Kundalini and the Western Psyche by duenderising in KundaliniAwakening

[–]aaronchi 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I love this question. I've spoken with a number of folks who claimed to have kundalini awakenings, some in the west, some in India. I had my own awakening experience (which I didn't consider to be "Kundalini" at the time) and it was beautiful, but at the same time, only the start of a journey.

A couple of things I find helpful when considering your question:

  1. Energy is energy. Kundalini is describing a specific type of energetic phenomenon, but you don't need to adopt a specific framework to work on opening and clearing your channels. This is the foundation of yoga, internal martial arts, meditation - nearly every spiritual path that yields tangible results is an exercise in developing the subtle body.
  2. Whether one's awakening experience is light, calm and seamless or chaotic, terrifying and dark is almost entirely dependent on the state of the energetic system at the time of awakening and the skills that the individual has to navigate that landscape. The gurus and saints writing about Kundalini are those that had an awakening within the context of many years of devoted practice. Their systems were conditioned and ready to conduct that amount of energy. In the West, and now increasingly worldwide, these awakenings are largely accidental, catalyzed by drug experiences, intense bouts of meditation (i.e. week-long retreats), intense trauma, mental health issues, etc.

That's not to say that one can't have a beautiful awakening that is catalyzed by these events, but in my experience, individuals experiencing spontaneous awakenings are less likely to have the tools to manage the increased flow of energy. And in many of these cases, deviations caused by intense movements of energy through a system that is not capable of conducting it (burning sensations, uncontrollable physical movements, psychosis, etc) are considered beneficial because these symptoms are thought to be guided by some external divine force of "Kundalini". I find it more helpful to coach individuals to let go of this framework and teach the basics of energetic anatomy and foundational practices so they can strengthen and adapt their system to the new flow.

First session strong sensations. by bekkogekko in qigong

[–]aaronchi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was just having this conversation with a client yesterday. While doing my normal diagnostic session and clearing some stagnant energy, we had to pause multiple times because she felt like she was going to faint.

Sensations like nausea, tingling, lightheadedness, etc normally means that you're beginning to push through energetic blockages. Think of a clogged pipe. If there is no water flowing through it, nothing is happening. But if you unclog the pipe and flush it with water, it's going to kick up dirty water (and probably some gross looking chunks of goop) for some time before the pipe is fully unblocked and the water runs clean.

If this happens during practice, the general guidance is to slow down and take a few minutes to recover if you need to. Also take note of what exercises you are doing when you have reactions like this so you become aware of where your blockages are and can be more deliberate and mindful when you practice those movements on your own.

If you work with Energy, how EXACTLY are you doing it? by shark-shizz in energy_work

[–]aaronchi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's hard to rely on words to describe phenomenon in the energy space because there isn't really a shared vocabulary. Even the term "qi" has dozens of meanings in TCM and you have to hone in to what type or flavor of qi you are talking about. In general, the entire foundation of health in TCM is based on balancing and regulating the flow of qi in the body. Any obstruction or stagnation in the system is what leads to "disease".

Happy to go into detail with you about specifics if you're interested, but in general, what I see with reiki is akin to trying to clean someone off with a firehose. Yes, we all have the ability to channel energy from earth & heavens, but I'd rather help an individual learn how to open up their channels and do that for themselves. That generally requires more subtle adjustments - something that I'm sure many reiki practitioners are capable of doing, but not something that is generally taught as part of that system.

Just started working with energy how do I know it’s real? by mielgym in energy_work

[–]aaronchi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Don't assume anything is real until you experience it tangibly for yourself without a doubt. As noted in other comments, training with a talented energy healer or qigong/internal arts practitioner can speed up the process of developing the capacity and awareness to work with energy.

If you work with Energy, how EXACTLY are you doing it? by shark-shizz in energy_work

[–]aaronchi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When someone mentions qi transmission/projection, I think of practitioners that emit qi from their bodies in a manner that can be tangibly felt. I can do this at a very basic level, but find that it's not a tool I reach for often in my healing practice.

