THE ACADEMY OF RELIGION AND PSYCHICAL RESEARCH
Annual Conference Proceedings, 1989

KUNDALINI, SEX AND YOGA

A series of disciplines (without any religious or institutional overtures) selected from several ancient systems of yoga were given to a group of average middle class Americans and the effects were studied over a ten year period. The results of their conscientious practice indicate significant physiological, psychological, and paranormal changes as ascribed in the ancient Tantrik writings to an activated hidden force of Kundalini.

I live in Eastern Connecticut, and together with a group of middle class, professional adults from that area have been exploring Eastern practices for many years. I started this work over 10 years ago when I was asked to teach an American version of Transcendental Meditation in local institutions and to explore other Eastern practices. So I began an advanced program designed not only to discuss various spiritual philosophies but to try out various practices and to evaluate them. It was a cooperative venture in which the students agreed to experiment and evaluate, and we agreed to lead and coordinate the effort, at no monetary cost. It seemed like a good bargain to all, and the group has proved remarkably stable.

We adopted Yoga as our primary vehicle because we believed that it was based on a system that lent itself to trial and verification. Our examination led us to believe that Yoga was probably the first scientific study of higher consciousness (in contrast with modern studies of "normalcy". Looking at the Yogic tradition, it appears that the early scientists studied the leaders in their society and discovered some common traits that correlated with increased consciousness or talent. They studied these traits, classified them, and outlined a system of increasing and controlling them. To this day yogis are attempting to put that ancient system into practice. In the intervening centuries, the original findings were elaborated and covered over by various religious and political institutions with biases of their own. It was part of our challenge to uncover the underlying truth. The literature investigation was relatively simple. Where we found similarities between writings/cultures and when our experience validated them, we said, "This is basic and we will keep it." Where we found disagreements with our experience or between writers or cultures, we discarded them for the moment, considering them to be either dogmatic or cultural. For example, there was the word tapas. Early in our studies we found that our experiences disagreed strongly with virtually all the modern interpretations of this ancient Sanskrit word when applied to disciplines. Tapas is a prominent Eastern religious term and is as basic to Hinduism as "Faith" is to Christianity. Thus, Patanjali states that: "Perfection is obtained by trusting in God, maintaining an awareness of the inner self, trusting in God, maintaining an awareness of the inner self, and with tapas. So tapas is obviously very important, but what is it? Every text that we read interpreted tapas when applied to self discipline as "religious austerities" or “mortifications" which in practice become religious asceticism, worship or obedience. But when we looked at the original Sanskrit, the root of the word was "to burn", akin to the English "fervor" or "zeal" whose roots also mean "to burn".

Fervor is not unfamiliar to anyone on the spiritual path. It is certainly part of our Christian heritage. St. Paul advised his followers to be hot or cold, but not lukewarm. One interesting and related question we had wondered about, having been raised as Methodists, was, "What is the method of the Methodists?" We finally surmised that it must be injecting fervor into each moment, because we found an article about John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, and his diary, in which he not only detailed his activities down to quarter hours, but also coded each entry to indicate the amount of fervor he felt.

Heat is an integral part of many disciplines. The Alchemical process of transmuting gross energy to a higher for requires heat. Tibetan yoga uses visualizations to a great extent, many of which deal with an inner fire and finally, the sensation of a burning heat is usually experienced within increased Kundalini. All of this heat is, however, the result of practices, not a practice in itself. So when the question of tapas as a practice arose we settled on the interpretation that the practicing tapas is the equivalent of the 18th and 19th century fervor. This led to translating Patanjali's statement as, "A Yogi should live, trusting in a highest power, knowing the inner self and with fervor in all his/her endeavors." We can compare this translation with modern Indian interpretations which generally run something like: "Yoga is mortification of self, chanting mantras, and resignation to the Lord." The term "chanting mantras" is a modern translation of the word svadhyaya which we translate as inner awareness since sva can mean self; dyha can mean meditation; and ya means doing.

