The Awakening of the Yoga-Shakti and Its Unification With the Divine Consciousness

Sri Aurobindo describes the very traditional understanding of the awakening of the yogic force in the being and its ascent upwards from the Muladhara Chakra to the crown of the head where it meets the Divine Consciousness and thereby brings into the being the higher force to transform the life and the nature. He points out elsewhere that the Force can also enter from above and work its way downward, and that method may prove safer for the seeker. Many times when the yoga-shakti awakens in the lower chakras there can be some serious disruptions to the balance in the body, the nervous system and the emotional stability as the force strikes the ascending series of chakras without there being a consciousness already awake and understanding what is taking place to find a way to maintain the balance. In fact, this is why it is recommended that the seeker only attempt to practice what is known as Kundalini Yoga under the guidance of an experienced and qualified teacher.

Whether the seeker starts from below, or from above, eventually there must come about a unification of the Force within the being. Thus the transformation of one’s focus, aspiration, awareness, and active nature begins in earnest.

Sri Aurobindo observes: “There is a Yoga-Shakti coiled or asleep in the inner body, not active. When one does yoga, this force uncoils itself and rises upward to meet the Divine Consciousness and Force that are waiting above us. When this happens, when the awakened Yoga-Shakti arises, it is often felt like a snake uncoiling and standing up straight and lifting itself more and more upwards. When it meets the Divine Consciousness above, then the force of the Divine Consciousness can more easily descend into the body and be felt working there to change the nature.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Powers Within, Chapter VIII Yoga-Shakti pp. 80-81