9 Kundalini Awakening Stages of Mystical Transformation

Kundalini energy – the primal and dormant “prana” or life force within us – is something many of us spiritual wanderers will taste at least once in life.

Also known as the serpent power, among many other names, kundalini awakening can be shocking, painful, beautiful, and paradigm-shifting all at once.

I have experienced this energy as a soft whoosh in my stomach, a vibrating visual field, as well as the feeling of a blazing fire in my head.

Others describe the experience of kundalini energy as ‘electrical shocks,’ intense heat or coldness in parts of the body, randomly shaking or spasming, and as vibrations or lights flashing in front of the eyes.

In my guide on kundalini awakening, I explore these symptoms more in-depth, as well as how to handle this surge of powerful energy.

However, in this post, you’ll learn more about the specific kundalini awakening stages that I didn’t cover in the original article, plus a few additional tips on staying grounded.

How Kundalini Energy Flows 

In yogic teachings, kundalini energy flows through three main nadis (or subtle energy channels) in the body – and these are the ida, pingala, and sushumna.

As you can see from the image above, the sushumna is the central energy channel, and the ida and pingala criss-cross on either side, finishing at the left and right nostril. (Incidentally, this is why breathwork is used as one of the central techniques for stimulating kundalini energy).

The main energy channel that kundalini energy travels through is the sushumna passage which travels up the spine between ida and pingala. 

You’ll also notice that the spot in which the ida and pingala energy channels meet is where the seven chakras are located.

I’m not going to go too in depth about these three nadis (ida, pingala, and sushumna). But I found it particularly useful to know that the ida channel is yin (receptive, moon energy) and the pingala channel is yang (active, sun energy), and both when harmonized, create balance in the mind-body.

(By the way, the stages below are different than the spiritual awakening stages, which relate to the different stages of the spiritual journey.)

Also, if you want to learn more about the individual chakras (or energy centers) within you, see my chakra series:

• Root Chakra
• Sacral Chakra
• Solar Plexus Chakra
• Heart Chakra
• Throat Chakra
• Third Eye Chakra
• Crown Chakra

Additionally, you’ll notice that at various points within this article, I refer to kundalini as “kundalini shakti energy.” I’ve done this because kundalini is believed to be an expression of the divine feminine (or shakti energy). If you’re interested, I’ve also written about Divine Feminine energy if you want to learn more.  

The 9 Kundalini Awakening Stages of Mystical Transformation

As it rises, the kundalini opens the seven chakras, which are energy vortices that attract life force from its source. At each level, the chakra acts as an interface between individual awareness and the energy frequencies of that level. As kundalini energy is activated and chakras open, the individual incorporates ever-higher frequencies into the self, as it identifies with each level and is transformed by it. Yoga masters have mapped the progress of energy up from primitive stages in the lower chakras to reunion with its divine source in the highest or crown chakra. In ancient China, Taoist masters taught “circulation of the light,” in which sexual energy is generated in the lower spine, sent up to the top of the head to become spiritualized, and directed back down the spine to complete a circle and begin again.

– C. Zweig

Experiencing a kundalini awakening can happen right at the start of our spiritual paths as well as in a part I call the Illumination stage of the spiritual wanderer’s journey (and sometimes in both phases).

Either way, having kundalini energy rise within you can be both an ecstatic mystical experience, and also a terribly painful ordeal, depending on the state of your mind and body.

Having some kind of “map,” I find, can be very reassuring and grounding. So that’s why I’m sharing below. However, with any map, remember that the territory is far more nuanced than I can possibly cover here.

Here are the nine kundalini awakening stages. Keep in mind that you may not experience every one of these stages as they’re contextual and based on the state of your inner being:

1. The Initial Awakening

Our normal waking consciousness, rational consciousness as we call it, is but one special type of consciousness, whilst all about it, parted from it by the filmiest of screens, there lie potential forms of consciousness entirely different.

– William James

The initial awakening of kundalini energy opens our eyes to new layers of consciousness and ways of being.

In a kundalini awakening, you’ll typically experience this inner shift accompanied by unusual physical sensations.

For me, the initial awakening began with vibrating vision, as if I could see and perceive the underlying energetic nature of existence. Later, it came through unusual sensations within my body, like waking up one day feeling as though my head was on fire (but in a good way if that even sounds possible!).

For you, an initial awakening of kundalini awakening may be accompanied by sensations of heat or cold pulsating through your body, involuntarily shaking through the day, seeing extra intense colors around you, experiencing enhanced hearing, or any physical symptom that seems extraordinary or imbued with deeper meaning and significance.

The initial awakening can also feel disturbing. You may experience disrupted sleep, nightmares, bizarre pain in various parts of your body, and other unsettling symptoms like being intensely sensitive to every form of sensory input. 

