Kriya Yoga, Indias quick fix solution? Options

Have (once again) taken an intrest in yoga as an attachment, a compliment to cerimonial magic. So far I've skipped from a few yogic practices, never staying with one long enough to actually learn or gain something from it all which, looking back over the years is a shame. Was having a discussion with someone a while ago and Kriya was mentiond and I've since been doing my research on the practice only to find that its touted in a way that should send esteemed, respectable practicioners running... or at least contorting facial muscles into ways enough for a flow of prana to invoke a questionable and weary mind state regarding the matter.

"Ten (or so) minutes equates to (several) life times of spiritual evolution"

"The fastest way to world unity"

"Shortcuts"

And so on, alongside an air of secrecy surrounding special karmaic busting techniques only to be reealed once an oath, taken in this life time but extending over several is taken. Other than on the cover of various contently repetitive books on western occultism I've never seen such buzz-wordism or apt crass marketing and of course like a bug to a blue light I find myself drawn in, inquizitive, perhaps hoping for an instant zap and a near death state all the while scouring the ground looking for the smoking carcasses of those who've failed or been crippled by its kundalini type approach... or at least ripped off by a content looking yogi .lol.

Perhaps due to the oaths and varying viels of secrecy, cloaks and shrouds emanating from the clouds of the Himalayas there dosent seem to be much nets worth of information out there regarding the actual practice, do think its reccomendation was perhaps linked to the secret masters myth of certain occult schools thinking about it but yeah... thought it worth a mention on here as it dosent seem to be talked about much.

Anyone practice it? Can you vouch for its efficiancy? Can't see how it compliments cerimonial practice as Ashtanga is said to.

Peace
.M.

Kriya Yoga is the style of yoga used by Paramahansa Yogananda. He is the author of the classic book Autobiography of a Yogi. So it is a legitimate from of yoga. I haven't used it, but apparently it is effective. From what little I know, they circulate the prana through the body and cause releases of blockages which manifest as shaking or involuntary movement. I haven't really looked into it closely so am not sure of much more. But you mention that the only training you have found seems crassly commercial and involves taking oaths? hmm Yogananda set up a Self Realization Fellowship institute to spread it to the west back in thee 1920s. Just from looking at their site the books they offer seem to be fairly cheap price. They do have to make enough money to stay open. But according this this article, http://www.ananda.org/news/self-realization-fellowship.html the original SRF sued another institute for using a similar name and for copyright issues and effectively lost. It doesn't sound especially sinister though. Anyhow here is a link to the Yogananda's institution http://www.yogananda-srf.org/ and to the Wikipedia article on Kriya Yoga http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kriya_Yoga

Hi, yeah.. read that the institute have their application at the back of the autobiography book but that lessons are leaked as in given in stages, the techniques are given only after an oath is taken or something .lol. By "apt crass marketing" I was being cheeky and speaking in a spiritual context in that the way books, courses and schools get around is by vieling what it is they do whilst making a noise about it, or by claiming they're letting you in on something that's hidden within the pages of a book, "the secret teachings of..." and so on.

Generally get the feeling that some yogic schools are latching onto western expectations, yoga as a fast food fix with promises of enlightenment via "shortcuts". Guess that people, authors adepts and gurus make room for, 9 - 5 work patterns and even consumerism at times, loosening the reigns on certain aspects of the work so as to not disturb peoples lifestyles whereas in reality its the culture of capitalism and consumerism that needs changing... big contradiction going around at the moment in stating that consumerist societies should, "go green" to save the planet... carry on consuming and expecting constant growth and expansion in your economics and go green to save the planet all at the same time. Is intresting.

Do you consider Kriya to be as effective as they say it is? Isn't unlike Qi Gong by the sound of it.

Sure, there is a lot of shit and fast marketing out there, but I'm not quite sure of what book or tradition you're referring to.

Different yogic cults and groups call their practices by different names so it is also difficult to figure out what you mean by Kriya yoga. Kriya actually means "exercise." Kriyas technically are yoga exercises, usually an exercise set done for a certain purpose. This could be a set of physical exercises that have to be done in a certain sequence or a set of breathing exercises or a combinaiton of physical exercises, breathing techniques, visualizations and meditations. 3HO Kundalini yoga is based on practicing sets of kriyas. The kriyas do have benefits but most of the written instructions come with overreaching claims--but you find wild claims in the ancient authentic yoga texts too.

