Pranayama for Awakening Kundalini

Kundalini is the latent shakti or spiritual energy in man. It is described as a serpent that is coiled three and a half
times, face downwards, sleeping in mooladhara chakra, at the base of the spine. Until this kundalini awakens, no
samadhi is possible. When it is awakened, kundalini hisses like a serpent beaten with a stick and enters the hole of
sushumna, travels from chakra to chakra, and layer after layer of the mind opens up. Eventually this force of shakti
is united with Shiva, seated on the sahasrara or thousand-petalled lotus, at the crown of the head.
The ultimate effect of pranayama is the udgata or awakening of the sleeping kundalini. The practice of kumbhaka in
pranayama produces heat and thereby kundalini is awakened and passes upwards along the sushumna nadi. One
must have knowledge of the nadis and chakras and be perfectly desireless and full of vairagya, non-attachment,
before attempting to awaken kundalini by pranayama.
Nadis

Nadis are psychic tubes made up of psychic matter that carry pranic currents, visible to the psychic eyes only. They
are not nerves. Only gross prana moves in the nerves, whereas the vital force or pranic current moves in the nadis.
Above the genital organs and below the navel is the energy centre known as kanda, which has the shape of a birds
egg. Arising from the kanda are 72,000 nadis. Of these, 72 are commonly known to yogis. Of those the chief are ten:
ida, pingala, sushumna, gandhari, hastijihva, pusha, yashasvini, alambusa, kuhu and shankhini. Of these ida, pingala
and sushumna are the important ones and sushumna is the most important of all.
Ida and pingala

On either side of the spinal column flow two pranic currents. The left one is called ida and the right one is known as
pingala. These nadis are not the right and the left sympathetic cords, but the subtle currents that carry prana. The
moon moves in the ida and the sun travels in pingala. The poison is of the sun and the nectar is of the moon. Ida is
cooling and pingala is heating. Ida flows through the left nostril and pingala through the right nostril. Observation
shows that generally the breath flows through the right nostril for one hour and then through the left nostril for one
hour.
Sushumna

Sushumna is the most important of all the nadis. It is the sustainer of the universe and the path of salvation. When
the breath operates through sushumna, rather than fluctuating between ida and pingala, as is the usual case, the mind
becomes steady. This steadiness of mind is called the mindless state, the highest state in raja yoga. If you sit for
meditation when sushumna is operating, you will have wonderful meditation. The real work of a yogi begins when
sushumna begins to function. Yogis try their level best to make the prana, which is generally alternating between ida
and pingala, move in the sushumna nadi instead.
Purification of the nadis

The prana cannot enter the nadis if they are full of impurities. Therefore, first of all, they should be purified and then
pranayama should be practised. By regular practice of pranayama, the nerve centres and the nadis become purified
and the prana easily forces its way up through the mouth of the sushumna. The nadis are purified by two processes:
samanu and nirmanu. Nirmanu is done by physical cleansing or the shatkarmas. Samanu is done by a mental process
with bija mantras or bijaksharas, seed sounds or seed letters, and is described below.

Samanu practice

1. Sit in padmasana. Meditate on Yam the bijakshara of vayu, the air element which is the colour of smoke. Inhale
through the left nostril while repeating the bijakshara 16 times. Retain the breath till you repeat the bijakshara 64
times. Then exhale through the right nostril very very slowly repeating the bijakshara 32 times.
2. The navel is the seat of agni tattwa, the fire element. Meditate on this agni tattwa. Then draw the breath in through
the right nostril repeating 16 times the agni bijakshara Ram. Retain the breath, while repeating the bijakshara 64
times. Then exhale slowly through the left nostril repeating Ram mentally 32 times.
3. Fix the gaze at the tip of the nose. Inhale through the left nostril repeating the bija Tham 16 times. Retain the
breath while you repeat the bija Tham 64 times. Now imagine that the nectar that flows from the moon, runs through
all the vessels of the body and purifies them. Then exhale slowly through right nostril while repeating the prithvi
tattwa, earth element, bijakshara Lam 32 times.
Moving kundalini through the chakras

