances are
you’ve heard the word Om and that it’s connected to yoga and meditation; Om is the seed mantra
for the Third eye chakra and the element light. These mantric sounds are powerful tools that can
help tune our mind and body to correct energetic resonance, change the flow of prana in our
body, and remove energetic blocks. Mudras are hand gestures that can help us liberate blocked
energy in our chakras and nadis as well as balance our prana. Each finger represents one of the
five elements:

1. Thumb (agni) - Fire

2. Index finger (vayu) - Air
3. Middle finger (akash) - Ether
4. Ring finger (prithvi) - Earth
5. Pinky finger (jal) - Water
Muladhara (Root chakra)
What you’ll learn in this lesson:

1. About the Muladhara in Eastern tradition

2. About the Root chakra in Western tradition
3. Root chakra correspondences
4. When the Root chakra is balanced
5. About imbalance
6. When the Root chakra is blocked
7. How to boost the Root chakra
8. When the Root chakra is overactive
9. How to balance the Root chakra
10. Affirmations for the Root chakra

Eastern tradition
The journey through the chakras begins with the Muladhara chakra which is found at the base of
the spine. It is depicted as a four-petalled lotus encompassing a downward pointing triangle set
within a square. The triangle symbolizes the Mother Shakti and denotes downward movement of
energy, which keeps us grounded, and the square represents the element earth; it represents us on
the earth plane, human evolution. So, at the base of your spine is your primordial self. The yoga
Upanishads specify mantras, not for the chakras, but for each of the five elements and Lam is the
mantra for the element earth, chanted in a guttural tone. The four lotus petals symbolize the four
elements of our earthly home and the deity commonly associated with it is Ganesha, the
elephant-headed god, which is believed to help us to overcome obstacles.

The Mudra to awaken the Muladhara chakra:

1. Touch index finger to thumb

2. Rest back of hands on knees
3. Keep arms straight

“Within the Muladhara chakra is a yoni, and within that yoni is a great linga." - Yoga Chudamani
Upanishad
The words “yoni” and “linga” often denote the female and male sex organs, but here, yoni
signifies Shakti, the feminine principle, and the word linga signifies Shiva, the masculine
principle. It’s in the Muladhara chakra that Kundalini Shakti is depicted as a powerful serpent,
and Shiva is depicted as a rounded linga encircled by that serpent. Intimate contact between the
serpent and linga is said to generate heat or fire. According to the Rishis, certain yogic practices
can kindle that fire until it becomes hot enough to wake up the dormant kundalini serpent and
drive her out of the Muladhara chakra, upwards through the sushumna nadi piercing each chakra
along her path until she reaches the Sahasrara chakra, when enlightenment is achieved. Another
way to look at it is that you are coming out of the womb of Mother Shakti and into the light of
the Higher consciousness.

To kindle the fire in the Muladhara chakra the yoga Upanishads prescribe several asanas,
pranayamas, and bandhas. One bandha is the Mula-bandha. Visualize a roaring fire inside the
Muladhara chakra and after each inhalation, briefly retain your breath and contract the muscles at
the anus. Another way to kindle the fire is a pranayama known as Bhastrika "bellows breath" or
“Breath of Fire”, which involves rapid, forceful exhalations, together with pulsations of the
abdomen muscles. These techniques force prana into the Muladhara chakra to produce enough
heat to force the kundalini upwards.

Kundalini Muladhara chakra meditation:

1. Fix attention on the base of the spine

2. Visualize the Muladhara chakra while reciting the earth mantra, Lam
3. Reflect on how the element earth is the basis for your physical existence, for every
atom in your body
4. Practice Bhastrika
5. Switch to the Mula-bandha

Western tradition
The Root chakra is the densest of all the chakras and is concerned with physical needs and basic
human survival. It has the lowest vibrational rate of all the chakras, resonating with the color red.
This is the chakra of stability, security, certainty and self-preservation, and it forms our
foundation.

The Root chakra is connected with our:

  Tailbone
 Butt
 Legs
 Feet
 Adrenaline glands
 Physical identity
 Survival and self-preservation
 Sense of safety
 Primal instincts
 Strength
 Vitality
 Enhanced focus
 Work ethic
 Ability to be in the moment
 Comfort level around conflict

Balanced
When the Root chakra is balanced, we demonstrate self-mastery and have high physical energy.

We feel:

 Supported
 Connected
 Safe
 Secure
 Grounded
 Healthy

Imbalance
An imbalanced Root chakra means that it is either blocked or overactive. This happens due to
bad karma, that is to say stress, fear, trauma, ancestral legacy and DNA. It can also become
imbalanced due to environmental factors such as family, peers, culture, and experiences
happening around you. The Root chakra is associated with physical security and our earliest
experiences, including the extent of which our basic needs were met, or not, when infants, are
recorded and stored there. Because the Root chakra develops in us up to age 7, typically it’s in
these 7 years that we’ll store the most bad karma that will have long-term effects, causing a sort
of snowball effect throughout our life. You see this in psychological studies such as Attachment
Theory and ACE’s (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and many more. When you look back at
the first seven years of your life or hear stories, were your needs met? Did you feel a lot of
uncertainty? Was there a lot of instability, arguing or even violence? Were you taught poor
habits such as overconsuming of food or material things? Or that a person’s value was in how
they looked, how much money they had and how high in status they were, and that if you didn’t
have those things you would be worthless? All of these factors can cause your Root chakra to
become imbalanced.

Blocked
When the Root Chakra is blocked, we can have low self-esteem and demonstrate self-destructive
behavior. We can also suffer with weight and body issues that can lead to eating disorders.

We can feel:

 Depressed
 Low energy/laziness
 Fearful
 Insecure
 Emotionally needy
 Disconnected
 Unfulfilled
 Doubt
 Lacking (money, shelter, food)
 Unworthy
 Uncomfortable in our skin
 Unrewarded in our careers

We also experience physical symptoms such as:

 Sciatica
 Knee and foot pain
 Constipation
 Degenerative arthritis
 Weight gain

This definitely described me right up into my early to mid-thirties and if I’m being honest even a
little now. I had an incredibly traumatic childhood and although I feel like I’ve cleared most of
that bad karma, I still catch signs that it’s not all gone yet. For those of you wondering how I
cleared a lot of that bad karma, I mostly did it the hard way. I definitely had spiritual help via
Ascended Masters, angels, and spirit guides, as well as through meditation, yoga, and Kundalini
awakening. Partnered with all of that, though, was a lot of counseling and intentional personal
development work.

Boost
Some ways to boost this chakra are through developing healthy and supportive habits and rituals,
physical movement, consuming clean meals, and forming secure relationships.

Overactive
When the Root chakra is overactive we can become stubborn, overly materialistic and self-
centered, engage in physical foolhardiness and bullying behaviour. We can take on a victim
mentality. Excessive attachments, workaholism and other addictions may also develop.

