Chapter 32 Do Christians Practice Yoga?

The word Yoga simply means union; the moment of oneness with the absolute. In common parlance currently in vogue, the term has come to represent physical practices, asanas or poses and nothing more. The poses assumed by Yogis to gain control of the body are simply one small aspect of the vast number of spiritual practices called Yoga.
Article in Kundalini Consortium

Since my experience with Kundalini, I have read a lot of books and articles on Yoga from various authors. I also practice yoga every day in conjunction with meditation. 

I have found that some of my more conservative Christian friends issue warnings about involvement in the practice of Yoga. They are quite fearful and critical of anything connected with a religion that falls outside of the Christian faith that they practice. Yoga is therefore taboo to many.  But when I examine the eight branches of Yoga, I cannot see that it advocates anything that is not already a part of a Christian faith practice. Let’s take a look at this.

First branch of Yoga, “yama”, is commonly translated

“rules of social behavior”. They are the guidelines for engaging with others and can be described as: practicing nonviolence, speaking truthfully, exercising appropriate sexual control, being honest and being generous. One is encouraged to adhere to these rules of social conduct because they represent behaving in accordance with the natural law, that which flows spontaneously from our human nature.

In Christian spirituality, we have the ten commandments, and the various instructions on moral behavior found in the Gospels and letters of the New Testament. They are not in conflict with the above since they both flow from revelation, that sacred part of the inner self that finds connection with the divine.

Second branch of Yoga, "Niyama", can be interpreted as the “rules of personal behavior”. They are the beneficial

personal qualities that we naturally express and live that come from the heart. These personal qualities include: purity, contentment, discipline, spiritual exploration and surrender to the divine. They are the qualities that emerge naturally by one who is living a natural and balanced life, and not from moods of moral self-righteousness or indignation.

When we examine Chapter 5 of the letter to Paul to the Galatians, a details description is found there as to the rules of personal behavior.

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are

against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."

Third branch of Yoga, “Asana”, means all that is involved in the full expression of mind-body integration in which we become consciously aware of the flow of life energy in our bodies. This includes the postures that people enter into to achieve physical flexibility, but goes much deeper than this. It really includes all actions that unify and integrate body, mind and spirit.

Although in Christian spirituality, there is no emphasis placed on the practice of certain physical postures called asana in yoga, there is definitely a call to actions that lead to a healthy and balanced life-style. Christians are encouraged to look after their health in order live full and productive spiritual lives in society. Christians are certainly encouraged in the action of prayer as a daily discipline for purposes integrating their faith as a way of life.

Forth branch of yoga, “pranayama”, is the engagement of

the life force of prana, a vital energy, throughout our body/mind for health and vibrancy. Pranayama is the use of conscious breathing techniques to manage and enliven life’s energies, which not only improves health, but allows the mind to become centered and quiet so as to enter into God’s presence.

In Christian meditation, both mantras and breath are used as a method of prayer in order to enter into a state of centeredness and quietness of mind. Through this discipline, if followed as prescribed, one has the experience of inner stillness, silence, and simplicity which is not only beneficially health wise, but allows one to be centered on Christ and His Spirit. This represents a form of prayer from the apophatic tradition that moves one away from all types of discursive prayer into “being present" and united with Christ.

Fifth branch of Yoga, “Pratyahara”, is a process of

directing our senses inward to become aware of the subtle elements of sound, touch, taste, small, sight. By going inside, we can access these impulses and directly experience the knowledge that the world of forms and phenomena is a projection of our awareness. Our senses are temporarily withdrawn from the outer world in order to recognize the sensations of our inner world. This practice allows us to experience these sensations on our return to our outer word with more vibrancy.

The practice of Christian meditation provides those opportunities to move away from the distressing sensations relating to sound, taste, sight, smell and touch, which are constantly bombarding us, to enter into the silent and still realms within. As one returns to all the activities of ordinary living, we are able to move back into them with a greater peacefulness and detachment, and vibrancy.

Sixth branch of yoga, “Dharana”, is the mastery of

attention and intention. An essential component of yoga and its discipline is to refine attention in order to facilitate healing and transformation. Once attention is activated, our intentions have a powerful influence to move us in the direction we wish to go, and to manifest those things, activities, and ways of being into our lives. What you place your attention on grows in importance. It increases our awareness or focus on that which is most desirable for our well-being.

