Discovering the Essence of Kriya Yoga: A Step-by-Step Guide to Practicing this Ancient Technique

The ancient practice of Kriya yoga is a form of meditation that, when followed, is said to hasten a person’s development on the spiritual path. Kriya yoga is a type of meditation that focuses on regulating energy through pranayama and meditation to speed up the spiritual development of the aspirant. In 1861, the tradition of Kriya yoga was brought back to life when Mahavatar Babaji taught Lahiri Mahasaya what he knew. Thanks to Lahiri Mahasaya, the custom quickly spread across India.

In spite of Kriya yoga’s long history of use in India, it wasn’t until Paramahansa Yogananda’s “Autobiography of a Yogi” that it became widely known outside of India. He brought Kriya yoga to the West in the 1920s, earning him recognition as a modern-day founder of the discipline.  In this article, we will provide a step-by-step guide on how to perform Kriya Yoga.

Understanding  Kriya Yoga

Kriya Yoga is a straightforward psychophysiological strategy for reoxygenating and decarbonizing the blood. The additional oxygen is converted into a life current that stimulates the nervous system and helps the brain and spinal cord recover from wear and tear. The yogi can slow or stop the breakdown of tissues by stopping the buildup of venous blood. The yogi converts his body’s cells into usable energy. 

Previous prophets like Elijah, Jesus, Kabir, and others were experts at using Kriya or a similar technique to materialize and dematerialize their bodies at will. — According to Babaji’s conversation with Lahiri Mahasaya in the nineteenth century, “the Kriya Yoga that I am giving to the universe through you in this nineteenth century is a revival of the same scientific knowledge that Krishna gave millennia ago to Arjuna and that later became known to Ayurveda and Christ, and to St. John and St. Paul, and to other disciples.

Learning Kriya Yoga

You can only learn how to do Kriya yoga by working with a guru and going through a formal initiation ceremony. Until they are ready to be initiated into the more advanced practices of Kriya yoga, most meditators spend time in self-study and practice. Mantras and words are often recommended to help beginners focus their attention and move into deeper states of meditation.

Sri Yukteswar told his students that Kriya Yoga was a tool that could hasten the evolution of humanity. “The ancient yogis found out that controlling one’s breathing was a key to unlocking the door to cosmic awareness.” Herein lies India’s unmatched and immortal contribution to humanity’s store of knowledge. It is necessary to find a way to calm and still the incessant demands of the breath in order to release the life force, which is normally consumed in maintaining heart action, for higher activities

Science of Kriya Yoga

“It is thought that the twelve astral signs of the zodiac correspond to the six spinal centers (medullary, cervical, dorsal, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal plexuses) of the Kriya Yogi, the symbolic Cosmic Man. Half a minute of Kriya is equivalent to one year of natural spiritual development because of the way energy is channeled during that time, circling the spinal cord. By performing a thousand kriyas in eight and a half hours a day, a yogi can achieve the same level of evolution as the rest of humanity in a single year (365, 000 years). 

Kriya Yogis are able to achieve the same result in three years through intelligent self-effort as it takes nature a million years to achieve. Of course, only highly skilled yogis can use the Kriya shortcut. Under the guidance of a guru, these yogis have built up their bodies and minds to be able to handle the hard training they do.  The average human body is like a fifty-watt lamp; it can’t handle a billion watts of power roused by excessive Kriya power. 

Spirit’s first action in the physical world is the slow, steady rise of the simple, foolproof methods of Kriya. The human body changes slowly and steadily as a result of these methods until it is finally ready to express the infinite possibilities of cosmic energy. “The yogi is greater than body-disciplining ascetics, greater even than the followers of the path of wisdom (Jnana Yoga) or of the path of action (Karma Yoga); be thou, O disciple Arjuna, a yogi!” Krishna extols the technological yogi, praising the sure and methodical efficacy of yoga. 

Chapter 64 of the Bhagavad Gita says: “Centering practices of yoga and meditation raise consciousness from the material to the spiritual.” Through the Kriya Yoga meditation practice of pranayama, in which the breath is turned into subtle energy, a person can have the enlightening realization that they are made of pure cosmic energy. 

By increasing the amount of oxygen in their bodies and making their atoms more ethereal, adepts use the kriya technique to make their bodies lighter. When a man learns to control his breathing, he unlocks a source of incredible power that he could never have imagined. Through pranayama, the atoms of oxygen that enter the body through kriya are transformed into life force, strengthening the spinal column’s subtle currents, which in turn rouse the astral cerebrospinal centers and spiritualize the whole body. 