We can feel:

 Frustrated
 Impatient and easily annoyed
 Angry and resentful
 A need to be controlling, dominant and oppressive
 A need to be greedy and overconsume (money, food, shopping, alcohol, drugs)
 Stuck
 Disorganized

Some physical symptoms are:

 Bladder problems
 Fatigue
 Anemia
 Excessive weight gain (obesity) and difficulty losing weight
 Excessive muscle mass
 Bone, bowel/colon, and blood disorders and cancers
 Testicular cancer
Balance
Some ways to balance an overactive Root chakra are to change up your routine if you’re feeling
stuck or create a schedule and stick to it if you’re feeling disorganized, allow yourself to let go
and bend rather than being rigid; donate money and food or things you have too much of or no
longer use. Develop a meditation practice, find a mantra or two that resonate with you that you
can use when you start to feel impatient or frustrated, and/or intentionally find your breath.
Sometimes just pausing and taking a couple of deep cleansing breaths can make a world of
difference in our attitude and how we react in a situation.

Affirmations for the Root chakra:

 I am taking responsibility for my life.
 I can cope with any situation.
 I care for and nurture my body.
 My needs are always met.
Svadhistana – Sacral chakra
What you’ll learn in this lesson:

1. About the Svadhistana in Eastern tradition

2. About the Sacral chakra in Western tradition
3. Sacral chakra correspondences
4. When the Sacral chakra is balanced
5. About imbalance
6. When the Sacral chakra is blocked
7. How to boost the Sacral chakra
8. When the Sacral chakra is overactive
9. How to balance the Sacral chakra
10. Affirmations for the Sacral chakra

Eastern tradition
The next chakra Kundalini moves through is the Svadhisthana which is located in the pelvis and
means “the dwelling place of the self” or "the seat of existence". This chakra is the seat of our
creativity, sexual desires, and emotions. Svadhisthana is the element water and its symbol is a
six-petalled lotus containing a white circle and a silver crescent moon within which symbolizes
the element water. Just as the element earth has its own mantra so does the element water which
is Vam. The deity commonly associated with this chakra is Vishnu, God in its aspect as sustainer
of the universe. Just as the element water sustains life, Vishnu sustains the world.

The Mudra to awaken the Svadhisthana chakra:

1. Place the back of your right hand on the palm of your left hand
2. Touch thumbs together
3. Rest your hands in your lap with both palms facing up

Kundalini Svadhisthana chakra meditation:

1. Visualize the Svadhisthana chakra

2. Recite the water mantra, Vam
3. Reflect on how water sustains your life
 4. Imagine Vishnu residing in the chakra
5. Settle into a deeply prayerful mood

Western tradition
From survival we travel upward to the “pleasure principle”. The Sacral chakra resonates with the
color orange and is associated with Divine feminine energy, with fertility, nurture, receptivity,
emotions, and creativity. This chakra is about flow, joy, and pleasure.

This chakra is connected to our:

 Genitals/reproductive organs/ovaries and testes glands

 Hips
 Hypogastric plexus
 Bladder
 Bowels
 Lower intestine
 Circulatory system
 Passion
 Sensuality
 Creativity
 Sense of self-worth
 Pleasure/Enjoyment
 Intimacy
 Connection with our body
 Acceptance of change
 Sense of abundance

Balanced
When the Sacral chakra is balanced, we feel:

 Intune with and free to express our emotions

 Comfortable in our skin
 Open to intimacy
 Sexually expressive
 Passionate
 Creative
 Worthy
  Able to roll with the punches
 Abundant
 Joy in physical and earthly matters
 Alive (want to live life to its fullest)
 Trusting

Imbalance
Just like the Root chakra, the Sacral chakra can become imbalanced by becoming blocked or
overactive often due to bad karma. This bad karma can develop around the age of 2 y/o but, as
this chakra develops between the ages of 8 to 14, bad karma can really snowball between these
ages.

Blocked
When the Sacral chakra is blocked, we can develop a weak sex drive and become sexually
repressed and frigid. We can become emotionally detached, reclusive and withdraw from our
relationships, and lose enjoyment of things that once brought us pleasure. We deny our
authentic-self. We can develop trust issues and a fear of abandonment. We can become
fantasists, manipulative, and focused on the negative, expect things to go wrong, and develop a
limiting belief that everything is hard.

We can feel:

 Shame around our sexual expression

 Fear around pleasure
 A lack of creativity
 Unmotivated/lazy/chronically fatigued
 Worthless/unworthy
 Jealous of others
 Depressed
 Disconnected from life

We can also experience physical symptoms such as:

 Constipation
 Back pain
 Kidney infections
 Gynecological cysts
  Infertility
 Impotence

Boost
Some ways to help boost this chakra are to start doing things that are out of your comfort zone,
go out and socialize and talk to new people. Dance, laugh, and play.

Overactive
When the Sacral is overactive we can become unreliable, emotionally unstable, acceptance
addicts, co-dependent, excessively promiscuous (having multiple sexual partners) or develop
harmful sexual behavior. We can develop mood swings. We can manifest a ton of drama into our
life or become “drama queens”. We also have a tendency to lack boundaries, and move house
and/or change jobs a lot.

We can feel:

 Out of control
 Excessively sexual
 Overly sensitive
 The need to go out and party all the time

Some physical symptoms are:

 Urinary tract infections (UTI’s)

 Contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s)
 Hormonal imbalance
 Abnormal menstruation
 Ovarian cancer

Balance
Some ways to help balance an overactive Sacral chakra are to create a routine and habits that
serve you to cultivate consistency; choose stability and put down some roots or at least give
yourself more time in a space, job, and/or relationship (as long as they’re healthy environments
of course), learn to cultivate self-love and independence. Often, it’s the inner child’s unmet
needs that are coming out and expressing this on an subconscious level, so doing some work
around healing the inner child, listening to what they have to say and meeting those needs in a
healthy way can be very beneficial for balancing the Sacral chakra.

Affirmations for you Sacral chakra:

 I allow myself to enjoy life.
 I am passionate and creative.
 I am alive!
 I am worthy of love and sexual pleasure.
 I have a right to express my desires to myself and others.
 Who I am is good enough.
 I am prepared to honor my body and feel good about my sexuality.
Manipura – Solar Plexus chakra
What you’ll learn in this lesson:

1. About the Manipura in Eastern tradition

2. About the Solar Plexus chakra Western tradition
3. Solar Plexus chakra correspondences
4. When the Solar Plexus chakra is balanced
5. About imbalance
6. When the Solar Plexus chakra is blocked
7. How to boost the Solar Plexus chakra
8. When the Solar Plexus chakra is overactive
9. How to balance the Solar Plexus chakra
10. Affirmations for the Solar Plexus chakra

Eastern tradition
The final self-centric chakra, the chakras that relate to matter, along our journey is the Manipura,
which means "abode of gems" or “Jewel city”. It is located just above the navel and is associated
with the element fire, which is represented by a red downward-pointing triangle. The Manipura
chakra is the seat of our personal power, self-confidence, purpose, and drive. The symbol for
Manipura is the ten-petalled lotus and the element mantra is Ram. The deity commonly
associated with this chakra is Rudra, a fierce aspect of Shiva, usually depicted as a warrior or
hunter.