Chakras are centres of spiritual energy. Wherever there is an interlacing of several nerves, arteries and veins, that
centre is called a plexus. Similarly there are plexuses or centres of vital forces in the subtle nadis. These are called
chakras. They are located in the astral or psychic body, but they have corresponding centres in the physical body
also.
While the breath is retained, the prana is guided into sushumna at one of the three places where it yields space for
entrance through contraction of the muscles of the neck, or the perineum, or through the navel. If the coiled-up
energy of kundalini moves up along the sushumna nadi it must be taken up from chakra to chakra.
There are six important chakras. They are: mooladhara (containing four petals) related to the perineum;
swadhishthana (6 petals) related to the genital organ; manipura (10 petals) at the navel; anahata (12 petals) at the
heart; vishuddhi (16 petals) at the throat and ajna (2 petals) at the space between the two eyebrows. The seventh
chakra is known as sahasrara, which contains one thousand petals. It is located at the top of the head. The sacral
plexus tentatively corresponds to mooladhara chakra; the prostatic plexus to swadhishthana, the solar plexus to
manipura, the cardiac plexus to anahata, the laryngal plexus to vishuddhi and the cavernous plexus to ajna chakra.
Kundalini pranayama

When you practise the following, concentrate on the mooladhara chakra at the base of the spinal column, which is
triangular in form and which is the seat of the kundalini shakti.
Close the right nostril with your right thumb. Inhale through the left nostril while you count three Aums slowly.
Imagine that you are drawing the prana in with the atmospheric air.
Then close the left nostril with your little and ring fingers of the right hand and retain the breath for 12 Aums. Send
the current down the spinal column straight into the triangular lotus, the mooladhara chakra. Imagine that the nervecurrent is striking against the lotus and awakening the kundalini.
Then slowly exhale through the right nostril counting six Aums.
Repeat the process starting with an inhalation from the right nostril as stated above, using the same units, and having
the same imagination and feeling.

This pranayama will awaken the kundalini quickly. Do it three times in the morning and three times in the evening.
Increase the number and time gradually and cautiously according to your strength and capacity. In this pranayama,
concentration on the mooladhara chakra is the important thing. Kundalini will be awakened quickly if the degree of
concentration is intense and if the pranayama is practised regularly.
Kundalini pranayama with bhavana

In this pranayama, the bhavana, the feeling, is more important than the ratio between pooraka, kumbhaka and
rechaka.
Sit in padmasana or siddhasana, facing the East or North. After mentally prostrating at the lotus feet of the sadguru
and reciting stotras, hymns in praise of God and guru, commence this pranayama, which will easily lead to the
awakening of the kundalini.
Inhale deeply, without making any sound. As you inhale, feel that the kundalini lying dormant in the mooladhara
chakra is awakened and is going up from chakra to chakra. At the conclusion of pooraka, have the bhavana that the
kundalini has reached sahasrara. The more vivid the visualization of chakra after chakra, the more rapid will be your
progress in this sadhana.
Retain the breath for a short while. Repeat the pranava, the mantra Aum, or your ishta mantra. Concentrate on
sahasrara. Feel that by the grace of Mother Kundalini, the darkness of ignorance enveloping your soul has been
dispelled. Feel that your whole being is pervaded by light, power and wisdom.
Slowly exhale now. And, as you exhale, feel that the kundalini shakti is gradually descending from sahasrara, and
from chakra to chakra, to the mooladhara.
Now begin the process again.
It is impossible to extol this wonderful pranayama adequately. It is the magic wand for attaining perfection very
quickly. Even a few days of practice will convince you of its remarkable glory. Start from today, this very moment.
May God bless you with joy, bliss and immortality.