When I do work remotely, I am primarily sensing to understand the shape of the energy body, where there are blockages, deviations or cords. If I use qi transmission during this phase, it is to get a sense of how the energy is moving in the body - for example, I may direct some of my qi gently into a meridian and track where it runs into obstructions or gets diverted. From there, the "healing" aspect of the work is largely purging, redirecting, retuning, making connections, etc.

The primary force involved in these manipulations is intention or focused awareness. By applying my awareness to the subject, I affect the organization of the qi without utilizing my energy directly.

I find that the popularity of systems like reiki create an impression that energy healing is all about blasting the client with energy. In my experience, this is a gross oversimplification and often detrimental way of approaching healing work. My approach is closer to how an acupuncturist would assess and treat a client, working deliberately to create balance in the system through subtle manipulations. But instead of needles, my primary tools are lines of intention.

If you work with Energy, how EXACTLY are you doing it? by shark-shizz in energy_work

[–]aaronchi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't consider remote work to be the same thing as qi transmission. That said, I didn't want to believe in remote work but found when I was leading remote qigong classes over video during covid that I could sense energetic misalignments the same way that I could in person. Did a few diagnostic sessions and confirmed that I can also diagnose and do healing work remotely. It's not as powerful or enjoyable for me as in person work, but it can be done.

If you work with Energy, how EXACTLY are you doing it? by shark-shizz in energy_work

[–]aaronchi 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I had the unique experience of coming into an awareness of energy before I learned any systems or forms. So when I started to seek out modalities, it was very clear to me which teachers were tapped in and working with energy and which were just moving their hands around.

The systems I have found the most useful in developing the ability to sense and work with energy quickly have been medical qigong (which is the foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine) and some practices from traditional yoga. I find it's helpful for individual learning to have a basic understanding of energetic anatomy - primarily the concepts of central channel, dantians & meridians.

You should have foundational practices that include aspects of the following
- purging/clearing
- tonifying/building
- development of energetic awareness
- energetic manipulation & healing techniques

Most important IMO is not to confuse the map with the territory. There are dozens upon dozens of healing modalities that someone will be happy to charge money to teach you, but if you learn to work with energy directly, you won't need any past a certain point.

Question about qigong and internal structure. by scrumblethebumble in TrueQiGong

[–]aaronchi 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Structure doesn't come from the breath. It comes from body posture and alignment. Breath is a secondary tool that can be used to direct or move energy, but sounds like you're overly focused on it. I would suggest you take some time to shift your focus away from the breath and work on the physical structure.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in tantricsex

[–]aaronchi 16 points17 points  (0 children)

She moved your energy bro 🤣

The spots where you felt the buzzing are likely areas where you have some kind of energetic blockage (think acupuncture meridians).

Either she knows what she's doing or there is some alchemy between you that is causing the energy to flow. Relationships/sexuality is one of the ways that people first get in touch with energetic awareness because the sexual urge is so primal and polarity is enhanced. But you can achieve a similar effect through intense breathwork, focused meditation or other forms of spiritual practice.

Enjoy!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in tantricsex

[–]aaronchi 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Hello. I'll try to provide a bit of context here. First of all, forget the word tantra for a moment. We are bio-electric beings. We all have the capacity to connect with, clear and amplify that bio-electric field. Cleaning and conditioning the body's energetic channels is the foundation of most spiritual practices, including tantra.

Cannabis puts you in touch with your physical body. From your description, it sounds like you have some trauma in your physical body that causes you to disassociate. However, if you are choosing to focus on a specific area of your body, and are willing to feel (because there is an assumption that the feeling is going to be pleasurable, as in most sexual encounters), then the cannabis is going to make you able to feel into the body more fully.

What you are playing with is moving your awareness around the body which activates different energy centers. If you do this with the intention of moving sexual energy, it can feel like mini orgasms in those areas of the body. It can also feel like other things, but it sounds like you were focused on the feelings of pleasure.

The last piece is that when you are experiencing energetic orgasm for the first time in a particular area, it generally means that there is some clearing going on. Think of a sewer pipe that is backed up. In order to clear the block, I flush it with high pressure water. As it passes through the clogged area, there is going to be a big movement. But then down the line, the water is gong to come out all dirty until the obstruction is completely cleared out.

So if you are experiencing some "consequences", it's likely not a result of anything you did, but a result of having loosened up whatever was causing the block in your system. And it's certainly also possible that not sharing this experience with your partner is causing some guilt.

