Part 7: Kundalini Awakening Signs and Symptoms
In this section, I’ll be sharing some of the most common signs of a Kundalini process. I won’t necessarily be speaking in detail on managing these experiences. For more insight on how to support your Kundalini process, please see the previous parts of this series.
In the title of this content, I’ve referred to the “symptoms” of Kundalini awakening. Please note that I don’t really feel that some of these experiences are symptoms per se, because I don’t see them as a problem.
Kundalini is not a sickness with symptoms. Kundalini is a beautiful unfolding with different signs and experiences that go along with it.
I have used the word “symptom” in the title here so that those who search for the keywords “kundalini symptoms” can easily find this work.
Often when I’m in touch with seekers in sessions or over email that are undergoing a Kundalini process, they approach me as if the phenomena they’re experiencing is a problem.
They say, my body is moving spontaneously, my appetite for food and sex drive are changing, I no longer enjoy my work, sometimes I feel energy moving in my head. How can I make this all stop?
And while they’re sharing their experience with me, I think of the thousands of Yogis throughout history that dedicated their whole lives to trying to awaken Kundalini, often unsuccessfully.
And here we have someone who has, by grace, been blessed with a Kundalini awakening, and somehow thinks their experiences are symptoms of something going wrong.
This is like a caterpillar thinking that something is going terribly wrong because they suddenly have an irresistible urge to build and enter a cocoon.
There are many interesting signs of a Kundalini process underway. They aren’t problems per se. They are simply indications of a deep transformation that is taking place.
One doesn’t need to figure out how to turn them off, decrease their frequency, or stop them all together.
One needs to understand what is happening and how to work in cooperation with the Kundalini so that the transformation can be carried out successfully.
With that said, there are certain experiences that one can be faced with which may be symptomatic of a neglected Kundalini process. For example, excessive alcohol use can lead to very challenging experiences on both the physical and non-physical planes.
Or, as mentioned in the previous section about maintaining energetic balance, one may feel intense anxiety, mania, or even completely disconnected from their body. If this goes on for too long without any proper practices to correct it, then we can refer to these challenges as symptoms which must be addressed accordingly.
However, much of what people may consider to be a symptom, such as spontaneous movements, known as kriyas, are not in fact symptoms, challenges, or problems to be solved. They are a natural part of any healthy and supported Kundalini process.
Before I share some of the signs of a Kundalini awakening, I want to let you know that it’s not always ideal to figure out for yourself whether you’re dealing with a Kundalini awakening or not simply by comparing your experience to a list of the common signs of a Kundalini process.
If possible, find someone who is advanced on this path and get their insight before you get too ahead of yourself and start to use Kundalini awakening as an excuse for some of the challenges you may be faced with in your life.
Some of these signs can overlap with different mental illnesses, physical ailments, or even just common everyday experiences. It’s important to try and get as clear as you can when determining whether you’re experiencing Kundalini phenomena or something else altogether.
There are signs of the Kundalini process that are very obvious and there are some that are more subtle. I’ll do my best here to outline as many as I can, but note that this is not an exhaustive list. I will discuss some of these phenomena more in depth in later sections of this series.
The most obvious sign of a Kundalini rising would be an experience during which a person undergoes an inner explosion of spiritual energy rising from the Root chakra, up the spinal column, known as the Sushumna nadi, to the top of the head, at the Crown chakra.
This is the most classic sign of a Kundalini awakening. It happens in an instant and can bring about extreme bliss, mystical phenomena, experiences of oneness, ego death, and the like.
However, this is rather rare and most who undergo a Kundalini awakening process won’t necessarily have this type of instantaneous inner explosion up the spinal column.
Conversely, some can experience a similar phenomena during which there is a downward flow of spiritual energy from the Crown into the rest of the body. This is known as a top-down awakening.
Similarly, a person can experience the inner radiance of spiritual energy from the Heart center too.