Another major discovery in our research came when we became aware that the ancients had a more complete knowledge of human sexuality than does our modern high tech society. This discovery was initiated by questioning the usage of strongly feminine nomenclature to describe the sexual region in men. For instance, a lower energy center is described as yoni or vagina, "the lower mouth," the "feminine opening," or an "inner penis" which one assumes must be within an inner vagina. Further, the writings are very descriptive specifying the depth of the yoni (four fingers) and the location which corresponds to the location of the vagina in women. The writings teach about pressure, concentration and muscle tensioning of the yoni, which women can immediately relate to sexually; however, this literature was directed to men. Researching this question led us to a whole new understanding of sexuality and the potential androgynous capacity of both men and women.

I need to say a few words here about androgyny, since the concept of androgyny has been denigrated in our masculine culture. Today androgyny is usually seen as a cult "unisex" term which implies a conforming individual or a “wimp" in the present vernacular our conditioning cannot conceive that a person can be more powerful, creative or a leader of men if feminine sexuality is allowed to be integrated with the masculine. To the ancients, a person was incomplete, mortal, limited, a sleepwalker and weak without that integration of both sexual forces. Hopefully, our re-search gives some evidence that the ancients were correct and, more importantly, will lead others toward this rediscovered route to perfection.

In the beginning, as we encountered the ancient dichotomy of universal forces, which were usually called the feminine and the masculine forces, I wanted to give them more sexually neutral names. My conditioning associated feminine force with female and vice versa. However, it soon became apparent that the ancient philosophies were based upon inner sexual sensations of both forces that I could experience within my own body. It was a shock to me and the group to realize how societal training and conditioning had limited our sexual experiences to a mainly masculine type orgasm and cut us off from a complete awareness of both the outer world and ourselves.

When one can experience sexual stimulation and reactions as separate and individual, one can then understand the reasoning behind the old duality of masculine and feminine forces in the world. The feminine sexual response puts one in touch with the basic physiology of the body, its energies, and the pure joy of experiencing. The masculine urge is goal oriented, toward mastery, control, and creation. With this insight one can then identify the athletic jock as being an expression of almost pure conditioned feminine energy while the petite young woman advocating feminism exhibits masculine force as she attempts to change the world. Our distorted view and limited experience of sexuality has produced other problems as well. For instance, in reaction to this conference, many people confuse the wonderful experience of free upward flowing feminine energy with Kundalini. (Don't settle for that when there is so much more!)

Our modern minds can accept two universal natures intellectually, yet it is very difficult to accept two distinct sexual responses in ourselves which underlie those two universal forces. Alchemy, as well as various yoga systems around the world, appears to have been built upon knowledge of a two-modal aspect of human sexuality. It took our experimental group many years in preparation before we were able to work with sexuality, even though all the practices were pointing to it.

Our work has provided some definite proofs that the ancient sexual and philosophical models were based upon a true androgynous capability in men and women. By following the practices we uncovered, any man or woman can prove to themselves the veracity of the ancient physiological descriptions of sexuality, provided, however, they desire to do so within the proper environment. This requires letting go of much of one's societal conditioning, which may explain why so much of the discipline of yoga is concerned with overcoming conditioning.

Having overcome the hurdle of sexuality and applying tapas, the obvious next step in research led to finding and dusting off the ancient methods of individually stimulating the two sexual forces and bringing them under control. These then leads to the final step that is the integration and fusion of the two separate and powerful sexual forces into an evolutionary force that we call Kundalini.

This paper defines "Kundalini" as an inner vital energy behind individual evolution or the energy that can drive an individual to approach full potential.[1] It first appears in infants during their rapid evolution and reappears in adults as supranormal behavior. The physiological processes that generate it are assumed to be suppressed during later child-hood in order to foster the normalization of socially responsive individuals and then to reappear in adulthood during moments of creativity, trauma, or intense emotions. Under these conditions unexpected and in many cases paranormal characteristics are exhibited.

