New Books Network Sravana Borkataky-Varma and Anya Foxen, "The Serpent’s Tale: Kundalini, Yoga, and the History of an Experience" (Columbia UP, 2025)
Dec 4, 2025
Sravana Borkataky-Varma, an expert in embodied religious practices, and Anya Foxen, a scholar of modern yoga, delve into the complexities of Kundalini in their discussion. They highlight the diverse interpretations of Kundalini, challenging the notion of a singular authentic experience. The duo explores its historical evolution from ancient texts to contemporary spirituality, touching on issues of commercialization and the risks of disembodied advice in online communities. They advocate for compassionate narratives to balance the fear often associated with Kundalini experiences.
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From AAR Wine Chat To Full Book
- Sravana describes the book's origin as a conversation with Anya at AAR that began as an article and quickly became a book.
History And Experience Are Entwined
- Anya and Sravana frame the project as a transmission history tying together roughly two millennia of texts and experiences.
Rejecting A Single Authentic Model
- The authors stress there is no single Kundalini model and contest narratives that reduce the history to simple Western appropriation.
