Some say that the ultimate purpose of yoga, is to facilitate the awakening of kundalini- the power of God in the human body. From a certain viewpoint, this is true, and from other perspectives it is not. So what is it and what is yoga's relationship to it?Vedic philosophy, in particular the school of Tantra, see it as the link between the human body and cosmic Divine consciousness, responsible for creation. it is a potent seed of this force lying dormant at the base of the spinal column in every human body. According to Vedic and Tantric texts it is coiled around the base of the spinal column in three and a half spirals. Hence the ancient sages of India called it kundalini, the one coiled like a snake, and a snake has been symbolic of it ever since. it is considered manifest aspect of the Divine - the Divine Mother - 'Shakti' (Power or Force). She is seen as the aspect of the Divine present in and as the manifestation and that that animates 'life'.

The ancient Rishsi (seers) described an elaborate network of 72,000 nadis, an energetic web-like system spread throughout the human body, very much like the meridians of far Eastern systems. The three most important of these nadis spiral upwards from the root of the spinal column ascending to the crown of the head and the seventh yogic chakra called Sahasrahara. The middle channel, considered the most important of all, is called Sushumana. The other two major nadis on either side of Sushmana are called Ida (the feminine/moon channel) and Pingala (the masculine/sun channel). The six yogic chakras, centers of consciousness, are located vertically above one another at specific intervals along Sushmana where Ida and Pingala cross it.When it is awakened, it begins to rise through sushmana ultimately to reach sahasrahara, uniting with Param Shiva, the eternal unmanifest masculine aspect of the Divine. As it spirals upwards through sushmana, it enters the network of nadis and in ascending opens the chakras/cakras one by one as it rises. (NB:The chakras of the Indian yogic tradition do not correspond to the chakras as they have been understood and popularized in contemporary times.) It is here that we can see clearly the relationship between yoga and kundalini. As outlined through the eight limbs of yoga, yoga as a spiritual practice is a process of 'purification'. This purification can be seen as preparation for the awakening and rising of it. Essentially the more purification has been achieved, the faster and more easily it will ascend to the awaiting 'union' at the crown of the head.

It's energy stored within our spine slowly recoils itself. It is as if God is directly lifting us straight up for us to realize God with a short period of time. It is a very noble experience for every true seeker of spirituality.For this type of awakening to occur... we need to preserve the monthly quota of energy given to every man and woman. We just cannot let this energy find pure physical channels of pleasure.The path of this awakening shall become clear from the following example-In the normal routine if we are required to take 11 million steps up the ladder of spirituality... then it is also possible that we take the elevator straight up and cut short the path.

This elevator... the shortcut is the path which can be awakened by preserving the cosmic energy provided to every human being every month. As the stored energy increases... so does the journey expedite?Every true seeker of spirituality has to one-day switchover to the recourse of it's awakening for the normal path may take millions of manifestations... a long journey indeed!As the Shakti raises from the base of the spine towards the centre of the forehead... one shall experience very fearful flashes. It is really frightening sometimes as this awakening is accompanied by the shadow of a mammoth king cobra with many heads glaring at you from a short distance.The coiled Serpentine kundalini Shakti has been compared to the power which one experiences while watching a coiled snake coming out of slumber. It is too frightening an experience and many seekers of spirituality leave their journey midway.

Yogic texts elaborate how the it's piercing the different consciousness centers (chakras/cakras), can equip the practitioner with siddhis (powers) such as, clairvoyance, the ability to see the past and future, and perceive the existence of subtle planes of existence (among the least dramatic). The vivid and colorful descriptions of the siddhis can be another misguided motivator to pursue awakening the kundalini, in fact these can be quite an unhelpful diversion. When the it reaches Sahasrahara, and the entire system is 'purified' the human spiritual journey is complete as nothing now remains to create the illusion of separation from the Divine and True Nature. This final condition, when all vasanas, samskaras and karmas have been dissolved, is the state known as Moksha. Moksha is then the condition of complete liberation. This differs from enlightenment which begins with the end of identification with mind and reaches it's final conclusion only with Moksha. Until Moksha is attained, the 'enlightened' can still become once more identified with mind, it's vasanas, samskaras and karmas.

Unfortunately, this 'perfect' scenario is rarely in place when it strikes. Everybody has challenges on various levels of their life and these challenges will be amplified together with the positive aspects of the it's awakening. As a result, we may find ourselves with an array of weird symptoms, challenging emotions and confusing perceptions. When it effects our physcial body we may experiences the so-called kriyas - involuntary body movements which can be disconcerting, embarrassing or even painful.What's worse, everybody has an unconscious mind and kundalini is like a massive force that tears down the barriers to our unconsciousness. As a result, painful memories may come up - and even worse - our carefully suppressed antisocial drives may also come to the surface, for example, megalomaniac thoughts, racist or sexist thoughts, inappropriate sexual urges and violent impulses. For someone who is unprepared, this onslaught of our unconscious nature can be too much to bear. It may wreak havoc with their relationships and it may make them feel as if they live in some sort of hell.How to deal with symptoms of kundalini.