The mudra to awaken the Manipura chakra:

1. Bring the palms of your hands together

2. Rest your right thumb on your left index knuckle
3. Cross your left thumb over your right thumb to rest on the knuckle
4. Place your wrists between your stomach and your heart

Kundalini Manipura chakra meditation:

1. Visualize the manipura chakra

2. Recite the fire mantra, Ram
 3. Reflect on the element fire and how this region is associated with power, will, and
assertiveness
4. Imagine Rudra residing in the chakra
5. Focus on this intense energy

In Western tradition
The Solar Plexus chakra is the home of the ego and resonates with the color yellow. This chakra
is associated with the astrological signs Aries and Leo, which both happen to be fire signs just
like the Solar Plexus chakra is associated with the element fire. Sagittarius is also a fire sign but I
don’t see as much Sag energy in the Solar Plexus as I do Aries and Leo as Sagittarius is
generally laid-back, easy-going, and aren’t terribly concerned with what other people think about
them. Aries are typically leaders and action oriented and very go-go-go; they find it difficult to
just be still. Leo often need to be the life of the party and are typically very confident - although
they do care about what other people think about them mostly in appearance but sometimes in
regards to status as well. Both of these signs can be very courageous, opinionated, motivated,
analytical, and find it difficult to be wrong. Why am I talking too much about these astrological
signs? Because these are all characteristics of the Solar Plexus chakra as well.

The Solar Plexus chakra is connected to our:

 Personality/identity/ego (or in astrology terms our Sun sign)

 Personal power/strength
 Confidence
 Responsibility
 Reliability
 Self-esteem
 Willpower
 Self-discipline
 Focus
 Value
 Comprehension
 Decision-making
 Ability to set personal boundaries
 Mental clarity
 Want/ability to lead
 Gut instinct
 Courage
 Ability to heal
 Will to live
  Digestive system
 Liver
 Gallbladder
 Pancreas
 Nervous system

Balanced
When the Solar Plexus chakra is balanced, we feel:

 Confident
 Calm
 Action oriented
 Friendly
 Joyful
 Outgoing
 Charismatic
 Decisive

Imbalance
Bad karma can really kick us in the junk here in the Solar Plexus chakra because both find their
home in the ego. The Solar Plexus chakra develops in us between the ages of 14 and 21 when
we’re most prone to live from the ego and most vulnerable to aspects of the ego. It’s during these
years that we care most about what our peers think about us and when we’re trying to figure out
who we are and what we want from life. This is the time when we really start to develop our
sense of self-esteem (or the lack thereof). For me personally, the bad karma I had already
developed really propelled me even further downward and my self-esteem was at rock bottom
during this time. My Solar Plexus chakra was hella imbalanced, swinging between blocked and
overactive which showed up as a serious mental illness condition called “bipolar” or “manic
depression”.

Blocked
When the Solar Plexus chakra is blocked we can become passive, inactive, indecisive, and overly
self-critical. We can have weak willpower and become vulnerable to peer pressure. We can
become overly concerned with what others think and fearful of being alone. We can also develop
a tendency to procrastinate.

We can feel:

 Shameful
 Self-doubting
 Depressed
 Confused
 A constant need for reassurance

We can also experience physical symptoms such as:

 Poor digestion, gas, and nausea

 Food sensitivities and allergies
 Diabetes
 Non-diabetic hypoglycemia
 Asthma and other respiratory problems
 Arthritis
 Problems in the liver and kidneys
 Nerve pain and fibromyalgia
 Difficulty losing weight

Boost
Some ways to help boost the Solar Plexus chakra are to do core exercises, do things that scare
you such as going live on social media or asking someone out on a date, and write out what I call
an “I’m awesome” list of things you’re awesome at and reasons why you’re awesome then put it
up somewhere you’ll see it often as a reminder.

Overactive
When the Solar Plexus chakra is overactive we can find it extremely difficult to sit still and just
relax. We can become judgmental, controlling and bossy, overly concerned with status and
feeling superior, excessively selfish/self-centered “Me first” or “It’s all about me”, hypocritical,
and over-confident. We can develop strong likes and dislikes and compulsive and addictive
behaviors.

We can feel:

 Angry
 A need to be recognized/famous
 Manic
 A need to be right/inability to admit when you’re wrong
 A need to dominate social situations

Some physical symptoms are:

 Acid reflex
 Ulcers
 Difficulty gaining weight
 Cancer of the digestive or filtering organs

Balance
Some ways to help balance the Solar Plexus chakra are to practice being open to hearing what
other people have to say and being open to them being right, start a mediation practice to become
comfortable being still, and make a conscious effort to be more thoughtful of other people and
selfless.

Affirmations for the Solar Plexus chakra:

 I am confident.
 I am powerful.
 I accept and value myself exactly as I am.
 I treat myself with honor and respect.
 I deserve all the love, respect, joy, and prosperity that comes to me.
Anahata – Heart chakra
What you’ll learn in this lesson:

1. About the Anahata in Eastern tradition

2. About the Heart chakra in Western tradition
3. Heart chakra correspondences
4. When the Heart chakra is balanced
5. About imbalance
6. When the Heart chakra is blocked
7. How to boost the Heart chakra
8. When the Heart chakra is overactive
9. How to balance the Heart chakra
10. Affirmations for the Heart chakra

Eastern tradition
The Anahata chakra is located in our chest and is the bridge between matter (body) and
consciousness. We move out of the ego and into seeing the world as an interconnected whole.
Anahata means “unstuck” or "that which cannot be struck, injured or killed" referring to one's
soul. The symbol for this chakra is a twelve petalled lotus around a six-pointed star. The
downward-pointing triangle represents consciousness descending into the body (matter), while
the upward-pointing triangle is matter rising to meet [Link] Anahata chakra is
associated with the element air and the mantra for the element air is Yam. The deity most
associated with the Anahata chakra is the benevolent form of Shiva, depicted as looking in all
directions simultaneously, to bless everyone.

"Shiva is often called "god of destruction" but it might be more accurate to call him "God of
transformation, purification, and growth" since all these depend of the destruction of a prior
condition so a new and better state can arise." - Swami Tadatmananda

The mudra to awaken the Anahata chakra:

1. Touch the thumb and index finger together on your right hand
2. With palm facing up, bring right hand to your heart center
3. Touch thumb and index finger together on your left hand
4. Rest back of left hand on left knee so your palm is facing upward
Kundalini Anahata chakra meditation:

1. Visualize the Anahata chakra

2. Recite air mantra, Yam
3. Focus your attention to the air passing into and out of your lungs
4. Imagine Shiva residing in the chakra
5. Settle into a deeply grateful mood for the gift of life you receive with each and every
breath

In Western tradition
Whereas the first 3 chakras are concerned with the self, the Heart chakra is selfless. This chakra
is concerned with forgiveness, compassion, unconditional love and acceptance. It’s through this
chakra that we create deeper interpersonal relationships. It is our healing center and develops in
us between the ages of 21 and 28. The Heart chakra transmutes and burns away bad karma.
Unlike the other chakras, this chakra actually resonates with two colors. Its most often depicted
as being solely green in color but it’s also pink; green is giving and pink is receiving. So, green
loves outward, it forgives and accepts others, and it gives love and compassion to others. Pink
allows us to receive love, compassion, acceptance and forgiveness from others – and it’s the
centre of self-love, forgiveness, unconditional love, and acceptance.

