This is part VIII of kundalini series. Once the muladhara chakra is well activated, the next step is to make the kundalini penetrate the brahma granthi. This is situated just above the muladhara chakra and below the swatishtan chakra. As we have seen earlier granthi means knot. In brahma granthi, nerves crisscross as if there is a knot. The pressure of these nerves will be felt in the central canal of the spinal cord and therefore, crossing this place is difficult for kundalini. There are a few cases where kundalini will reach sahasrara on its own with a blast, without any human efforts. In such cases, kundalini acts on its own. In all other cases, we have to manually make the kundalini to ascend. Therefore piercing the granthis will be slightly difficult and needs more efforts.

The nerve plexuses can be loosened mainly by the two exercises. One is the bending exercise and another is hip rotation. The later we have discussed in the previous posting. Bending exercising is also simple. Lift both your hands above your head. Inhale and make your stomach bloat. Bring down your hands slowly so as to touch your feet, simultaneously bending your head, neck and trunk forward accompanied by exhalation. By the time you are hands are closer to your feet you should have exhaled fully. After a couple of seconds, raise your arms gradually above your head accompanied by gradual inhalation. Begin your inhalation when you are about to lift your arms and complete the inhalation when your arms reach above your head. Hold the breath for a few seconds and repeat the process of gradual exhalation and bending. When you inhale and exhale, your stomach should bloat and contract accordingly.

Once you are comfortable with this exercise, you can push your raised arms above the head a little backwards, simultaneously bending backwards your head also. The beginning of this bend should be from your hip portion. Hip will bend backwards only a little, your trunk a little more than the hip, your shoulders a little more than the trunk, the head a little more than the shoulders and the palms will be the most bent part. Inhalation and exhalation should synchronize with the movement of the stomach and bending backward or forward. Again the synchronization is important. By doing these two exercises, the brahma granthi will be loosened. After doing these exercises, take rest for some time. Then sit for meditation. Move the kundalini from the perineum to the muladhara chakra. Meditate on the muladhara chakra till you are able to feel the tickling sensation there. Now you will be able to visualise kundalini in deep red colour. Now it is the time for you make her cross the brahma granthi. In the initial stages, she will face some resistance. But over a period to time, kundalini will ascend smoothly to swatishtan chakra.

At the time of her penetrating brahma granthi, one will feel pressure and heat in around brahma granthi. You have to make her ascend along with your inhalation. It is easier to talk about ascending kundalini. It is difficult while practicing. Persistent practice alone helps. The energy of kundalini has to ascend only through the central canal of the spinal cord or sushumna. There is a possibility that she may ascend through ida or pingala. If she enters through these two nadis, there will be health related and other issues. To ensure that she ascends through the central canal, pranayama is to be practiced. Secondly, one should learn to pull the kundalini energy while inhaling. All these aspects we will discuss in the next posting.