Kuṇḍalinī Beyond Yogi Bhajan
Setting the Record Straight on Yogi Bhajan and the Śākta-Śaiva Tradition
Recently, I received a thoughtful yet concerned email from someone in the Embodied Philosophy community expressing concern about our upcoming Kuṇḍalinī retreat. Their worry stemmed from an all-too-common misunderstanding: that the kuṇḍalinī we will explore at this retreat bears some relation to the so-called “Kundalini Yoga” popularized by Yogi Bhajan. Given the painful legacy of abuse and manipulation associated with Bhajan’s movement — a topic widely covered in recent documentaries and journalistic investigations — I want to take this opportunity to hopefully offer a clear and comprehensive clarification.
A Problem of Confusion
Yogi Bhajan’s brand of “Kundalini Yoga” has, unfortunately, become synonymous in many minds with the term kuṇḍalinī itself. This is understandable. Bhajan’s marketing instincts — and his appropriation of terms drawn from Indian spiritual traditions—was effective in creating a new religious movement that looked ancient, authoritative, and exotic, while being, in fact, an idiosyncratic, self-fashioned synthesis designed to serve his personal empire. The truth is that what Yogi Bhajan taught had no grounding in the kuṇḍalinī teachings as they are understood within the Non-dual Tantrik traditions of Śākta-Śaiva Tantra from which the term derives.
I am grateful to the person who wrote to me, because their concern illuminates the need for a greater public understanding. I want to be absolutely clear: our retreat on kuṇḍalinī draws nothing from Yogi Bhajan or his “Kundalini Yoga.” Rather, it is rooted in rigorous study and practice within the lineage of Śākta-Śaiva philosophy — a tradition I have devoted my life to exploring, studying, and practicing.
Kuṇḍalinī: The Original Vision
So what is kuṇḍalinī, in its original context?
The earliest textual reference to kuṇḍalinī appears in the Kubjikāmata-Tantra, a 9th-century text from Kashmir. In this tradition, kuṇḍalinī is personified as the goddess Kubjikā — literally the “curled one”, who is also sometimes referred to as the “hunch-backed” goddess. This “curling” or “coiling” reveals her as a subtle form of luminous creative energy latent within each of us. Far from being a technique or branded style of yoga, kuṇḍalinī in the Śākta-Śaiva tradition refers to a universal, intrinsic energetic current — the subtle pulsation of creative potential that animates all beings.
Practices related to kuṇḍalinī in this tradition involve deeply meditative forms of visualization and mantra. They invite practitioners to attune themselves to this inner dynamism, to harmonize with the ever-present wellspring of consciousness and creativity within us. This is a far cry from the intense, often reckless breathwork and extreme techniques promoted in Yogi Bhajan’s schools, which have unfortunately triggered dissociation, psychological instability, and even psychotic breaks in vulnerable individuals. While a range of deeply potent practices exist in the Tantrik traditions, no such dangerous methods will be taught in the Kuṇḍalinī Retreat — instead, we will be focusing on a subtle sequence of meditative practice that draws from the rich philosophical and practical landscape of the Śākta traditions.
Yogi Bhajan’s “Kundalini Yoga”: An Invention
It bears repeating: Yogi Bhajan’s version of “Kundalini Yoga” was not a transmission of an ancient, unbroken lineage. It was largely his invention — drawing selectively and sometimes superficially from Sikhism, sprinkled with appropriated Tantrik vocabulary, and repackaged as a charismatic, and highly marketable product. However, the sinister element, from my perspective, is not so much the adaptation of tradition — since adaptation happens in all religious and contemplative histories — , but rather the exploitative power dynamics and abuses that Bhajan’s empire inflicted on countless followers.
When we speak of kuṇḍalinī at this retreat, we are not referencing, endorsing, or building upon that history. In fact, the teachings we engage with stand in stark contrast to it. They offer not a gateway into authoritarian structures or cultish communities, but a map toward inner sovereignty, resilience, and the cultivation of a critical yet contemplative discernment.
A Note on Tradition and Adaptation
One point I’d like to make — because it’s important to the history of all spiritual traditions — is that religious and contemplative systems are never static. They evolve, adapt, and splinter over time. Claims to speak for the “one true tradition” often mask the complex, living nature of contemplative and religious history. That said, Bhajan’s distortions were not benign adaptations — they were ultimately self-serving manipulations that harmed many people. The problem is not that he created a hybrid practice; it is that he used this practice to control, exploit, and abuse.
Neo-Kundalini: A Helpful Distinction
Just as scholars distinguish between Non-Dual Tantra and what is popularly called “Neo-Tantra” (a New Age reimagining with little connection to historical Tantrik practices), we might consider the term “Neo-Kundalini” for the version of kuṇḍalinī that was taught by Yogi Bhajan. His system bears little resemblance to the original traditions of Śākta-Śaiva Tantra and its teachings on the kuṇḍalinī-śakti.
Kuṇḍalinī as Contemplative Technology
At our retreat, we will approach kuṇḍalinī as a contemplative technology — a subtle, supportive process of engaging with the creative movement of consciousness within. The practices are meditative, grounded in visualization, mantra, and subtle alignment. They are designed not to overwhelm the nervous system, but to gently open the heart and mind to greater creativity, resilience, and contemplative insight.
In a world increasingly vulnerable to dogma, doctrine, and manipulation, kuṇḍalinī practice — rightly understood — cultivates precisely the opposite: it supports autonomy, inner clarity, and the capacity to see through false claims and authoritarian traps.
Setting the Record Straight
I share all this because I believe it is vital that those of us committed to the integrity of contemplative traditions work actively to dispel the confusion sown by bad actors like Yogi Bhajan. It is time to reclaim kuṇḍalinī as the profound, illuminating concept it always was, and to offer its wisdom in a way that is safe, supportive, and authentic.
I am deeply grateful for the opportunity this exchange has given me to clarify what we are doing at the retreat — and what we are not. If you have further questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I welcome dialogue, and I am committed to supporting practitioners in finding paths of inquiry that are both safe and effective.
Interested in joining the Kuṇḍalinī Retreat?
In today’s spiritual marketplace, “kuṇḍalinī awakening” is a well-worn phrase — often reduced to vague energies or exotic spectacle. But within the classical traditions of non-dual Śaiva and Śākta Tantra, kuṇḍalinī-śakti is not a curiosity. She is the very principle of creativity and revelation, the dynamic pulse of consciousness (spanda) itself. This retreat seeks to recover the depth, nuance, and ethical import of these teachings — and to offer a somatic language and meditative pathway for practicing them in real time.
Kuṇḍalinī & Subtle Embodiment Retreat
July 10th–16th, 2025 | Live Online via Zoom | Recordings Available
9:00–11:30 AM & 1:00–3:30 PM ET daily