Neuroscience and kundalini yoga come together in the following essay as scientist Andrew Newberg, author of several books, including Born to Believe: God, Science, and the Origin of Ordinary and Extraordinary Beliefs, probes the far reaches of what is known about the “yogic brain.” Drawing upon research that has been done with the most cutting-edge brain imaging equipment, Newberg discusses recent discoveries that a network of brain structures, including the hypothalamus, are activated when people engage in spiritual activities, including kundalini yoga. Detailing both the positive and negative effects of kundalini yoga, Newberg presents a critical look at current research and explores the questions: Can we find scientific proof that kundalini yoga affects the brain in a positive, life-changing way?
Is there such a thing as a yogic brain? In other words, can we find the neural correlates of various practices and experiences related to kundalini yoga? There has been very little direct research exploring the effects of kundalini yoga and the experiences of the energy rising through various chakras of the body, but there is a substantial amount of evidence regarding related practices that might be useful in helping us better understand what happens within the brain and body when an individual practices or experiences kundalini yoga.
The relationship between kundalini yoga and the brain can be explored by considering the various feelings, experiences, emotions, and thoughts that arise when somebody practices kundalini yoga or experiences a kundalini awakening. As with all research of this nature, it must be stressed at the beginning that simply finding a brain response to kundalini yoga by no means reduces kundalini yoga to “nothing more” than brain function. More specifically, if an individual’s brain is studied during a kundalini awakening and it is found that certain parts of it are activated during this experience, this would not necessarily imply that the awakening was created by the functioning of the brain. While that is certainly one interpretation, it may be equally valid to say that the brain was responding to the kundalini awakening experience. In this way, the brain is “going along for the ride” rather than actually producing the experience itself.
The notion of whether a kundalini awakening experience is generated by the brain or experienced by it is critical when trying to determine the reality of the experience. For individuals who deeply believe in kundalini yoga and the awakening experience, there is no question as to the reality of those experiences. For them, the kundalini awakening experience represents the true manifestation of the energy coiled within the body as it rises through the various chakras until it reaches its ultimate expression. For the individual who does not believe in the notion of an energy that is separate from the biological functions of the body, a kundalini awakening experience is nothing more than various neurons firing in specific areas of the brain that enable a person to have that experience. For this individual, there are no chakras, no energy, and no true awakening of consciousness. All of these subjective experiences are merely the production of the human brain’s complex functioning.
On a grander scale, such issues lie at the heart of much research on the relationship between spirituality and the mind. The sense of realness of these experiences presents a great challenge to both our philosophy and our science. After all, if consciousness and energy are something fundamentally different from the biological processes of the body, then current science itself is in for a great paradigm shift. But let us take a look at what some of the possible biological underpinnings of kundalini yoga practices and experiences may actually be before returning to a final evaluation of the true reality of those experiences.
One of the best ways to study spiritual phenomena is by using hightech brain imaging equipment. Brain imaging studies of spiritual practices in general have used such techniques as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron-emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), electroencephalography (EEG), and a number of other physiological measures throughout the body. Researchers have also begun to explore the relationship between these biological changes and the subjective nature of the experiences an individual actually perceives. In general, there seems to be an extended network of brain structures that get into the act when people engage in spiritual practices, and kundalini yoga should be no exception. Several studies have shown that when people perform a practice in which they actively focus their minds on something such as a mantra or an image of a sacred object, they activate their frontal lobes. In fact, the frontal lobes activate whenever we focus our minds on anything, so focusing on a spiritual object should also result in increased frontal-lobe activity. In a similar manner, when focusing on the various chakras of the body and the energy flowing through them, one might expect there to be an initial increase in the areas of the brain that are associated with paying attention. Several specific studies of yoga-type practices have revealed increased activity in these brain regions.