Psychiatrist Lee Sannella discusses why these symptoms occur, writing,

… just as an intense flow of water through a thick rubber hose will cause the hose to whip about violently, while the same flow through a firehose would scarcely be noticed, so also does the flow of Kundalini through obstructed “channels” within the body or mind cause motions of those areas until the obstructions have been “washed out” and the channels “widened.”

Essentially, the difficult symptoms of kundalini awakening tend to happen when this serpent power energy “clears out” or purifies the various chakras (or energy centers) in our bodies.

Just remember that if you’re experiencing this, it will pass – and that, ultimately, it’s a beneficial process.

2. Root Chakra Healing and Purification

The symbol for the kundalini, which I call the ‘Spark of God,’ is a coiled snake that rests at the base of our spine until through spiritual practice it gradually ascends to the crown. When this process is complete, knowledge of God results.

— Deanna Frank

At the base of our spine dwells the root chakra, which is where the energy of kundalini first emerges and passes through.

As the kundalini energy begins its ascent, you’ll initially feel it on a very visceral level – which is what the root chakra is known for, that is, physical embodiment and connection to the earth.

You’ll know that you’re in the purification part of this stage when you have symptoms of primal fear, unexplained anxiety, sensations of floating or being ungrounded, and unusual feelings in either the lower half of your body or your body as a whole.

As you learn to heal the blockages in this chakra to allow the kundalini energy to flow, you may experience more peace, groundedness, inner solidity, and security.

3. Sacral Chakra Healing and Purification

The next of our kundalini awakening stages is when this primal energy enters the sacral chakra, located above the root chakra roughly beneath the belly button.

Symptoms of sacral chakra imbalance that may come to the surface when kundalini energy enters this energy center are emotional instability (mood swings), reproductive system dysfunction, sexual issues, and physical symptoms localized in the pelvic area.

As you learn to heal the blockages in this chakra to allow the kundalini energy to flow, you may experience more creativity, playfulness, and emotional groundedness. 

4. Solar Plexus Chakra Healing and Purification

The solar plexus is the energy center connected with our sense of will, personal power, autonomy, and self-worth.

When kundalini enters this chakra, it can create purification symptoms that range from feelings of heat (as the solar plexus is defined by sun energy), all the way to a sense of inner coldness – that is, feelings of inner fatigue, powerlessness, and lack of self-confidence.

The kundalini energy will typically enhance these inner blockages in a painful way, almost as if holding up a mirror and saying, “Look at these wounds and free yourself from them, you have the power!”

In the words of therapist and author Anodea Judith, 

The reason she (kundalini shakti) can be uncomfortable is that she pushes up against the blocks. As long as we’re holding on, it’s uncomfortable.

You may also experience physical symptoms connected to your digestive system in this kundalini awakening stage, such as unexplainable gas, constipation, IBS, and acid reflux.

As you learn to heal the blockages in this chakra to allow the kundalini energy to flow, you may experience more confidence, improved self-esteem, energy, and willpower. 

5. Heart Chakra Healing and Purification

Once the kundalini shakti energy enters the heart chakra – the energy center that is connected to love and interconnectedness – it tends to bring with it some big inner revelations and shifts.

The heart chakra – which sits roughly at the center of our physical being – is the meeting point of heaven and earth, human and divine, and it is the space in which we most easily access the Soul. We can see this in the symbol of the Anahata (heart chakra) symbol, with the upward and downward-facing triangles uniting together.

As the kundalini energy enters this center, the heart can break open, which can feel both blissful and also disturbing, depending on where you are on your path.

Some may experience this kundalini awakening stage as being full of grief, heightened emotional sensitivity, and facing old unprocessed childhood wounds.

Others may experience this kundalini awakening stage as a mystical connection and union with all of life, seeing themselves as Love itself that pulsates at the core of reality. 

Either way, the experience is temporary, but it also leaves a lasting impression, asking us to step out of the ego and into the Soul: to let go of old grievances and to find connection again (with ourselves, others, and life) through the power of love.

6. Throat Chakra Healing and Purification

The next of our kundalini awakening stages is when this primal energy enters the throat chakra, which is located in (you guessed it) the throat area. 

The throat chakra is connected to our ability to voice our inner truth, practice authenticity, and communicate openly and clearly.

When kundalini shakti enters this energy center to purify and awaken it, you may experience a series of pleasant and unpleasant symptoms.

For instance, you may find yourself wanting to speak up more and to express your inner self to the world, especially if you were previously quite shy or withdrawn. You may be drawn to teach or feel like when you speak life is channeling something through you.

You may also experience other symptoms, such as losing your voice suddenly, developing throat issues like infections, swollen lymph nodes, and sinus or respiratory tract infections.

