The Function of kundalini in Meditation

When a practitioner enters the astral dimension in meditation, his kundalini is awakened and becomes functioning.

Our discussion now turns to the nature and the role of kundalini in meditation.

When a practitioner meditates and his kundalini is activated in the astral dimension or in the dimension of ki-energy, his body or his spinal cord will become inexplicably hard. It will be accompanied by a sensation of disharmony at the base of the spine or in the perineum, signaled by something of a tingling sensation. This sense of disharmony will not register as a sensation of chill. Rather, it will be felt as a strange, hot sensation much like an electric vibration. Moreover, it will be experienced as if a live serpent ascended and descended through the spinal cord. There will be times when he will feel feverish, but not with the uncomfortable heat associated with a flu. When the condition is severe, he will have a fever of about forty degrees Celsius, but he will feel fresh and comfortable. Regardless of how high his temperature climbs, he will sense that he is filled with the vital energy. Sensing that he is charged with energy, he feels fine. However, if he shivers with a chill, this is a symptom that the conditions are not right. When he experiences discomfort and feels cold although his body temperature is high, this is a result of some impurity in the astral dimension. This impurity is unpurged energy which primarily takes the form of the mental images, the emotions and the possessive nature that is revealed in selfish attachment. Unless this energy is purged and the astral dimension purified, it will turn into an uncomfortable heat. Once the practitioner has purged the trapped energy in the astral dimension and raised his kundalini, he will feel easy and comfortable despite his high temperature. However, if the gate of sahasrara located at the crown of the practitioner’s head is not sufficiently open, he will experience discomfort, and feel as if the energy flowing through his body is backing up in his head. When this congestion occurs it will also occasion a fever, but the sensation the practitioner will experience will not resemble a headache, nor the sudden rush of blood to the head. Rather, it will feel as if the body were indisposed and unstable, and the gradual warming of the head will be similar to the body heat that builds up beneath good headgear. This sensation cannot be compared to the hypothermia of illness since, paradoxically, the condition is at once uncomfortable and pleasant. While this description seems inadequate, the experience defies clear articulation. This congested feeling will dissipate within a few hours, or at most within a day. However, the practitioner can speed up the process by gently tapping the crown of his head, or by focussing his concentration on his lower abdomen. Alternately, he may find relief by performing the shoshuten breathing method which circulates ki-energy from the head vertically down through the chest into the perineum and channels it through the spinal cord and back to the head. These exercises will help to dispel the blocked energy and relieve the attendant discomfort, but in severe cases this condition could persist for up to a week, affecting both the waking and sleeping states. Of the three methods I have described above, the shoshuten breathing technique is the most effective means of drawing off the congested ki-energy in the head. However, another method that produces good results is a combination of concentrating on the lower abdomen and gently tapping the crown of the head. Both of these techniques are natural and will ease the congested energy, and neither will produce harmful effects.

From Toward a Superconsciousness: Meditational Theory & Practice
By Hiroshi Motoyama