By Valeri 
Sadhguru explains why Kundalini Yoga is effective but dangerous. He emphasizes that this powerful spiritual process should be approached with the utmost responsibility and reverence.
Sadhguru talks about what Kundalini is and reviews the process of Kundalini Yoga itself. He emphasizes that this powerful spiritual process should be approached with utmost responsibility and reverence.
Sadhguru: In yogic culture, the snake symbolizes kundalini, the unperceived energy within you. The nature of kundalini is such that when it is motionless, you are not even aware of its existence. It is only when it comes into motion that you realize the incredible power within you. But until it comes into motion, it is as if it does not exist. That’s why the symbol of the kundalini is the snake because a coiled snake is extremely difficult to see until it starts moving. Similarly, you don’t see this coiled energy until it starts moving. When your kundalini awakens, incredible things begin to happen to you that you can’t believe are possible: your body and everything around you behave completely differently because a whole new level of energy is being released.
Kundalini and perception
An increased level of energy is also an increased level of perception. The whole yogic system is aimed only at increasing your perception. The spiritual process essentially means just that: to increase your perception, because you only know what you perceive. This is the idea behind the symbolism of Shiva and the snake – the snake indicates that his energy has peaked. His energy has reached the top of his head and that is why his third eye has opened.
Kundalini and the Third Eye
The third eye does not mean that someone’s forehead has cracked and something has come out. It simply means that another dimension of perception has opened up. Two eyes can only see what is physical. If I simply cover them with my hand, they can no longer see – so limited are they. If the third eye has opened, it means that another dimension of perception has opened, which is inward-looking, which looks at life in a totally different way – and whatever can be perceived is perceived.
Kundalini yoga: preparation first!
Today, many books and yoga studios talk about Kundalini Yoga and its benefits, although they know nothing about it themselves. Even just saying the word “kundalini” itself, we always bring a sense of awe first and then we already say the word because it is so significant. If you need to activate the kundalini, the necessary preparation has to happen in your body, mind and emotions, because if you pump energy into a system that is not ready for that kind of tension or volume, everything will burn out. I have had many people come to me who have lost their mental balance and physical capabilities because they tried to practice Kundalini Yoga without the necessary guidance and assistance.
If the necessary supportive atmosphere is not there, trying to raise kundalini can be very irresponsible and dangerous.
Why is Kundalini Yoga dangerous?
Kundalini Yoga is by its very nature the most dangerous form of Yoga. I use the word dangerous because it is also the most powerful. Anything that is the most powerful, when mishandled, is always also the most dangerous. For example, there are different ways of generating electricity. One way is nuclear reactors. This is the most efficient way of producing electricity that we know at the moment, but it is also the most dangerous, isn’t it? When things are going well, it is the easiest and best way to produce energy on the planet. When things go wrong, the situation becomes so serious that it’s impossible to fix anything. It is the same with Kundalini Yoga: it is the most powerful, but it is also the most dangerous. Without the necessary training, without constant qualified guidance and supervision, nobody should ever try to practice it. But the problem is that books have been written on this subject and everybody wants to do the highest Yoga. Nobody wants to start with the letter “A”, everybody wants to start learning the alphabet with the letter “I”. This attitude is dangerous in itself.
In the classical traditions of Yoga, there is a certain kind of practice that we teach to people who live a family life. There is another kind of Yoga that we teach to ascetics – we never teach it to those who are in family relationships. It is the most effective method, but it requires a level of discipline and concentration that your normal life will not allow. If you do this kind of Yoga, it will instantly destroy the outside of your life.
This is not to say that there is anything wrong with Kundalini Yoga. It is an absolutely fantastic process, but it must be done correctly because energy cannot move on its own accord. You can build your life around it, or you can ruin your life with it. Our lives are built around electricity. But you know what happens if you stick
This is not to say that there is anything wrong with Kundalini Yoga. It is a fantastic process, but it has to be done correctly because energy cannot move on its own. You can build your life around it, or you can ruin your life with it. Our lives are built around electricity. But you know what happens if you stick your little finger in the socket! Electricity has no discretion. How you use it is how it manifests. Kundalini is like that. Right now you are using it, but to a minimum extent. If you maximize it, you can go beyond the limitations of your existence.
Kundalini Yoga: the science of breaking down limitations
All Yoga is aimed at this to one degree or another, but Kundalini Yoga in particular. All of life is aimed at this. In a way, all people want to experience and live life more intensely than they are living it now. Some want to sing, some want to dance, some want to drink alcohol, some want to pray – why do they do all these things? They want to live life more intensely. Everybody is trying to raise their kundalini, but they are doing it haphazardly. When you approach it scientifically, using the right method, we call it Yoga.