Kriya Yoga - AnandaAcademy

Philosophy Of Kriya Yoga

Kriya is believed to originate in divinity, not in human creation.

The two syllables in the word Kriya each help to indicate its meaning. “Kri” means karma dhatu (the action of the elements), while “ya” means soul. Thus, the word kriya literally translates to action of the soul.

Kriya yoga seeks to bring its practitioners to a higher state of consciousness and bring about awareness of the mind, body, and soul. It brings about bliss and calms the mind.

There is a huge emphasis on preserving its lineage, and Kriya yoga highly regards the relationship between master and student and how the material is passed through generation to generation.

"Kriya Yoga is an instrument through which human evolution can be quickened,"
Sri Yukteswar taught his students.

"The ancient yogis discovered that the secret of cosmic consciousness is intimately linked with breath mastery. This is India's unique and deathless contribution to the world's treasury of knowledge. The life force, which is ordinarily absorbed in maintaining heart action, must be freed for higher activities by a method of calming and stilling the ceaseless demands of the breath."
- Sri Yukteswar

"By the concentrated practice of Kriya Yoga Pranayama - offering the inhaling breath into the exhaling breath (prana into apana) and offering the exhaling breath into the inhaling breath (apana into prana)- the yogi neutralizes these two life currents and their resulting mutations of decay and growth, the causative agents of breath and heart action and concomitant body consciousness.

By recharging the blood and cells with life energy that has been distilled from breath and reinforced with the pure spiritualized life force in the spine and brain, the Kriya Yogi stops bodily decay, thereby quieting the breath and heart by rendering their purifying actions unnecessary. The yogi thus attains conscious life-force control."

- Paramahansa Yogananda, God talks with Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita

Bhagavad Gita
Krishna instructing Arjuna

The Bhagavad Gita does not teach kriya yoga by name, though Yogananda claimed that the practice was described there. According to Paramahansa Yogananda in his book,
(God Talks with Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita), Krishna describes kriya Yoga thus:

By the concentrated practice of Kriya Yoga pranayama—offering the inhaling breath into the exhaling breath (prana into apana) and offering the exhaling breath into the inhaling breath (apana into prana)—the yogi neutralizes these two life currents and their resulting mutations of decay and growth, the causative agents of breath and heart action and concomitant body consciousness. By recharging the blood and cells with life energy that has been distilled from breath and reinforced with the pure spiritualized life force in the spine and brain, the Kriya Yogi stops bodily decay, thereby quieting the breath and heart by rendering their purifying actions unnecessary. The yogi thus attains conscious life-force control.

In five minutes, you attain 12 years of evolution. Overall Kriya Yoga takes 30 minutes for one round.

Think of it. Twelve years of evolution. Imagine, 12 years ago, from then until now, you attain in five minutes by the practice of Kriya Yoga.Now by simply multiplying those things, if you practice an hour a day, an hour a day doing Kriya Yoga, that’s not much; half an hour in the morning, half an hour at night. What do you get — 144 years of evolution.

Now you’re getting interested, which you should. Now listen a little more. If you do that, one hour a day for one year – and how much time goes by, and we never realize the year’s gone by – what do you get? Over 50,000 year’s evolution.

– Paramahansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a yogi

Those who wish to truly delve into the Kriya yoga tradition must be “initiated.”

To become initiated, a student must receive the initiation from a qualified master or yogacharyas. Yogacharyas tour the world to speak to people about Kriya yoga as well as to initiate followers.

There is no discrimination as far as who can become initiated, and the only requirement to is a want to change your life through spiritual practice, constant study, and the selfless serving of others to achieve a balanced life.

The first step is purification through a holy ceremony. Comfortable clothes are advised so as not to distract from the ceremony.

The teacher starts by transmitting a combination of sound, vibration, and light into the student. The purpose of this exercise is so that the student can start to perceive the light of the soul and divine sound and movement.

There are also mantras, which are often explained in English for those who do not understand Sanskrit.

Next comes the fire ceremony, which is meant to be a symbolic method that allows the participant to cleanse him or herself on a deeper level.

After this, the first level of Kriya yoga techniques is taught so participants can practice the techniques throughout the purification.

After this ceremony, the person being initiated must offer symbolic gifts. There are three gifts: five fruits to represent karma, five flowers to represent the five senses, and a monetary donation.

Finally, there are 3 follow-up sessions that involve meditation.

Beginning with Hong Sau breathwork, energy is pulled up through the right side of the spine prana tube to the Ajna / third eye chakra, and then back down the left side of the prana tube to the root chakra.

