Magnanimous

Leo how long have you been consistently doing kriya for? What are the happiness related benefits you've got?

Hey Leo just wondering cause you basically never talk about this, how often do you hang out with friends?

Hey. I've done 2500+ Kriya Pranayama 1 (KP1) since starting one and a half months ago. The problem is I think I've been doing parts of it wrong. Is it meant to be done with Uyajji Breathing? One of the instructions in KP1 says you must make a "SHAAAWWWW" sound (First sound made with Uyajji Breathing), and other pranayama types are done with Uyajji breathing. So should I learn Uyajji and incorporate it with KP1? The JC Stevens written instructions say move energy from Muladhara to Medulla, but the illustrations has arrows in the Sushumna where the energy is meant to be directed, which I interpret as: Raise energy from Muladhara to Ajna -> localize energy at Medulla -> send it down back to Muladhara. (I do the Technique Tip of sending warm energy down the backside of the spine rather than through the Sushumna.) What I do from reading Leo's instructions and JC Steven's instructions/illustrations are: 1. Raise cool prana from Muladhara to Ajna through the Sushumna 2. Continue raising the prana through brainstem and brain, blasting both 3. Localise energy at Medulla 4. Send warm prana down the backside of the spine from Medulla to Muladhara. Am I doing KP1 right? Finally, I need some reassurance. Even though I think I've been getting some steps wrong, and obviously not being perfect on the correct steps as a beginner, subjectively in my view I'm still getting benefits. Those 2500+ pranayama have not gone to waste, right? I've still got benefits?

Leo, when we experiment with new Kriya techniques, what criteria do we measure the results of those new techniques? And determine whether or not to include them in our routine. Because in past forum posts you would tell us to experiment and find out what works for ourselves.

What about Supreme Fire? I thought you did that Leo

How do you do the exhale? When inhaling, I've been trying to make the SHAW sound. I just didn't know how to do inhale and exhale the proper Uyajji way.

Hey @Oppositionless, what would you say are the unique benefits of Maha Mudra? If you can separate them out from the other practices

@Oppositionless I am personally pursuing Kriya for Liberation and Sahaja Samadhi Sahaja Samadhi is just permanent samadhi, so you're walking around all blissed out

Bro Leo I gotta say thank you because it's only been 2 months, and recently after my Kriya sessions I'm seeing my baseline mood have an increase in peace-joy feelings that I can feel throughout the day. Even if I only do 12 kriya in the morning (I usually do 72 before bedtime) I will still feel an effect. Plus it's SO MUCH EASIER to enter into a state of Being. Much more effortless, unlike when even after meditation I would have to struggle against my mind to go into Being. Can't wait for more benefits. Thanks again mate.

Hey Leo just curious, what's your experience of poetry?

@Leo Gura It hasn't even been a year of me practicing it and its doubled and close to tripling my charisma. I can see the love and adoration blazing in new people's eyes whenever I start getting to know them, even if we've only met less than 10 times. (work, uni) Thanks for your stuff buddy.

@Leo Gura how long would it take to reach Sahaja Samadhi? What would you have to do?

Hey Leo, that period after you finish your kriya routine where you just sit and focus on Being, do you time it or guess how long you've sat with gut feeling? How do you measure how long we are sitting in Parvastha state for?