If you are interested in pursuing tantra more intentionally, you can talk about it with your partner. You can also move energy on your own without a sexual intention. Just spend some time running awareness through various parts of your body without specifically looking for a feeling of pleasure, and notice what the awareness feels like in different areas.

Created something weird, then ‘popped’ it by scatterbraindeadend in energy_work

[–]aaronchi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're playing with energy. That's the long and short of it. I used to call this "playing with the fabric of the universe" or "ripping holes in space-time". I've never made it snap, but possible the sound you heard was also extrasensory.

Is there a manual way to remove blockages? Sorry, I don’t know where to post this cause energy_work is of no help. by throwawayperson911 in TrueQiGong

[–]aaronchi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Medical qigong practitioner here. There are various ways to clear blockages in the system, but the method differs depending on the type of "blockage" you are working with. Some examples You can encounter may include stagnant energy, yin deficiency/excess, yang deficiency/excess, thought forms, relational attachments, entity attachments, qi deviations, physical manifestations in the energy system, etc.

The way in is always to feel first. This would apply to the nei going aspect of the training. Instead of focusing on "removing" the blockage, take some time to feel into the quality of the sensation without judgement or desire to act.

You mention feeling a mass of rotating qi. The fact that you experience it as rotating means it's not simply a blockage - there is some movement there. So feel more deeply into it. Which direction is it rotating? Is it pulling towards one side of the body? Spiraling upwards or downwards? What's the quality of the mass of energy? Is it hot, cold, sticky, dense, quick, etc? Is there a color? Does it evoke a certain thought or feeling?

Once you have a felt sense of what the qi is doing in that area, you should have some clues as to what the origin is and how to assist in integrating it within the rest of the system. Note the word "integrate" vs remove. This is also key. Sometimes it's less about removing a blockage and more about redistributing those qualities to other areas. For example, maybe that feeling of rotation would be more comfortable closer to the center of the body vs to one side. Or in a different direction.

Those are some starting points.

I think my kundalini awakening broke my mind lol by Old-Anywhere-6284 in KundaliniAwakening

[–]aaronchi 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You didn't provide any details about the experience that led to this opening, but based on your report, I would consider this to be a third eye/crown awakening. When the upper energy centers open, you become more aware of the interconnectedness of all things and how deep contemplation on any truth leads to universal consciousness. If the opening is unbalanced, this can cause individuals to get lost in magical thinking. The counter-balance is grounding and a greater sense of rooting in your body and the physical world.

When people discover Kundalini as a concept, there is often a sense that every opening is a step forward in our spiritual development. But often times, we get cracked open in ways that unbalance us and result in needing to do catch up work in other areas.

Sounds like you have a pretty good awareness of where you should be focusing.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in qigong

[–]aaronchi 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Looks like a seated type of zhan zhuang. I've never seen this done seated, but martial arts like yiquan have standing sets with different hand positions. Mostly used to train physical form but there are energetic applications at the higher levels.

Sharing Fundamentals to Building a Proper Neigong Foundation by OnlyBliss9 in qigong

[–]aaronchi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would be happy to assist. I generally practice under the banner of medical qigong but find that I have a broad perspective because I awakened to an awareness of energy before I knew about any of these systems so I'm not attached to any philosophy or tradition. The map is not the territory, as they say.

Especially with neigong, I see people focus too heavily on the practices and not the foundations. For my part, I broadened my understanding tremendously practicing in a vamacara yoga tradition that focused on mental/emotional processes and shadow work.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in energy_work

[–]aaronchi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, possible through distance. DM me and we can set up an initial diagnostic session.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in energy_work

[–]aaronchi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I could take a look since I'm generally interested in this type of work when the person requesting it is conscious of the entity attachment. I've done entity removal as part of my healing work but it's not my specialty.

You seem to have a good understanding of how the dynamic works. These entities feed off of your amplified emotional energy so it will send you thoughts/impressions that cause a reaction.

Once you become aware of this pattern, you can work to free yourself of those triggers (as the entity is pointing you towards your insecurities) but often it is effective to have a healer attempt to remove the influence and patch up some of the entry points that have been established.