As Kriya Yogi moves through the levels of practice, his physical body becomes more and more spiritualized until, in heightened states of consciousness, he is barely aware of it touching the ground below him. When the infusion of life force is strong enough, the whole body appears to levitate because its false sense of weight is dispelled. From personal experience, I can attest to that being true. 

However, tomorrow will not bring weightlessness to the jump for the novice. Since modern man is used to instant gratification, he expects rapid spiritual development to come in the same neat little package as the products of his industry and technology. Given the untold number of lives spent becoming an unspiritual being, the assumption of instant spiritual accomplishment seems more than a little bold. There isn’t even much of a need for a lifelong practice. Kriya Yoga is the science and art of meditation, but it is not boring because its life-altering effects can be felt almost immediately. 

How to perform kriya yoga

Kriya Yoga is an old form of yoga that uses a set of techniques to clean the mind, body, and spirit. Kriya Yoga is a spiritual path that requires dedication, discipline, and practice. 

The practice is a mix of meditation, breathing exercises, and body positions that help us awaken our Kundalini energy and get closer to the divine. People think that Kriya Yoga is one of the most powerful and effective spiritual practices for realizing oneself and finding inner peace. 

Step 1: Preparation

Before beginning the practice of Kriya Yoga, it is important to prepare yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually. This includes finding a quiet and peaceful space where you will not be disturbed, wearing comfortable clothing that allows you to move freely, and ensuring that you are well-rested and not feeling hungry or thirsty.

Step 2: Relaxation

The first step in the practice of Kriya Yoga is to relax your body and mind. Lie down on your back in a comfortable position with your arms and legs slightly apart. Close your eyes and take a deep breath through your nose, filling your lungs completely. Hold your breath for a few seconds, and then exhale slowly through your mouth. Repeat this process several times until you feel completely relaxed.

Step 3: Japa

The next step in Kriya Yoga is Japa, which involves the repetition of a mantra or sacred sound. Choose a mantra that resonates with you and repeat it silently in your mind. You can use any mantra, such as “Om,” “Aum,” or “Soham.” Focus your attention on the sound of the mantra, and let all other thoughts fade away.

Step 4: Mudra

The next step in Kriya Yoga is Mudra, which involves the use of hand gestures to channel the flow of energy in the body. The most commonly used mudra in Kriya Yoga is the Khechari. To perform this mudra, hold your tongue back and place it on the soft palate at the back of your mouth. This helps to stimulate the flow of energy in the body and enhance your meditation practice.

Step 5: Visualization

The next step in Kriya Yoga is visualization, which involves creating mental images to focus the mind and stimulate the flow of energy in the body. Visualize a stream of light or energy flowing from the base of your spine to the top of your head. As you inhale, visualize the energy rising up through the spine, and as you exhale, visualize it flowing back down. This gets rid of any blockages in the energy channels and makes it easier for you to meditate.

Step 6: Meditation

The final step in the practice of Kriya Yoga is to engage in meditation. Sit up straight with your legs crossed and your hands resting on your knees. Close your eyes and focus your attention on the space between your eyebrows. This is known as the spiritual eye or the third eye. As you focus on this point, visualize the bright light that you visualized in step 5. Feel the energy within you becoming more and more focused and concentrated. 

Step 7: Bandha

The next step in Kriya Yoga is Bandha, which involves the use of body locks to enhance the flow of energy in the body. This refers to the practice of energy locks or seals. Bandhas are techniques used to regulate the flow of prana, or life force energy, throughout the body. There are three primary bandhas in Kriya yoga: Mula bandha (root lock), Uddiyana bandha (abdominal lock), and Jalandhara bandha (throat lock).

Mula bandha involves the contraction of the muscles around the perineum, which is the area between the anus and genitals. This helps stimulate the flow of energy upward through the spine.

Uddiyana Bandha involves pulling the lower abdomen in and up towards the spine while holding the breath out. This helps to stimulate the movement of energy upward through the central channel of the body.

Jalandhara Bandha involves tucking the chin in toward the chest and lifting the sternum while holding the breath in. This helps to stimulate the flow of energy downward through the front of the body.