The Heart chakra is connected to our:

 Sense of caring and compassion

 Feelings of self-love
 Altruism
 Generosity
 Kindness
 Respect
 Overall health
 Abundance
 Heart
 Lungs
 Circulatory system
 Arms and hands
 Thymus
Balanced
When the Heart chakra is balanced, we feel:

 Love
 Happiness
 Compassion
 Kind and caring
 Understanding
 Joyous
 Outgoing
 At ease with ourselves and others
 Accepting of ourselves and others
 Noncritical
 Secure spending time alone
 Nurturing
 Harmonious
 Sympathetic and empathetic

Imbalance
Yes, even this beautiful chakra can become imbalanced due to bad karma if we don’t know how
to transmute it or burn it away. Have you even been so emotionally devastated that you wanted
to stop feeling altogether? Have you ever felt guilty? Have you ever had a negative opinion of
yourself? Have you ever compared yourself to others? Have you ever denied someone else
forgiveness? Have you ever been unaccepting of someone else or yourself? How many times
throughout your life have you been bullying to yourself, said hurtful things like “I’m so stupid”
“I suck” “I’m not good enough” or “I’m unlovable”? Have you ever said something hurtful to
someone else or thought something negative about someone else? I know I sure have. It’s these
forms of bad karma that can cause imbalance, and in my opinion, the most devastation to our
mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing, as well as to our relationships.

Blocked
When the Heart chakra is blocked we can become untrusting, self-pitying, and emotionally
closed off. We can find it difficult to forgive. We reject our self and others and can develop a
fear of rejection. We love conditionally and withhold emotionally “to punish” the other person.
The expectations and standards we hold for our self and others can be sky-high and entirely
unattainable. We may dislike and avoid being touched. In some cases, such as mine, we can even
turn to self-harm.

When the Heart chakra is blocked, we can feel:

 Heartbroken
 Unloved/unlovable
 Unworthy
 Worthless
 Unappreciated
 Emotionally numb and empty
 Unfulfilled
 Lost
 Alone/isolated/inability to connect with others
 A lack of empathy
 Like a victim

We can also experience physical symptoms such as:

 Susceptible to airborne allergies

 Asthma
 Poor circulation
 Low blood pressure
 Weak immune system/immunity disorders
 Apnea

Boost
Some ways to boost the Heart chakra are to practice gratitude and breath work. Another way is
through touch such as hugging and cuddling. This may be supes uncomfortable for some of you
to do this with other people so my suggestion is to start with pets. Admittedly, I’m not a big
hugger myself but I love hugging and snuggling my kitties and my heart just explodes when they
purr and snuggle me back.

Another heart booster is acts of goodwill service via donating clothes, things and/or money,
volunteering, or random acts of kindness. My personal favorite heart booster for self-love is to
use the Ho'Oponopono mantra/meditation. I place my hands over my heart, close my eyes and
repeat:

I’m sorry
Please forgive me

Thank you

I love you

Overactive
When the Heart chakra is overactive we can become quickly attached, co-dependent, possessive
and smothering, overly affectionate/touchy-feely and clingy. We can have a tendency to always
put others first and to give too much of our time and energy and leave ourselves open to being
taken advantage of by emotional vampires, or just plain taken advantage of in general. We can
lack healthy boundaries and discernment. We can develop a belief that we can “fix” another
person, and/or that our source of self-esteem stems solely from what we do for others. We can
develop a tendency to avoid confrontation at all costs, repress anger, defer our power, and can
become people-pleasers.

We can feel:

 Angry
 Used
 Resentful
 Bitter
 Like a martyr
 Jealous
 Like we only exist to take care of/serve others
 Our needs aren’t important
 Insecure

Some physical symptoms are:

 Breast or lung cancer

 High blood pressure
 Chest pain
 Heart attack
 Heart palpitations
Balance
Some ways to balance the Heart chakra are to establish clear personal boundaries and give up the
martyr persona. Give yourself the love you’ve been craving from others. Another way is with
this Siri Gaitri mantra for healing:

Ra Ma Da Sa Sa Say So Hung

Use it to work with your core emotional wounds and the parts of yourself that you struggle to
love. This mantra brings balance, attunes you to the Universe, and connects with the energy of
the sun, moon, earth, and Universe, to bring deep healing.

Affirmations for the Heart chakra

 I love myself for who I am.

 I am grateful for all the love that is in my life.
 The love I feel for myself and others is unconditional.
 I forgive all who have wronged me and I will let love win.
Vishuddha – Throat chakra
What you’ll learn in this lesson:

1. The Vishuddha in Eastern tradition

2. The Throat chakra in Western tradition
3. Throat chakra correspondences
4. When the Throat chakra is balanced
5. About imbalance
6. When the Throat chakra is blocked
7. How to boost the Throat chakra
8. When the Throat chakra is overactive
9. How to balance the Throat chakra
10. Affirmations for the Throat chakra

Eastern tradition
The Vishuddha chakra is the first of the Higher centers and is located in the throat. It is
associated with communication, self-expression and creativity through sound. In addition to
sound, this chakra is connected with hearing. Vishuddha means "pure" or “purification”. The
symbol of Vishuddha is a sixteen petalled lotus and within the lotus is a downward-pointing
triangle symbolizing speech and a full moon symbolizing the element space or ether. The mantra
for the element space/ether is Ham. The deity abiding in the Vishuddha chakra is the bi-gendered
form of Shiva, whose right side is male and left side is female, representing masculine and
feminine energy. This form of Shiva reminds us that none of us are exclusively male or female.
This also harkens back to the Ida and Pingala nadis; Ida moves up the left side of the Sushumna
and Pingala moves up the right side.

The mudra to awaken the Vishuddha chakra:

1. With palms facing up, interlace fingers

2. Touch both thumb tips together
3. Place hands at your stomach

Kundalini Vishuddha chakra meditation:

 1. Visualize the Vishuddha chakra
2. Recite the space mantra, Ham
3. Imagine the bi-gendered form of Shiva residing in this chakra
4. Focus on this form to accept both your feminine and masculine qualities

In Western tradition
The Throat chakra resonates with the color blue and is concerned with communication and
authenticity; it is the source of expression and the ability to speak our personal truth. The Throat
chakra also allows us to hear what other people have to express, and by this I don’t just mean
audible sound. For that matter, I also don’t just mean verbal speech in expressing ourselves
either. This chakra is about expressing and hearing openly and honestly, this could be through
written word, music, drawing and painting – really, any form of artistic expression.

The Throat chakra is connected to our:

 Ability to communicate what we want and what we feel

 Ability to listen to the other persons wants and feelings
 Personal and artistic expression
 Ability to manifest
 Decision-making
 Truth
 Attitude
 Hearing, taste and smell
 Throat and neck
 Mouth, teeth, and gums
 Esophagus
 Hypothalamus
 Thyroid Gland

Balanced
When the Throat chakra is balanced, we feel:

 Accepting of abundance
  Open to unconditional receiving
 Content
 Able to easily express ourselves
 Good at giving (solicited) advice
 Clear on what we want out of life
 Not afraid to ask for what we want
 Truthful
 Easily able to manifest our desires
 Artistically inspired
 Open to listening

Imbalance
Just like with the first four chakras, bad karma can cause imbalance in the Throat chakra. Bad
karma can build up here by gossiping, saying hurtful things about ourselves and others, lying to
others and ourselves, being passive and not speaking up for ourselves, and denying our own
wants and needs.

