The Serpent Power

Published in 1919 under the pen name Arthur Avalon, Sir John Woodroffe's The Serpent Power presents translations of two Sanskrit texts on kundalini yoga, the Sat-Cakra-Nirupana and the Paduka-Pancaka, with a long introduction and commentary. It describes the chakras, the subtle channels and the awakening of kundalini as understood in Shakta Tantra. It was the first substantial treatment of the subject in English and shaped Western understanding of chakras for a century.