I am Spirit
The Hong-Sau Technique of Paramhansa Yogananda is the perfect tool for developing the concentration needed for practicing meditation. Its purpose is to help still the mind by calming the breath and focusing on the mantra Hong (rhymes with song) -Sau (rhymes with saw), which means “I am Spirit”.

It develops an imperceptible power of concentration. This teaches to withdraw thoughts and energy from external distraction and shift the energy towards the real goal. You can learn this technique in 5 minutes.

Sit comfortably with straight back and neck. Concentrate at the midpoint between the eyebrows of the forehead.

Inhale slowly till eight counts, hold it for the same duration (means same counts) while concentrating at the center of eyebrows. Now exhale the breaths for eight counts. Repeat the process up to six times.

After each complete inhalation and exhalation, as the new breath comes in mentally say Hong (rhymes with song). As you exhale mentally say Sau (rhymes with song). Sau-Hong (or Hong Sau) means “I am That” i.e. “I am God,” or "I AM SPIRIT."

Do not attempt to control breath forcefully, just let it flow to be natural. At the beginning feel the entrance of the nostrils feel the “Hong Saw” sound your breaths. Be attentive and vigilant as much as possible.

If you become unable to feel your breath, for a while, you can concentrate on the breathing process, feeling your chest and abdomen expanding and contracting. Gradually your calmness increases, and try to feel the breath more and more in the nose. Don’t moss gaze fixed at the center of eyebrows through the practice. If your mind wanders, bring your consciousness to the breaths.

Aum is considered to be God’s manifestation of creation through word or vibration as referred to in the Bible. According to the Bible, “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. –John 1:1”. It is the vibration of the entire creation and all life. So, it can be heard from us. It is the sound of the Universe which can be heard all around us.

According to Hindu Philosophy, it is the combination of threefold Gods- Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. It brings cosmic consciousness. Aum extends the awareness beyond the limits of body and mind. One can experience the blissful realization of one’s infinite potential.

To go from the knowable to the unknowable, to merge into oneness with God — this is our divine destiny. An efficient way to approach God-realization is through the agency of sound (listening for the AUM vibration).

Interestingly enough, sound is one of the eight aspects of God mentioned in the path of yoga (love, joy, peace, wisdom, calmness, power, light, and sound) and actually is said to be the best and most effective way of all the eight to reach God. Thus we re-trace our steps back to oneness with God, first through perceiving God’s vibration within ourselves and all nature (AUM), to God’s actual presence in ourselves and everything (Tat), to the final liberation and oneness to God, both within and beyond creation (Sat).

As Yogananda describes Kriya Yoga,
"The Kriya Yogi mentally directs his life energy to revolve, upward and downward, around the six spinal centers (medullary, cervical, dorsal, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal plexuses) which correspond to the twelve astral signs of the zodiac, the symbolic Cosmic Man.
One half-minute of revolution of energy around the sensitive spinal cord of man effects subtle progress in his evolution; that half-minute of Kriya equals one year of natural spiritual unfoldment."

- Yogananda, Paramahansa, Autobiography of a Yogi- Chapter 26 - The Science of Kriya Yoga

In Kriya we are working with the secondary chakras that are located in Sushumna Nadi, running from the base of the spine to the top of the head, passing through each chakra: kundalini rises up through the Sushumna from the base chakra to the crown chakra.

The kundalini is moving up from the base chakra passing through sacrum chakra, navel chakra, heart chakra, throat chakra, medulla chakra and bindu chakra. From bindu, little by little, kundalini moves to crown chakra opening the whole energy at the top of the head forming the "lotus of a thousand petals," the symbol of supreme consciousness and spiritual enlightenment.

The great Kriya Yoga sages teach us to go up from the base chakra to bindu (skipping over the medulla); while coming down, we move from the medulla to the base chakra.

Basically, you move up paying attention to six chakras [base (1), sacrum (2), heart (4), throat (5), bindu (7)) and you go down paying attention to 6 chakras (medulla (6), throat (5), heart (4), navel (3), sacrum (2), and base (1)]; in this way you can easily inhale and stay at least for a moment in each chakra without forcing your breath.

The energy of each chakra expands a bit beyond Sushumna and it governs the whole area where the chakra is located.

Except the Crown chakra and Medulla chakra, all other chakras are secondary to the main chakras that are located in the Prana Tube. If you study sacred geometry you probably remember the prana tube (breathing tube) and the 12 main chakras located within it.