I had a kundalini awakening in the lockdown of 2020.
I was doing a twenty day meditation with Deepak Chopra that my friend encouraged me to do, it was for abundance. It comprised of daily tasks and ten minute mantra meditations.
As I got in to doing it every day I thought I might as well do some yoga as well. I have done yoga on and off for well over twenty years but had become fearful of practicing at home due to previous injury, however this new-found daily practice of meditation inspired me to give it a go again. At the time I had been attending weekly Hatha sessions before the lockdown.
Ten years or so prior to this I had attended Kundalini yoga classes for perhaps two or three years. During this time I would often experience trembling, shaking and buzzing vibrations during the sessions but the teacher said it was just lactic acid releasing from the muscles and at the time I expressed doubt that this was all it was but didn't really think much more about it, until one day I went to a mindfulness mediation session at my university and sat in a lotus position. Something about the position and the meditative state started off the vibrations happening and I knew this couldn't be lactic acid as I hadn't done any exercise. I began allowing the vibrations to come, they were like waves washing over me or through me and vibrating my body. after the session the teacher mentioned it to me and I was embarrassed and asked if it was disturbing for others and he basically said yes so I didn't go back again! After this I finished my course and relocated and didn't pursue Kundalini yoga and never had another occurrence until 2020.
As I was doing a sun salutation at home I felt the vibrations start again in my leg to start with, it was lovely to feel it again and better to be in private and not disturb anyone. That was it that day but the next day it happened again, when just sitting still in the lotus. As I allowed this more and more, day by day the vibrations became quite violent shaking, like an earthquake! I felt like walls I had built up around myself were being demolished by this earthquake energy. I also began having some visions such as images or symbols seen with the third eye. One day as I was shaking I suddenly bum-shuffled backwards across the carpet! I was very surprised to start moving like this automatically, for want of a better word. I don't like the word involuntary because for me I did have to allow the phenomenon to occur, I didn't feel it forced itself on me. I did "volunteer" but the movement was a complete surprise to me and not something that ever would have occured to me to attempt.
As time has gone on I have continued a daily practice ever since which is something I feel has been a precious gift. The movements (Kriyas) have expanded their range and settled on some favourites, some of them are extremely soothing and/or feel fantastic, and there are some funny little shakes and shoulder shimmies that I am not capable of doing by will, I've tried! It really blows my mind. I found the shaking could become hopping, or yogic flying (stage one!). There was one time after doing this that I felt like I was going to have some sort of brain orgasm but I was too scared and it faded off. I think that probably means I haven't had a full awakening yet as not ready.
For me the process has been very physical but there have been also major changes in my life and not all of them pleasant. I have heard that Kundalini tends to dismantle things for you and ultimately put you on a different path, I hope it's a better one, I've heard it wants you to take the path of the Ascetic! (not easy in British society and climate). I do have faith that it is good force although I have had some more sinister feelings like the feeling of a presence looming behind me, which feels a bit murky to be honest, and possibly a bit pushy. I don't feel it as often now but when I do ity'snormally when I'm thinking about starting my practice but haven't done so yet, like it's a force pushing me to get on with it. Some of the kriyas include body drops and quite sudden adjustments of the body which have a certain character in their movement, like some sort of eccentric old marshal arts teacher who just shoves you in to position!? I have also experienced some passing of nervous twitches between me and my partner, mainly when he's asleep, and was worried it may have also affected my beloved cat who used to love to join me for yoga and started twitching himself (and seemed to be happy) when relaxing but then started having seizures where his legs would lift up out of his control and he'd not be able to walk and his tail would go stiff. He was found to have a thyroid problem and then quite quickly became very unwell and died last year, which has been absolutely heartbreaking for me. I had stopped practicing with him in the room just in case it was this that was affecting him but couldn't stop altogether, which I wondered if I should have but couldn't, it's like an addiction. I hope it is just a coincidence that his symptoms seemed a bit like my kriyas, as often in shivasana on e or more of my arms and legs will raise up, as if levitating.
I would love to hear from others what they think and especially if anyone has any insight or similar experience with animals/loved ones. Please no Bible bashers although I wouldn't blame you! x :)
Thanks Sameer, oh good gracious no, not Urdhva Dhanurasana! :) I can't do that and probably won't ever. It's usually in shivasana, it's like one of my chakras will rise up then drop down with quite a thud, particularly heart or solar plexus, so the back in the corresponding place lifts up then drops back to the floor. I don't mind it at all, it feels like it's doing something good. I wonder sometimes about it being like conditioning, like martial arts people whacking their legs with sticks etc., or is it even getting the body used to the idea of how to land gracefully in case one does actually levitate at some point? (I know this sounds a bit far fetched to most). It does back off if I'm not ready for something or find it too intense. An interesting positive is that previously to this I had had a few heart palpatations, but after some kriyas where my hands beat fast rhythmically on my heart in prayer pose, which was like a defibrilator at times, with my heart beating like crazy beneath I haven't had any more palpatations since. I also gave up my old job which was too stressful.