What Is Kundalini? Energy, Chakras and Spiritual Growth

What is kundalini? Umesh Guruji describes it as the vital force in every person, pictured as a snake coiled at the base of the spine. He explains how it relates to the chakras and to prana, and why this energy should grow slowly, through purity of body and mind, never by force.

The coiled snake and the two poles

The word kundalini evokes something round and coiled, like a snake resting in a circle. Umesh compares the body to an electric circuit: the head is the positive pole (yang), the base of the spine the negative one (yin). When the two currents meet, light is created, as in a bulb. Their meeting points are the chakras, the "power stations" of the energy body, along Sushumna, the central channel.

Why kundalini should rise slowly

In most people, Umesh says, kundalini is asleep: negative thoughts keep the energy falling downward, positive thoughts turn it upward. Activating it is "not easy" and asks for purification of body, mind and spirit. Thoughts create blockages, like a choked pipe, and a strong energy pushing against closed channels is like water against a wall. So the channels must be cleaned first; then the energy rises step by step through the seven chakras.

Kundalini and prana

Asked whether prana and kundalini are two different energies, Umesh answers that they are the same. Prana is the universal energy; inside the body, its yin part at the root is called kundalini. As it slowly meets the yang energy above, each chakra grows stronger, and the crown at the top of the head opens a little more.