​​The first-person account of Gopi Krishna, who suddenly experienced the awakening of kundalini, or divine spiritual energy, during his morning meditation practice​.

This is the classic first-person account of Gopi Krishna, an ordinary Indian man who, at the age of thirty-four, after years of unsupervised meditation, suddenly experienced the awakening of kundalini-the spiritual force that lies dormant in every human being, which, once awakened, rises up the spine and finds expression in the form of spiritual knowledge, mystical vision, psychic powers, and ultimately, enlightenment.

The story of this transformative experience, and the author's struggle to find balance amid a variety of powerful physiological and psychic side effects, forms the core of the book. He describes in detail dramatic inner experiences and symptoms such as mood swings, eating disorders, and agonizing sensations of heat, until finally stabilizing, with the help of his wife, at a higher level of consciousness. The honesty in his journey makes this one of the most valuable classics of spiritual awakening available. This edition includes the original commentary by the psychologist James Hillman and a list of other books written by Gopi Krishna.