I think the easiest way for me to explain this Principle is to describe my own experience with it. I hope this will clarify things.
I had a powerful release of kundalini energy whilst participating in a 6-week Intensive in 1982. This particular release was not associated with an experience that I had, but by sharing my dyad partner’s very powerful direct experience. When released, the kundalini energy travels up the spine, through the chakras which it can energise. If there are impurities in any chakras then the energy is stopped and there may be injury. In my case, in 1982, the kundalini did not make it past my first chakra. The result was tht I had a ruptured colon. Despite this I received powerful gifts from this kundalini release, one of which was that I knew whenever anyone in my presence had a direct experience. This was a very useful gift for an EI Master to be given!
The yogic system that Charles Berner followed, Sahaj Yoga, was designed to prepare the body for the release of kundalini via various purifications, asanas and other practices. His talks on Sahaj Yoga are one of the best introductions to kundalini that I have ever come across. In general the more cleaned out the body is, the more sexual energy is restrained and the more one lives one’s life karmically and kindly, then the more likely that there will be a benign release of kundalini. But, as with direct experiences, the release of the energy cannot be forced or made to happen. Once I understood the significance of kundalini in direct experiences I understood why the EI, and the Zen sesshins on which it was modelled, had been designed with its structure and rules: everything is putting participants in a state where kundalini can be released.
I should make it clear that although I knew I had been injured in 1982, I did not know how or why; I knew nothing about kundalini. Indeed the explanation I accepted at the time was that I had a bad case of haemorrhoids from sitting so much for so long. I also thought that recognising direct experiences was likely to happen to most people who had participated in a six week intensive (it was the first ever). Another surprise for me was that once back home I felt compelled to clean up my act. I became scrupulously honest in all my affairs. I ceased exaggerating good things, or overlooking bad things, about myself. I started to use the criticalness exercise every time I noticed I was critical of someone. I made sure all my financial transactions were honest and accurate. Not only was I surprised at how compelled I felt to do this, I was even more surprised at how much better I felt about myself as a result. With hindsight I see this as typical of how kundalini works and drives spiritual development. This is a Principle that is best addressed in the early stages of one’s personal growth. I suspect that if it is not addressed it is likely to impede one’s progress. It is also best if the drive to clean up one’s act comes from within, rather than as something that one ought to do. I know that my desire to be more truthful was certainly fostered simply by participating on Intensives, especially long Intensives. It seemed obvious that one could not expect to be blessed by the Truth if one was not communicating completely truthfully. (You can find more of this part of my personal journey in Chapter 8 of Who I am.)
Most spiritual systems have rules, commandments or injunctions that should be followed. In the yogic system these are known as the yamas and niyamas. There are five yamas which are all good guides for cleaning up one’s act. They are;
ahimsa: being non-violent. Charles Berner gave a talk on ahimsa which strongly argued that most people held themselves back and refused to be powerful in the world, for fear of injuring others. Injury can be physical, emotional, intellectual or spiritual, so not causing injury requires a great deal of care and awareness.
satya: not concealing truth. This is more than being truthful, it requires one to not conceal truth.
asteya: not stealing. It is straightforward to not take objects that do not belong to you, but there are more subtle forms, such as claiming ownership of ideas originating from someone else.
bramacharya: celibacy, non-excess. Celibacy is a key part of a renunciate path, but not appropriate for paths where one remains in relationships. For these paths the yama is interpreted as avoiding excess.
aparigraha: non-possessiveness. This requires one to not seek to own more and more of anything and to also not hang onto possessions
A Master's Path 