Characteristics of Kundalini-Related Sensory, Motor, and Affective Experiences During Tantric Yoga Meditation

Abstract

Traditional spiritual literature contains rich anecdotal reports of spontaneously arising experiences occurring during meditation practice, but formal investigation of such experiences is limited. Previous work has sometimes related spontaneous experiences to the Indian traditional contemplative concept of kundalini. Historically, descriptions of kundalini come out of Tantric schools of Yoga, where it has been described as a "rising energy" moving within the spinal column up to the brain. Spontaneous meditation experiences have previously been studied within Buddhist and Christian practices and within eclectic groups of contemplative practitioners. Prior explorations of kundalini have emphasized extreme experiences, sometimes having clinical consequences. We conducted a first such investigation of kundalini-related experiences within a sample of meditators from a single Tantric Yoga tradition (known as Ananda Marga) that emphasizes the role of kundalini. We developed a semi-structured questionnaire to conduct an exploratory pilot investigation of spontaneous sensory, motor and affective experiences during meditation practice. In addition to identifying the characteristics of subjective experiences, we measured quantity of meditation, supplemental practices, trait affect and trait mindfulness. We administered it to 80 volunteers at two Ananda Marga retreats. Among reported experiences, we found the highest prevalence for positive mood shifts, followed by motor and then sensory experiences. The frequency of spontaneous experiences was not related to the quantity of practiced meditation or trait measures of mindfulness and affect. Self-reports included multiple descriptions of rising sensations, sometimes being directly called kundalini. Experiences with rising sensations were complex and many included references to positive affect, including ecstatic qualities. There were also reports of spontaneous anomalous experiences. These experiences of rising sensations resemble prior clinical descriptions that were considered kundalini-related. The individuals who reported rising sensations could not be distinguished from other participants based on the incidence of experiences, quantity of meditation practice, or trait measures of mindfulness and affect. In contrast, greater amount of Tantric Yoga meditation practice was associated with greater positive affect, less negative affect and greater mindfulness. Further study of these exploratory findings and how they may be related to spiritual and well-being goals of meditation is warranted along with scientific investigation of purported kundalini phenomena.

Keywords: Ananda Marga; anomalous experiences; contemplative practices; kundalini; meditation; subjective experiences; tantric yoga.

Figure 1

An artistic representation of the basic seven chakras used in Ananda Marga. Locations for the chakras are, respectively, in ascending order: the base of the spine above the perineum (muladhara, first chakra), at the genital organ (svadisthana, second chakra), at the navel (manipura, third chakra), at the midpoint of the chest (anahata, fourth chakra), at the throat (vishuddha, fifth chakra), between the eyebrows (ajina, sixth chakra), and at the crown of the head (sahasrara, seventh chakra). The locations of each chakra symbol represent concentration points on the ventral surface of the body, and are believed to reflect controlling points in the spine from where one can control certain mental dispositions (or vrttis) by influencing the secretion of glands in the vicinity of that point. The line connecting the chakras represents the sushumna nadi. Additional symbolic details are not presented here and are beyond the scope of the present discussion, including additional symbolic features related to the internal geometric shapes of each chakra, colors (presented in just neutral gray and white) and associated sounds. This digital artwork was created by Aaron Staengl and reprinted here with his permission.

Figure 2

Bar chart for the percent of all participants (n = 80) who reported having experiences within any particular modality.

Figure 3

Bar chart for the percentage of Somatosensory (SS) responders who reported various somatosensory characteristics, including (A) various locations of somatosensory experiences, and (B) specific types of somatosensory experiences. Participants were allowed to report as many different locations and experiences as desired.

Figure 4

Bar charts of characteristics for different types of motor responses including, abrupt movements (A), positioning movements (B), breathing changes (C), and vocalizations (D). Each graph shows the percent of Motor responders which provided the various responses. Participants were allowed to report as many different experiences as desired for each bar chart.

Figure 5

Bar chart for the percentage of Temperature responders who reported different Temperature characteristics, including (A) duration of temperature experiences, and (B) frequency of temperature experiences.

Figure 6

Bar charts of the percent of Light responders indicating various light characteristics: (A) frequency, (B) brightness, (C) duration, (D) colors, (E) shape, and (F) locations. Participants reported as many different experiences as desired for colors and locations.

Figure 7

(A) Bar chart demonstrating the incidence of each sound experience occurring during meditation as the percent of total Sound responders. (B) Bar showing how frequently participants who reported Sound experiences had such experiences. Each participant is represented only once.

Figure 8

Bar chart demonstrating the percent of Mood responders reporting various mood shifts. Participants were allowed to report as many different types of mood shifts as desired.