Blocked
When the Throat chakra is blocked we can lack integrity and creativity. We can become
unreliable, hold inconsistent views, and give mixed messages. We can develop an inability to
express our emotions, likes and dislikes, and our wants and needs.

We can feel:

 Fearful
 Timid and shy
 Unable to express ourselves
 Misunderstood
 A lack of authority
 Guilty

We can also experience physical symptoms such as:

 Sore throat
 Hypothyroidism
 Laryngitis
 Gum or tooth problems
  Jaw problems
 Earaches
 Hearing problems
 Sinus infections
 Arthritis in shoulders

Boost
Some ways to boost the Throat chakra are singing and/or chanting, expressing ourselves through
art, being open to saying yes to things (within reason and respecting boundaries of course), and
most importantly speaking our truth and living authentically.

Overactive
When the Throat chakra is overactive we can become over-talkative, dogmatic, arrogant,
condescending, self-righteous and overzealous with our personal cause. We can develop a
loud/boisterous/commanding voice, and be poor listeners. We can become manipulative,
perfectionistic, and critical. We can develop a tendency to speak rudely, out of turn, or
maliciously and even become verbally abusive.

We can feel:

 Insecure
 Angry
 Excessively self-critical
 Self-loathing
 Rejected
 A need to overanalyze and complicate simple things
 Judged and judgmental

We can also experience physical symptoms such as:

 Super high metabolism

 Hyperthyroidism
 Teeth grinding
  Tonsillitis
 Mouth ulcers
 Swollen glands
 Thrush
 Throat and mouth cancers

Balance
Some ways to balance the Throat chakra are to give others the space to say what they have to say
and just listen. Don’t talk over them or spend the time they’re talking planning what you’re
going to say next. Another way is to sit in stillness and listen to sounds around you such as birds
chirping, the tinkling of wind chimes, vehicles driving by, wind in the trees, or rain pouring
down. You can also sit and listen to a guided meditation, Tibetan singing bowls, or music
specifically intended for relaxation and meditation.

Notice the themes when it comes to balancing an imbalanced Throat chakra. When our Throat
chakra is blocked we need to use our voice to open and boost it, and when it’s overactive we
need to be silent and listen in order to bring it back into balance.

Affirmations for the Throat chakra

 I am starting to speak up for myself.
 What I have to say is worthy of being listened to.
 I delight in my self-expression and in all my creative pursuits.
 I tell the honest truth.
 I express my feelings.
Ajna – Third eye chakra
What you’ll learn in this lesson:

1. The Ajna in Eastern tradition

2. The Third eye chakra in Western tradition
3. Third eye chakra correspondences
4. When the Third eye chakra is balanced
5. About imbalance
6. When the Third eye chakra is blocked
7. How to boost the Third eye chakra
8. When the Third eye chakra is overactive
9. How to balance the Third eye chakra
10. Affirmations for the Third eye chakra

Eastern tradition
The penultimate chakra on our journey through the sevenfold chakra system and the final chakra
that Kundalini pierces is Ajna, which means "command" or "order". This chakra is associated
with the mind, our so-called "command centre" and is located in the brow (above and between
the eyebrows). The symbol of this chakra is the two-petalled lotus, a petal on either side of a
circle with a downward-pointing triangle within. The Ajna chakra is different from the others in
that it’s not associated with a particular deity or any of the five elements, and thus it has no
mantra - although later traditions associated it with Light and the mantra Om. Even though the
Rishis don’t specify a deity for this chakra, they do prescribe visualizing a linga of light, by
which they mean a form of Shiva as pure consciousness, within the Ajna chakra. So, when
Kundalini pierces the Ajna, Shiva and Shakti unite and the third eye opens allowing us to see the
Sahasrara.

Patterns of when the third eye opens:

1. Bursts of light (1000 suns exploding in your head)

2. Inner strength/higher vibration
3. Creativity and beauty
4. Intuition/psychic abilities
5. Ultimate bliss (Ananda)
This also means that we’re moving away from duality and remembering that we are So Ham “I
am that”. In this tradition, we don’t stay in the Ajna or Sahasrara chakras, we actually come back
down into the heart where it’s said the soul lives.

"In Vedanta, to meditate on consciousness means to meditate on the meditator; this is, to reflect
on your own essential nature as pure consciousness. That consciousness is utterly independent of
the mind, body, and world; it transcends them all." – Swami Tadatmananda

The mudra to awaken the Ajna chakra:

 Touch index fingertips together

 Fold other fingers and have them touching in between joints, sides of thumbs touching
 Place hands at the bottom of the sternum, thumbs in.

Kundalini Ajna chakra meditation:

 Visualize the Ajna chakra

 Focus on the sense of warmth between your eyebrows
 Allow this sensation to grow stronger
 Visualize it becoming a brilliant light that fills your head and body then radiate outward
and beyond
 Allow the light to fade and your mind to become profoundly silent (this is a state of
absorption, Samadhi)

In Western tradition
The Third eye chakra is the sixth chakra and the last of the embodied chakras and resonates with
the color indigo. It allows us to connect with spirit and our Higher Self. In its connection with the
higher functions of consciousness, the Third eye chakra is a psychic tool that is the source of the
4 “Clair’s”
Clairvoyance – Clear seeing

Clairaudience – Clear hearing

Clairsentience – Clear feeling

Claircognizance – Clear knowing

As well as telepathy, mediumship, expanded imagination and visualization, and wisdom.

The Third-eye chakra is connected to our:

 Ideas
 Dreams
 Goals
 Values
 Imagination
 “Self” image
 Inner vision and sixth sense
 Spiritual contemplation
 Self-reflection
 Eyes
 Nose
 Ears
 Pineal gland
 Melatonin
 Serotonin
 Dimethyltryptamine

Balanced
When the Third-eye chakra is balanced we can enter higher states of consciousness and gain
Universal knowledge and wisdom. We can access our inner guidance and become highly
intuitive. We let go of attachment to material things. We have a great memory, clear thinking and
focus, high mental ability, and are able to meditate, visualize and manifest easily. We have the
ability to separate reality and imagination, and to combine logic and emotion.

We can feel:

 Calm
  Self-assured
 Self-trusting
 Connected to our Higher Self and other realms
 Spiritually guided

Imbalance
An imbalanced Third eye chakra can be caused by the bad karma of things such as self-doubt,
over-thinking and analyzing, mental clutter, denial and refusal to see the truth, denying and
supressing our psychic abilities, and a refusal to learn new things. Bad karma creating
affirmations such as “I’m stupid” and “I have a bad memory” also cause imbalance. A couple of
symptoms that can indicate an imbalance are sinus problems and chronic headaches or
migraines.

Blocked
When the Third eye chakra is blocked we can experience nightmares, forgetting dreams or have
a belief that we don’t dream at all, and learning difficulties. We can find it difficult to understand
the spiritual side and our psychic abilities. We can have a weak sense of intuition and trouble
visualizing and manifesting our desires. It can be difficult for us to take in and apply new
information or come up with new ideas. We can become skeptical, highly logical, dogmatic, and
authoritative.

