Kundalini awakening is a profound spiritual experience that often comes with intense physical, emotional, and mental phenomena known as kriyas. These spontaneous movements and reactions are deeply stored cellular information related to our karmic history. Let’s delve into what kriyas are, how they manifest, and their significance in the process of kundalini awakening.
What Are Kriyas?
Kriyas are involuntary actions and reactions that occur as the kundalini energy rises through the body, working to clear blockages and release stored karmic patterns. These actions can manifest physically as jerks, spasms, shaking, trembling, swaying, or jumping. Mentally and emotionally, they can appear as uncontrollable crying, laughter, screaming, or speaking in unknown languages. Internally, kriyas can bring buried emotions and thoughts to the surface, along with sensations such as electric vibrations, hot or cold feelings, pains along the spine, visions, out-of-body experiences, and even internal sounds and smells.
Yogic Origins and the Role of Kriyas
In yogic tradition, kriyas are seen as purifying movements that help to push through blocks in the flow of kundalini energy. They are a byproduct of pranic movement in the subtle body and are a key aspect of the Shaktipat transmission process. Ancient yogis observed and recorded these spontaneously arising self-regulating breath rhythms (pranayama), spinal locks (bandhas), stretches, and postures (asanas) over thousands of years. These movements are not random; they are part of a vast database of yogic practices that were developed through careful observation of kriyas.
Whether voluntary or involuntary, these asanas and movements serve the purpose of unfolding new patterns of subtle energy and its pathways. They help to animate and refine the body’s energy system, leading to a greater flow of consciousness.
Unfolding Evolutionary Biology
The external developments caused by kriyas can be attributed to the sympathetic nervous system, while the internal experiences are related to the parasympathetic aspect of the autonomous nervous system. Sometimes, these impulses can resemble seizure-like activities related to certain neurotransmitters. However, unlike medical conditions such as epilepsy, during a kundalini experience, the individual remains fully conscious and aware.
The spontaneous movements produced by kundalini are a way for the body to release nervous stress and restructure itself to convey greater consciousness. These convulsive discharges can enhance the brain’s chemistry and neural pathways, evolving them to support a higher vibration and greater bioelectric capacity.
Refinement and Recalibration
Through kriyas, the subtle body releases dense karmic patterns that cannot be cleared through conscious effort alone. The involuntary yoga that happens through the grace of Shaktipat not only activates kundalini but also safeguards and navigates the process, refining both the psyche and the subtle body.
The intensity of kriyas can vary from light tremors to intense shaking, depending on the individual’s karmic history and the blockages in their subtle energy channels. As the process progresses, these strong movements give way to stillness, leading to deeper states of meditation and eventually samadhi, a state of complete stillness and union with the divine.
Navigating the Kriya Process
The key to navigating kriyas is to fully surrender and allow these movements to express themselves without resistance. Any attempt to control or suppress them can make the process more violent and potentially harmful. The speed of advancement depends on the quality of one’s surrender.
As you fully surrender to the process, the initial intensity of the movements may increase, but this is a sign that the kundalini energy is working to exfoliate and open up regions of the body that need more flow. Once these areas are sufficiently cleared, the involuntary movements will subside, giving way to deeper stillness and peace.
Kriyas force one to embody a sense of presence and beingness, redirecting awareness from the external world to the inner void. This inward focus is essential for spiritual growth and the full realization of one’s true nature. Kundalini awakening, accompanied by kriyas, is a powerful and transformative journey. By understanding the nature of kriyas and embracing the process with full surrender, you can navigate this journey with grace and ease. Trust in the intelligence of the kundalini energy and allow it to guide you towards greater consciousness and spiritual evolution.