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Even in the smoothest kundalini awakening there will be some symptoms. There can be some aching and/or heat around the extremities of the spinal nerve, just as you described – third eye and root. With easy spinal breathing and meditation they should not become extreme. If they do, back off practices somewhat, as recommended, and try some of the further measures mentioned below. Many other things can happen: Light burning sensations here and there. Some lurching of the body or sudden movement of air from the lungs during practices. The feeling of insects crawling on the limbs, or little pricks like they are biting occasionally during the day. Strange feelings in the feet that are both pleasurable and itchy at the same time -- this can be smoothed by walking regularly. It can happen in the hands too. There can also be a varied assortment of goose bumps, occasional shivers, sexual arousal, inner buzzing and humming sounds, hot pinpricks, slight headaches, and other weird sensations. All of this stuff settles down in time. To the extent any of it remains, it is overshadowed by the experience of pure bliss consciousness and divine ecstasy coming from inside. You will find things like these in a normal kundalini awakening. All of them are symptoms of obstructions coming out, making way for a new life in unending ecstasy.

If symptoms become extreme and we cannot smooth them in pranayama and meditation, even by reducing times of practice, then more measures are necessary. These can also be considered by anyone doing spiritual practices for prevention of kundalini difficulties.

There are three factors affecting the way kundalini energy moves in us – bodily constitution, lifestyle, and practices. These factors determine our tendencies for kundalini energy to be balanced or unbalanced.

First, is the bodily constitution. This is what we are born with. We each have certain tendencies in us that determine how energy (prana) will flow through our body. These are delineated well in the Indian system of medicine called "Ayurveda," which is all about balancing energies in the body. There are three aspects to our constitution, and we can have too much or not enough of any of them:

Vata – Is our nature flexible, or moving around too much?

Pitta – Is our nature focused, or fiery and angry?

Kapha – Is our nature steady, or stuck in inertia?
These are the three "doshas" (aspects) of our constitution. We are each a different mixture of the positive or negative traits mentioned. Much can be done to balance the doshas. Ayurveda has many means for compensating for imbalances in the constitution, and this can help with excessive kundalini symptoms. Particularly helpful are diets and herbal supplements designed to pacify too much fire (pitta) and/or movement (vata) in the body, mind, and emotions, which are classic for kundalini symptoms. You can check out the writings of Deepak Chopra, and others, for more on ayurveda. See the following list of Ayruveda resources (this can also be reached through the links section):

http://www.aypsite.com/ayurveda.html

The second factor affecting the way kundalini moves in us is our lifestyle. Are we doing too much spiritual practice and not getting enough activity? Are we working too much, or not enough? Do we keep enough of the right kind of company that is supportive of our spiritual commitment? Things like this are important. If we are having excessive, or even minor kundalini symptoms, activities that are "grounding" can be helpful. Taking long daily walks with a relaxed mind is one of the best therapies for smoothing out surging kundalini energies. Tai chi, practiced regularly, is very grounding also. Yoga asanas (postures), which we will get into in the next few lessons, can help. Physical exercise in general is good for grounding the energies. A heavier diet during periods of excessive kundalini energies can help ground them. Grounding activities do not do away with kundalini. Rather, they bring in the Shiva component that helps integrate the kundalini energy into our nervous system. Such activities are good to do in addition to spinal breathing, meditation and other advanced yoga practices.

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