Chakras

Sahasrara Ajna Vishuddha Anahata Manipura Svadhisthana Muladhara

While chakras appear to have been "seen" by legendary yogis of ancient time, it is often pretentious for modern practitioners to be capable, equal to those legendary people, to see them in a clearly objectified way. However, some, with sustained practice or through coincidence, mention that they have clearly see in their inner vision the archetypal form of one of them. These phenomena remain exceptional and one must be cautious.

Nevertheless, regular and serious Yoga, practice may lead to feeling these energy centers. Then, one of them, at a specific time, could active itself significantly.

This sensation can take the more natural form of a specific "fire" that comes and warms a specific center, revealing the energy manifesting itself then without doubts. According to the person, a center worked though practice, a specific moment in life, can bring forth the sensation of a wheel with various rays that irradiate from the center.

These experiences still remain unexplained while one could conceive the launching of an energy that starts moving and unfold with unsuspected intensity.

At first, the person may feel troubled when experiencing the initial and maybe strong energy movements. Indeed, the emotional sensitivity quite often increases in parallel and the person is affected by this. Feelings are exacerbated. These moments are often difficult to go through, especially if the feelings have not been purified.

This is a well known phenomenon in yoga. Indeed, the energy brews all lower emotions and brings them to the surface. The deep tendencies of the spirit (Vâsanâ) start moving and resonate or awaken the vibrant trace of experiences that were unconscious.

However, under guidance, the practitioner lives these various experiences and applies discipline to let go of extraordinary visions and remain in the immutable consciousness.

With practice and with such experiences, the yogi does not pay much attention to these experiences. He or she acknowledges them as the free movement of a beautiful energy that vibrates and beams from the center to the periphery of the senses to come back to the center of the consciousness. From there the person tastes all its enjoyable taste, and its entire magnificent splendor.

Hence, the purpose of tantric yoga is to activate these energy wheels. Once master of these wheels, the yogi obtains an exceptional fluidity. He or she does not offer opposition to his or her immediate surrounding: he embarrasses all things as being one with them. He or she sees him or herself in all things, and all things in him or her. When all wheels are synchronous, the yogi receives what is named “the Octuple wheel”, or more simply the free energy, the one in which the individual and universal consciousness fuse.

This is the classical tantric text that was the subject of Jung (and Hauer's) lectures on Kundalini Yoga. The translation from the Sanskrit is by John Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon), from his book The Serpent Power.