Once the frontal lobes are activated, they interact with a number of other important structures in the brain. The thalamus, which has complete neuronal connections with the frontal lobes, is a key relay that enables different parts of the brain to interact with each other as well as for the brain to interact with the rest of the body. As the frontal lobes and thalamus are activated, another part of the brain, the parietal lobe, also becomes involved. The parietal lobe typically takes our sensory information, creates for us a sense of our self, and orients that self in the world. As one deepens the focus on a sacred object, the brain increasingly prevents irrelevant sensory information from reaching the parietal lobe until, and even though this part of the brain is trying to create a sense of self, it no longer has the information with which to do so. It has been suggested that this is associated with the experiences of losing the sense of self and a sense of space and time that are commonly reported during spiritual practices. Brain imaging studies of practices such as meditation and prayer have typically shown a decreased activity in the parietal lobes. Such an experience is also a part of the kundalini yoga tradition. Thus, one might expect to see such changes occurring in people who practice kundalini yoga and have strong awakening experiences, especially if they lose their sense of self.
A very small but crucial structure called the hypothalamus is probably also associated with spiritual practices. This structure controls many body functions including heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration. It also regulates most of our body’s hormone systems. Finally, it helps control the autonomic nervous system that regulates our arousal (or sympathetic) and quiescent (or parasympathetic) functions in the body. Since a number of studies exploring spiritual experiences have shown changes in hormone function as well as in autonomic activity, it makes sense that the hypothalamus would play a key role during spiritual experiences. The autonomic nervous system in particular seems to be involved because people typically report intense feelings either of arousal or of bliss during such experiences. In fact, an intriguing aspect of certain mystical experiences is the simultaneous sense of arousal and quiescence. This might be described as an active bliss.
And it is easy to speculate about the importance of this autonomic nervous system in the kundalini awakening experience. Whenever one considers a strong sense of a surge of energy in the body, it would seem likely that the part of the nervous system that turns on the body’s energy systems would be strongly activated. A powerful sense of energy and alertness is likely to be experienced when the arousal part of the autonomic nervous system is activated. Since this system is connected to virtually every organ in the body, it may also help to explain how the energy can actually be perceived in different parts of the body at specific times. Therefore, activation of this arousal system may make one experience a substantial energy in the heart at one point and in the abdomen at another point. And while no one has ever drawn a clear correlation between the various chakras and specific organs in the body, a study of this type is certainly within the realm of possibility.
In addition to the body’s response, we would also expect there to be a strong surge of the energy-producing chemicals in the brain. For example, one brain scan study showed a release of dopamine during yoga meditation practice, a neurotransmitter that is involved with positive emotions, including the reward system of the brain and even intense feelings of euphoria. Dopamine is the primary mediator for the effects of cocaine, for example. The release of dopamine during meditation practice may certainly explain frequently described intense positive feelings. Other studies have shown changes in the body’s hormone systems, notably to cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone, which is typically found to be decreased during meditation practices. This reflects a lower stress state of the individual. Since cortisol also suppresses the immune system, lower levels of cortisol during meditation may help enhance immune system function, and this in turn might ultimately have a beneficial effect on how the body handles disease. This leads us to a broader discussion of the overall relationship between kundalini, spirituality, and health. After all, if there are physiological effects, there should be health effects.
The positive effects of kundalini yoga may be divided into two broad categories. The first category pertains to the actual practice of kundalini yoga. Yoga practices in general have been associated with a number of beneficial effects on the mind and body; they have been reported to help in a variety of different disorders including high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma, arthritis, and many others. For the most part, many of these changes are mediated through the brain changes described previously. For example, if a practice helped augment the function of the autonomic nervous system, we would expect to see changes in blood pressure and heart rate that may have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system. Meditation and yoga practices have also been shown to benefit mental health; in particular, such practices appear to lessen anxiety and depression. From a physiological perspective, such an impact may make sense, since these practices may be able to affect the serotonin and dopamine systems, which are vitally important to symptoms of anxiety and depression. Spiritual practices also are important coping mechanisms for dealing with a variety of health and other life-related issues. In fact, spirituality is frequently reported as the most widely used coping mechanism. All of the present research studies taken together suggest that practices such as kundalini yoga should result in a variety of potentially beneficial effects.