As kundalini energy tends to enhance what’s already there, you may find yourself feeling extra unable to voice your inner needs, you may notice deceptive shadow tendencies within you, and you may be disturbed by the conflict between your inner and outer self.

“Be authentic, clear, and truthful!” kundalini energy seems to say when it enters this chakra.

As you learn to heal the blockages in this chakra to allow the kundalini energy to flow, you may experience an increased ability to speak clearly, honestly, and openly. Instead of feeling unseen or unheard, you will know how to express your authentic self with calm confidence.

7. Third Eye Chakra Healing and Purification

When people think of kundalini awakening stages, they tend to only think of the traditional signs associated with third eye chakra purification.

In this stage, kundalini energy can awaken mystical visions and profound dreams. Everything from seeing lights, angels, ascended beings, and other fantastical imagery has been associated with the third eye chakra stage of kundalini awakening.

But there is also a darker side here. When kundalini shakti enters this chakra, nightmares, terrible visions, and illusions of grandeur can arise in the psyche.

Issues of makyo (spiritual delusion), spiritual bypassing, and even spiritual narcissism can result, especially if the person undergoing the kundalini awakening has had no grounded spiritual guidance and hasn’t undergone a sufficient degree of inner maturation yet.

Other more physical symptoms can include an increase in migraines and headaches, insomnia or, alternatively, the desire to sleep more than usual, and vision changes.

Losing touch with one’s intuition, being overly dreamy and ungrounded, becoming too open-minded (undiscerning) or close-minded (fundamentalist), and losing the ability to focus are also connected to this kundalini awakening stage.

As you learn to heal the blockages in this chakra to allow the kundalini energy to flow, you may experience an increased ability to connect with your intuition, see with clarity, and access heightened levels of consciousness.

8. Crown Chakra Healing and Purification

Finally, we come to the crown chakra, located at the top of the head, and connected to our ability to access divine consciousness.

This is the final destination of kundalini energy, and it can lead to a whole range of spectacularly liberating and also entrapping experiences.

Those who have a blocked crown chakra may experience this healing and purification stage in the form of existential anxiety, existential dread, or existential depression. The dark night of the soul is another experience that may emerge paradoxically at this point of the awakening process.

Other symptoms may include experiencing more bizarre or scary dreams, having moments of non-dual realization, feeling extra sensitive to physical sensations like light and sound, experiencing more migraines or headaches than usual, undergoing an ego death, and struggling with physical fatigue.

As with the third eye chakra, issues of spiritual delusion (makyo) can also be a symptom of kundalini awakening in the crown chakra stage. It’s almost as if this primal energy is “testing” our level of maturity and consciousness. Are we ready to awaken to ourselves as Life itself? Or is the ego still at play, trying to use spirituality to inflate itself?

When you learn to heal the blockages in this chakra to allow the kundalini energy to flow, you may experience shifts in awareness (spiritual illumination, oneness, satori), enhanced wisdom, and crystal clear clarity, and a feeling of unity with all of existence. 

9. Bringing Heaven to Earth – Integration

The last of our kundalini awakening stages is when this primal energy moves from the crown back down through the rest of the chakras. To integrate all that we’ve learned into our physical reality, kundalini needs to find expression in this reality. 

As was mentioned previously in this article, Taoist practitioners call this the “circulation of the light” where the life force energy flows both upwards and downwards. 

Each cycle of energy moving up and down awakens new levels of our consciousness. In other words, the experience of kundalini awakening isn’t a linear static process – it’s ongoing!

Staying Open and Grounded (Some Tips)

To allow these kundalini awakening stages to take place with as little resistance as possible, the two key qualities are staying open and grounded.

We need to be open to looking, facing, feeling, and letting go of whatever blockages are within us.

You can do this through the inner work practices of self-love, inner child work, and shadow work. But if you feel incapable of doing any of these, simply focus on being kind and gentle with yourself (known as self-compassion). 

Also, you need to find ways of staying physically, mentally, and emotionally grounded. Some ways of doing this include staying physically active each day, eating grounding foods, connecting with safe affirming people, and practicing spiritual discernment.

If you’d like more grounding support through your kundalini awakening, I recommend our Shadow & Light Membership, which is a fun and gentle way to face your shadows (blockages) each week, offering you intuitive guidance and personal support.

You can also check out our Shakra Journal, which takes you through all of the shadows of each chakra, helping you to find more clarity and freedom.

Finally, our Spiritual Wanderer Course can help to ground you on your kundalini awakening path, offering you a bird’s eye view of the entire journey, and how to find your deeper purpose in this life.

Tell me, which of these kundalini awakening stages do you think you’re experiencing? I’d love to hear what this powerful energy has felt like to you in the comments.