Simple practice to awaken your Kundalini

Begin with a few rounds of pranayama. Worship Ganapati and Lord Shiva in His Dakshinamurthy form. Next, imagine that, as you inhale, you are drawing air (prana) in through the top of your head and directing it down your spine to your perineal area, where the Kundalini lies asleep.

As you exhale, visualize the air (prana) ascending from your perineal area, back up through your spine to the top of your head (the Brahmarandhra point), and then exiting your body.

Remember, these are visualizations. In reality, air enters through your nose into your lungs and exits through your nose as you breathe. However, you should actively visualize the method described above.

To accelerate the awakening of Kundalini Shakti, you can combine Ajapa Gayatri mantra japa with your breathing. The natural sound of breathing is Ham and Sa—the Hamsa mantra. Every exhalation sounds like Ham, and every inhalation sounds like Sa. This sequence acts like a lullaby that keeps the Kundalini asleep. To awaken the Kundalini, this order must be reversed. While Ham represents the exhalation of prana and Sa represents the inhalation, reversing them forms the mantra Soham, in which the exhalation becomes So and the inhalation becomes Ham.

This reversal is said to awaken the sleeping Kundalini.

As you continue this practice, the Kundalini will eventually awaken and rise through your spine.

The Jivatma—meaning the individual soul, or the sense of "I," "me," or "aham"—resides in the Heart Chakra (Anahata Chakra). When the Kundalini awakens, it ascends through the spine, crossing the Brahma Granthi and the Vishnu Granthi before reaching the Heart Chakra. Just as a snake seizes its prey and carries it away, the Kundalini is said to take hold of the Jivatma residing in the Heart Chakra and carry it upward to the higher chakras. Once the Kundalini, together with the Jivatma, reaches the Ajna Chakra, you (the Jivatma) will begin to perceive the light of Shiva, Brahman, Paramatma, or God.

From the Ajna Chakra onward, you will perceive a formless white light. This light is none other than Brahman, Paramatma, Shiva, or God—whatever name you choose to give the Divine residing within your Antahkarana. The Antahkarana consists of the mind, intellect, ego, and Consciousness (Brahman, Paramatma, Shiva, or God). By transcending each layer of the Antahkarana—first the mind, then the intellect, and finally the ego—you will ultimately realize pure Consciousness, which resides at the Bindu point within the Sahasrara Chakra inside your head.

Remember, God is always within you, serving as the silent witness to your every action. If you practice this perfectly, your Kundalini will awaken within a period of six months to one year.

Credit to a close disciple of Shri Ravi ji who wishes to remain anonymous.