These explosive type experiences are often triggered as a result of very intense spiritual practice and emotional upheaval and healing. They don’t normally happen completely out of nowhere.
Beyond these three explosive type experiences, there are other more subtle signs of a Kundalini rising. Not all of these signs or experiences need to be present within the Kundalini process. Not everyone will experience them all. Remember that the Kundalini process is highly individualized, though there are certain common themes.
I’ll begin with using the five senses to list off some signs. These signs can show up from time to time, just once, or can be rather constant. It varies for each individual.
We may begin to see, either in our mind’s eye or with our eyes open, different mystical phenomena such as auras, flashes of light, spiritual beings, angels, non-physical entities, UFOs, and the like.
We can also begin to have visions, inwardly or outwardly, of different spiritual planes, the future, the past, various symbolic and archetypal depictions, and so on.
In our daily lives, we may begin to see synchronicity appearing all around us at alarming rates. Sometimes it can become so intense that it may become overwhelming as we try to interpret it. Whenever we see synchronicity, it all ultimately boils down to a clear sign from the Universe that we’re on the right track.
We may begin to hear spontaneous mantras being chanted, such as Om. Some mantras may be traditional ones, such as Om Namah Shivaya or the seed mantras of the chakras. Other mantras may be some that have never been heard or expressed before.
At times, we can hear an inner voice, often guiding us, reassuring us, or offering insight and wisdom.
Sometimes, we can hear ringing in our ears, the buzzing of bees, or celestial music.
When we hear these things, just like with seeing synchronicity, they are signs that we’re on the right track, and to keep going.
We might begin to smell certain wonderful fragrances that aren’t coming from anything in our environment.
We may get a taste of a sweet nectar from time to time as well.
When it comes to feeling, we can feel many new things.
We may feel energy flowing through our system, either subtly or very intensely.
We might have body spasms, tremors, jolts, and zaps of energy.
We could feel subtle pressure in certain areas of our body, such as our head or heart.
Occasionally, we might feel shifts in temperature. We can feel a warmth radiating from our heart, for example. We can also just feel a general sense of hot or cold for no apparent reason.
It’s very likely to experience tingling all over the skin sometimes too.
We will most definitely begin to feel deep emotions and have the urge to express them, by crying, laughing, dancing, and so on.
We can begin to feel incredible unconditional love for God, for Nature, for ourselves, for others, and for the world.
We might feel bliss, even in the midst of uncomfortable emotions or experiences. This bliss can be subtle or intense. It can come and go.
We can feel the spontaneous urge to move our bodies in certain ways. These are known as Kriyas.
Kriyas involve our system being spontaneously moved, in subtle or profound ways, by the Kundalini Shakti within us. They serve to heal and transform our systems on many levels.
We may find ourselves finding the irresistible urge to enter into certain Yoga poses or asanas. Sometimes, they are advanced poses that we wouldn’t have been able to enter the day before, due to a lack of strength or flexibility.
Some kriyas involve spontaneous vocalizations, of mantras, sacred sounds, prayers, and the like.
Other kriyas may involve the spontaneous movement of the hands into sacred energetic gestures, known as mudras.
Sometimes we can find ourselves spontaneously breathing in unusual ways, known as spontaneous pranayama.
We could also experience spontaneous bandhas, or body locks, such as drawing the pelvic floor upwards, for example.
There are many types of kriyas and they are nothing to be afraid of. They are signs that the Kundalini is active and working to release trauma and heal us.
Though they can be intense at times, and sometimes they can happen in public, in front of other people, it’s important not to feel as if there’s something wrong when we experience kriyas.
When we look at modern day yoga practices, such as a series of postures or pranayama exercises, all of these practices did not originate from anyone’s mind or ego. Nobody sat down and developed these practices themselves.
These practices were initially observed occurring spontaneously to people in the midst of a kundalini process. They were then recorded and copied by others.
