Teachings Article
Mystical Transformation
By Gurudevi Nirmalananda
September 2026
You came from God. Before you were born, you inhabited a subtle realm suffused with Divine Essence. In that space between lifetimes, you merged into Beingness as much as you were able and stayed for as long as possible.
Your desires and karmas propelled you out, like a propeller on a boat pushes it forward. The spin of that Divine energy began the process of you coalescing into form again.
Chitireva chetana-padad-avaru.dha chetya sa.mkocini chittam.— Pratyabhij~nah.rdayam 5
Within Herself, Consciousness descends from the plane of pure Consciousness to become individualized, contracting in conformity with the objects perceived.
Consciousness contracts to become you. Also known as Shiva, Consciousness manifests the universe and everyone in it by contracting – energy becomes mass, even the mass of your own body. Consciousness loops in on herself, swirling energy taking on density in multiple dimensions simultaneously. Yoga’s ancient sages mapped out the tattvas, the stages and levels of this process.
Cosmic energy coalesces itself into substance beginning with empty space, then progressively denser elements: air, fire, water and earth. We love nature scenes that include all of these primal elements, like the moon shining on the beach. The sand is earth, with ocean waves made of water. The moon reflects the fire of the sun. The breeze is moving air and between the stars you see space.
Your own body is made of these same elements. On a physical level, your bones are earth, made of minerals. Your blood and other bodily fluids are water, with your digestive fluids being fire. Air is constantly moving through your lungs, with oxygen molecules carried to every cell by your blood. Every internal organ is hollow, which is the empty space. Even your skull is 40% empty space, the hollows of your mouth and sinuses. Your body is made of the primal elements, manifesting in the wonderful complexity of a human body.
Assuming prana, intellect and all the other capacities, and emanating thousands of nadis, Consciousness fashions the human body. — Swami Muktananda
Consciousness shapes your body by manifesting as prana, the energy of aliveness. These energetics form your subtle body, sukshma sharira. This is your energy body. Some people call it an aura.
Cosmic energy concentrates itself into a central flow, pouring from the top of your head downward all the way to the tip of your tailbone. Becoming embodied is a downward flow of energy, like the sun’s rays shine down to enliven plants. As a teenager, I loved soaking up the rays. I felt like they were enlivening me.
The central flow is your spine, from which your body forms. This is true energetically as well as with the formation of the embryo in the womb. This central energy conduit fuels your body through the 72,000 pranic channels (nadis) that branch off from your spine, extending through your whole body.
Wherever the nadis cross, you get whirlpools of energy called chakras (wheels, spinning discs). You have chakras in your fingertips, in your earlobes, your navel, your eyes, and all throughout your body. Your primary chakras are located along your spine, each one holding a primal element.
As Consciousness flows downward to become you, the central stream radiates side channels that crisscross left and right on the way down. In the middle of your skull, they form an energy center that gives Consciousness the ability to see herself, like looking in a mirror. Now Shiva sees himself as an individual — you.
Tracking downward, the three main channels cross again at your throat, with the element of space, also called ether, as in ethereal. Meeting again at your heart, these energies coalesce into your mind, made of the element of air.
These nadis cross again at the top of your sacrum, which is about one inch below your navel, the seat of the element of fire in your body. The next level down is at your pubic bone, with the element of water. Energy continues downward to root you into the world, landing just below the tip of your tailbone, with the element of earth creating material reality.
At this level, the cosmic energy of Consciousness goes into a state of dormancy. Having brought you into existence, she functions in a dampened-down way, not quite stifling herself, but definitely diminishing her cosmic powers down to individual size.
Most people use their personal powers to continue their densification. When you were a child, you could chew on your toes, but that’s not likely now. Using your mind and senses to pursue the energies of your lowest chakras keeps you focused on security, relationship, power and control. Even when you succeed, you feel that something is missing. It is. You have lost your own Self.
Your task as a human being is to delve inward, to discover your Divine Essence and cosmic powers. This is a process of inner unraveling, opening up what has been ratcheted down inside. Working with yoga’s breathing practice and poses begins the de-densification of your body and mind, but more is needed.
In her state of dormancy, Consciousness is coiled 3½ times, like a sleeping cobra, awaiting the awakening that begins her return home. In Sanskrit, coiled is kundala, so Consciousness is now called Kundalini. Shaktipat is the awakening that empowers her to climb your spine from tail-to-top, expanding you inward so you know your cosmic origins. Oh, Shiva.
Madhya-vikasach chidananda labhah. — Pratyabhij~nah.rdayam 17
By the opening of your spinal current, you attain the bliss of Consciousness.
When I got Shaktipat from my Baba, my life was chaotic. Kundalini went to work on my root chakra, just below my tailbone. My home and work situations sorted out amazingly well, and I completed my undergraduate degree which had been stalled. Earth element: survival, security and safety — check!
In my daily morning meditations, Kundalini climbed my spine, unraveling more of the karmic blockages and giving me clarity. I worked through some confusing relationships. Water element flowing freely: giving me an independence that came from an inner sense of self-worth. I made important decisions that shaped the direction of my life, the fire element shining light on my path.
As Kundalini began clearing my heart, I sorted the wheat from the chaff. The element of air was winnowing, blowing away the old ideas of who I was or should be. My mind became clear, no longer burdened by old identities and outdated stories. My heart followed my mind, dissolving emotional burdens I had carried for too long.
As my throat chakra opened, I used my words to help others who wanted to find themselves. And I began singing, recording the mantras that echo through the millennia.
The farther up your spine that Kundalini goes, the more subtle the process becomes. It’s like listening to a flute instead of a brass band. Beyond worldly benefits, I learned how to look inward, delving into the mystical insights of the ancient sages. This inner blossoming continues all the way up to the thousand- petalled lotus at the top of your head, each petal opening up a new kind of bliss and awareness.
Yes, your body is transformed — pranified! Yes, your mind expands and your heart follows. Better yet, you find more inside, based in your own inner source. You care more, share more, and live in the fullness of the Consciousness that you are. Oh, Shiva.