By now you may have heard of Kundalini awakening a hundred times or more. If you are a yoga student, it makes sense to explore more in this realm. Kundalini yoga is a spiritual form of yoga, which is slightly different from Hatha Yoga and Ashtanga-Vinyasa Yoga. The more you explore the realm, the better it is for you. You will be able to delve deep within your energy layers, other than the physical one, if you get your Kundalini awakened. 

Let us go deeper, so that you can get complete information on the same. 

Kundalini Awakening Decoded 

Kundalini is basically the ‘female shakti’ or the coiled snake that resides at the base of the spine. It is near the Muladhara chakra. When you make it rise, then you can experience diverse feelings. Different people have different kinds of experiences, when their Kundalini rises. 

Kundalini energy is nothing but ‘Prana’ or life force. Everybody has it, but everybody does not experience its awakening in one lifetime. Some people lead their lives in a mundane manner, without even knowing that any such force exists. Kundalini is about your very consciousness. The shakti is mainly considered female. However, it can flow freely, when the chakras are active or devoid of blockages. The chakras are the gateways to various dimensions. If they are blocked, the life force, or ‘Prana’ cannot flow properly. 

Many of you may ask, how to awaken Kundalini? There is no specific answer for that either. For a few people, Kundalini awakening can happen after years of spiritual practice. While others need to meditate constantly. For some, it can occur without any proper training. 

How To Open The Heart Chakra?

In the context of Kundalini energy flow and chakra opening, the heart chakra, which is the fourth chakra, assumes a lot of importance. For the unversed, the heart chakra is the main centre of transformation. It also connects the gap between the physical body and soul or astral body. When the awakening reaches the heart chakra, it leads to many types of shifts. Transformation follows, as soon as the heart chakra or the Anahata chakra opens. The heart chakra also marks the transition between the lower chakras and the upper chakras. 

There are various techniques that can help you to remove the blockages from the chakras. We will come to that in the later part of the article. However, if your ultimate goal is to reach the universal consciousness and become one with it, you have to lay a lot of importance on the heart chakra. So, it is necessary that the heart chakra or the Anahata chakra remains open. 

You can recognize the symptoms of heart chakra opening, as mentioned below. 

• The first stage is called Zero stage. It denotes that one morning, when you will wake up and think that you are dissatisfied with your life. It is a feeling of nothingness that resides around you. Your conversations with others will also become shallower. You may even withdraw from others.
• You will also experience various types of physical symptoms like heart palpitations, pain in the chest, hot flushes, a pulsating sensation in the head, or you can have visions. It is not necessary that everybody will feel the same sensations. You may have either one of the others, or all of them.
  
• The heart chakra opening is a spiritual experience. So, there will be a transformative experience or a shift in consciousness. Your spiritual sight or far-sightedness also increases manifold. You will start seeking the deeper truth in everything.
• You will experience many symptoms at the cellular level or body level. An example of the same is that your eating habits change. Slowly, you will feel as if you are shifting to a healthier lifestyle. As you adopt a healthy lifestyle, you will find your body flushing out the toxins in various ways. Your body will also become lighter and you may also ingest nourishment from the air and earth. 

You can learn in depth about the energy chakras by joining a Kundalini yoga teacher training in Rishikesh. You may already be aware that there are seven chakras and seven layers of the body. The seven layers are the physical layer, emotional layer, mental layer, astral layer, etheric layer, celestial layer, ketheric layer. These correspond to the seven chakras. So, as the Kundalini energy travels up the chakras, the layers also start opening up and become more receptive. In the context of the heart chakra, the astral layer is the one which is equivalent to it. The energy from this layer displays itself in the form of fireworks. 

Ways To Facilitate Kundalini Awakening 

• The first way through which you can make the energy flow, is through Hatha Yoga. There are various activities that you can engage in, as a part of the same. You will be doing basic asanas, advanced asanas, mudras, bandhas, Shatkarma kriyas and Pranayama. These are sometimes enough to allow the latent energy to flow.
• Meditation comes close. It is used to increase your focus and concentration. You can also focus on a specific chakra. It helps to draw out the powers from that chakra and also unblocks it to a certain extent. You can also use specific mantras to open the chakras.
• Brahmacharya is the third way, by which you can open the chakras. It points towards physical and mental celibacy. Once you are able to achieve this state, you can absorb energy from the atmosphere and direct it upwards. The female energy that rises from the Muladhara chakra to the crown chakra, amalgamates with the male energy or consciousness to manifest itself as a union.
• Tantra practices are an important part of Kundalini Yoga. Here Shiva and Shakti achieve togetherness. You will be introduced to internal worship as well as external worship. These are just some of the practices to arouse kundalini.

You can also get initiated into the same through Shakti path from the Guru. Thus, this is one practice, which you cannot study and receive from any text book. The Guru is essential for guidance. You have to be receptive all through the process. And, the heart chakra or Anahata chakra also has a huge role to play in it, as it is the transition chakra.