The second broad category of effects related to kundalini yoga would pertain to the more transformational aspects that might be associated with kundalini awakenings. A growing number of studies have explored how spiritual transformation affects the mind and body. Transformational experiences are frequently reported to be associated with many positive benefits. For example, those individuals who have a spiritual transformation experience typically report a greater sense of meaning and purpose in life, better interpersonal relationships, and improved perspective on their jobs and life goals. These individuals also report less fear of death. From a physiological perspective, what is unclear about transformational experiences is how they can occur so rapidly: there are no known mechanisms at the present time that would allow for a vast array of neural connections to suddenly shift in a matter of moments, thereby altering a person’s entire perspective and approach toward life. While the notion of a tremendous release of energy arising through the body may make sense from a kundalini yoga perspective, a clear biological correlate remains to be fully elucidated. The problem is that one never knows when such transformational experiences are going to occur, and this makes studying them directly almost impossible. In spite of this, it is clear that transformational experiences, including those associated with kundalini awakenings, are powerful, life-changing events. Furthermore, these events must be associated with substantial changes in the brain and body’s physiology.
Although most studies have shown positive effects, kundalini awakening and other strong spiritual experiences may also negatively affect health. It is relatively unlikely for kundalini yoga practice to result in negative health effects. There are always anecdotal reports of individuals who become more depressed, or even psychotic, when doing various meditative or spiritual practices. The more likely cause of a negative effect related to kundalini yoga would be associated with awakening experiences the individual is not fully prepared for—a well-described problem in the kundalini yoga literature. When individuals are not adequately prepared for a kundalini awakening, the tremendous energy and power associated with this experience are believed to cause substantial harm, mentally and physically. Some of the problems reported include mental confusion, memory problems, emotional mood swings, sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal problems, muscular and sensory problems, changes in sexual desire, and changes in pain perception. No studies have documented the physiological correlates of these problems; however, one might speculate that such a negative experience would be associated with a substantial disruption of normal brain circuitry. There may also be related abnormal activity in specific neurotransmitter systems such as the dopamine and serotonin systems that are also involved in anxiety, depression, and even psychosis. It might also be the case that a negative kundalini awakening experience may be very difficult for an individual to recover from because of the potentially long-term effects on the brain itself.
And there could be another potentially negative aspect of kundalini awakening experiences, something that has also been reported in other powerful spiritual experiences, including mystical states, near-death experiences, and spiritual visions. The problem I am referring to here is that sometimes even a profoundly positive experience can be so markedly different from the individual’s usual worldview that they have trouble incorporating the experience into their prevailing belief system. For example, an individual who had been raised Catholic and was a practicing Catholic up to the time of their spiritual awakening might feel great guilt, anxiety, and depression if their experience cannot be easily accepted into the Catholic paradigm. Individuals may even feel reluctant to discuss their problems with members of their family or clergy because they fear they may be labeled as crazy or heretical. Perceived religious transgressions can cause emotional and psychological anguish, manifesting as physical discomfort. This “religious” and “spiritual pain” can be difficult to distinguish from pure physical pain.
While the biological and health evaluation of religious and spiritual phenomena has advanced considerably since some of the initial studies were performed over thirty years ago, this field of research is still in its early stages. This is particularly true in the context of kundalini yoga and its associated experiences. There are many unique methodological issues that face this field—in addition to the potentially more problematic barriers of funding and academic stature. However, pursuit of such projects may ultimately pay large dividends both for science and spiritual perspectives. From the spiritual perspective, the results of such studies may lead toward a better understanding of the human experience of spiritual practices such as kundalini yoga. These studies enhance human knowledge of how spiritual pursuits affect the mind, brain, body, and behavior. From the scientific perspective, such research may shed new light on the complex workings of the human brain, as well as the relationship between brain states and body physiology.
All of this information leads to a potentially fascinating and powerful possibility. Do we need to change our most fundamental way of understanding the human being? For the past Century, the biomedical world has focused almost exclusively on the biological models of the brain and body. However, today we are revolutionizing the way in which we think about the entire person. We have come to realize that people possess biological, psychological, social, and spiritual domains. The research further suggests a very complex linkage between spirituality and health. And if there is energy, spirit, or some other aspect of the human person that is responsible in some way for making us who we are, this could dramatically change the existing paradigms of both science and spirituality.