From ancient times various schools of yoga, and by inference, alchemy, mysticism, and martial arts, have claimed to offer techniques for stimulating this evolutionary Kundalini energy for the perfection of their devotees.

In order to test these claims, the author presented a wide range of the disciplines of yoga to a group of over 30 persons ranging in age from the 20's to the 70's and representing primarily the middle and professional segment of my New England culture. No money was exchanged on either side, the subjects agreeing to follow the disciplines and to report on the results in exchange for the classroom type presentations. Each individual in the study spends more than 30 minutes a day with the listed Practices and started with a mastery of the fundamentals of Astanga yoga or its equivalent which provide a necessary foundation. [2]

It has been found that many of the traditional individual exercises are worthless for direct stimulation of Kundalini and that the ones that are of value must be syncretic with others. The functional disciplines have been found to be those that duplicate and strengthen the effects of the normal excitation of the body and mind when facing intense challenges in life. Some ancient yoga exercises, although functionally worthless, are found to be useful as models. For instance, one exercise describes pulling water up through a tube inserted in the anus.[3]This is impossible but the attempt to do so leads one into an increased awareness of a series of unique muscle tensions which can assist in the raising of Kundalini.

All of the major schools of yoga as well as most of the Alchemical schools divide the stimulation and functioning of the body into two aspects called the masculine and the feminine. [4] These aspects are present in every individual and should not be confused with the "male" and "female" entities. In general, the feminine aspect or force is concerned with the basic organic or life force involved in the functioning of our bodies, including the conditional functioning of the brain. The masculine aspect or force is concerned with the more abstract function of choosing goals, causing change, and includes the creative nature as well as the acquisitive and dominative proclivities of individuals. Most of the Chinese schools describe the masculine or yang force as expansive and creative and the feminine or yin force as contractive and nurturing.

It is difficult to stimulate the feminine energy of the body beyond what is required for immediate functioning unless the body is externally threatened, and then the energy flows in well established and conditioned outlets. In contrast the masculine force has no energy of its own, but can direct or allocate the flow of feminine energy into new channels. However it is readily suppressed by feminine conditioned mental responses such as musing, worries, or daydreams, or it can be trapped in judgment making. In our culture the masculine force seems to dominate because our society sees the allocator of resources as more powerful than the provider of resources. Our economy is based on "free choice" which implies management/direction of energy. Kundalini is neither of these forces, but a fusion of the two that becomes more powerful than the sum of the two.

The mystical practices allude to this fusion of the forces, but the writings are not explicit about the process. This is wise because the fusion process is not for those who are still developing ego and involvement in the outer world. It is reserved for those who have satisfied many desires, who have met challenges, but find a deepening thirst for something beyond the physical. It is then that the inward and more subtle development starts. Most of the Yogic exercises deal with leading students to a new perspective on themselves and into an environment where there is a belief in a higher power and a deeply felt aspiration to find a union with it. Only within this setting are the advanced exercises that deal with the stimulation of Kundalini properly taught.

When the basic feminine force is stimulated to provide energy great enough to power the process, and the creative masculine force is stimulated to direct the flow of the feminine energy into the right channels, a fusion process results synthesizing a different type of force called "Kundalini". The reason that Kundalini manifests so seldom is that the stimulation, direction, and fusion of the two forces are difficult to master.

One serious problem in studying the methods of arousing Kundalini is that the effects may take months to manifest once a proper exercise is initiated. The slow rate of mastery is attributed in large part to the process of overcoming prior conditioning from our society that suppresses the rise of the Kundalini. The majority of the positive elements in the arousal procedures are or have been taboo in our society even though they are also recognized as elements of natural play in children. For instance children enjoy perineal pressure, holding or forcibly exhaling their breath, rocking and play with the genitalia, all of which are suppressed as soon as children become trainable.

