Working with Kundalini

Chapter Seven: The First Phase of Kundalini Awakening

The first phase of kundalini awakening is one of purifying fire. It ends with the release of the knot just below the belly button; initiation beyond this knot is an ego death resulting in a perspective shift in which there is awareness and consideration of others, as well as a movement into a witness state in which there is a separation from the chaos and unhealed projections created from trauma patterning.

In this phase, kundalini flows up the spine, as well as works its way through the channels of the body, to release the traumas, imprints, held emotions, and other blockages that are preventing us from experiencing liberation.

--The basic symptoms of kundalini awakening in this first phase are:

--Shaking or feeling of immense vibration arising from the tailbone or genitals up the midline

--Feelings of immense heat especially around the genitals but also frequent feelings of fever

--Spontaneous body movements and hand movements into yogic postures

--Sexual shifts: a huge rise in sexual energy

--Drastic shifts in consciousness: moments of transcendental nature, bliss states, release of identification with the chaos, projections, and wounding that has drastically restricted the peephole

--Surges in energy: movement from highly creative, energetic states to fatigue

--Emotional cycling, or release of huge bursts of emotional energy, especially fear

--Spontaneous breaths and “body locks”: for example, the pressing of the abdomen into the spine automatically

--Processing: the spontaneous emergence of unhealed material that is rising up into consciousness to be healed

--Digestive issues, including severe bloating

Although there are a wide range of other symptoms that have been pointed to, or experienced by those in this phase, these are the ones that are of the most significance, and are experienced by most who have kundalini awakening in their system.

However, what to look for are shifts in consciousness as a result of kundalini, not symptoms. There should be drastic shifts in perception if someone is experiencing a kundalini awakening- these shifts will be absent in those in pre-kundalini states or in individuals who believe they are experiencing kundalini falsely.

Large emotions, such as the reservoir of fear that tends to be located in the first chakra, emerge in the first phase, and so looking for significant processing (large emotions and trauma-related material arising all at once, many patterns arising at the same time) as well as the experience of symptoms like large energetic flows up the midline and volcanic heat, will point to someone who is in the first phase. If there is not a flow of energy up the midline, which is the route or pathway for consciousness to unfold within the human form, someone may be experiencing an awakening, but it is unlikely to be a kundalini awakening.

Despite the significant distress that can emerge in this stage, understanding that the symptoms that emerge are byproducts of purifying fire, or release from the channels, rather than having to do with consciousness itself (kundalini unfolding in the midline) is a helpful vantage point to have. As is understanding that any kundalini awakening properly flowing will allow for someone to eventually experience greater stability, as well as expanded perspective that allows for compassion and recognition of people and the world, and an increased ability to meet the world and the people in it with compassion.

Chapter Twelve: Finding Assistance

CranioSacral Therapy and Kundalini

It is not essential that your practitioner has awakened kundalini, or even necessarily knowledge of the topic of spiritual awakening. It is of far greater importance that the person you choose seems grounded, stable, and has a great deal of experience under their belt. I guarantee that any bodyworker who has been in practice for longer than five years will have experienced more than a few of their clients doing spontaneous movements or shaking on the table.

One of the things I would remind people experiencing kundalini awakening, as well as their clinicians and friends, is that this process, no matter how gradual, is traumatizing in and of itself. During times of trauma we tend to isolate and we will create beliefs to help us further disconnect, to take us further away from health, during times that we lack clarity and stability.

Some of the nervous system and physiological things that occur during the kundalini awakening process either need a very experienced teacher or a bodyworker versed in that type of work to traverse. There are some things that we cannot accomplish alone, or it would at the very least take decades to do something that we might accomplish with someone trained to work with the nervous system within a series of perhaps ten sessions.

We process things through our physical bodies, and the nervous systems of those with considerable trauma, or whom are going through a kundalini awakening process are often on edge, and difficult to soothe. This is due to a rewiring process that is going on, and help assisting the release of trauma in conjunction with soothing the nervous system and helping to maintain emotional-mental balance during the majority of kundalini awakenings is exactly what CranioSacral therapy excels at.

