What is Kundalini?
In Hindu yogic and Tantric traditions, Kundalini is described as a latent spiritual power, an expression of Shakti, the divine feminine. She is often represented as a serpent resting in coils at the base of the spine. Hindu American Foundation
This description concerns the subtle body, often called the energy body. The serpent is symbolic, not a physical snake inside the spine. Chakras and the channels known as nadis belong to this spiritual map. Himalayan Institute: The Flow of Prana
Traditionally described as latent or dormant, Kundalini is said to rise through the central subtle channel, sushumna, towards spiritual realisation. In some traditions, the culmination of this process is expressed as the union of Shakti and Shiva: energy and consciousness. Himalayan Institute: The Awakening of Kundalini
Activation and awakening
How these words are used here
On this site, I use activation to describe the stirring and unfolding of Kundalini. This process may continue over many years and, within my spiritual understanding, across lifetimes.
By awakening, I mean the culmination in union with universal consciousness: the dissolution of the sense of separation, and the profound unity and bliss I associate with samadhi. In my understanding, this realisation is much rarer than the unfolding of activation.
These words express the distinction I use here. Other teachers and traditions may use them differently.
