The Significance of Energy-Like Somatic Experiences (ELSEs) in Contemplative Practices

So we call them ELSEs. On our VedicVibes website I discuss quite often the so called side-effects of deep meditation. Here we dive into one aspect and relate it to the inner lights you can see during meditation.

Throughout the history of contemplative traditions, energy-like somatic experiences (ELSEs) have emerged as a profound, though often underexplored, aspect of meditative practices. These experiences, described in vivid and diverse ways by practitioners, reveal the intersection of physical, psychological, and spiritual dimensions. Some Tibetan Buddhist practitioner recounting a “vortex of white energy light” or the Theravāda meditator’s vision of “deep indigo blue” provide striking examples of how ELSEs manifest and are interpreted within the framework of meditative journeys. These experiences serve as gateways to understanding how ancient systems conceptualized and engaged with the subtle body. And they are not exotic, I can testify you can experience these effects yourself, as long as you are fully dedicated. If it isn just a joke a bit of sitting around and closing the eyes nothing happens…

ELSEs in the Context of Subtle Body Traditions

Historical Roots and Textual Foundations

The notion of subtle energies—variously termed “winds” (Tib. rlung), prāṇa, or qi—and their relationship to human physiology and consciousness is deeply embedded in the spiritual and medical traditions of Asia. From the Upanishads to Tibetan Buddhist texts, contemplative literature consistently emphasizes the role of subtle body energies in transformative practices. Advanced techniques such as gtum mo (inner heat) or rtsa rlung ‘phrul ‘khor (magical wheel) illustrate the intentional manipulation of these energies to achieve purification and enlightenment. These practices rest on the premise that the subtle body’s channels (nāḍis or rtsa) and centers (cakras or ‘khor lo) serve as conduits for vital energy and consciousness.

These systems, though diverse in their anatomy and methods, converge on the goal of harmonizing subtle energies to remove karmic obstructions and enhance meditative states. Tibetan Buddhist traditions inherited many of these ideas from South Asian Tantra, blending them with indigenous Tibetan medical and spiritual systems to form a rich tapestry of subtle body practices.

ELSEs as Meditative Phenomena

The experiences reported by practitioners in the Varieties of Contemplative Experience (VCE) project underscore the universality of ELSEs across traditions and their connection to the concepts and the subtle body theories. The “vortex of white energy light” or the “intensifying blue field” aligns with descriptions found in Tantric and Yogic literature, where luminous phenomena often signify shifts in consciousness or the activation of energy centers. These experiences, while transformative, can also challenge practitioners who are unprepared for their intensity or unclear about their significance. Especially since there might not be so specific significances…

The Role of Awareness in Navigating ELSEs

The accounts provided in the VCE study highlight a critical dimension of ELSEs: the importance of awareness. Whether arising spontaneously or through structured practices, ELSEs often require the practitioner to adopt a non-reactive, observational stance. This resonates with the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism and other meditative traditions, which emphasize relaxed awareness as the key to integrating extraordinary experiences. The metaphor of muddy water clarifying when left undisturbed aptly illustrates how awareness can bring clarity to the turbulent experiences associated with ELSEs.

Scientific and Practical Perspectives

While ELSEs have been noted for centuries, modern scientific inquiry has only recently begun to examine their implications. Studies have documented their occurrence and impact, particularly among long-term meditators. However, the mechanisms underlying these experiences remain largely speculative. From a practical standpoint, teachers and practitioners must navigate the dual nature of ELSEs as both opportunities for growth and potential sources of difficulty.

Insights from Historical and Contemporary Practices

Practices such as gtum mo provide a template for engaging with ELSEs constructively. By combining physical postures, breath control, and visualization, these techniques channel energy to specific centers, transforming the practitioner’s mental and physiological states. Similarly, traditions of Qi Gong and Chinese medicine conceptualize energy flow as essential to health and spiritual attainment. But also here the manifestations felt are metaphorically described as energy flow.

Bridging Ancient Wisdom and Modern Understanding

The exploration of ELSEs also offers us a unique opportunity to bridge ancient contemplative wisdom with contemporary insights. By recognizing these experiences as integral or side-effects to the meditative path, rather than anomalies or distractions, practitioners can deepen their understanding of the subtle interplay between body, mind, and spirit. But of course these effects are not the essence. They are indicators.

The notion of kundalini frequently emerges as a construct for describing and understanding ELSEs, regardless of the practitioner’s specific Buddhist tradition. Now let us see how the kundalini concept has been used to contextualize ELSEs, highlighting its role as both an explanatory model and a metaphor for intense, transformative experiences.

Kundalini Across Traditions

Kundalini, with roots in South Asian Yogic and Tantric traditions, has long been associated with a coiled energy at the base of the spine that can be awakened through specific practices. In Hindu Tantra, kundalini is often described as a serpent goddess (śakti) whose ascent through the central channel (suṣumṇā) culminates in spiritual awakening. In Buddhist Tantra, similar concepts exist in the form of “winds” (rlung) and “channels” (rtsa), which are manipulated to purify karmic obstructions and facilitate realization. People tend to speak about these as realities, although they clearly are concepts.

