Kundalini Awakening: A Gentle Guide to Chakra Activation and Spiritual Growth (Paperback)

by John Selby (Author), Zachary Selig (Author) "For you to gain a firsthand understanding of what the kundalini experience is like, you have only to look back into your own childhood, when..." (more)
Key Phrases: kundalim meditation, kundalini illumination, humming meditation, Root Chakra, Breath of Fire, Crown Chakra (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Books on the subject of Kundalini yoga--practiced only by the most advanced yogis and spiritualists--have generally focused on theory and history. But now comes the first book to offer readers techniques for bringing Kundalini energy into everyday life. Includes breathing exercises, chants, and visual symbols and paintings.

About the Author
Internationally acclaimed Artist, Author, and Filmmaker Zachary Selig is one of the leading Kundalini authorities on Chakra and Color Sciences. Zachary Selig is a notable pioneer of Talismanic Art in the contemporary art world and has a 25 year professional history as a Fine Artist and Spiritual Consultant for private clients worldwide. Zachary Selig delivers a universe of benefits through art, literary, and film venues by sourcing answers to Wellness challenges through his gift as a Spiritist.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (August 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553353306
• ISBN-13: 978-0553353303
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #57,977 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 102 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What? No reviews for this book?!, May 24, 1999

By	Nicholas Chin (Whitby, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This is my favorite book which teaches a traditional approach to awakening ones chakras.

It was a joy to read and I had the distinct feeling that it was a true labor of love for Mr Selby. His love and passion for the subject really shines in his writing.

I also liked Zachary Zelig's wonderful paintings (mandalas for the different chakras)in the center of the book.

This book combines some of the best traditional approaches to stimulating the chakras- sound (mantra), breathing (pranayama), and visualization. In addition it also suggests several different programs of practice- one which combines all techniques, one which concentrates on breathing alone, one on mantra alone, and another which you can do in 7 breaths during ones everyday life.

I really like the approach he takes to working with the chakras- not concentrating on any single one but working with all of them in a balanced way to create a safe, steady, and gentle opening.

Another book on the chakras I really like is Sanaya Roman's "Soul Love." It teaches a more modern approach to working with the chakras that I find to be very effective.

Whenever I am asked to recommend books on the chakras, these two titles (Kundalini Awakening and Soul Love) always are at the top of my list. Kundalini Awakening is probably the better of the two books to start with because Soul Love is a bit more involved and more difficult to put into practice.

For those who are looking for an introduction to the chakras and a practical way of working with them this book is the best I know of.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review by meditation instructor and shakti-kundalini practitioner, April 7, 2007

By	Patrick D. Goonan "www.meaningful-life.us" (Pleasanton, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I teach meditation and have a background in physiology, biochemistry, biofeedback and psychology. My latest graduate degree is in integral psychology, which studies psychology within the context of the world's wisdom traditions. As such, I am well read in meditation, yoga, world religions, etc. As part of my eductation, I have also studied shakti-kundalini yoga with a well known teacher who is also an M.D./Ph.D and has been practicing most of her life. While I'm not an expert at kundalini yoga, I have read many of the important classics on this topic and probably am better qualified than the average reader to review this one.

In short, I really liked this book and found it to be extremely useful. It presents kundalini awakening in a very logical, straightforward and non-esoteric way. It invites the reader to experience this energy in their own body and contains many useful exercises to accompany the readings. Best of all, it takes the most important teachings and shows how a modern person could apply them making them relevant to a modern context and people with busy lives.

This book assumes that you are your own inner master and encourages you to gently explore this territory with an open mind. It starts with helping the reader develop simple breathing techniques and then encourages development of expanded practices that include awareness of the heart, the pull of gravity on the body and then eventually the energy centers of chakras.

This volume is approximately 200 pages, but it contains a lot of material and develops the subject quickly. It has an encouraging tone and the progression of exercises are logical. A lot of the focus is on the heart chakra where heaven meets earth, which is appropriate and emphasized regularly throughout the book. In general, the development recommendations of the book seem to gentle, thorough and safe for the average person.

Part II of the book talks in detail about awakening the seven energy centers with a variety of exercises and this included working with yantras or mandalas, sound and visualization. This text also includes excellent color plates by Zachary Zelig which can be used for some of the exercises.

This is an intelligent, learn by doing approach to kundalini yoga. I highly recommend it as an introductory volume for Westerners, especially Westerners turned off by a lot of jargon on the subject. In place, the author made some assertions that weren't thoroughly supported and may not even be true, but overall the book is accurate and well-researched. In addition, the author has experience in an established lineage and is a working therapist who applies his ideas in his practice.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars clear and easy to use meditation guide, July 8, 2000

By	Ruth Henriquez Lyon (Duluth, Minnesota USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

John Selby has done an excellent job describing the chakra system and how to awaken the chakras as a group through meditation exercises. This book takes a gentle, gradual approach, so that the practitioner can avoid some of the unpleasant side affects of sudden kundalini activation. I worked through the exercises as written for several months before branching into a slightly different meditation form. During those months I did experience noticeable changes in my waking perceptions, as well as in my dreams, which became lucid much more frequently. I did, however, retain some blockages in certain chakras which these meditations could not seem to budge. Thus I would recommend that for stubborn blockages one work with a teacher, because the book alone can only take you so far. Still, it is an excellent book, written in a very positive and supportive voice.