We can feel:

 Mental fatigue
 Disconnected
 Self-effacing
 Imagination and the arts aren’t important

Some physical symptoms are:

 Stroke
 Poor vision or blindness
 Seizures
 Neurological disturbances
 Vertigo
Boost
Some ways to boost the Third eye chakra are to practice visualization, intuitive exercises and use
Tarot and Oracle cards. Be open to learning new things and sharing your knowledge.

Overactive
When the Third eye chakra is overactive we can become arrogant. We can have overly-vivid or
lucid dreaming, hallucinations, and a tendency toward schizophrenia. We can become
ungrounded, flaky, forgetful, scatter-brained, easily distracted, and lost in daydreaming. We can
experience insomnia and mania.

We can feel:

 Disoriented
 A lack of common sense
 Self-righteous
 Out of control
 Indecisive
 Frustrated

Some physical symptoms are:

 Brain cysts, tumors, and cancer

 Dizzy spells
 ADD or ADHD

Balance
Some ways to balance the Third eye chakra are actually the same as boosting the Root chakra.
So, that would be grounding work, chanting the element earth mantra Lam, meditating on
stability and everything that makes up our foundation. Focus on one task at a time verse multi-
tasking, and organize and minimize. Going out in nature and hugging a tree, and/or gardening or
even caring for indoor plants. Also beating a drum or listening to drumming.

Affirmations for the Third eye chakra

 The answers to all my questions lie within me.
 I trust my inner self to guide and protect me.
 I trust my feelings.
 I am full of wisdom.
 I am intelligent.
Sahasrara – Crown chakra
What you’ll learn in this lesson:

1. The Sahasrara in Eastern tradition

2. The Crown chakra Western tradition
3. Crown chakra correspondences
4. When the Crown chakra is balanced
5. About imbalance
6. When the Crown chakra is blocked
7. How to boost the Crown chakra
8. When the Crown chakra is overactive
9. How to balance the Crown chakra
10. Affirmations for the Crown chakra

Eastern tradition
The Sahasrara chakra is the only disembodied chakra of the sevenfold chakra system and, in fact,
many texts don’t even consider this a chakra at all because it lies beyond the chakras, outside the
body. It sits an inch or two above our head and can look like a halo of energy. The six embodied
chakras alternate between masculine and feminine energy, so the Muladhara chakra is masculine
and the Svadhistana is feminine and so on, but the Sahasrara chakra is unified. Sahasrara means
"one thousand" and its symbol is a thousand-petalled white lotus, synonymous with infinity, each
petal tuned to the highest states of consciousness. When we reach the Sahasrara chakra we
become aware of the infinity of space and time; that the concepts of space and time are illusions.
We are boundless and unrestricted by previous patterns.

"That which has form is not real. Only the formless is permanent. Once this is known, you will
not return to illusion." - Ashtavakra Gita

The Rishis say little about the meaning and symbolism of this climactic event because its
significance is best understood through meditation itself, not through words. Having gone
through it myself I can attest to this.

"Awareness has no form and because it has no form you cannot conceptualize it." - Deepak
Chopra
The mudra for the Sahasrara chakra:

1. Place palms together

2. Interlace all fingers except for the pinkies
3. Touch pinky fingers together, pointing up
4. Place hands at your stomach

In Western tradition
“Even though all chakras can be seen as a doorway for Source energy to come into the physical
life, the Crown chakra is the doorway for our conscious and eternal knowing to come into
physical life.” – Teal Swan

The Crown chakra is the center of consciousness, the absence of ego, and the integration of the
whole; oneness and unity. It gives us the opportunity to become a living embodiment of our
higher Self. It is through the Crown chakra that we connect with spirit; our ancestors, spirit
guides, angels, the ascended masters, and so on. The Crown chakra resonates with white light
and the color deep violet. When I perceive the Crown chakra remotely, I see what looks like an
energetic umbilical cord attaching the Crown chakra, and thus our ability to connect with
Shiva/pure consciousness energy, to our bindu at the top of our head.

The Crown chakra is connected to our:

 Sense of unity
 Spirituality
 Selflessness
 Humanitarianism
 Higher Self
 Intelligence
 Values
 Ethics
 Sense of serenity and deep peace about life
 Awareness and understanding
 Devotion
 Trust
  Inspiration

Balanced
When the Crown chakra is balanced we are able to access our subconscious and to see the bigger
picture. We transcend the ego and have the opportunity to fulfill our highest potential. We’re
able to achieve miracles in life and easily manifest our desires. We’re tapped into our true nature
and have a magnetic personality.

We can feel:

 Unity with the universe

 At peace with our self
 Humility
 A calling to serve others
 Devotion
 Inspiration
 Happiness, joy and positivity
 Gratitude

Imbalance
Because the Third eye and Crown chakras are both directly associated with the higher mind,
consciousness, and connection to spirit, they have a lot of similarities when it comes to an
imbalance. I’m still going to go through the signs of imbalances with the Crown chakra but it
will sound mostly repetitive in relation to the Third eye chakra. So, the Crown chakra can
become imbalanced due to similar forms of bad karma as the Third eye chakra such as self-
doubt, over-thinking and analyzing, and mental clutter, as well as secular thinking, a
disbelief/distrust of a higher intelligence, and a lack of communication with the Divine.

Blocked
When the Crown chakra is blocked we can experience existential crisis and develop a belief in
chaos; that there is no order or organization to anything, life is just chaos and then you die. We
can also develop an inability to set or maintain goals.
We can feel:

 Disconnected spiritually
 Loss of meaning and identity
 Lack of focus and direction
 Boredom
 Frustration
 Lack of joy
 Melancholy
 Self-doubt
 Apathy
 Lonely/isolated/ no sense of “belonging”
 Exhausted
 Indecisive
 Hopeless

Some physical symptoms are:

 Glandular disorders
 Sleep dysfunctions
 Coma
 Mental illness
 Alzheimer’s
 Dementia
 Parkinson’s
 Amnesia
 Migraines

Boost
Some ways to boost the Crown chakra are to meditate and visualize it opening, lean in to
inspiration, intentionally shift our perspectives, spend time in nature, and practice gratitude and
acts of love and kindness. Use the sounds ‘om’ and/or ‘ng’, and crystal bowls and binaural tones
specifically designed to open/boost the Crown chakra. Also, fasting (safely), head massages,
headstands, and placing an amethyst or clear quartz on the crown of our head. And the use of
spiritual medicines such as Ayahuasca.
Overactive
When the Crown chakra is overactive we can experience a lot of the same symptoms as
Kundalini syndrome because this can be caused by Kundalini energy rising too fast and/or
unexpectedly and blowing out the Crown chakra. So, we can experience a psychotic break,
mania, insomnia, a sense of unrealistic power and develop a god complex. We can become
ungrounded/flaky and overly philosophical/intellectual. We can also develop financial issues.

