Kundalini Yoga is seeing a recent surge in interest and news, casting this ancient knowledge in both a positive and negative light.

So, what is kundalini all about, anyway and why is there so much news about it?

What is Kundalini?

The concept of kundalini goes back thousands of years and has different names across the world. Although the word most commonly used today is from India, it’s called Shekhem in Egypt and has many other names. Put simply, it’s lifeforce energy moving along the spine and associated with chakras.

In scientific terms, it’s comparable to an unseen energetic field, such as ether or aether, described by Tesla and Einstein. 

“All matter comes from a primary substance, the luminiferous ether.” – Nikola Tesla

Interestingly, a meeting with an Indian Hindu monk, Swami Vivekananda, may have influenced Tesla’s ideas on the subject.

“Nikola Tesla used ancient Sanskrit terminology in his descriptions of natural phenomena. As early as 1891 Tesla described the universe as a kinetic system filled with energy which could be harnessed at any location. His concepts during the following years were greatly influenced by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda. Swami Vivekananda was the first of a succession of eastern yogi’s who brought Vedic philosophy and religion to the west. After meeting the Swami and after continued study of the Eastern view of the mechanisms driving the material world, Tesla began using the Sanskrit words Akasha, Prana, and the concept of a luminiferous ether to describe the source, existence and construction of matter,” writes the Tesla Memorial Society of New York.

 In the Sci-Fi world, it’s like the mystical Force or ‘Eywa’ in the Avatar, the Way of Water movie.

In a spiritual context, the topic is too much to get into in a blog post. Although it’s little known in the West, it’s probably more relevant than one would think. Briefly, ancient belief systems hold that anyone can unlock their higher spiritual potential through yoga and associated kundalini energy. Today, mainstream religions generally cast aspersions on such ideas (To put it mildly). Yet some say similar ideas are present in mainstream religion using different words. To each their own.

Whatever your beliefs, you can see the symbol for kundalini everywhere. It’s the Caduceus or Staff of Hermes used in health care. This symbol is about kundalini, although most people are more familiar with images of a seated Buddha with glowing chakras. The same concept is there in the Egyptian Thoth’s staff seen on the cover image.

When Did Kundalini Yoga Come to the West?

Although ancient, the concepts of Kundalini Yoga are still very new to the West. It was just getting established in the 70s.

“Kundalini was a rarity in the West before the 1970s until more attention became centered upon the consciousness. In 1932, for example, psychiatrist Carl G. Jung and others observed that the Kundalini experience was rarely seen in the West,” writes The Secrets of Yoga.

As for ‘Kundalini Yoga,’ or the ‘Yoga of Awareness,’ it is one of many branches of yoga. The word yoga means ‘Union’ or ‘To Join’ in Sanskrit. The union is about uniting the body with higher consciousness (body, mind, spirit).

In Egypt, that union is called ‘Sema,’ metaphorically uniting upper and lower Egypt (which represents the spine). For more, I recommend the books by Muata Ashby, which are readily available online.

Although the ways yoga is practiced are different, the goal is always the same: relieving stress while pursuing a higher spiritual awareness or consciousness. Thus, it’s much like meditation. Kundalini Yoga focuses on meditation and breathwork more than physical poses in other forms of yoga.

Video by Astral Doorway

Kundalini Yoga Makes News for Health Benefits

Recently, Kundalini Yoga has been the subject of some good news. A UCLA study has shown that older women at risk of Alzheimer’s saw some impressive benefits from it.

“Guided by Dr. Helen Lavretsky, researchers have discovered that Kundalini yoga, an ancient practice rooted in awakening energy and consciousness, could be the key to unlocking significant cognitive benefits for those at risk of this relentless disease. Unlike traditional memory training, this gentle yet powerful form of yoga has shown to not only halt but reverse the effects of aging and inflammation on the brain, marking a pivotal moment in the quest to combat cognitive decline,” BNN reported.

Looking at the specific benefits, they are significant.

“Researchers found the Kundalini yoga group participants saw several improvements not experienced by the memory enhancement training group. These included significant improvement in subjective memory complaints, prevention in brain matter declines, increased connectivity in the hippocampus which manages stress-related memories, and improvement in the peripheral cytokines and gene expression of anti-inflammatory and anti-aging molecules,” reported Technology Networks.

Kundalini Yoga ‘Cult’ 

At the same time that promising news about the subject is arriving, there are many news stories about Kundalini Yoga associated with a cult and many alleged wrongdoings.

Unfortunately, the headlines make it sound like Kundalini Yoga is altogether a dangerous practice. But what actually happened had to do with the alleged misconduct of Yogi Bhajan, who brought the teachings to the West from India in the 60s. 

Multiple women associated with Bhajan are bringing forward allegations of sexual misconduct, a toxic atmosphere of verbal and mental abuse, brainwashing, and other cultish practices. One of them is Katie Griggs, who assumed the name Guru Jagat and was associated with celebrity clients in California. Another person accused of misconduct is comedian Russell Brand. 

Business Insider’s headline, ‘Russell Brand has long followed Kundalini yoga, which has been linked to brainwashing tactics, rape, and abuse,’ focuses on the yoga part. The allegations are coming from the same Ra Ma Yoga Institute’s former employees. (Ra Ma was founded by founded by Guru Jagat.)

The Key is Within the Individual

One wonders if such headlines will make people automatically associate the entire subject with a cult. It’s quite possible. Of course, it goes without saying that following a cult is always a horrible idea. Many in the West seem dangerously oblivious to that today, particularly in the political realm. And it also goes without saying that abuse of any kind should never be tolerated.

However, meditating and exploring spirituality, including the topic of kundalini, are ancient ideas, not something made up by any celebrity or modern cult.  

To study or practice, one is never required to follow any leader, be it in a cult or a church, to find a path to enlightenment. The key is everything needed is right there residing inside the individual. Thus, it’s an empowering teaching. Empowering the individual may also be why such subjects have historically been quite threatening to those prone to controlling others and maintaining power. But keeping an open mind and listing to your intuition are key to any pursuit of enlightenment.

Video by ArshaBodha – Swami Tadatmananda about Kundalini:

Featured image: Temple of Seti I Abydos, Thot holds the staff of Upper and Lower Egypt with twined Uraeuses (snakes), Flickr , CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 DEED, (colors have been played with in Photoshop)