Anyone involved in meditation and spirituality will sooner or later come across the term kundalini. But, what is it?
A short search on the internet will teach you that it is an energy, lying in your tailbone, that can be aroused by yoga or meditation or accidentally stimulated by, for example, a fall on your coccyx or the experience of strong emotions. In addition, you are guaranteed to encounter shocking stories of people who have gotten into trouble because of the kundalini, as well as many well-intentioned tips on how to deal with this raging energy.
This information can be quite confusing. Everyone says something different, and everyone thinks they (of course) know better than the other. Is it something positive, or is it downright dangerous? Should you try to awaken it with meditation, or not? What should you do if the energy is already strong due to meditation or an accident?
On this page we provide brief information about meditation, kundalini energy, and the purpose of the energy. You will also give get some tips on how to handle the energy well. If you would like more or more specific information, there are a number of suggestions at the bottom of this page.
What is kundalini and what does meditation do?
Kundalini is an energy that is released from the pelvic source (the tailbone) so that you can experience your own inner and outer world. You experience colours, sounds and smells, but also thoughts, emotions and bodily states through this ‘primal power’, which every person naturally possesses. It is simply the energy you need for your everyday consciousness. In addition, this energy is necessary for physical growth, and it helps your body heal when you are sick.
Kundalini energy also has an important spiritual function. Kundalini focuses on transformation and spiritual growth and therefore helps you on your spiritual path. You can think of kundalini as a ‘purifying’ energy; it tries to rid your body and mind of all unprocessed tensions, hoarded emotions and conditioning so that you become more and more as you are meant to be – more, or even completely, living from your ‘Divine nature’.
Ideally, the influx of kundalini parallels your spiritual development and you don’t take in more than you need. Kundalini will then lead to few problems in such a case. If too much energy is suddenly withdrawn from the pelvic source, for example due to a wrong way of yoga or meditation practice, you can suffer from it. The ‘serpent fire’ as it is called, can then lead to all kinds of complaints: fear, alienation, sudden paranormal experiences and even psychosis.
Meditation and grounding
It is therefore not surprising that information about kundalini and meditation within different meditation traditions has been kept under wraps for centuries. While the energy is bona fide – it drives evolution, after all – it can be dangerous if you don’t know what’s going on or how to handle it properly.
The proper circulation of your energy flow during and after meditation is of great importance in this regard. If the energy makes a one-sided, upward movement, it can have disastrous consequences for your mental health. To prevent this, you must ensure good grounding. When you are properly grounded, the energy flows through your entire body, and excess energy is let into the ground through your feet. This way you let go of what doesn’t belong in you, and you don’t have to be afraid of experiences that affect your mental or mental health.
Meditation and Awakening Kundalini
Nowadays there is a proliferation of (quasi) spiritual education. Yoga and meditation are offered in abundance, and there are endless cross-pollinations of meditation and yoga techniques. The word ‘kundalini’ is cheerfully stirred through it. For example, Kundalini yoga is offered in many cities, and kundalini is also mentioned in some meditation courses.
In our humble but experience-based opinion, this is a fairly worrying development. We would therefore like to urge everyone who reads this to be wary. No one in the know will try to induce the kundalini energy in anyone through meditation or any other technique, and no one should stimulate an upward flow of kundalini energy during meditation. The latter happens quite often, but it is downright dangerous and simply not the intention. The energy should circulate during and after the meditation, from the bottom up and down again.
In addition, there is a danger that through a mix of yoga and meditation techniques or a wrong way of meditating, too much energy is (unconsciously) extracted from the pelvic area. Therefore, listen carefully to your body during and after the meditation, and take care of your grounding!
If you are interested in meditation or spiritual awakening and would like to learn how to meditate, make sure you start with a landmark on or under your feet. This reduces the chance of accidents happening. Spirituality and meditation are not without risks, so don’t be stubborn and let yourself be guided by people who are advanced in the field of meditation and the spiritual path.
Meditation and kundalini tipsThere is now a lot to read about kundalini, but information about grounding is unfortunately still scarce. In this book you can read everything about kundalini and meditation and practical tools are provided to deal responsibly with meditation and energy (and therefore with your health).
On this website you can read tips on how to deal with a spiritual crisis and the biggest misconceptions about kundalini and meditation.
If you suffer from energetic or kundalini complaints, whether or not caused by meditation, you can email us. Many medical workers are not (yet) aware of this energy, and can (with all good intentions) help you out of the rain. So let yourself be assisted by someone who has experience with this energy and can teach you to breathe, meditate and ground you in the right way!
This is a short meditation exercise that gives an idea of the breathing therapy that can help. Mind you, ten minutes in most cases will not cause lasting differences.