We can feel:

 Frustrated
 Emotionally detached
 Chronically anxious
 Disoriented
 A lack of common sense
 Self-righteous
 Out of control

Some physical symptoms are:

 Brain cancer
 Multiple sclerosis
 Epilepsy
 Delusional/schizophrenic
 Lymph system disorders
 Nervous system disorders
 Migraines
 Stroke
 Co-ordination difficulties
 ADD or ADHD

Balance
Some ways to balance the Crown chakra are the same ways so balance the Third eye - with Root
chakra healing; so, that would be grounding work, chanting the element earth mantra Lam,
meditating on stability, focusing on one task at a time verse multi-tasking, going out in nature,
and beating a drum or listening to drumming. Also, scents such as cedarwood and patchouli, and
stones such as hematite, tiger’s eye, and bloodstone.
“It’s important to raise the kundalini energy because that’s how your awakening happens but
then you also have to do grounding practices so that you can ground that energy back down to
the earth. You receive insights on the higher chakras but you need to apply those insights to your
life and that’s why the grounding practices are also important.” – Gloria Latham

Affirmations for the Crown chakra

 I tune into the union with my Higher Power.
 I surrender to a higher power to help guide my life.
 The Universe is looking out for me.
 I am connected to the cosmos.
 I am a unique, radiant, loving being.
 I choose to live my life from a place of love and contentment.
 I release all limited thoughts and lift myself up to ever higher levels of awareness.
How to Raise Kundalini
In this lesson you’ll learn:

1. Understanding my experience
2. The different paths to awaken Kundalini
3. Kundalini yoga
4. The Sa Ta Na Ma mantra meditation for Kundalini awakening
5. Signs of a Kundalini awakening

My experience
“Kundalini only awakens when you are deeply relaxed and kind to yourself.” - Raja Choudhury

As we know, Kundalini starts as a serpent at the base of our spine then two serpents climb up
through the two passages along the spinal cord, one on the left side called Ida and one of the
right said called Pingala; they both go up, and when they hit the Third eye it opens a door and we
see the Sahasrara, the 1000 petal lotus. It is the journey of the mind from matter to cosmos. But
how do we get this ball rolling in the first place? For me, I took the long way around through
years of counseling and intentional personal and spiritual development – and yet, when I really
think about it, it actually happened quite literally overnight (or rather two consecutive nights). I’d
been practicing personal and spiritual development for over a decade when suddenly Kundalini
pierced my Third-eye while I was asleep. Truth be told, I had never practice Kundalini yoga once
in my life; I’d watched a couple videos but it looked too weird so I dismissed it. At the time, I
wasn’t meditating at all and I hadn’t practiced any style of yoga in months. You could say I was
going through a lull. Thankfully, my spirit guides were sending me all kinds of signs, trying to
help me get back on my path which lead me to learning more about kundalini, what it was, how
it worked, what its purpose was and all that jazz. You see, the lull was a result of me wandering
off my path then when I was guided back onto it, I came alive again. I also recall having a
feeling I couldn’t quite put my finger on but now understand it was my higher Self telling me I
needed to get back on track. So, at this point I was studying kundalini but hadn’t put any of it
into practice yet. As a Sagittarius I have a need to KNOW ALL THE THINGS but I’m not
always so great at the taking action part. As a Virgo moon, I need everything to be extremely
well thought out, organized and planned before I do anything. So, I wasn’t going to undertake a
practice I didn’t know absolutely everything about beforehand. I’d tried a couple mudras and
mantras the way an infant discovers their toes, I wasn’t actually trying to accomplish anything I
was just learning. It was after a couple of weeks of intense research that I had my first dream
which I interpret as Kundalini had awakened and was rising then the next night she pierced my
Third eye and I saw the cosmos, then I was the cosmos and I remembered my true essence and
my purpose, So Ham “I am that”. To say “We are an aspect of consciousness experiencing itself”
is not something one can truly understand on an intellectual level, it has to be experienced to be
understood, to know. To be awakened means you get to live from a place of absolute knowing.

“But the best way is to sit, to breathe, and to learn the technique of lifting up the Kundalini
yourself, and opening yourself up to Grace coming from above.” – Raja Choudhury

Before I move on, it’s important that we examine what happened with me so that you might
understand you’re potential journey. Some say that in order for Kundalini to awaken the person
first needs to be in a not-so-great head space. For example, most of the spontaneous kundalini
awakening stories I’ve heard and read about happened when the person was going through a
“Dark night of the soul”.

“The key to activating kundalini is we have to have energy, we have to relax, we have to
visualize sense and feel this energy, and then we have to surrender to it.” - Raja Choudhury

Some say all you need is to intend for Kundalini to awaken and surrender through meditation.
While others say action is required through pranayamas, mudras, mantras, and kriyas. And of
course there’s the use of psychedelics. One particular voice that personally stands out to me is
Christina Lopes who said:

“Kundalini awakenings occur at the command of your soul and your Higher Self.”

The belief here is that no amount of conscious intention, meditation, breath work, mudras,
mantras, or kriyas will force Kundalini to awaken. Your state of mind and mental health also
don’t seem to be a factor. Whether Kundalini awakens or not has to do with your destiny and
purpose, as does when it occurs (if it does at all).

So, let’s take a look at some points in my story:

1. I’ve had a spiritual practice of some sort since I was about 12 or 13 y/o but had never
practice Kundalini.
2. I was going through a lull for quite some time but still felt a pull towards spirituality and
was receiving signs and guidance to get back on my spiritual path from my spirit guides.
 3. I began studying Kundalini and had a desire to experience an awakening – but hadn’t
taken any action towards actually doing it.
4. When it did happen, I was asleep.

Personally, I see a mixed bag. Clearly, living a spiritual path is part of my destiny; even before I
consciously choose spirituality I felt it inside of me like a pull I didn’t understand, and any time
I’ve wander away from it I felt disconnected and depressed and have always been pulled back in
somehow. So, does this mean I was destined to have a kundalini awakening no matter the
circumstances? On the other hand, I was studying kundalini at the time and had a desire to
awaken. So, is that why I awakened when I did? Simply because I intended it? Or was it because
I was relaxed and asleep and in a state of surrender? I had been casually practicing different
pranayamas, mantras, mudras, and kriyas here and there, so did that trigger my awakening? To
be honest, I think it was all of the above. With that said, I don’t believe that how or why
kundalini awakens is a one-size-fits-all type of deal. There is quite likely others out there with
similar experiences are mine but that doesn’t mean my experience is cookie-cutter for a
Kundalini awakening. For some, its destiny, for others it’s a choice, and sometimes it’s both.

“Kundalini energy really is about your full blossoming. I like to refer to kundalini energy as the
soul’s goals that are encoded within you. So, your potential/purpose is already encoded in you so
our work really is to get out of our own way. So this is the entire journey, no matter how you try
to approach it, this is the end goal to raise your kundalini energy to step into your potential, to
become the person that you intended to be.” – Gloria Latham

Paths to Awaken Kundalini

There are many paths to awaken Kundalini, such as:

 Kundalini yoga
 Shakti – raise kundalini with a guru
 Psychedelics
 Bhakti/Devotion/Dance
 Rhythm/Breath/Movement
 Fasting
 Kriya yoga
 Shri Vidya – (Shaktism) a Hindu Tantric religious system devoted to the Goddess as
 Lalitā Tripurasundarī, Bhuvaneshvari, etc.
 Sahaj yoga
 Kashmir Saivism/Panchastavi: also called Pratyabhijna (Sanskrit: “Recognition”),
religious and philosophical system of India that worships the god Shiva as the supreme
reality.

As you can see from this list, there are a plethora of ways to intentionally raise Kundalini. The
path we’ll be focusing on though is Kundalini yoga.