In Christian Meditation, we use this time to “give attention” to

Christ. The idea is not to say prayers, but to be “present”. This in turn, increases our ability to give attention to that which is right before us, and not be so distracted, overwhelmed and fragmented when dealing with the multi situations that bombard us in our daily living. Giving attention helps us to focus on what is most important, and it is usually that which is present to us “now”, without the worries of what might happen in the future, or experiences of the past.

Seventh branch of yoga, “Dhyana” is the development of “witnessing” awareness. It’s Christian equivalent would be

knowing that you are in the world but not of this world. It is moving beyond seeing ourselves as permanent, fixed, concrete reality, to being a witness to the change that is happening around us. We witness our thoughts and our feelings as they come and go, but we are not our thoughts and feelings. We observe the multiple activity and confusion around us, but do not identify with it as to become absorbed into it. Witness awareness is cultivated through meditation, during which we learn to observe thoughts, feelings, sensations, sounds that arise in our awareness without the need to react to them. The practice of yoga and Christian meditation are common in this regard.

Eighth branch of yoga, “Samadhi”, is the state of being

settled in pure, unbounded awareness. It is going beyond time and space, beyond past and future, beyond individuality. Samadhi is tasting the realm of the “I am”. It is by-passing the ego, which leaves us with a sense of “separateness” to experience the boundlessness of the divine. Fear and anxiety do not exist here since it is beyond ego consciousness. There is a surrender of “old self” as we would normally experience it to an experience of “selflessness” which some may call “pure bliss consciousness” or the “still point”. There is a sense of being and “one” with the divine. Christians would refer to it as “union with God”.

Chapter 31 Eastern and Western Differences

There is nothing in Christian teaching comparable to the Hindu notions of chakras, astral body, and kundalini energy. Neither will one find in Christianity anything like the spiritualities associated with the yoga system, which are designed to lead one up through the various centers to the experience of union. Nevertheless, the chakras, the astral body, and the awakening of kundalini are events that can be identified in the experiences of many, many Christian mystics. In contrast to the East, however, these experiences were not sought as means to union; they were experienced as a consequence of prayer.
Phillip St. Romain – Kundalini Energy and Christian Spirituality

When a person deeply rooted in Christian spirituality encounters something like Kundalini, and then has to resort to using Eastern archetypal images to provide understanding of the experience, it throws you for a loop. 

For some reason, experiencing transforming Kundalini itself seem to beckon one with this incessant need to explore for answers as to what has and is happening. But many confusing questions surface as we begin to research for answers that might provide some links between Western Judeo-Christian spirituality and the Eastern experience. What adds to the confusion is that these two branches of spirituality take such a very different approach to salvation and wholeness. 

Another quote from Phillip St. Romain:

“Where Easter religions begin with the human being

reaching out to the divine, Western religions begin with the divine reaching out to humans. Where Eastern religions emphasize practices that transform the human to a divine being, Western religions emphasize divine grace as the transforming energy. Where the East offers sophisticated spiritual “technologies” specifically designed to divinize the person, the West offers very little in the way of “how-to” spirituality. Where the East regards the Ego as an obstacle to the experience of God, the West sees grace working in and through the Ego to bring about transformation. Where the East holds that absolute non-duality is the highest level of consciousness, the West seldom drifts far from duality in its relationship with the divine.”

Ravi Ravindra, in his book “The Spiritual Roots of Yoga,

Royal Path to Freedom” also points out some fundamental differences that exist between the Western and Eastern view.

The major difference pointed out by this author is that in the Biblical tradition, emphasis is placed on "conscience" vs. "consciousness" (Eastern view). In Judeo-Christian thinking, the root cause of the human predicament is the assertion of self-will. 

Willfulness becomes the root cause of what Christians call sin, and the principal means of countering this assertion of the self-will is obedience to the will of God, which can be best effected through Divine Grace. So the Christian surrenders to Divine grace in order to experience the freedom from self-will or the sin that clings so easily to the human condition.

The Eastern tradition, on the other hand, sees the root

cause of human predicament as ignorance, this blindness caused by the ego as to who we really are before God. It is this ignorance, or blindness that gives rise to suffering (dukkha) or to illusion (maya). The path away from this suffering and illusion that flows from this ignorance is the sword of jnana or the knowledge that cuts the knots of ignorance so that we may see with greater clarity. This seeing requires that we move beyond the apparatus of the thinking, feeling mind, largely controlled by ego involvement. Illusions dissipate, and we see reality for what it really is without the distortions caused by past traumas and cultural conditioning. Many exercises in a practiced discipline are required to break free from ignorance so as to enter this non-duality existence free from suffering and illusion.