CranioSacral therapy is a light touch modality that works with the continuum of the sacrum, spinal cord, and skull, including the membranous structures that line the spinal canal and skull, osseous structures including the small bones that make up the skull and vertebrae, as well as the cerebrospinal fluid that flows through this continuum….

Since kundalini arises through the cerebrospinal matrix, and focuses on this continuum, especially the spinal column (although work may take place anywhere in the body) it is the ideal modality for those experiencing kundalini awakenings. It gently nourishes and decompresses the nervous system, reduces pain, and encourages flow… all without putting additional input into the body. It works with the rhythms and flows of the body as a whole, and considers the individual in front of them as a whole person, rather than a mechanistic series of parts.

Introduction

1 My Story
Kundalini Emerges
The First Wave of Kundalini
The Pause In Between
The Second Wave of Kundalini
Trauma and Otherness
A Path of Service

2 The Nature of Kundalini
Kundalini as Consciousness
Kundalini and Qi
An Overview of Kundalini Awakening
Challenges along the Path
Expansion and Contraction

3 The Chakra System and Kundalini
The First Chakra
The Second Chakra
The Third Chakra
The Fourth Chakra
The Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Chakras
The Spiritual Heart

4 The Knots and Chakra Sheaths
Working through the Sheaths
Untangling the Knots

5 Why and How Kundalini Awakens
How Kundalini Arises
Why Kundalini Arises
Other Models of Kundalini
On Surrender
Illusion and Kundalini

6 Pre-kundalini and Neuro-kundalini
Kundalini Stirring & Kundalini Experiences

7 The First Phase of Kundalini Awakening
Symptoms of Kundalini Awakening
The Three Bodies
The Three Types of Kundalini Awakenings
The First Stage and Symptoms
Digestion, Sleep, and Energy Fluctuations
Release of the Old: Death and Rebirth
My Experiences of the First Stage
Healing Suggestions for the First Stage

8 The Second Phase of Kundalini Awakening
The Dark Night of the Soul
The Cosmic Joke of Becoming Ordinary
Layers of Knowledge
Addictions and Meaninglessness
Liberation through the Emotions
Realization of Identity Separate from Conditioning
Timelessness and Constructs of Created Reality
Menstrual Cycle and Kundalini
Shamanism and Kundalini
Being on a Spiritual Path to Benefit Others
My Experiences of the Second Stage
Healing for the Second Stage
Questions for Self-Enquiry

9 The Third Phase of Kundalini Awakening
Societal Conditioning
The Spiritual Heart
My Experiences of the Third Phase

10 Diet, Lifestyle, and Kundalini
Diets and Fasting
Meditation Advice
Herbal Supplements and Herbal Support

11 Finding Assistance
The Body Deva
CranioSacral Therapy
Yoga
Ayurveda
Zero Balancing
Hakomi
Spiritual Healing (Shamanic Healing)
Ayahuasca, Marijuana, and Plant Medicines
Castellino Pre- and Perinatal Work
Thai Bodywork and Shiatsu
Rolfing
Acupuncture
Chiropractic
Naturopathic
Psychotherapy
What to Look for in a Spiritual Teacher

Afterword: The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Further Reading

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Mary Mueller Shutan is a spiritual healer and teacher with an extensive background in Chinese Medicine, CranioSacral therapy, Zero Balancing, and energy work. She is the author of The Spiritual Awakening Guide, The Complete Cord Course, The Body Deva, and Managing Psychic Abilities. Mary lives near Chicago, Illinois.