I think I already referred you to a book called Kundalini Tantra by Swami Satyananda Saraswati of Bihar School Yoga fame. Shivananda Yoga is based in a similar lineage, I believe. But this is for the true and patient yoga dedicant.

There is an esoteric form of yoga that is cultivated in some Yoga and Tantric Hindu and Buddhist meditation practices. What occurs is called kriya. In this sense, kriya means spontaneous movement. Some Hatha yoga practitioners report that this occurs when they reach a certain level in Hatha yoga practice.. Look up Shiva Rhea--a yoga practitioner who has taken her experience waaay out of proportion, stuck a TM and high price tag on her yoga curriculum and wears her "siddhi" as a diadem. Followers of Paramhamsa Yogananda also have reported experiencing kriya. During meditation, the body moves either in a way similar to pseudo-seizure and/or makes gestures similar to hand mudras, assumes poses and postures similar to yogic postures, and also may experience glossolalia or pseudobulbar effects (laughing or crying). (I had a friend who would have multiple orgasms. I also had a friend who broke his arm during kriya). The person is often in a witnessing or ecstatic light-trance state of consciousness. The episode is explained as the movement of prana or kundalini and as a de-stressing of psychodynamic complexes. This phenomenon is not confined to schools of yoga, though--it occurs in Pentecostalist-type Christianity, shamanism, and other cultural traditions but its probably been most developed in yoga systems. I myself was initiated into this type of meditation in the context of Dzogchen Buddhism. Some schools of Yoga, Buddhism, and Hinduism think that kriya should be discouraged and that any energetic impulses to move should be inhibitied and sublimated during meditation.

There are places now that are offering what they are called Chaotic Yoga that attempt to get people into approximating what is going on in real "kriya yoga" but authentic groups that include this discipline do not "teach" or "offer" it. It either just happens and everyone else in the room tolerates it when it is occurring for a participant or when a teacher sees that this might be starting to happen to you, you are taken out of the general group of practitioners and invited to join another more inner circle of practitioners and what exactly is going on might be kept secret from the larger group.

I think I already referred you to a book called Kundalini Tantra by Swami Satyananda Saraswati of Bihar School Yoga fame. Shivananda Yoga is based in a similar lineage, I believe. But this is for the true and patient yoga dedicant.

Have the Moolah Banda book by the Bihar school, looked into the kundalini tantra text and was put onto, 'A systematic course in the ancient tantric techniques of tantra and kriya' as a prerequisite to Kundalini, a student of Bihar reccomending the text spoke about the fact that that other schools ask for oaths and viel their practices whereas the course book dosen't... hoping to work from it alongside dailiy ritual. It was while I was searching for what Kriya generally involves, technique wise, that I found spurious statements about its effectivity alongside an air of secrecy as per chapter 26 of the autobiography book and certain youtube videos talking of advanced human evolution and 'shortcuts' which, in my opinion, is why people end up with negative or overwhelming side effects from certain practices such as Kundalini.

During meditation, the body moves either in a way similar to pseudo-seizure and/or makes gestures similar to hand mudras, assumes poses and postures similar to yogic postures, and also may experience glossolalia or pseudobulbar effects (laughing or crying). (I had a friend who would have multiple orgasms. I also had a friend who broke his arm during kriya). The person is often in a witnessing or ecstatic light-trance state of consciousness. The episode is explained as the movement of prana or kundalini and as a de-stressing of psychodynamic complexes.

Hmmmm.... so what does it involve generally? I mean, if you were to sum up the practice how would you define it, technique wise? For a person such as myself, into other forms of spirituality who can't commit to certain types of practice, mantra and direct chakra work would be out of the question but if I'm to be shifting awareness to specific points, sitting in asanas balancing neurosis etc I may be able to set myself an extra hour a day for it knowing what to expect without the risk of ending up as per Icarus or, as said, a house fly to a blue light. The statements about its effectiveness alongside oaths of secrecy aren't too helpful, end up with people looking for secret techniques and it ends up being a popular tag on Google .lol.

