Transform Your Life with The Power of Kriya Yoga
I have the sense that meditation and mindfulness are the buzzword, and over the years, I have had a hard time identifying a method that really worked. I would have my mind racing and inner silence would be like a far fetched dream. Until I learned about Kriya Yoga which is a scientific form of meditation which is not merely relaxation. It is not just a practice but a process of getting to know oneself deeply.
Its special ways of relating with the life energy in the body has provided me with insights into a peace which is indestructible and a clear vision which leads me in day-to-day life. In case you, too, have ever thought that there must be more to life, then I would like to tell you what makes this ancient science so great and how it can lead you to the greatest possibilities.
What Is Kriya Yoga?
Kriya Yoga, which is a high level of spiritual practice, a kind of Raja Yoga is used to achieve rapid spiritual growth. It derives its name out of a Sanskrit word, kri kri, meaning to do, or to act. But here, Kriya means action purifying, i.e. those actions that purify the body and mind at the most fundamental level, and that in turn neutralize the influence of previous karma and also avoid the formation of new karma.
This isn’t a modern invention. It is an old science resurrected back into the contemporary world in 1861 with the legendary master Mahavatar Babaji and he was the one who imparted it to his disciple Lahiri Mahasaya. It is mostly due to Paramahansa Yogananda, who brought it to the West and made it known in all parts of the world through his spiritual masterpiece, Autobiography of a Yogi, that it gained its global fame.
Kriya Yoga is essentially a scientific method of meditation. It is a specialized type of pranayama (Life-energy control), which emphasizes the mental control of the fine streams of the life force (prana) moving up and down the spine. The spine and the brain are regarded as the tree of life, which contains potent energies and consciousness (chakras). This spinal rotation of the life energy through practice service in calming the heart, lungs and nervous system to create an inner peace. With that it is in that silence that the meditator is able to do deep peace and connect with their soul and with God.
Life-Changing Benefits of Kriya Yoga.
The advantages of a regular Kriya practice go in many layers, reaching all spheres of your being. There are those that are experienced almost instantly and there are others that run smoothly through time with good intentions.
For Your Spiritual Core
Spiritual awakening is the main goal of Kriya. According to Paramahansa Yogananda, it was the ultimate way of contact with God. It soothes the physical body and the nervous mind and thus enables you to feel the ecstasy of your real Self, and not the intellectual theory of the Divine but a personal experience of the Divine. It is a way that separates the prison bars of karma, which speeds your spiritual development. Actually, Yogananda wrote that a month of Kriya is equal to one year of natural spiritual development.
For Your Mind and Emotions
A tangible feeling of inner peace is one of the first fruits that you will find. This is not some temporary peace but a firm ground. It is accompanied by the increased clarity of mind, better objectivity and an intuitive idea of how to cope with the challenges of life. The consequences of this psychological stability on the emotional health are far reaching.
A strong piece of evidence is a well-written scientific paper in a database of NLM published in 2021. Patients with Major Depressive Disorder were used in the study. One of the groups was administered only to normal medication, and another group was practicing Kriya Yoga with medication.
The outcomes were impressive: the levels of depression in the group which practiced Kriya Yoga were significantly lower, and the rate of remission was also higher than in the group which used medication only. The researchers came to the conclusion that Kriya Yoga is a viable and effective adjunctive treatment of depression.
The most important findings of this study are summarized in the table below:
Condition Baseline HDRS Score (Depression) HDRS Score 8 Weeks Post-intervention Remission Rate
Kriya Yoga + Medication 22.86 Significantly Less Important Significantly Greater.
Medication Only 23.60 Greater Less.
In addition to depression, Kriya Yoga can be used to handle daily stress. In yet another study on medical doctors, which is a category of professionals most likely to experience burnout, a related set of practices involving yogic breathing (Sudarshan Kriya) resulted in a considerable decrease in perceived stress and an increase in self-esteem after 40 days of practice.
For Your Body and Daily Life
The good things do not just remain within your internal world. Kriya Yoga assists in eliminating the negative stresses in the body by balancing the life force in the body and enhancing health and a sense of well being. With the change of consciousness, the outward life is also changing. Practitioners have been known to complain of increased harmony in their relationships, a newfound ability to offer unconditional love, increased focus at work, and a happier, more meaningful attitude towards day-to-day tasks.
The Kriya Yoga: How to Practice.
To begin with, I need to understand that Kriya Yoga has traditionally been a sacred step-by-step process that is taught. One cannot merely study it in a book or a YouTube video and there is a deeper purpose: the practice is taught not only intellectually, but also vibrationally, through initiation, and thus is linked to the grace and guidance of the masters of the past.
The instructional method put forward by Paramahansa Yogananda is the home-study lessons of Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) and Yogoda Satsanga Society (YSS) in India. Here’s the typical journey:
Get the Lessons: The initial one will be to take the SRF/YSS Lessons. This intensive course offers the instructions by Yogananda on the principles of the basics and the philosophy of How-to-Live.
Learn Preparatory Techniques: You will also learn the preparatory techniques before the actual learning of Kriya. These include:
Energization Exercises: These exercises involve a progression of exercises that help you to take control of your life energy, decrease stress, and channel energy directly into the body.
Hong-Sau Technique: This is a concentration method that teaches that you should pull your energy out of what distracts you and concentrate in yourself.
Aum Technique: A meditation technique to experience the divine, cosmic vibration of all creation.
Request Initiation: Once you have, through regular practice with the preparation methods, acquainted yourself, you are allowed to request initiation to Kriya Yoga. This ritual forms a sacred guru disciple connection with Yogananda and his lineage of masters who then lead you to yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions: Your Kriya Yoga Journey.
What is the difference between Kriya Yoga and other kinds of yoga?
Kriya Yoga is not yoga, but a meditative practice of Raja Yoga unlike other forms of yoga that only emphasize physical postures (asanas). It consists of an advanced mental and energy method of pranayama that is aimed at calming the mind in order to Self-realize it and can thus be termed as a direct process to spiritual awakening.
Is Kriya Yoga practiced by anyone, irrespective of his or her religion?
Absolutely. The gurus of this path such as Lahiri Mahasaya, started all individuals of all religions, Hindus, Muslims as well as Christians. Yogananda stressed that the consequences are the result of direct experience rather than belief, and you do not have to renounce your religious faith in order to practice it.
Should I have a living guru so that I can learn?
Paramahansa Yogananda said that the state of guru was a state of consciousness, and not something that was tied by a physical body. He explained that the teachings of the SRF/YSS were going to be the guru after his death. In adhering to the methods and in listening to the vibrations of the lineage you identify yourself with the living consciousness of the masters.
How can you get started the best at this moment?
The entire Kriya method will need an initiation but you can start creating a solid base to date. Although the initial teachings on meditation and the Energization Exercises can also be obtained at the official SRF and YSS websites, I will recommend reading Autobiography of a Yogi to get the philosophies. This will make your body and mind ready to make the further journey.
The process of Kriya Yoga is still in progress in me, yet the transformations are unquestionable. The turmoil within has died away, filled with a constant happiness and a feeling of guidance which I had never experienced. It is very disciplined and patient although as Paramahansa Yogananda assured, the fruits are bound to come. This old science can unlock the infinite opportunities of you, in case you are ready to work on it.