“The object of Laya or Kundalini Yoga is the same as that of every other form of Indian yoga, to
unite the soul with God.

In the seven schools of India, and among the students in the West, all who understand aright are
aiming at the highest goal of human endeavour, at that liberty which is higher than liberation,
because it includes not only union with God in high realms, beyond earthly manifestation, but
also those powers on each plane which make the man an Adhikari Purusha, an office-bearer or
worker in the service of the Divine; in the work of lifting the toiling millions of humanity
towards the glory and happiness which awaits us all.” - C.W. Leadbeater, The Chakras

Kundalini yoga
In its early creation, Kundalini was a study of the science of energy and spiritual philosophy.
Kundalini Yoga is an ancient practice that helps you take in energy at the Muladhara and move
prana up through the nadis and chakras in the subtle body and out through the Sahasrara to reach
enlightenment. It does this through the use of pranayamas, meditation, mantras, mudras, and
kriyas.

Pranayamas
Pranayama is the practice of breath control. Every meditation and kriya has a specific breath and
posture to help generate or release specific energy. One of the most common pranayama
practices in Kundalini Yoga is “Breath of Fire”. As mentioned in the Muladhara lesson, this is
practiced by rapid, forceful exhalations, together with pulsations of the abdomen muscles. This
technique forces prana into the Muladhara chakra to produce enough heat to force kundalini
upwards.
Mantras
Mantras are chants and sounds that vibrate at a specific frequency. They signal a chemical
reaction in the brain and body, elevating your mood to higher vibrations. You don’t always have
to be sitting in meditation to use mantras. For example, I have social anxiety and will often use
mantras when I’m out in public to self-regulate and stave off an anxiety attack.

Mudras
As we covered earlier in this course, mudras are hand positions that facilitate the flow of energy
in the subtle body. The most common mudra in Kundalini yoga is the Gyan mudra that uses the
thumb and index fingers to stimulate knowledge/wisdom. In order to accomplish this mudra,
press your thumb and index finger together; this activates the points of the finger. Similarly, the
thumb and middle finger stimulate focus, the thumb and ring finger stimulate energy, and the
thumb and pinky finger stimulate connection.

Kriyas
Kriya means “action”. When you put postures, breath, and sound all together, you have a kriya, a
specific set of actions that work toward a specific outcome. Kriyas work on your mind, body,
and spirit for a happy, healthy, awakened life.

Meditation
The meditations in Kundalini yoga are practiced at specific lengths of time to achieve different
results, ranging from 3 minutes, 11 minutes, and 31 minutes. One of the most popular Kundalini
yoga meditations for awakening is the Sa Ta Na Ma mantra meditation. This is the one I was
practicing around the time of my awakening and is one of my favorite meditations. This is a 31
minute meditation that uses the power of mantras, mudras, and mind. It activates the Ajna and
Sahasrara chakras and thus stimulates the pituitary and pineal glands. Sa Ta Na Ma means
“Infinity, Life, Death, and Rebirth” and is considered one of the most important mantras for
Kundalini yoga meditations. This mantra helps you focus your mind and ultimately connects you
to your highest and most true self. Personally, I love this practice because its fills me with a
sense of joy and bliss. It’s also been known to increase psychic abilities, clear bad karma, and
heal, balance, and uplift the emotional body.
“This is the profound teaching of Kundalini Shakti and Tantra, to awaken yourself and to
remember who you really are. Every cell of you is a divine being that has forgotten that it is
divine.” – Raja Choudhury

How to do the Sa Ta Na Ma mantra meditation:

1. Sit in a chair or cross-legged on the floor.
2. Elongate your spine and tuck your chin in slightly.
3. Rest your wrists gently on your knees, with your palms facing upwards.
4. Close your eyes, but turn them upwards so that you’re looking through the center of your
forehead. Only hold it for as long as is comfortable. Feel free to release it whenever
necessary and continue with the meditation, reapplying it when you’re ready and again
for as long as it’s comfortable.
5. As you say “Sa” press your index finger and thumb together while you visualize the
sound “S” entering through the top of the head and the sound “A” leaving through the
center of the forehead.
6. Next, say “Ta” as you press your middle finger and thumb together while you visualize
the sound “T” entering through the top of the head and the sound “A” leaving through the
center of the forehead.
7. Then say “Na” as you press your ring finger and thumb together while you visualize the
sound “N” entering through the top of the head and the sound “A” leaving through the
center of the forehead.
8. Lastly, say “Ma” as you press your pinky finger and thumb together while you visualize
the sound “M” entering through the top of the head and the sound “A” leaving through
the center of the forehead.

Continue visualizing this flow of the mantra and keep making the finger movements as you chant
the mantra. Chant aloud for 5 minutes then whisper for 5 minutes. Chant mentally for 10 minutes
then chant in a whisper again for 5 minutes then aloud again for 5 minutes. To end the
meditation, sit silently and still for 1 minute.

Disclaimer
Please do keep in mind that this takes practice and is not guaranteed to awaken you immediately.
It takes time to master so be patient and kind with yourself as you practice this meditation.
Signs that Kundalini is awakening
 Your life is noticeably transforming
 You’re aware that you’re an energy being
 You feel well and are clear headed
 You’re psychic abilities are growing
 You’re able to act like an observer
The Journey
As we reach the Crown chakra on our journey, this is not the conclusion of the journey. We
continue on but forever changed. Think of it like Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey:

1. Start/call to adventure
2. Meeting a mentor
3. Crossing a threshold from the known to the unknown
4. Trials + failure
5. Growth/new skills
6. Death + rebirth

It’s at this point of death and rebirth that we come to the Crown chakra. When we see the
Sahasrara through the opening of the Third eye, the person we were at the beginning of the
journey dies and then we are reborn anew. Everything we thought we knew falls away, the
illusion crumbles, our perspective dramatically shifts. This is part of the return of The Hero’s
Journey.

7. Revelation
8. Transformation
9. Atonement
10. Gets gift
11. Returned changed

We return changed and that journey ends then a new journey begins and once that one ends we
start another and so on. Like the blossoming of a lotus flower, each petal represents liberation,
enlightenment, the attainment of spiritual knowledge, and another journeys end. We don’t
“download” all the spiritual files all at once, our mind can’t handle that much information all at
once; it’s doled out in increments and often shows up as ah-ha moments and inspiration. I’ve
also found that it’s helped me to understand other spiritual teachers messages. Whereas before
when I’d listen to a message or teaching from sources such as Gabrielle Bernstein, Deepak
Chopra, or Eckhart Tolle I’d be like “Huh?” it now makes perfect sense, my brain doesn’t have
to struggle to get it, I’m able to understand it easily as though I’d already learned it before.

My point here is to instill an expectation in you to know that you won’t attain ALL THE
KNOWLEDGE at once and that your spiritual growth journey will come to an end once you
reach the Crown chakra. This journey isn’t about reaching a destination, it’s not a straight line
from point A to point B; it’s more like climbing an infinite ladder, you learn a little more with
each rung.
"Yatha pinde, tatha Brahmande."

As is the atom, so is the universe

As is the microcosm, so is the macrocosm

As is the human body, so is the cosmic body

As is the human mind, so is the cosmic mind