The Technique Of Kriya Yoga Meditation

The teaching of Kriya Yoga Meditation is done gradually. It is sectioned into six stages referred to as 1st Kriya, 2nd Kriya and so on. The beginner starts with 1st Kriya. 1st Kriya is the root, the very foundation which allows for progress through the spiritual path for followers of any religion. It gives access to basic knowledge of the body, the Soul and the chakras. It allows for comprehension of the gross, the astral and the causal bodies. Later, after having practiced regularly over a period of time and achieved the necessary level of mastery, one can receive 2nd Kriya, and thus progress towards the higher Kriya levels. It’s best not to rush the early Kriya’s as they are foundational.

Even after fifty years of meditation, I still practice 2nd Kriya before entering the higher states. Many of my students are so happy with 1st Kriya, they have no desire for the later Kriyas. It is entirely possible to reach full spiritual realization with just one part of 1st Kriya!

Achieving the higher states of Kriya (5th and 6th Kriyas) typically takes decades of practice. In these states everything changes.

One finally and without doubt, realizes. All material knowledge (science, art, anthropology, sociology, religion etc), material constructions (legacies, possessions, space travel etc) and mortality (birth, death, sickness) pale into insignificance. This is the true 2nd Coming of Christ! This is NOT an imagined or emotional state which one can dream up in a moment. Nor is it an ethical (right vs. wrong) state of any kind.

Describing Kriya Yoga in words has little meaning. A person may truly understand only through practice. If you wish to know what an apple is, a simple description is not enough. Take the fruit, touch it, taste it, digest it, then you will truly and immediately understand what an apple is. The same goes for Kriya Yoga Meditation.

Kriya practice is focused on the breath or prana. The practice does not depend on mantras, visualization etc. The breath is not held forcefully – neither with empty lungs nor full. Prana or breath exists at many different levels. When we refer to prana or breath the air that we inhale and exhale, we are in fact referring to the most unsubtle or gross form of prana. As we deepen our meditative practice we focus on increasingly subtle and finer forms of prana or breath.

Progressing to subsequent levels is dependent on the level of meditative depth achieved not on intellectual understanding or duration of practice. Practicing Kriya, does not require that you follow a religion nor that you change your religion. Equally, there is no essential need to read Vedic spiritual texts such as the Bhagavad Gita, although these books do help.

Practicing Kriya, does demand patience, perseverance, discipline, proper form, guidance and above all, humility. I cannot over-emphasize the necessity of humility. One's ego is the last and final hurdle on one's spiritual journey. Ego cannot be fought or pushed forcefully away. Think about it! Instead, one needs to surrender to the life-force itself and this requires humility.

In part, one's progress depends on one's prarabdha akarma (material action that is due in one's current life). Just as a paraplegic cannot run the 400m, but can do many other things, your free will is limited only by your prarabdha karma. Practicing Kriya helps speed up the absolution of akarmic (material world) debt whilst itself being true karma (action with no re-action). In accordance with the laws of karma, the gains from Kriya practice flow into one's future lives. For one who has achieved full self-realisation, no akarma is generated at all and one is beyond the cycle of re-birth i.e. beyond akarma and citta (the "noise" that determines the form and nature of all existence and action) i.e. beyond time and space.

Practicing Kriya does not require one to believe in God or a set of man-made rules. Practicing will however sharpen and clarify your understanding of God and religion, leading to simplicity and honesty of comprehension.

Finally, Kriya is not a substitute for healthy habits – eating just right, sleeping just right, exercising etc, nor is it a panacea for any health issues, which should always be checked with a health professional.