I'm trying to figure out if this was a mystical experience/was about to attain a mystical experience. 20 minutes ago I was doing Kriya Pranayama 1 (JC Stevens version), having my two eyes focused on the spot in between my eyebrows. There was already a bit of yellow light seeping through my closed eyes from a nearby lamp (5m away), but that light was very dim from my view. BUT THEN the light changed from yellow to a white and the white light began to rapidly increase in brightness. The increase in luminosity was like going from a light in a distance to a light that could be seen directly in front of me. The increase in light actually started to hurt my eyes and before it could overwhelm be (and turn full on) I opened my eyes. I breathed in and out hard for 20 seconds collecting myself, then closed eyes and finished off the rest of my pranayamas. No amp up in light returned, but from memory and gut feeling the yellow lamp light that was already seeping into my vision was a bit brighter and had mostly changed colour into the white I had seen from the previous amp up. In terms of my breathing I do one breath between each pranayama so I don't run out of breath. Today depending on how I bad the lack of oxygen was I increased that to two or more. I am two weeks into starting pranayama, give or take. My first five or so days I did 12 pranayama, the next three to four I did 36 pranayama, then for the rest of the time up to today I have been doing 72. In the last 4 sessions I also merged 2 sits of 36 pranayama into 1 sit. And the day of posting this I have been following JC Steven's suggestion of doing pranayamas every hour (I do 2 every hour), to 1. integrate Kriya results into everyday life 2. due to the improvements in everyday life integration eventually reach Sahaja Samadhi. I wasn't consistently doing those extra pranayamas every hour but at the end of the day I did 10. I was thinking that this might be the Light of Kutatsha but the light comes in different shapes. This amp up in light was just covering my whole field of view. It was darker in some areas but whole whole POV was increasing in brightness and I think if I continued there would be no dark left and my POV would be just white light. So yea, was this a mystical experience/was I about to attain one? And any tips relevant for me on handling these mystical experiences? Next time if I can I'll try not open my eyes and let the light shine fully. I'd also like to take this opportunity to ask about the "Don't Half-Ass Yoga" video. Leo says at the end of the practice you go into a period of stillness and that's where you're meant to have mystical experiences. Gamana talks about doing Jnana Yoga (I Am/Attma Vichara/Self Inquiry) after Kriya routine is done. Is Leo's stillness period the same time Gamana recommends the Self-Inquiry? If not it's alright I will extend my routine time to incorporate it. I intuit this is my most serious action on the Forum yet.

Leo, what raises baseline better: 1. Integrating psychedelic realizations? 2. Kriya yoga?

I started pranayama nearly 2 weeks ago (72 daily). Since then I haven't seen anything I'd deem significant. Just my mind marginally quieter and it being easier to enter a state of presence defined by Eckhart Tolle. But even then my time in presence isn't super long because I don't have enough practice. What time range will I start seeing serious results? It's not like I'll stop from being demotivated but the whole wait will be a drag if I don't have a timeframe. Also is there anything I can do to get better at fully concentrating on the process of performing pranayama?

Hey Leo, you told me it took 100,000 - 300,000 pranayamas to reach liberation. Wouldn't I have to read all your enlightenment books as well? I'd love to reach liberation in my 20s with just pranayama, but that doesn't sound realistic.

I assumed he wouldn't lie being an exceptional spiritual teacher. But I guess its for marketing and increasing the spread of Kriya Yoga. Why though?

Hey Leo, can newbies read your book?

Leo I'm trying to do pranayama 36 times for 2 sits a day. But my breathing hasn't adjusted to doing those long breaths for such a long time. So in the middle I sometimes quit. Is it ok to reduce the amount of reps I do in 1 sit to 12 or even 10? And can I have a couple seconds/minutes break every 10/12/24 etc pranayamas, just to catch my breath? Also in the coming months will my lungs adjust so that they've comfortable doing 36 pranayama in a single uninterrupted set? How long does it take to do this?

CONTEXT: My younger brother is VERY Christian - goes to mass every week, prays every day, keeps images of Christ around etc. He also - Doesn't want to get married - Wants to become a priest - Very adherent to Christian moral principles - He doesn't jerk off he has next to none or zero sex drive All of this seems like typical monk/yogi behaviour so should I try do it and if so how? He is already deeply rooted in his faith. But I was Christian until 10, atheist for 3 years, then became spiritual at 13. If I could make the transition then can he?

@Human Mint Do you do kriya? If so what kinds of pranayama do you do?

@Leo Gura is liberation the same thing as enlightenment? If not what's the difference?

I originally posted this on the Kriya Yoga Megathread but nobody has replied in >1 week so I'm posting here JC Stevens says that you should start doing pranayama for 12 reps a day. Then after a few months increase to 24 But I only plan on doing pranayama + maha mudra + Kriya Supreme Fire. So I can obviously increase the rate. How do I know when to increase the amount of pranayamas I'm doing? And by how many reps?