Genuine yoga practices are all actually spontaneous Kriyas guided from the Kundalini within. So when you are experiencing kriyas, know that you’re experiencing the real practice of yoga, which cannot be bought or sold.
As we begin to work with Kundalini, we may experience sudden, sometimes drastic shifts in our diet and appetite. We may feel called to fast, to eat certain unusual foods, to eat things we don’t normally eat, in some cases, meat. At other times, we may feel called to cut out things like meat.
The Kundalini requires certain foods to support our system as we go through the process and it can guide us to those foods if we are able to tune in and listen.
We can also experience extreme fatigue, exhaustion, dizziness, lightheadedness, or insomnia. These experiences, though difficult, do serve a higher purpose within the context of the Kundalini process.
Sometimes the reasons aren’t always clear. We can manage these challenges with the grounding techniques and the six guiding principles as shared in parts two and three of this series.
One clear sign of a Kundalini process is the ability to access deep states of meditation, sometimes spontaneously. We can find ourselves going into meditative, peaceful, still states of consciousness while we’re engaging in everyday tasks. We can also find that we can easily attain states of no-mind and Samadhi in meditation too.
These states may not always be accessible. The ability to reach them can come and go before being stabilized at advanced stages of the path where they will always be accessible, generally speaking.
We may also feel a strong, insatiable urge to meditate. It will feel just like the need to eat or sleep. At times, we may want to do nothing but meditate, no matter what. It’s important to find the time and space to honour these impulses.
We may also begin to feel a strong spiritual connection to God, Source, or Nature. We may begin to feel an emotional connection and want to express that through acts of devotion, such as prayer, mantras, or our own form of worship.
This may seem unusual to some who may not have necessarily had a strong devotional approach to their spirituality. Some may have considered themselves to be atheists, and yet they may feel a new and deep longing to connect with something greater than themselves.
Whatever the inclination, it’s important to respect and honour these inner movements. What our mind once thought it understood about life, reality, philosophy, religion, God and spirituality, may start to fall away as direct experiences trump our previous notions.
Just like how we may long to be close to God, we may long to be in nature. This is healthy and normal. We may want to get out of the city and spend time in nature, even if it’s something that we never really had an interest in before.
Mother Nature is synonymous with the Divine Mother Kundalini Shakti. They are One. In nature, we go to be recharged and rejuvenated. Nature can teach us lessons and help us if we’re willing to pay attention to it. Nature can help us to maintain energetic balance during the turbulent times of Kundalini awakening.
Another sign of a Kundalini process underway is that we may begin to feel a deep, insatiable urge to create in some form or another. It may be writing, painting, dancing, speaking, building, singing, or sharing in our own way.
We may be divinely inspired to channel forth poetry, art, and the like. It’s important that we make time and space to let these expressions come forth. They are healing. They are the gifts the Kundalini wishes to share with not only the individual, but also with others too.
The Kundalini process is ultimately a healing process. We may come to a point in our lives where we see that the only effective means of attaining success, peace, happiness and a meaningful life is by healing the pains of our past.
We become very aware of our trauma and addressing it becomes a priority. The Kundalini will support us in this endeavour by bringing up bottled up trauma and conditioning to the surface of our awareness so that we can release it with unconditional love. This can look like purging and be quite challenging at times, but it is absolutely necessary for a successful spiritual unfolding.
We may also feel strong urges to be of service to others. We may want to help in so many profound and meaningful ways, even though that may not have been a priority before.
As the heart begins to open and the ego begins to thin, we see that we are one with all, and that to serve and heal the world is to serve and heal ourselves too. So we may suddenly find ourselves looking for ways to offer our gifts to others.
As we advance through the Kundalini process, our small sense of self, our tiny ego which we once identified with, starts to be seen as nothing more than a mask, a character, an illusion. As this realization dawns, which can happen instantly or gradually, we begin to recognize that we really are one with Source or the Self, with a capital S.