Meditation which is a fundamental discipline still remains taboo among most religious groups and even when practiced is seldom more than relaxation and withdrawal. Strong or deep exhalation is considered boorish, uncivilized and threatening in most of our society and many people relearn how to do it with great difficulty. The strongest conditioning which stands as a bulwark against the rising of Kundalini appears to be sexual. There are three aspects of our conditioning which have to be overcome if the following practices are to be mastered. The first is the idea that an individual is but one sex; the second is that sex is sinful and/or disgusting; and the third is that the feminine response is inferior. All three work to suppress any sexual experiences other than the socially encouraged and accepted masculine orgasm- By accepting the superiority of the masculine we have minimized perineal, vaginal, and nipple sensuality while enhancing the clitoral/ penile responses. For instance, in our present culture the masculine orgasm is almost worshipped while the deep inner penetrating feminine climax of both sexes is denigrated. The missionary posture of coitus is encouraged since it forces the masculine response from both partners. One startling example is that many mothers in the study reported the deliberate suppression of nipple sensuality during nursing because it caused strong vaginal excitation which they interpreted as the beginning of incest for the child. India is not without corresponding conditioning. For example, the modern Indian pundit on Kundalini, Gopi Krishna, writes about his first awareness of Kundalini as, "I suddenly felt a sensation below the spine, at the place touching the seat ...[5] our studies suggest that "the place touching the seat" was the yoni of yoga which corresponds to the vagina in women. It is nearly impossible for a man to describe feminine experiences in our masculine-centered world. To protect themselves from the feminine sensations men keep their anal and sexual muscles tightened, their abdomens pulled in and their buttocks tucked under, all of which are found to sup-press the rising of Kundalini.

The ancient writings are full of references to the perfection of androgyny which is repeated throughout the world's religions, myths, and folktales.[6] The Yogic writings refer to the feminine center by various names such as inner linga (penis)[7] or kanda (bulb)[8] as well as the yoni (vagina)[9] or feminine mouth[10]. Men who have managed to stretch their muscles and ligaments sufficiently to sit cross legged on the floor for periods of time can find an inner opening corresponding to a primitive vagina located as the texts say, "behind a covering and four inches deep.”[11] The covering is the dermal outer layer of the perineum, concealing the yoni, which can be circumvented by entering at the edge of the scrotum. This primitive vagina is found to have the same neural and muscle responses as reported by women. Women on the other hand, find a difference in response to clitoral and vaginal stimulation. They report sensations from the clitoris which are comparable to that experienced by men in the tip of the penis. Much of the Yogic advanced training appears to be centered in learning to separately activate the two sexual responses and then to direct them away from the forward masculine orgasm and back toward the yoni where, they can be combined within the lower abdomen as suggested in both the Alchemical and Tantrik writings.[12] It is probably an explanation for some of the alleged sexual activities of some of the early Christian and Gnostic sects who certainly had access to the teachings of India at that time. For instance, the final verse of the Gospel of Thomas is very understandable in this context: "Every woman who will make herself masculine will enter the Kingdom of Heaven."

The following expression of the Practices is the result of years of dedicated experimentation by the subjects who reported and modified the various exercises taught to them. They reported positive results, in that these experiences helped them to new understanding of mystical writings and this left them hopeful of even greater attainment. The subjects varied greatly in the speed of their mastery of the various steps as well as in the magnitude of the many and varied benefits accruing from the efforts. There are strong side effects requiring constant correction; and the ancient warnings about the dangers of attempting to arouse the Kundalini should not go unheeded for the isolated experimenter. Accordingly the following Practices are written in the ancient style using very brief statements in the same logic. The brief statement approach is a go/no-go situation based on the reader's understanding. If the reader does not understand the concepts, it can be understand that the reader is not mentally, psychologically, or physiologically ready to attempt that particular Practice. For instance, Patanjali's statement that "Mastery of the subtle upward flowing energy leads to the separation of water, mud, thorns, and other sources of pain and discomfort." #40, Book 3) only has meaning if (1) the reader has experienced the upward flowing feminine energy and (2) has experienced the separation of pain from the inner self with the energy. If the reader has not experienced both phenomena then no amount of commentaries will be of any value. The Practices are written for those who have already developed some self control of the mind and body and will be worthless to someone who has not mastered the methods of relaxation, beginning meditation or fundamental breath control.