This creates another fundamental difference which is often a

source of conflict between these two views. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, emphasis is placed on the uniqueness of the human person, not only from all other creatures, but also from each other person. The Christian's lack of individuality and recognized uniqueness, even in the presence of God, is a mark of the lack of responsibility. 

In the Eastern system, separate individuality, is a mark of ignorance. The emphasis here is on oneness of all that there is. The practiced disciplines used in the Eastern approach are for the purpose of breaking the knots of ignorance in

order to establish, in an experiential way, the truth of this reality. Ravindra points out that the words “oneness” and “uniqueness” are derived from the same root, but their meanings diverge radically.

Ravindra summarizes: “The ideal of “oneness” are insight-oriented and from this much wisdom about the various levels of consciousness has been developed. The levels have always to do with degrees of steadiness of attention and graduations of clarity of perception. 

The Biblical traditions extolling uniqueness, on the other hand, are faith and obedient oriented, and have a primary focus on individual responsibility and moral conscious, corresponding to the quality of virtuous conduct or the degree and the gravity of sinfulness.”

With these differences in perspectives between Western and Eastern ideologies, it is no wonder that the experience of "Kundalini Rising" has so much trouble in finding expression in the Judeo-Christian tradition.

Chapter 30 Kundalini and God

"They live in wisdom who see themselves in all and all in them, whose love for the Lord of Love has consumed every selfish desire and sense-craving tormenting the heart. Not agitated by grief nor hankering after pleasure, they live free from lust and fear and anger. Fettered no more by selfish attachments, they are not elated by good fortune nor depressed by bad." 
Bhagavad Gita

It seems such a high ideal to aspire too, and to live by. Yet, most religious traditions, through their sacred scriptures, advocate that spiritual wholeness (holiness) has to do with moving away from selfishness, self-centeredness, isolation, and alienation and moving towards selflessness, other-centeredness, unity and community. This is the royal path to wholeness, the path to “being saved”. 

People put different meanings on “being saved”. In

the mind of the conservative Christian, "being saved" is connected primarily with an event occurring after death. The linear mind of a conservative Christian thinks of “life after death” as a continuation of one's existing life, except in a newly transformed state, for eternity. This, of course, would be conditional on how well we have performed in the life we were leaving behind.

I prefer to think of “being saved” as something we encounter now. “Being saved” has to do with wholeness; becoming all that God intends us to be, an encounter with the God who creates us and provides us with the Grace that leads to wholeness (holiness). So our journey towards wholeness begins now and continues into death. It is not a linear form of existence leading to a new place called heaven after death. It is a way of living in a completely transformed "state of being" that leads to fullness and wholeness, now.    

The opening scripture reading from the Bhagavad Gita speaks of this transformed state of "being" which allows one to see and experience life in this new way.

“They live in wisdom who see themselves in all and all in them, whose love for the Lord of Love has consumed every selfish desire and sense-craving tormenting the heart."  

This transformation of heart cannot be accomplished on our

own. It is born from our gentle and persistent surrender to Grace which permeates all things and is accessible at all times to those who are willing to die to “the ego self”, for it is the "ego self" that causes us to cling to sense objects and perceptions. 

From the Bhagavad Gita:

"When you keep thinking about sense-objects, attachment comes. Attachment breeds desire, the lust of possession which, when thwarted, burns to anger. Anger clouds the judgment and robs you of the power to learn from past mistakes. Lost is the discriminative faculty, and your life is utter waste.

But when you move amidst the world of sense from both attachment and aversion freed, there comes the peace in which all sorrows end, and you live in the wisdom of the Inner Self."

The ego-self causes us to see only in terms of “separateness”. It impairs our vision, so to speak, blinding us to who we really are before God.  The inner self allows us to see ourselves in all, and all in ourselves, in union to our source of Grace. 

Christian scripture speaks of this as well. In the Gospel of Luke chapter 12, Jesus speaks to the multitudes:

“Do not worry about your life, and what you are to eat, or your body, and how you are to cloth it; for your life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. Look at the birds of the air ......

This indifference to all created and limited things is what leads us to seeing ourselves in all and all in ourselves. We discover that "the Kingdom of God is at hand".