In contemporary contexts, kundalini has been incorporated into transpersonal psychology and the spiritual emergency framework, expanding its reach as an explanatory model for experiences of intense energy, involuntary movements, and somatic phenomena. For practitioners navigating ELSEs, the kundalini framework provides a language to articulate and understand their experiences, often in ways that their own traditions do not explicitly address. However, I think the concept leads many people astray.

Kundalini as an Approximate Map for ELSEs

For many practitioners, kundalini serves as a map to make sense of disruptive and transformative ELSEs. However, I insert 2 video’s I made to help you understanding that we need to see these concepts only for what they are, a map. A Map of the sacred territory of meditation. Nothing more. Experience it yourself!!!

Still the metaphore is used too often… one Tibetan Buddhist practitioner, for example, was unequivocal in describing their experience as a profound kundalini awakening:

“I’m absolutely certain of that. […] All of what I read about kundalini is that that’s exactly how it shows up.”

Sometimes, prior knowledge of kundalini phenomena helps practitioners identify their experiences within this framework. However, the conceptuality might also induce that you miss the essence! Take care!

The hallmarks of kundalini awakening is indicated as intense energy, heat, involuntary movements, and a sense of energy traversing the spine or subtle body. This often align with the phenomenology of ELSEs.

However, as noted in the narratives, the kundalini framework does not always perfectly align with practitioners’ experiences. A Theravāda Buddhist practitioner, for instance, described his ELSEs as chaotic and lacking the structured progression through the chakras typically associated with kundalini:

“I did understand that a kundalini awakening was the best approximate map for what was going on. But at the same time I also realized that in my case the map was only partially helpful. Because, for instance, it talks about the energy rising up through the chakras, but in my experience it was always chaotic—it would be here and there and there was never any sense of progression.”

This account underscores the adaptability of the kundalini framework, as practitioners use it to partially contextualize their experiences even when they deviate from the normative descriptions found in traditional texts.

Retrospective Recognition of Kundalini

In some cases, practitioners only come to recognize their ELSEs as related to kundalini after encountering the framework in texts or teachings. This retrospective identification highlights the flexibility of the kundalini model as an explanatory system. For those experiencing ELSEs without a clear interpretive lens, kundalini offers a comprehensive, albeit generalized, schema that encompasses energy dynamics, bodily phenomena, and transformative potential.

Kundalini and the Broader Context of ELSEs

While kundalini is a valuable framework, it is not without limitations. As seen in the narratives, some practitioners find it insufficient to fully capture the nuances of their experiences, leading them to integrate multiple frameworks. This pluralistic approach reflects the complexity of ELSEs, which often transcend the boundaries of singular traditions or systems.

Insights and Implications

The use of kundalini as an interpretive framework for ELSEs highlights several important themes:

1. Cross-Traditional Dialogue: The widespread appeal of kundalini demonstrates the shared human quest to understand transformative experiences, transcending cultural and religious boundaries.
2. Partial Fit: Practitioners often acknowledge the partial applicability of the kundalini framework, using it as a starting point while remaining open to other perspectives.
3. Integration of Modern and Traditional Models: The incorporation of kundalini into transpersonal psychology underscores the evolving nature of contemplative traditions, where ancient concepts are adapted to contemporary contexts.

Place ELSEs in Flexible Frameworks – they are not the essence

The narratives of practitioners grappling with ELSEs demonstrate the value of kundalini as both a tool for self-understanding and a bridge between traditional and modern contemplative systems. By framing intense, energy-based experiences within the kundalini model, practitioners gain insights into their transformative potential, even when the fit is not exact. This adaptability underscores the need for flexible, integrative approaches to ELSEs that honor both historical traditions and contemporary experiences. Through this synthesis, practitioners can better navigate the profound terrain of somatic energies, ultimately fostering greater self-awareness and spiritual growth.

ELSEs as a Co-Gateway to Rigpa

In Tibetan Buddhism, rigpa—pure, uncontrived awareness—represents the ultimate state of realization. The experiences of ELSEs, when approached with openness and equanimity, can act as doorways to rigpa. Just as muddy water clears when left undisturbed, the mind can reveal its luminous nature through relaxed observation and acceptance of these profound phenomena. Practitioners are thus invited to embrace ELSEs not as goals but as opportunities to witness the innate clarity and spaciousness that underlies all experiences. Shunyam Adhibhu

Cooper, D. J., Lindahl, J. R., Palitsky, R., & Britton, W. B. (2021). “Like a Vibration Cascading through the Body”: Energy-Like Somatic Experiences Reported by Western Buddhist Meditators. Religions, 12(12), 1042.

Kozhevnikov, M., Elliott, J., Shephard, J., & Gramann, K. (2013). Neurocognitive and somatic components of temperature increases during g-tummo meditation: legend and reality. PloS one, 8(3), e58244.

Ray, R. (2016). The awakening body: Somatic meditation for discovering our deepest life. Shambhala Publications.