For a long time, I have noticed inflammatory pressure in the lower chakras, possibly linked to my prostate and ASA. I think it was the main reason for my quick keval kumbhak when I pushed it up through deep kriya breathing with spinal awareness. It’s just wareness of breath moving up and down just opposite to air movement inside. That’s why it’s also called reverse breathing or spinal breathing or inner breathing. I think my energy was stagnating near lower chakras that was activated and circulated in proper way with kriya breathing. When I started deep spinal breathing in Kriya Yoga, it quickly escalated into Keval Kumbhak—a state where breathing ceases naturally. This happened within days, without deliberate effort. The spinal ascending of shakti or inflammatory sensation of lower parts to brain that often preceded with keval kumbhak was quite blissful. That low grade prostate inflammation was reoccurring only with seminal withholding in Tantric Yoga, but diminishing with a few days of ordinary Kundalini Yoga through uprising, as the bliss reached the brain.
The upward movement of energy—rising through the spine and reaching the brain—was what brought the real bliss. It means this energy was in raw or poorly expressed form near lower chakras. But after ascending to brain, it was transformed into meaningful and blissful energy. Help from meditation image was additional. It gave blissful energy the pleasant visual appearance rather than dispersed abstract thoughts. These thoughts disperse energy all around in the worldly chaos instead single meditation image keep it focused. Due to single pinpoint meditation image getting most of the bliss and energy, it becomes better anchor mainly when hooked to agya chakra to pull and flow prana through sushumna to cause keval kumbhak. Dispersed and varying thoghts results in energy devided between them. This makes them less expressed or energetic that can’t provide enough pull to prana upwads through sushumna.
What I specifically seen is that during worldly business moods when hologram based sharirvigyan darshan is just thought of, the meditation image immediately appears in left side of brain. It’s because in worldly business left side of brain is more active. Then while little blinking the eyes and giving little attention towards both eyes, it tends to come to agya chakra at eyebrows centre. In that way it seems helping bend prana flow from left ida channel to central sushumna channel occassionally after little swinging towards right side pingla channel. This results in better feeling. May be spiritual swinging on a swing rope tied to big holy tree in shrawan month in the name of Lord krishna also denotes the swinging nature of prana in channel.
Formerly, my approach was more dynamic, but now, I prefer a calm sitting practice at 9:30 PM, in Siddhasana, with normal breathing, mentally chanting Soham with each breath. It can lead to keval kumbhak automatically when one needs to surrender to event rather stressing in physical or mental activity. Mental chanting of soham even stopped itself. I have avoided deep pranayama at night due to feeling heavy after meals, despite eating lightly (like moong dal rice khichari) around 6:30 PM. My primary session remains a two-hour morning practice at 4:30 AM, when my belly is fully empty. There I attempt almost every type of yogic activity as per need and situation. I found way of Jainism community very healthy and meditational in this regard. They always finish their dinner before sunset and thereafter nothing eat. This is particularly helpful for people like me with issues of gerd and related sleep apnea.
Over time, I have been reducing daily spiritual activities while engaged in world in day time, instead gradually withdrawing into deeper spiritual focus during sadhna. For day time awareness, my purpose has been largely fulfilled through hologram based Sharirvigyan Darshan (body-awareness insight), which has resolved the need for constant spinal awareness, though I remain open to experimenting with it. During daily activities, Sharirvigyan Darshan serves as a momentary pause, allowing instant grounding without extra effort. It’s main advantage is that it’s two in one, means it also provides meditative awareness along with physical grounding. Only physical grounding isn’t enough for quick progress seekers. I recall it whenever needed rather than forcing continuous awareness.
Keval Kumbhak and Its Effects on Meditation
Ancient Hatha Yoga texts state that prolonged Keval Kumbhak (more than an hour) can lead to supernatural powers (siddhis). I have reached this state for two hours continuously, yet I have not observed these effects. Possible reasons:
These may be allegoric to attract more and more people towards real yoga. This thing I believe most at present although open to other explanations too like –
Siddhis depend on latent samskaras—if they are not within my tendencies, they may not manifest.
Keval Kumbhak alone is not enough—traditionally, siddhis arise when combined with one-pointed meditative absorption on tattvas (elements) or deities related to those siddhis.
Siddhis arise based on desire—since I do not seek them, they may not appear.
My path naturally bypasses siddhis—Kriya and Kundalini Yoga tend to dissolve them, as the focus is on higher states of awareness.
Instead of siddhis, Keval Kumbhak enriched my meditation image as l concentrated on it while situated in it as per my regular meditation habit, thus making it too strong near to self-existing—no longer requiring effort to sustain. It became more vivid, stable, and effortlessly present, almost like a mirror or a weapon. I am the warrior, and the image is my sword or shield in this battle for realization. I have seen many experts of yoga who even hold every single yoga pose for hours and have practiced each single pose for months to perfect it yet they are far away from samadhi and even Keval kumbhak. Even they are experts in different mudras, kumbhakas, cleansing processes like shatkarmas etc. In this regard original simple kriya yoga seems better as it quickens the process so much.
An Inborn Warrior in the Spiritual Battlefield
This warrior-like nature was not something I developed—it was inborn. My path was never about passive surrender but about active conquest, cutting through distractions and inner resistance. It’s real kshatriya stand just as great kshatriya sage Vishwamitra and many others shown. Many take realization as something that happens; for me, it has always been something that must be fought for and won.
Yet, the true battle is not just spiritual—it is integration. How to balance the world and spirituality? This is not a challenge that ends with enlightenment. It never ends.
Spirituality gives power, but life demands engagement.
The world tests realization, forcing it to be applied, not just experienced. If realization is the sword, the world is the battlefield where it’s tested.
The balance never settles permanently—one must adapt continuously.
Keval Kumbhak, the self-existing meditation image, and my inner warrior nature have shaped me into someone who does not retreat from the world but also does not lose himself in it. This is my battle of integration, one that has no finish line, no final resting place.
I do not claim to have achieved everything—I still navigate this path, testing and refining it. But I see it clearly: it is not a journey that ends, but one that evolves, deepens, and sharpens over time.
This is the warrior’s way—not renouncing life, not getting lost in it, but standing firm, weapon in hand, facing both the world and the infinite within.
Demystifying Kundalini 