What is the ‘kundalini’ and why is it dangerous?

The kundalini is your life force. If you animate your raw life force and don’t have the emotional intelligence to alchemise it into a healthy vigour it can do more harm than good.

In Tai Chi the raw energy from the root chakra is the energy of life and death (sex and violence) and is very powerful. When this energy is raised, it’s essential to pass it through the chakras of our instinctive feelings, understanding and coping with anger and fear, learning patience, kindness and compassion, using these skills to affect our environment and gaining insight into who and what we really are.

The kundalini is depicted as 2 snakes spiralling up the spine, depicted as a staff in the commonly used caduceus you see on ambulances and other health systems.

To raise the energy you need good posture and a softening and opening of the joints and soft tissue of the body, this enables them to pump the energy upwards through the back. This is combined with the intention of an aware, focused, sensitive and intense mind.

It is then drained down the front of the softened and connected body to complete the ‘heavenly cycle’ of energy around the two major energy vessels.

The combination of emotional intelligence and the alchemising of energy through the body passing it through the major vessels is how to raise the kundalini and use it to develop a martial, vigorous health.