The Practices are not an end in themselves, but merely a route to finding an inner control over the hidden Kundalini energy. This is similar to actors and actresses who can cry, laugh, shake with fear, etc. by first remembering or turning on to the associated feelings. They then direct energy to activate the response. Since most persons have long forgotten any feelings associated with Kundalini, the Practices lead one into the feelings step by step. Most people likewise have allowed the necessary muscles and neural responses to become inactive from long disuse and must be led almost muscle by muscle and nerve by nerve back into shape. Kundalini energy differs from the laughter or crying responses in that strong physical stimulation is required in addition to mental imaging. At the time of trauma this stimulation is obtained by the violent protective response of the feminine force activating the muscles of the body, but to achieve inner control it must be supplied by one or more of the basic yogic techniques.

PRACTICES:

1.    Advanced Practices begin by mastering meditation with pressure on the perineum or muladhara.[13]

2.    Meditation is relaxing the outer body while activating the lower abdominal internal energy and putting the mind in a superconscious state of readiness.[14]

3.     This is assisted by conscious exhalation of the lungs and effortless inhalation.

4.    Exhalation must be so extensive that lower abdominal muscle involvement is noted.

5.      The stomach lift or uddiyana bandha [15] is helpful in finding the yoni.

6.      The exhalation and muscle involvement becomes subtle and vibrant.

7.     By increasing the masculine force a state of alertness, like anticipating a catastrophe[16] is reached.

8.     The experience must be made pleasurable; with periods of dissolution.

9.     This is done by further relaxation of lower muscles allowing the groin to expand sideways like the yoni opening to an insertion.

10.  Muscles in the middle abdomen or svadhisthana are excited.

11.  This is done by visual imaging of an inner linga, letting it stimulate the upper end of the yoni or vice versa.

12.  Or by experiencing a rising and uncoiling snake called "Kundalini."

13.  This is facilitated by exciting the yoni with stimulation of the nipples.[17]

14.  The lower abdominal muscles must churn.

15.  This is done by forcing active coitus of the linga and yoni

16.  Or by exciting the Kundalini to dart and seek an upward opening.

17.  Forcing the energy upward with jalandhara bandha is most useful.[18]

18.  The abdominal muscles are made vibrant with subtle motions and exhalations. One constantly seeks a more intense pleasure.

19.  The experience is like being swept up in a maelstrom; the inner sound or nadam [19] is intensified.

20.  The energy must be pulled or led upward by the ring of muscles around the svadhisthana.[20]

21.  There must be total absence of mental deviations, or kleshas.

22.  Any deviations of the mind produce loss. One must constantly strive.

23.  The Practice is lost in the rising kundalini.

24.  The kundalini is absorbed by increased fervor in life.

The exercises of yoga as presented by the popular schools are just that, exercises. The pranayams are taught to exercise the lungs, the asanas to exercise the muscles and the various meditations to exercise control of the mind. The actual power of the exercises is realized only when they are integrated. This is perhaps similar to a ballet school that concentrates on the individual positions and forgets the dance. A large number of people can teach and master individual ballet positions, but only a very small number of teachers and students are capable of dedicating themselves to the mastery of the much harder discipline of the dance.

As there is a difference between the positions of ballet and the dance, there is likewise a difference between the exercises of yoga and the stimulation of the Kundalini. In both, there is the strong central concept of a vertical flow and stance as well as a goal. The goal or libretto of the ballet is to "express" an experience of life, whereas in the Practices it is to "experience" more and more or to "be" constantly more alive. If these masculine drives are lost during the performance, all that remains is a series of feminine mechanical motions.