“Mary has detailed the process of divine unfolding in a way that is richly informative, deeply personal, and easily available to understand. Readers will recognize themselves in Mary’s recounting of her own journey, the detailed maps of awakening she has provided, and the clear use of words to convey the mysterious. is book is a must-read for anyone experiencing kundalini as well as for those working in a healing practice.” Bree Greenberg-Benjamin, MSEd, LMFT, founder of the Vermont Center for Integrative Therapy

“As someone who has been ‘working with kundalini’ for more than forty years now, I can tell you that this book is a must-read for anyone who has experienced kundalini or spiritual awakening. It is clear, pragmatic, and incredibly in-depth. It is very clear that Mary has the lived experience of kundalini to be able to guide others, and I am grateful that her compassionate, no-nonsense wisdom is available for those seeking insight and depth in their own process.” Frank Krieger, PH.D., philosopher and alchemist

“This extraordinary book is a no-nonsense guide to the unfurling process of kundalini energy. With straightforward narrative Mary shares her personal experiences with kundalini and its effects on her life while weaving in vastly researched knowledge of the process. Compassionate and thoughtful, this book is an essential guide to kundalini awakening.” Kathy Tajik, CEO of Tajik Home

“A clear, grounded, and balanced guide that provides a bridge between the everyday and the transcendental, offering a structured framework and practical suggestions without reducing the beauty of kundalini to a clinical process. As someone going through kundalini awakening, it spoke to both the parts of me that are discombobulated by this experience and to the part of me that knows, helping me to reorient myself on my path with greater clarity and trust.” Charlotte Saunders, spiritual practitioner

“Working with Kundalini is a collection of field notes from a reliable, experienced guide who has shared her forays into the various states of being that denote our spiritual realities. It’s a lucid, unpretentious, unvarnished, and thorough account of the phenomenon of kundalini experiences. Mary Shutan is reliable, because it’s clear that she’s done her own rigorous fieldwork on the subject. She brings to the forefront the nuances of states of awakening without trafficking in textbook claims of what this means. If anything, this book is an experiential journey into the most intimate and epic frontiers of consciousness. To read it is to get a direct taste of that.” Nirmala Nataraj, editor, writer, and author of Earth and Space and The Planets

SPIRITUALITY / SELF-HELP

Moving through the Process with Grace

KUNDALINI AWAKENINGS can have profound physical, emotional, and mental effects, making it difficult to cope with everyday life. Yet these powerful awakenings can also allow you to release past trauma, see past the illusions of the false self, and awaken your spiritual heart, enabling you to recognize the divine self. In this step-by-step guide to the 3-phase process of kundalini awakening, Mary Mueller Shutan delivers practical information on how to deal with such a spiritual emergence in our modern world. Debunking some of the myths associated with kundalini awakening, she describes the nature of kundalini energy, the reasons for the energy rising, how this is linked to the chakra system and what pre- and neuro-kundalini entail. The awakening process moves through three stages, from the fire of purification to emptiness and the connection with cosmic consciousness to the opening of the spiritual heart and a re-anchoring in the world.

Exploring how kundalini profoundly rewires the physical body and the mind, the author describes the rerouting of digestive fire during the rising of the energy. Food allergies and sensitivities are discussed alongside supportive dietary and holistic health modalities, including bodywork, herbal allies, and meditation. Working with Kundalini also looks at sexual practices that may help or hinder the process.

Providing detailed guidance for each phase of kundalini awakening, this experiential guide supports you as you transform not only emotionally and spiritually but also physically and socially into your divine self.

“Mary has detailed the process of divine unfolding in a way that is richly informative, deeply personal, and easily available to understand. Readers will recognize themselves in Mary’s recounting of her own journey, the detailed maps of awakening she has provided, and the clear use of words to convey the mysterious. is book is a must-read for anyone experiencing kundalini as well as for those working in a healing practice.”
--BREE GREENBERG-BENJAMIN, MSEd, LMFT, founder and co-owner of the Vermont Center for Integrative Therapy

MARY MUELLER SHUTAN is a spiritual healer and teacher with an extensive background in Chinese Medicine, CranioSacral therapy, Zero Balancing, and energy work. She is the author of The Spiritual Awakening Guide, The Complete Cord Course, The Body Deva, and Managing Psychic Abilities. Mary lives near Chicago, Illinois.