An illustration of this comes from the writings of Thomas Merton, a trappist monk from Gethsemane Abbey in Kentucky during an eventful visit to Louisville.

“On March 18, 1958, in Louisville, at the corner of Fourth

and Walnut, in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers. It was like waking from a dream of separateness. I suddenly realized that holiness (wholeness) did not require silence, isolation and renunciation of the world.”

Chapter 29 Three Things We Need To Know

Renunciation allows the mind to emerge from its ordinary limited preoccupations to take an interest instead in realizing its unlimited and completely liberated potential. We no longer rely on sensory pleasures for our ultimate happiness. We see the fatality of expecting deep satisfaction from limited transitory phenomena. Renunciation loosens our habitual grasping at pleasure and reliance upon externals for satisfaction. 

Bodhisattva or Service

As long as we remain tightly focused upon our own happiness, whether temporal or ultimate, we will never experience the expansiveness of a truly open heart. This narrow self-cherishing habit of the heart brings us nothing but spiritual suffocation. Narrow selfishness always leads to disappointment and equally clear is the fact that open-hearted dedication to other beings bring about happiness and sense of well-being. 

Emptiness or Correct View

Cultivating a correct view gives us the wisdom to clearly realize the actual way in which we and all other phenomena exist. By cultivating correct view, we remove the obscuration so that we may see the pure vision of reality.
Lama Yeshe – Introduction –Transformation of Desire Tantra

I’ve found the books on Buddhism that I’ve read over the years are fairly simple in their intent, but very complex in their approach. A lot of study is required to understand the path of the sutra, or the teachings and discourses that lead to full spiritual awakening. This study, and the understanding that results from this study, seem to be mainly of an intellectual nature.

I don’t believe a spiritual awakening can be attained from the

intellectual knowledge alone. To accompany this intellectual knowledge, we must also possess the more esoteric “inner knowing” that comes from the raw experience of one who has journeyed the path. Only those who have traveled the path will be able to possess the “inner knowing” that would be necessary to guide others along the way.

The spiritual road of tantra and kundalini that leads to enlightenment must incorporate this “inner knowing”. It is the “inner knowing” that moves the journey from speculative to reality.

Yet, all Buddhist teachers stress, before journeying the path

of tantra and kundalini leading to enlightenment, an intellectual understanding of three things is necessary in order to stay on the right path. They are Renunciation, Bodhisattva or Service, and emptiness or correct view.

Renunciation
We do not generally like “renunciation” because it implies having to give up something. But I prefer not to look at it in that way. There’s a gospel parable which for me speaks of the proper way of understanding “renunciation”.

Jesus said: "The Kingdom of God is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.
We focus, not on what is renounced, but on what is

discovered and attained. What is renounced is false and harmful. We just may not know it yet. As a result, we cling or grasp at what we know. But when the truth is discovered or experienced, then we willingly let go of what is false to possess the real treasure. Renunciation is the letting go of what is no longer of any value, or at least accepting it for what it is.

Bodhisattva or Service

Bodhisattva first asks us to take a giant leap in faith and trust that something is true that does not first appear to be true. Jesus speaks about it in the gospel of Luke when he says:

“Do not worry about your life, and what you are to eat, and your body, and how you are to cloth it. For life is worth more than food, and the body more than clothing.” 

He is inviting us to take the focus off “self”, and put it on others. This is not easy because ego consciousness sets us up to believe the opposite; the importance of “self”. But as we dare to surrender “self” to the opposite of what we perceive to be true, we discover Bodhisattva or the service attitude. 

Emptiness or Correct View

Emptiness here is not what it seems. The word itself is inadequate. It helps when we combine it with “correct view”. This is again a case of the truth being something other than what it seems. Our ego consciousness creates the impression that all things including “self” have an established concrete, permanent and enduring reality when in fact they do not.

There is no concrete, permanent and enduring reality. Everything is constantly changing. Nothing stays the same. It’s hard for us to get out heads wrapped around this because what we see is the opposite.

But the truth is, the “self” that we see, the “self” that has

been hurt and is being hurt by past and present trauma does not exist in the way we imagine. And “self” is merely a label we have placed on our perception of what we think is there. In meditation, we can move beyond this perception of “self” and experience emptiness, but we have trouble hanging onto this when our meditation time is over because ego consciousness again creates “self” as something permanent and something real. So we have to stop letting our ego consciousness fool us into believing that something exists in a way it does not. Emptiness, although empty of "self", moves us into being at one with all things.  It is here we experience becoming the compassionate one, the awakened Buddha, Christ consciousness.    