When you practice these bandhas together, they help to balance and direct the flow of prana throughout the body, which is good for your physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Step 8: Samadhi

The final and concluding step of Kriya yoga is called “Samadhi,” which refers to a state of deep meditation and oneness with the divine. Samadhi is the ultimate goal of Kriya yoga, and it is said to bring about a profound sense of peace, bliss, and enlightenment.

In Samadhi, the mind is completely still, and the person practicing is in a state of pure awareness. This state is said to be beyond the duality of the ego and the external world, and it is the culmination of the Kriya yoga practice.

While Samadhi may be difficult to achieve, the regular practice of Kriya yoga can help to purify the mind and body, making them more receptive to the experience of Samadhi.

what is the ultimate goal of Kriya yoga

Kriya yoga is a form of yoga that aims to help individuals attain spiritual enlightenment and union with the divine. The ultimate goal of Kriya yoga is to achieve a state of deep meditation that leads to self-realization and the realization of God. According to the teachings of Kriya yoga, this can be done by awakening the dormant spiritual energy within oneself through a series of specific techniques, such as pranayama (breathing exercises), meditation, and visualization.

Practitioners of Kriya yoga think that the human body has a subtle energy system with seven chakras, or energy centers, that run along the spine. People can clean and open these chakras by doing Kriya yoga. This lets the spiritual energy, or kundalini, rise up the spine and reach the crown chakra at the top of the head.

This process is said to lead to a state of spiritual awakening where the practitioner experiences a deep sense of inner peace, joy, and connection to the divine. Kriya yoga’s ultimate goal is to break free from the cycle of birth and death and become one with the divine consciousness.

In meditation, the astral light of the spiritual eye appears to the practitioner as a ring of golden radiance encircling a sphere of opalescent blue, with a five-pointed silvery-white star at its center, as is well known to students of self-realization. If you can break through that star, you will find yourself in God’s heavenly kingdom. 

Therefore, train your mind to focus and meditate intently. While the spiritual man may interact with the material world and utilize the physical body’s tools, he does not let himself be identified by those sensations but rather maintains a fixed focus on the spiritual eye. 

No matter what I’m doing, I can’t pull my thoughts away from that place. By consistently practicing Kriya, we can bring our awareness of this spiritual bliss to the fore, allowing us to live in the constant presence of the holy, blissful God within. Therefore, the principles of Kriya Yoga are not the formula of a sectarian rite but rather a science through which an individual may realize how his conscience descended into the body and became identified with the senses. 

It also emphasizes how that spirit may be retracted from the senses and reunite with the soul or recon the soul through a scientific method of meditation. Ascending and descending is the one true path for every soul. Kriya Yoga uses a unique technique to transform the prana and apana (in and out) breaths into the thermal currents of heat and cold. 

During the initial stages of Kriya Yoga, the practitioner experiences the inhalation and exhalation of air, as well as the flow of cool prana current up the spine and warm apana current down the spine. People who have accumulated immense good karma over the course of many rebirths are the only ones who find themselves naturally drawn to the Kriya Yoga path. 

Those who have mastered this skill can count themselves fortunate. You’ll need more than just a meditation practice to find independence; your character must be unblemished and strong. Everything you do must be in accordance with the rules of truth. 

The rules of Yoga Path

The first rules of the yoga path of meditation are to be pure, have a calm mind, be devoted to God, study yourself, and be self-disciplined. The second is that the more advanced your meditation practice becomes, the more you’ll realize the importance of overcoming negative emotions like arrogance, anger, greed, and jealousy. (The Yama and Niyama) 

Third, you can’t go very far in meditation if you can’t keep your body in check. You’ll learn some techniques for regulating your breath and slowing your heart rate (known as pranayama, or “control of prana,” or “life force”). The formalization of yoga begins and ends with pranayama. No one will ever help you find God until you conquer your own mind-body connection, which is maintained through the act of breathing. When you slow down your breathing, you can focus inward. The path to God is void of breath. As the most advanced form of pranayama, Kriya Yoga is considered the pinnacle of yoga. 

Fourth is that the attention is diverted inward, away from the sensory organs. Sixth, you can concentrate solely on God when your mind is no longer preoccupied with your breathing, your body, or any other external sensations.

Fifth is “In silence, one can hear the mighty voice of the Spirit.” Aum… 

One’s awareness expands along with the cosmic vibration as one listens to it and becomes one with it. [dhyana] At the highest level of meditation, called samadhi, the meditator, the meditation itself, and the entity of meditation (God) all become one. While in samadhi, you have the direct realization that the ultimate and you are one. 

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