Very much intrested in it so far, can't wait to get the book in and see what its all about... best text on yoga in general apparently, the Bihar Systematic course text.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/book.gif)

I can't really give you a road map about it; it is something that just naturally happens in some meditators after awhile. If you know what it is, you just go with the flow and don't get freaked out by it. It could be as simple as sitting there and feeling compelled to raise your arm and hold it there or move your fingers in a certain position or else you could be thrashing around. You are usually not completely out of control when this occurs but the sensation to move happens like a nervous tic might.

when this happens as a meditation practice, it usually has beneficial effects--you feel lighter and your head and emotions are less noisy in daily life because you kind of shake the stress out during meditation. But when this happens uncontrollably in ordinary daily life among "Muggles, it is called pseudoseizure and mimics epilepsy to the untrained eye. It is a symptom of mental illness and the people who have it insist that they can't control it --although videos of these seizures can suggest otherwise--and they think that they have epilepsy and are often misdiagnosed. People who have pseudoseizures like this usually have a history of childhood sexual or physical abuse and other problems.

This post has been edited by SororZSD23: Feb 8 2010, 07:52 PM

So a person can expect "uncontrollable" phenomena whilst practicing Kriya, and its all in all related to Kundalini styled practice... is intresting, in cerimonial practice the Middle pillar tends to have the same effect or at times after or during a strong practice powerful surges of energy can be felt which can feel dangerous, especially if it involves the solar plexus but after a while you notice that your mind and body actively protects itself from certain happenings... forget the quote from the initiation cerimony, something about working the middle path, the light being too much for ones eyes and the darkness being too forboding. For me I would somehow trip or drop something breaking the current of a ritual that would otherwise "blind" me... knowing you've suceeded in invoking something that feels at home enough to have its presence felt can be... um... daunting, if that's the right word.... again if its too much the mind will rebut and somehow break communication to prevent what one would assume would amount to immanent psycological meltdown.

I guess yoga breaks down neurosis freeing energy whereas magick works a light on and grants you power over them/it, or something to that effect. Either way the "problem" is perhaps one of friction... as in magick its fear, it seems to provide enough tension to trigger an automated responce, tension, freezing up, closing or attempting to close doors of perception in responce to a stimulus... fine if its "external"... you can always run but an internal manifestation can't be met with fear and its resulting tensions... in my (ever so humble) opinion the mind and body are wise enough to deal with energy manifestations its where ones ego jumps in as protectorate in an ensuing battle that causes enough countering tension to break limbs and create unwarrented phenomena as its idea of self is built on blockages, on shallow shores for so long that it (the ego) has to guard from what ever threatens the fall of ones tower. Guess that's what we get for building ourselves up on our weaknesess, faulse sence of triumph in that I suppose, might cost you an arm and a leg. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

Hold the drum roll, I'll see myself out .lol.

Kriya Yoga does sound like Qigong, but I have always said that Qigong is essentially a Chinese form of Yoga. The intent and goals are similar, although the specific exercises are generally different. I would say that the results or spiritual progress depend more on the individual than the discipline as long as it is a major, respected form of Yoga or a major, respected form of Qigong. It is like comparing different schools of martial arts. There are always people who say that their specific martial art style is better than anyone else. But martial arts success depends more on the talent, hard work and athletic ability of the martial artist than the style he uses. I would say that some are less functional than others, but most have a complete enough system to deal with most situations.

In Qigong we do sometimes have involuntary trembling during an exercise that acts to release energetic blockages, but I haven't ever seen any choreiform movements or seizures in classes. I don't doubt that it might happen but haven't seen it personally.

I have had a certain amount of interest in Kriya Yoga for years. The Autobiography of a Yogi is one of my favourite books. It is an enjoyable book to read. But I was always busy with other things and content with what I was doing.

Mchawi, the different between Tantric yoga practices and Western magical practices is one of interpretation only. All these conventions and paradigms about what is happening reallly takes away and poisons what is happening.

The same phenomenon is at work. Medieval Hermetic magician and even ancient Hermetic philosopher-mages like Plotinus and Pythagoras knew this. They talked about the secret fire and the archonic spheres--the ancient Greeks esotericists also talked about the speirema ( serpent power). Their work was not like Solomonic magic, with its emphasis on working with angel and daemonic entities and seals and protections and power working etc. It was about alchemical transformation of the self. Some anecdotes suggest that effects were similar. Plotinus talks about experiencing great heat and ecstasies. The same for mystic Jacob Boehme and Robert Fludd seemed to be in the loop as well.