This can bring about experiences of ego death and the realization of our true nature as non-dual awareness, which can be incredibly profound and transformative.
Now, let’s talk about dreams. Throughout the Kundalini journey, our dreams are likely to take on new mystical, vivid qualities. We may begin to dream of very strong spiritual themes, symbology, and motifs. We may have encounters with known divine figures, such as Ascended Masters.
We may also dream of meeting beings that we cannot recognize, but who are clearly highly evolved due to the radiance we feel coming from them and the blessings, insight, transmissions, and gifts which they offer us.
We may dream of snakes, a common archetype of the Kundalini that has been firmly lodged within the collective unconscious of all humanity. The snakes may try to bite us, chase us, or eat us. We may run in fear. This is all suggestive of the transformative, all consuming quality of the Kundalini process.
The old version of ourselves must have to die before we can be reborn. This death involves being consumed by the Kundalini, by the snake, just as a cocoon consumes the caterpillar. Fear is normal, but it must be overcome as we surrender to our death and rebirth process. We shed our skin, like a snake, revealing a new version of ourselves.
Similarly, we may also encounter other animals, such as cats in our dreams. Cats also represent the Divine Feminine. Dreams are very important and significant. If you feel called, keep a dream journal.
Another sign of the Kundalini process is a shift in libido. For some, the libido will rise to insatiable levels. In these cases, it’s important to learn how to manage this energy and channel it into creative outlets.
For others, the sex drive may become completely depleted. This can be alarming, but it’s nothing to worry about in either case. Stability will come eventually.
Another sign is that we may become solely interested in spiritual matters as we walk the path of the Kundalini process. We may find that the things that once got us excited no longer interest us. We may only be concerned with spiritual development, reading spiritual books, having spiritual conversations, and the like.
This is something that can take some adjustment. But it should be honored without fear. Eventually, once you have consumed enough spiritual material and immersed yourself in the path without distraction, you will likely be called back into worldly endeavors once again.
Along the Kundalini path, at times for some people, certain dormant psychic abilities begin to awaken and come online. These are known as Siddhis. There are many different kinds. We may begin to see the future, to see the past, to have out of body experiences, to manifest objects and situations instantly, to read minds, and so on.
These are fascinating experiences, but they can be sticky traps. It’s important to use these experiences to learn and understand more about oneself and the nature of reality and then to move ahead on the journey without attachment to them. Remember, the Kundalini awakening journey is not about attaining superhuman powers.
It’s about recognizing that we are Divine and connected to all. It’s about embodying this recognition moment to moment, all while remaining relatable and human.
Lastly, one of the clearest signs is a genuine interest in the topic of Kundalini. Something about it will call us and intrigue us. We may become extremely fascinated with it and want to consume as much information about it as we can.
Typically, those who have a strong interest in these matters are likely to begin working with Kundalini in some capacity.
Those who are not yet ready for an awakening will not be very interested in these matters, generally speaking. They may be temporarily curious, and then they will move on. Or, they may be overly critical and scoff at it, and then move on.
But those who are committed to the exploration of this topic are likely dealing with a Kundalini process or they will sometime soon.
These are just some of the most common experiences and signs of a Kundalini process. There are certainly more nuanced phenomena that I have omitted for now.
If you have been experiencing many of these signs, then it may be worth exploring further to better understand your experience and whether you’re in the midst of a Kundalini awakening.
If you are looking for answers, seek out the guidance of those who have attained advanced stages of the kundalini process.
Please remember, that no matter what sort of experiences you have, as I’ve said many times, the process is highly individualized and everyone’s path is unique when it comes to the specifics. However, the general themes of the journey are well documented and so no matter how unusual things get, there’s no need to worry.
Kundalini is a beautiful process. These are signs of an incredible gift of spiritual transformation taking place, not symptoms of a sickness to be cured.
Contact me with any questions about your Kundalini awakening process.
Find out more about meeting with me one-on-one here.