There’s a scripture from the letter of James that speaks to me about all three of these attributes:

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like”.

Chapter 28 Kundalini and Service

By dedicating your life to others in the way of the Bodhisattva, you can enjoy every day. There is always DEEP happiness in your heart instead of jealousy and so many other sufferings. When you follow your ego, negative emotional thoughts and self-cherishing, even though nobody else tortures you, you are constantly tortured by attachment, anger and so on.
Ven. Lobsand Namgye

I’ve read a few books and postings lately on the Bodhisattva Attitudes. Even though Bodhisattva comes from the Buddhist tradition, and my experience is principally from the Christian tradition, the similarities as to what both are trying to accomplish are remarkable. It’s as if both are challenging us to climb to the summit of a great mountain, albeit by different paths.

I've copied this from an internet posting called “Thoughts on Bodhisattva Attitudes.

“The 200 year old oak tree just outside my window is

dropping its acorns in a wide area, including my small balcony. They also are landing on the concrete walkway, gravel paths and in plain sight of squirrels to whisk away for winter food storage. Only a few are falling on fertile ground to grow into mighty oaks."

Like this, the teachings of the Bodhisattva path of heroic transcendent altruism, fall in a wide area, but only a few people are fertile ground for the teachings to take root!"
Domo Geshe Rinpoche

Now let’s compare this introduction with a parable in the Gospel of Matthew:

Jesus told them many things in parables, saying: “A

farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

Gospel of Matthew

The meaning of both stories is quite apparent and similar.

Both are intended to encourage the reader to prepare their hearts to become the fertile soil to embrace the seed that leads to "New Life". In the Buddhist story, it is to become the mighty oak tree. In the Christian parable, it is to produce a great harvest. In both, few are ready to make the sacrifice, but the ones who do will have life in abundance.

The way to this abundant life, for both, is through service.

The Bodhisattva totally dedicates her/his life, day and night, to the service of other sentient beings, for their well-being, for their happiness, to free them from suffering, and to teach them the path to enlightenment. This is what the Bodhisattva looks for and wishes for all the time. If we wish to become a Bodhisattva, our motivation should be the same. 

The Bodhisattva vow is the commitment to put others before oneself. It is a statement of willingness to give up one’s own well-being, even one’s own enlightenment, for the sake of others. And a Bodhisattva is simply a person who lives in the spirit of that vow, perfecting the qualities known as the six perfections—generosity, discipline, patience, exertion, meditation, and transcendental knowledge—in his/her effort to liberate beings.

The way to abundant life for the Christian is also through service. Those who allow the seed of the generous sower to fall on the fertile soil of their hearts, must do so through the love they share with their brothers and sisters.

"Jesus got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing,

and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place.

“Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

When Ghandi was asked by reporters: "What is your creed?

What do you believe?"  He said: "If you want to know what I believe, then look at the way I live."  

While in prison, John the Baptist questioned whether or not Jesus was the one his nation had been awaiting, or was there another to come? Jesus reported to John's followers: 

"Go tell John what you hear and see. The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the lepers are cleansed, and the poor have the good news brought to them."

In other words: "If you want to know who I am, then look at the way I live." 

For both the Christian and the Bodhisattva, the way we live must be in service to others.

Chapter 27 Kundalini and Heightened Sensitivities

The mechanism, known as kundalini, is the real cause of all genuine spiritual and psychic phenomena, the biological basis of evolution and development of personality, the secret origin of all esoteric and occult doctrines, the master key to the unsolved mystery of creation, the inexhaustible source of philosophy, art, and sciences, and the fountainhead of all religious faiths, past, present and future.
Gopi Krishna Kundalini—The Evolutionary Energy in Man

In my last posting, I introduced the concept called “brahmacharya” (walking in the creative force of God) which has to do with the preservation and cultivation of our creative life force, our kundalini energy.

With the rising of kundalini, I suddenly discovered a heightened awareness of all internal sensations. The flow of

Kundalini itself, on the most part, was very blissful, and left me with a strong desire to surrender to its currents, to do whatever was necessary to encourage its movement and to enhance its sensations. In a way, it was like a secret lover, seducing me to surrender to its touch, calling me into intimacy and wholeness. Because of this heightened awareness of sensation, many actions that before would be unnoticeable suddenly came alive and affective. Breathing in a certain way, hand formations called mudras, certain physical poses, sounds, vibrations, repeating of matras, aromas etc. were a few of the discoveries to be made as I progressed in my understanding of this transformation process.