And Goiniu, Kriya and Kundalini yogas are indeed very much like Qigong and similar phenomena--including those choreiform effects (and those so-called untoward Kundalini effects)--have been documented, especially in China and Japan where special medical interventions have been set up because it happens so frequently.

Have read of Kriya, meditative style yogis practicing Tai chi alongside their practice to keep them fit, compliment each other well. People tend to go through similar release symptoms in both but I assume that yogas deeper, more direct involvement with the mind and body makes the practice more violent as it were... perhaps the word unexpected would be better.

Agree on the magick/tantric note but perhaps the approach they adopt makes them "diffrent"? Same goal but in magick the practicioner has to align himself with the external forces s/he invokes or risk falling to their nuances unable perhaps to recognise when that part of their psyche is in play as it were (bit of introspection there .lol.). In magick one effects their state of being in yoga/tantra one affects their state of being. Cross over well as "opposites" obvious similarities but if the path way there is diffrent can a fair comparison be made? Tough finding a well balanced magi in a way you would expect a yogi to be... most magicians fall short in their weilding of force. Drew on the similarities only by weighing in on the effect external forces have in comparison to internal ones.

Can you belive amazon had my 1st class delivery option set to arrive on march the 31st!? Ridiculous, had to reorder that's another week or so waiting for the postman impatiently. They say that the oath one is obliged to take in learning "the" technique of kriya is why the system has lasted so long, unsure if its more, 'this path is the best because its quicker' hype but it makes sence. Would like to avoid insulting the tradition but the book "an autobiography" reads like a book of menstrations, to use their analogy. Again I (lightheartedly) decry the advertising of siddhis, the use of honey to captivate an audience to not so openly available techniques. Good book and all, am enjoying it, just like to strike a critical pose while I do so .lol.

I've been doing some more research on Kriya Yoga and from what I've been told, the main exercise they do is similar to what we call the 'microcosmic orbit' or 'small heavens breathing' in qigong. I'd like to confirm that with someone though. More research.

I've been doing some more research on Kriya Yoga and from what I've been told, the main exercise they do is similar to what we call the 'microcosmic orbit' or 'small heavens breathing' in qigong. I'd like to confirm that with someone though. More research.

I recently purchased a copy of The Kundalini Tantra in connection with another practice and was surprised of just how close the two are systems are in regard to practice and the use of chakras though they differ on a few important points. The microcosmic orbit passes energy past the chakras in such a way that it becomes more refined. Kriya yoga is more of a cleansing practice which "churns" the energy resting in the chakras in such a way that the karma stored there is released - not removed or burned. When the karma is released it will play out in your mind body and emotions and, if I understand the theory right, simply by carrying on with the practice and ignoring it the Karma to dissipate. You are in effect your are creating a safe space to release to let the karma play out so that your reaction does not create more karma.

It is a tantric (and therefore highly condensed) practice. Normaly in Hatha and Karma yoga you must wait for karmas to bloom before you deal with them so it takes longer and there is the real chance that you will not handle the situation correctly and actually make the karma worse. In kriya yoga, the practitioner causes karma to ripen in a safe environment as it is deemed fit. Thus you get all sorts of claims about many lifetimes of karma being burned n a few minutes. Kriya is far from being short cut as it takes about a year of daily practice for several hours to complete the system.

The main benefit of the system is it cleans the chakras in a effective way that even a busy office worker could manage, thus oppening the door for kundalini to move up. One of the reasons people toss around oaths and such is that there are three knots and two chakras that you must have help with or you will fail, the karma remains or gets worse and you make life that much harder on yourself. The first and second chakra are very intense and without help it is more than likely "sexual perversion and obsession" will occur. people have lots of hangups about sex, violence the body and relations with others, so naturally the karmas at the first two centers are harder to clean. Cleaning, opening, and balancing the nadis and also the ajna chakra help mitigate much of this but is so subtle that even more help is needed. The knots are Bharaman, visnu, and rudra. They represent mental states one has to over come to get to the next chakra. Without help to explain and demonstrate these mental states and how they get tangled up it is unlikely you can progress much.


For magick anything that frees up or makes new energy is good and helpful so Kriya will no doubt help with that but also with the consciousness aspect of magick.

Interesting. It fits what little I know. More research is necessary in my opinion. My curiosity has been aroused once more.