The Power of Visualization in Asana

When approaching a challenging / difficult / strenuous yoga posture, you can harness the power of the mind to move the body into the pose. If you can see yourself in the yoga posture, you can do it.

Close your eyes, deepen the breath and see your body doing the yoga posture in your mind’s eye. See every detail, seeing your body’s alignment and how you are breathing. See yourself in the posture strong, confident, and graceful. See yourself holding the posture with ease. See a simile on your face! Keep this image clearly in your mind as you move your body into the posture. Simply allow your body to fill up this mental picture, without excess pushing, straining or effort. When your body is fully in the posture, keep your focus on the mental picture, and begin to feel your body inside this image, filling it up with your awareness.

The Mysterious Kundalini

Kundalini is a dormant spiritual energy, often described as a serpent coiled up at the base of the spine. This serpent guards the entrance of susumna, the central energy channel, keeping prana energy from entering and ascending up through the center of the spine through the seven chakras. Kundalini is regarded as the individualized form of cosmic feminine spirit of Shakti. The opposite pole and pair of Shakti is Shiva, who resides in the crown chakra.

Yoga has two main paths for achieving enlightenment. The classical path is through stilling the fluctuations of mind and prana through inner focus, concentration and meditation. The tantric path is to uncoil the serpent releasing kundalni to rise up the susumna channel through all seven chakras to unite Shakti with Shiva.

Activating kundalini creates an ultimate state of bliss, yet without adequate preparation releasing kundalni can lead to disaster. The release of such a powerful source of energy into the body’s delicate systems can cause intense pain and even lead to insanity and death.
Before kundalini is activated and released upwards the body and mind must be prepared through hatha yoga exercises, completed in a specific order. First, the energy channels (nadis) and physical body must be strengthened and purified through pranayama, meditation and yoga postures (asanas). Second, all seven chakras must be slowly awakened using meditation, yoga postures and mudras. Once the body and nadis are purified, the chakras are open, and the aspirant has a mastery over body, breath and prana, only then can kundalini be safely awakened. Kundalini can be awakened through many yogic techniques: mantra, tapas, meditation, pranayama, mudra, shaktipat and self-surrender.

During the activation one can still experience adverse effects as the kundalini moving through the body and as the nervous system adjusts to this dramatic increase of psychic energy. Therefore it is not advised to activate kundalini without guidance of a qualified teacher and support of a spiritual community.

Once kundalini is activated, the yogi’s life completely changes. But you need not to follow this path all the way to its ultimate end. Purifying body and mind, cleansing the energy pathways and activating the chakras promote consciousness, equanimity, well-being and inner peace.


Yoga is a process and should be approached as such. Focus on slowly increasing your commitment to the yogic practices outlined above and enjoy the gradual changes that appear. Ideally practice yoga 6 times per week or alternate your yoga practice with other forms of movement taking one day off per week for rest.