How to Handle an Unexpected Kundalini Awakening

Kundalini energy is some of the most powerful and profound energy your body can contain. I know this because I’ve had a kundalini awakening myself in the beginning of 2023.

And yes, it is incredibly intense and can be very scary if you don’t know what you’re dealing with or how to handle a kundalini awakening properly.

Here’s what we’re going to cover today:

What is a kundalini awakening?

Kundalini is a spiritually potent energy that lays dormant in most people. It’s a powerful energy that flows through the chakras of the body, opening up the energy centers and cleaning up the stagnant junk that can accumulate there. When Kundalini awakens it can feel like an intense surge of energy shooting through your body.

> see my article “Kundalini Awakening (Everything You Need To Know)”

What does a kundalini awakening feel like?

Though everyone experiences kundalini a bit differently, there are some universal common symptoms. These include:

  • Bodily energy surges – When kundalini awakens it can feel like a warm energy is flowing through your body, especially in the heart chakra.
  • Uncontrollable shaking – This may come in the form of full body convulsions, shivering, or feelings of vibration through the body.
  • Rapid heart beat – When a kundalini experience happens for the first time you may think you’re having a panic attack as your heart begins to race for seemingly no reason.
  • Hyper vivid consciousness – You may feel like your consciousness is more sensitive the days following a kundalini awakening. Noises may be louder, sights will be brighter, everything feels more vivid… almost to the point of it being uncomfortable.
  • Anxiety – Most everyone feels anxiety or fear around this experience since they probably don’t know what it is. Especially in the West, kundalini energy is not commonly talked about.

> see my article “Is a Kundalini Awakening Permanent?”

Why and how does kundalini awaken?

Why are you having this kundalini awakening? The simple answer is that something triggered the awakening of your kundalini.

Well obviously you know that already, but what triggers kundalini you may ask?

There are a few ways to think about this. One is that you were simply meant to have your kundalini awakened at this time. It simply could be part of your spiritual journey that was predetermined before your spirit entered into this lifetime.

There are also known practices that awaken kundalini energy, though they aren’t usually shared openly by spiritual masters or gurus until they think you are ready to handle it.

You may have inadvertently done a meditation or spiritual practice that unlocked this kundalini energy (I say inadvertently, but in the scale of the divine infinite cosmos, this experience was meant to happen whether it was an accident or not).

Spiritual clean up

What’s the purpose of this kundalini awakening you may ask?

In simplest terms its to help clear away the gunk keeping you from spiritually maturing. The energy that pulses through your body in this experience is opening your chakra energy centers in your body.

When you surrender to this process and allow the energy to work through you and do what it’s supposed to do, you will be better for it in the end.

Kundalini energy gets your spiritual self in tune and awake in your body. It’s the divine part of you waking up and cleaning up the chakras.

Bottom up kundalini awakenings

Most kundalini awakenings begin from the root chakra at the base of your spine and move up your body.

This refers to an awakening process that starts from the base of the spine and progresses upward through the chakras, ultimately reaching the crown chakra at the top of the head.

Top down kundalini awakenings

Sometimes kundalini energy will begin in other parts of your body. In my case, the energy began in my third eye chakra and moved downwards through my body.

Don’t be surprised if this energy begins from any one of your chakras.

> see my article “What is a Top Down Spiritual Awakening?”

Top down awakenings begin with an activation or opening of the higher chakras, particularly the crown chakra, and then moves downward towards the base of the spine. Some might associate this approach with a more sudden and intense experience, as the powerful energy descends through the chakras.

How to handle a kundalini awakening

There are 3 keys to getting out of a kundalini awakening in one piece.

1. Surrender, surrender, surrender

This is so crucial. The only way out of this experience is by surrendering to it.

When you resist the energy you keep the kundalini from doing what it’s meant to do and you will suffer. Resisting the flows of kundalini energy will make the intense experience last longer and keep your chakras closed.

When you completely surrender you may end up finding yourself feeling orgasmic bliss. Though some have scary experiences, others that surrender to it actually have a very pleasurable experience as they let the energy flow through them to do its job.

The energy is going to go through you whether you want it to or not, so the only logical thing to do is surrender to it.

2. Practice grounding exercises

Once the flows of energy calm down you may find yourself hyper aware, anxious, and a bit detached from reality.

This is why grounding practices are so important. As the kundalini energy raises your consciousness you’ll need something to keep you attached to reality. Many people have found themselves in psych wards during periods of kundalini energy flows due to loosing touch with reality.

The best grounding practices for kundalini awakenings in my opinion are:

  • basic meditation
  • mindfulness practice
  • going on walks in nature

*warning* do not continue any spiritual exercises that exacerbates your kundalini or that triggered your kundalini to awaken in the first place.

3. Seek help from a mentor

Kundalini awakenings can be a truly frightening experience. You may want to seek out a mentor who knows how to handle a situation like this. Their advice will be invaluable.

The best places to look for a spiritual mentor are:

  • google search/ blogs
  • tiktok, instagram, and other social media
  • Local centers for Bhakti or Hindu yoga practices

> see my article “How To Find A Spiritual Mentor”

Wrapping up

Although kundalini awakenings can be very intense and sometimes scary, it is a natural part of the process of waking up. You’ll be just fine if you surrender and allow the energy to flow through you the way it’s meant to on your journey towards awakening.

Hi, I’m Ryan. I’m a meditation teacher, spiritual seeker, and founder of nurtureyourspirit.org. I’m glad you’re here! I founded Nurture Your Spirit because of my love of meditation, spirituality, and spiritual awakening.

3 thoughts on “How to Handle an Unexpected Kundalini Awakening”

    1. Hey Heather 🙂 a kundalini awakening can really be a scary thing! However, this is normal and everything will balance out eventually, so don’t worry too much. The important thing is to surrender to the energy when it surges and allow it to flow through you without fear. A reiki practitioner should be very familiar with kundalini energy, I think that’s a good place to start. Best of luck, and remember to surrender!

  1. Pingback: Is A Kundalini Awakening Safe?

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