I would like to briefly discuss some of these in brief detail.

During my retreat, the first signs that something extraordinary was happening was a radical change in breathing patterns. Kundalini has a way of leading you into those patterns that you need, at that moment, for its advancement. We only need to surrender to its call.

Yoga literature encourages the practice in breathing techniques that are useful to prepare the anatomy for the

rising of kundalini. One such technique is called “spinal breathing”. This breathing practice serves to open the passage way called the "sushumna svara" which is the most beneficial route for kundalini to travel in its journey from the root chakra to the crown. This breathing practice, along with meditation, would be considered preparatory work to ready the body for the initial engagement of the kundalini process. 

Since my kundalini rising began after an intense time of meditation, I can only assume that a lot of this preparatory work had either been done unconsciously before, or was accelerated by the flow of kundalini itself during its renovation and restoration process. 

Once kundalini is active and many of the blocks are cleared, we discover that we can direct energy flow by our intentions and visualization.  And breathing techniques certainly facilitate this process.

For example, one area that I currently find very
useful using the breath is for the enhancement of the inner fire. As you slowly inhale, visualize the flow of energy from your left and right nostril down through the left and right “savars” on either side of the spine (known as ida and pingala). Draw this energy with the breath down to the tip of the spine and perineum areas. Note the blissful sensation as

it rests there for a mini-second while holding the breath. Now what you do is move this energy up from the base through the sushumna svara, the central channel along the spine, to the crown allowing it to fan inner heat and fire that blissfully touches each of the chakras from the sacral to the crown. To do this, before exhaling, draw in the lower abdomen muscles, exhale slowly but forcefully while visualizing this energy entering the sushumna, tickling the sacral chakras, fanning the flame in the solar plexus chakra and moving it up the sushumna through the other chakras to the top of the head. By continuing this practice for a few breaths, kundalini energy is stimulated and moved in an upward motion to generate increasing levels of escasy.  This draws you into a still bliss consciousness, and frees you from all other forms of distractions.

Certain sounds whether said or heard will create vibrations

that will stimulate the chakras, and bring you into a deeper state of meditative silence and bliss consciousness. Gongs, bells, singing bowls and certain instruments etc. played or heard from a CD work very effectively. Also certain sounds that you pronounce by way of a mantra will create a similar effect. Each chakra from the root to the crown have their own sound. Say the sound, dragging it out with inhale or exhale and visualize the applicable chakra.

Root – lam

Sacral – vam
Solar Plexus – ram
Heart – yam
Throat – ham
Third eye – sham
Crown – shree…om

Different aromas also will stimulate the chakras when gently

inhaled. Patchouli for the root chakra, ylang ylang for the sacral chakra, and jasmine for third eye chakra are three.

Whenever I begin meditation, and use any of the practices or instruments to encourage and enhance the flow of kundalini energy, I bring to consciousness why I am doing this.  It's a discipline to renounce and move away from a way of life that is destructive for spiritual growth.  It's a discipline which leads to more effective service to others.  It's a discipline that leads to emptiness of self and union with the Divine.  

Chapter 26 Kundalini Brahmacharya Walking with God

In yoga terminology,

Brahmacharya means "walking in the creative force of God." This is commonly translated to mean celibacy, but it does not mean only that. It really means preservation and cultivation of the creative life force, the sexual energy, which can be either in celibacy or in tantric sexual relations. These two modes of behavior produce the same outcome, for both involve preservation and cultivation of sexual energy upward into the divine processes rising in the nervous system through advanced yoga practices.

Excerpt from Advanced Yoga Techniques

In the last posting, I mentioned the importance of “Bhakti” or

devotion to our practice of meditation. "Bhakti", the act of desiring the highest spiritual ideal we can imagine for ourselves, provides an invisible path for us to follow to enable kundalini to complete its journey to that which God intends for us. "Bhakti" is the energy of passion that keeps us motivated and steadfast in our practice that leads us to our desired destination.

As I continued my study on kundalini, and at the same time, watchful of its evolving effects, I discovered many things that substantially influenced this ongoing process of transformation. 

