In the Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā, kuṇḍalinī is portrayed as a dormant spiritual power, a subtle yet very real force residing at the base of the spine in the mūlādhāra cakra. It is described as kuṇḍalinī śakti, the divine feminine energy, coiled like a serpent—often said to be three and a half times—around the inner axis there. In this latent state, kuṇḍalinī blocks the entrance to the suṣumṇā nāḍī, the central channel, preventing prāṇa from ascending. The text presents this power as the source of spiritual realization, such that without its awakening, true rāja-yoga and samādhi do not arise. When stirred from sleep, kuṇḍalinī uncoils and rises through the suṣumṇā, piercing inner knots and centers, and allowing the higher states of consciousness to unfold.

The Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā frames the entire discipline of haṭha as a method for arousing this kuṇḍalinī and directing prāṇa into the suṣumṇā. Foundationally, āsanas such as siddhāsana, padmāsana, and related postures stabilize the body and prāṇa, creating the necessary ground for subtler practices, even if they are not presented as sufficient on their own for awakening kuṇḍalinī. Upon this base, prāṇāyāma is emphasized: practices like sūryabhedana, ujjāyī, śītalī, and especially bhastrikā are used to purify the nāḍīs, balance the vital forces, and prepare them to move inward and upward. As the breath becomes regulated and refined, the conditions are created for kuṇḍalinī to be stirred and for prāṇa to seek the central channel.

Most explicitly, the text turns to mudrās and bandhas as the direct means of awakening kuṇḍalinī and opening the suṣumṇā. Practices such as mahāmudrā, mahābandha, and mahāvedha are described as powerful methods for channeling and “striking” the energy so that it rises. The classic bandhas—mūla-bandha at the pelvic floor, uḍḍīyāna-bandha in the abdomen, and jālandhara-bandha at the throat—are combined to trap prāṇa and force it into the central channel, with mūla-bandha in particular associated with stirring kuṇḍalinī from its base. Additional mudrās such as viparīta-karaṇī and khecarī are said to assist this upward movement and stabilize the inner process. As kuṇḍalinī ascends and prāṇa flows steadily in suṣumṇā, the mind becomes absorbed, and the higher contemplative states described in the text naturally unfold.