Kriya Yoga Teachings

What Is Kundalini?

Kundalini is one of the most important — and most misunderstood — concepts in yoga. In the Kriya tradition it is not an exotic curiosity but the very engine of spiritual awakening: the dormant divine energy whose rising carries the soul to samadhi.

The coiled power

The word Kundalini means “the coiled one.” The yogis describe it as a concentrated reservoir of spiritual energy lying dormant, like a coiled serpent, at the base of the spine. It is the individual’s share of the universal creative power (Shakti) — the same force that, projected outward, builds and sustains the body, and that, turned inward and upward, awakens the soul.

The spine as the inner ladder

Along the subtle spine lie the chakras, the centres of consciousness. In the ordinary person, awareness and energy are tied up in the lower centres, bound to the senses and the demands of the body. As Kundalini awakens and ascends through the chakras, each centre it reaches opens new dimensions of awareness, peace and joy.

How Kriya Yoga awakens it

Kriya Yoga is, in essence, a precise and safe science for awakening and guiding this energy. Rather than forcing it, the Kriya yogi calms the breath, interiorises the life-force (prana), and gently magnetises the spine, so that the dormant power naturally stirs and rises. The grace of the guru — through Shaktipat — can quicken this awakening. See From Breath to Bliss.

The goal: union

When the awakened Kundalini reaches the highest centre at the crown, the individual soul is united with the cosmic Spirit — the marriage of Shakti and Shiva, energy and consciousness. This is the fulfilment of the entire path: not a strange experience, but the soul’s homecoming. Explore Kriya Basics and the three gunas to understand the inner landscape this energy travels.

Frequently Asked Questions