Many disciplines or practices are available that will affect the intensity and swiftness of the 

kundalini energy and its flow. Also, certain lifestyle activities had a diminishing effect. Focusing to heavily on certain practices can leave one feeling spaced out. Other lifestyle activities can leave you feeling de-energized and drained. 

The one activity that seemed to deplete the flow of kundalini energy the most was conventional sexual behavior that we are all familiar with and most accustomed too; sexual patterns designed for reproduction purposes. 

It is as if the sexual energy of kundalini has set us on a new path of rebirth towards spiritual re-generation.  As a result, we must learn to discipline our conventional sexual activities in order that this re-generation may take place.  

In my yoga research, I discovered a word that I cannot even

pronounce, “Brahmacharya” which means "walking in the creative force of God. As explained above in the short clip from Advanced Yoga Practices, “brahmacharya” is commonly translated to mean celibacy, but it does not mean only that. It really means the preservation and cultivation of the creative energy life force within us. 

The preservation of energy can best be done through sustaining from conventional sexual activity, although this does not appear to be the most popular choice.

Chapter 25 Bhakti (Devotion)

Devotion is more than the simple psychological mechanism of placing an ideal in the heart and mind which we can then strive for. There is much more to it than that. Directed emotional energy, desire, has great power. The act of devotion, the act of desiring the highest ideal we can imagine, is a transforming power itself. It creates changes deep in our nervous system. If we have devotion for a high ideal, this alone will be changing us inside before we ever sit to do any pranayama or meditation, or any of the rest of the advanced practices. Devotion is the first yoga practice, the main yoga practice, and the fire that lights everything on the path. Without it, everything else we do is just going through the motions. 

Excerpt from Advanced Yoga Techniques

The principal cause of my kundalini rising in 2005 was from

the years of meditation that preceded this occurrence. I did not meditate in order to trigger this occurrence. In fact, I didn't even know about kundalini until weeks after it had happened. I meditated as part of a devotional prayer practice and discipline that became a very important part of my life in ministry. This prayer practice came from a deep desire to know God more perfectly, and meditation accomplished this much more meaningfully than any other type of prayer. Meditation moved me beyond the ego involvement, which was part of my everyday life, into a space where "I-ness" faded and disappeared, and I experienced being at one with God.

After the kundalini occurrence which introduced me to yoga, I discovered the term “Bhakti” which means the science of devotion.

Devotion or "bhakti" is the most commonly practiced yoga technique around the world, though it is rarely called yoga. "Bhakti" or devotion, which is the continuous focus of desire on a particular spiritual ideal, is also a common expression in the world's great religions and forms part of its belief system or faith. It was with devotion that I practiced the discipline of Christian meditation, and this led to a devotion to God who I experienced as “present” in this practice.

Kundalini brought me to a much deeper level of devotion, not only in the practice of meditation, but to a further awakening to God’s presence. Because of the restorative aspects of kundalini, this deepened awakening was not only an occurrence during meditation time, but in all the actions of my life.

Since kundalini rising is the activation of energy from the root

and sacral chakras which modifies the subtle body system and moves one into newer and deeper levels of consciousness, it is similar to and linked closely with sexual energy.

In the world, there is a real obsession with sex, mainly because of its extraordinary power to bring us to moments of ecstasy and love. This powerful energy, which exists primarily to assure the continuation of the human species, has been distorted out of proportion for self-centered purposes. This has led to some of our worst human exploitation which has caused life-long trauma in the lives of many who have become victims of sexual aggressors. Therefore sexual energy, with the primary purpose for creating live with all of its multidimensional meanings, is often viewed with fear, suspicion and judgement, particular in some religious circles where its abuse has been as prevalent as main stream life.

As a result, kundalini energy, sexual energy, designed to give life, designed to restore us to a spiritual dignity through its powerful transforming capabilities, designed to bring us to a devotion and into union with God; is often cast in the same light as abusive sex. And maybe, if it is discovered and used by some for the same self-centered purposes as ordinary reproductive sexual energy, then perhaps it deserves to come under that umbrella of fear, suspicion, and judgement.

In order for kundalini to be the powerful force of transformation that it is designed to be, then “Bhakti” (devotion) must be an important part of our physiological disposition as we pursue the use of this sexual energy to bring us into the fullness and wholeness that God intended. Bhakti, the act of devotion, the act of desiring the highest ideal we can imagine for ourselves, is a transforming power in itself. With the use of “Bhakti”, we will direct the course of kundalini and produce the fruits that were intended for us from the beginning.