There is an intuitive natural aspect in both the ballet and the Practices. An individual can become so involved in the goal or expression that the mind, body, and spirit become integrated in the dance or Practice. The body moves and responds naturally, gracefully, and effectively even though no formal training has been given in the individual positions or exercises. An individual can dance expressing pure joy spontaneously or find the full potential of his life force in the fervor of response. It might be added, however, that if one has not prepared the body and mind the aftermath can be stiff and sore muscles or emotional and mental aberrations may result. It should also be obvious that an untrained person cannot perform on demand and is limited in responding to the demands of the outer world. A dancer is not made by one spontaneous dance perfectly executed any more than by the mechanical mastery of the formal positions.

The centering of the Practices on the abdomen is consistent with the experiences of the average person of the gut churning, tensioning, crampy feelings, upset, "butterflies", and sexual impulses following traumatic, ecstatic, highly expectant or emotionally demanding situations. The exhilaration of the body and mind with the stirring of sexual interests is embedded in our popular music. Modern biochemistry is well aware of the strong chemical changes in the body which are produced by the same forces that are manifested in lower abdominal changes. For instance, there is a great deal of data illustrating that laughter which involves the lower abdominal muscles is highly conducive to modifying the physiology of the body.[21]The abdomen is known to pool the reserve blood of the body and to contain many of the regulatory organs of the body. The motion and tightening of specific muscles in the abdomen directly massages and stimulates the organs, various controlling ganglia as well as one of the master controllers, the hypothalamus, by means of a hydraulic connection through the spinal fluid. The merging of the feminine energy and the directing masculine force is described as "inner coitus" in the ancient writings. The actual experience correlated well with this model.

Subjects report a clear sexual discharge during the Practices which is unlike normal procreative semen/lubricant and indicates some inner biochemical changes. Men also report expected loss of semen yet may have the sensations of an inner directed ejaculation deep within their yoni which parallels the old descriptions of a semen flow.[22] (It should also be pointed out that normal sexual capabilities are not diminished but rather enhanced in both men and women.)

Taking a cue from the ancient reports about the decreased response time of yogis in the martial arts, we tried the following experiment. We measured the time it took a group of subjects who kept their eyes closed to bring their hands from their sides and to clap them in response to the sound of a clap. The group doing the Practices responded 30% faster than did a group of 12 and 13 years old while the control group of schoolteachers responded 33% slower than the school children. In the groups who were practicing advanced yoga was a person older than 60 who likewise responded faster than the children and much, much faster than the middle aged teachers.[23]

Most subjects report an increase in the number of lucid dreams as well as an increase in paranormal experiences which are primarily related to increased knowledge and awareness of their lives and others. They report a strong sensation of union with others in the lower abdomen that is similar to the feelings of an inner coitus. Empathy for others is accompanied with strong sensations in the breast and nipples. Another reported change is the absence of boredom and an increase in fervor. Life does not become easier or less painful, rather it is more exciting, demanding and productive.

Another tangible validation is a book published by the subjects illustrating the increased ability to communicate abstract or spiritual insights described by the early writers. Over a two-year period, while studying various spiritual teachings, each member of the group wrote aphorisms and/or parables which attempted to describe an understanding of his/her own life in a spiritual context. These aphorisms and parables were collected, edited and illustrated by the group and published in 1988[24] Some samples follow: one of Patanjali's aphorisms was paraphrased as, "In the physical world we see things as separate from us and do not know ourselves, In the spiritual world we know ourselves because we become the other." The problem of evolution was expressed as, "There was no sin when Eve ate the apple. There was merely the virtue of disobedience." Seek peace, you will find chaos. Seek knowledge you will find questions. Seek goodness, you will find strife. Seek meaning, you will find confusion. This is the path of evolution. The problem of Truth was approached by, "Knowledge is a function of the present. Once it is recorded it becomes a belief and loses its value as knowledge. Wisdom is eternal it cannot be recorded and its value lies in its application change.

The author honors all of the patient, dedicated individuals who participated in this experimental work and assisted in the preparation of this paper. A debt is acknowledged to the Kundalini Research Foundation, and in particular to Gene Kieffer who freely gave of his resources and time. Finally, there is a feeling of extreme gratitude and indebtedness to the ancient sages and rishis who conveyed their wisdom to this modern age.

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