The 10 Biological Characteristics of true kundalini survivors (not the half-baked)… (by Dr. Glenn J. Morris, PhD.)

One of my dearest spiritual teachers, Dr. Glenn Morris, composed this list of the 10 physical and mental characteristics common to fully realized humans (true kundalini survivors):

“1. An Inch or more of glowing corona around the body that is particularly evident and bright radiating around the head. The
completed product is white. No other color need apply. This can be seen against plain backgrounds and most easily in subdued light. For the wearer of a halo, it feels like wearing a cap. Before the energy reaches the head and while it primarily rests in other locations, the corona will be the color usually associated with the organs in Chinese medicine or the chakras in the Indian nomenclature for the endocrine system. Each color has distinct personality characteristics or survival mechanisms which can be considered biological. Color also identifies where the energy is held, which could be considered a sign of progress or an indicator of where the energy is blocked. Each chakra is associated with two or more inner deities in the Taoist, Mikkyo Buddhist, and Tibetan systems.

2. The breath is slow, usually about four breaths a minute unless one smokes which may make it up to six. A nonsmoker from a smog-free area might have a cycle of one or two breaths per minute. The highly skilled can fake death. Both chi kung and the kundalini lead to extremely efficient metabolisms. I’ve seen this discussed as “the meditator uses less air.” It is more accurate to say the meditator uses air with exceptional efficiency and is seldom breathless unless exercising heavily.

3. The saliva is sweet to the taste like honey, thus the reference to nectar of the gods across cultures, and it flows freely resulting in better digestion and disease control. This is a result of the energizing of the brain stem and pituitary.

4. The heart rate is quite slow and the body temperature remains below normal. Gopi Krishna’s heart rate remained high as a stress reaction; he was scared and with good reason. Blood pressure may be lower depending on personal habits.

5. The musculature is soft and very supple, more like an athletic girl than a man, which is probably a by-product of the rejuvenation of the endocrine system and accounts for the association with androgyny. This is what Okinawan practitioners of karate refer to when they describe the body of a master as “steel wrapped in cotton.” The bones appear harder and whiter under X-ray. The mental linking of intention with action backed by the endocrine system often results in what is perceived by the more hesitant as superhuman strength and speed.

6. Close association with one of these complete human beings will kick your body’s electrical system into overdrive. Their very presence raises most people’s excitement levels, so they’re fun to party with. You feel strange when they’re around until you get used to them, unless they’ve learned to hide their wa (harmonious spirit), as taught in some Japanese martial arts associated with the gathering of intelligence. Often this feeling of higher energy results in sexual arousal and can be mildly embarrassing if your teacher is of the same gender and not inclined or vice versa. (Higher energy is also sexual energy.) My son informs me that just being in the same house with me kicks in his adrenals. You easily feel people with chi, and people without active chi are very difficult to sense by comparison. Feelings may also be exchanged, which may be perceived as radical mood shifts when you enter
into the survivor’s range. The kundalini survivor learns to stay in neutral so as not to wreak havoc on his or her friends. The power of this energy does not seem to fade but continually increases with use. The more I do, the stronger I get, the better I feel. This also seems true of every practitioner of chi kung that I know. This higher energy accelerates healing of self and others. Cuts and scratches heal in days. Most diseases that are not virus-linked no longer affect one, and flu symptoms are minimized.

7. Body movement is very controlled, as the integration of mind, body, and spirit results in an ability to move with great speed out of complete stillness. There is no thinking involved, just action in response to action. This is not a result of programming but is creative response. To the observer it is very fluid and graceful, not robotic or mechanical. The whole body is involved, not just an arm or a leg. IT is hard to describe, but once seen is never forgotten. A policeman I train with occasionally described me as going from completely relaxed, to completely on, to completely relaxed in the same second, which he felt was very “spooky.” Personally, I find uptight, perfectionist, hard-bodied people much more spooky.

8. There is surprising strength regardless of size, which usually takes a while to master. One has a tendency to break things until one learns to lighten up. I went through a period of breaking keys off in locks, ripped the handle off a car door one icy morning, and sent many of my students screaming to the floor until I learned to slow down and back off. Some of the ninjas I play with call me Dr. Death. Even affectionate squeezes and hugs are not appreciated, and love-making can be filled with minor perils if the object of your affection does not share your rare affliction or athleticism. One of my shodan, Bret Talbot, ran up a considerable lab bill in broken beakers while working on chemistry projects. He claims he was only holding them gently in his
hands when they imploded. He still thinks he is gentle when he is dangerous as a bear. You have to be careful with this strange strength. The feeling is invincibility, but the reality still won’t stop bullets.

9. The tatsujin or complete human being is calm and balanced under most conditions. Physical balance is one-pointed in that the center flows to the grounded point. The center is mobile, which makes for a strange three-dimensionality of movement, something like a dancer or a gymnast but not as athletic or aesthetic in appearance. Folk as opposed to ballet. A master boxer can fight balanced on one leg. Shiva stands one-footed on the dwarf of ignorance. To be completely honest you may want to observe apes and monkeys and then draw your own conclusions in terms of natural body movement. All the masters and myself included move like monkeys, which can be very amusing. The study of yoga provides a graceful, uplifting balance. Androgyny can also be seen as balanced.

10. There is a tenth characteristic that is seen more in the religious than the martial practitioner. Georg Feuerstein alludes to it in his book Holy Madness, which is an excellent exposition of Crazy Wisdom that shares some of the same characteristics of divine madness exhibited by Zen-oriented martial practitioners. The characteristic of knowing from many subtle inputs does have the effect of distancing one from what is observed. The religious practitioner has to deal with converts who see transformation as a mental process instantaneously accomplished. They know better but are trapped by socially learned expectations. It is difficult to continually forgive and suffer fools. Losing one’s objectivity, however, usually creates even greater difficulties. Karma.

The above are the primary physical symptoms of the complete and safe transformation by the kundalini, which is greatly aided by the safer technology of chi kung. This is actually a biological process available to anyone who meditates and masters the techniques for moving sexual energy through the microcosmic orbits. Knowing the technology of awakening the inner self removes most of the physiological dangers. A guru or Oshihan should manifest all these characteristics both mental and physical, as they are the same for both sexes and a result of connecting the meridians and rejuvenating the endocrine system.

–Dr. Glenn J. Morris,
Templeton Prize Nominee,
creator, the Improved Kundalini Awakening Process.