Kriya Yoga Mega-Thread

[Salvijus]

You really were serious when you said you like to do things your on way.. I can see that now :D:D Anyways.. good luck and would be nice to hear some feedback from someone who knows both sides some day.. because I never deared to go on the other side

[Phrae]

On 5/31/2018 at 1:01 AM, Leo Gura said:

For those of you into Kriya, I would highly recommend that in addition to reading the original Kriya book I suggested, you also read the books of Santata Gamana. I now prefer his more simplified techniques. It's a much more streamlined version of Kriya which I think will be even more effective. I found too much needless complexity and variety in the other way.

Right now my technique stack is very simple:

1. Mahamudra x3
2. Kriya Pranayama x24
3. Kriya Supreme Fire x3
4. One-pointed Concentration for 5 mins

Eventually, with lots of practice, you should aim for something like the following stack:

1. Mahamudra x3
2. Kriya Pranayama x36-x72
3. Kriya Supreme Fire for 10-20 mins
4. One-pointed Concentration for 10-20 mins
5. (Bonus: Yoni Mudra x3)
6. (Bonus: Kechari mudra)

EDIT: ideally, do this stack twice per day. But if you don't have that much time, at least once per day.

Don't attempt to do this second stack right off the bat. It will not be sustainable. You need to gradually build up to it, like with heavy weightlifting.

I think the original book I recommended is still very good as an introduction and foundation because Gamana's books are so short and thin that they do not provide enough information about Kriya to a total newbie. They are aimed at people who have already been initiated in one school or another.

If you are strictly following the original book, that is okay. You can keep doing that if you want. Or you could switch to this more streamlined version like I decided to do. I don't like learning too many complicated techniques. But that's just me. Both ways should work in the end. It's mostly a matter of style. Although I actually think the streamlined version will end up to be more effective because it concentrates your limited time on the most powerful techniques, and less time is wasted on learning new complex techniques.

As a beginner should I start with the same progression he recommends (Lahiri or J C Stevens??)? Should I only progress like he's displaying in the book. It feels like it's gonna take a lot of time. How did you do it? I feel like I should just do the whole shebang up to the First Kriya practice in one go. Do you think that's okay or I need to acclimate/get comfortable with the previous practices?

[Leo Gura]

@Phrae Yes, you can basically do up to the First Kriya right off the bat. Pranayama is really the heart of the practice. Everything else is secondary.

Focus on learning the spinal breathing. Really master it. That is the key to it all.

[herghly]

What have you guy found works the best with Yoga?

 

I only have 60-90 minutes a day for these types of practices. I've replaced meditation / self inquiry with yoga and now do 60 minutes of kriya.

 

However, now i am wondering if i need to find a balance between all these practices

 

Also in the book he suggests doing some of the exercises before bed. Do you have to split it up? I always have trouble doing the before bed routine

Edited June 2, 2018 by herghly

[Leo Gura]

2 hours ago, herghly said:

Do you have to split it up? I always have trouble doing the before bed routine

I don't split anything up. I do them all in one block to save time.

[DMM710]

Do you guys chant Om like he says in the book? (Ong with a long o) or some other way? There are a lot of different ways people do it on YouTube. I kinda like how Ohm feels more, but I don’t wanna tweak something that I shouldn’t. 

[Leo Gura]

@DMM710 There are like a dozen ways of chanting Om. Shouldn't make a difference. It's mostly a matter of style.

Make sure you distinguish between style vs substance with these techniques. A lot of yoga is about style.

[John Iverson]

1 hour ago, Leo Gura said:

@DMM710 There are like a dozen ways of chanting Om. Shouldn't make a difference. It's mostly a matter of style.

Make sure you distinguish between style vs substance with these techniques. A lot of yoga is about style.

What are the differences of each yoga has?? Like yoga of inner engineering of Sadhguru, Kriya Yoga, and the one you tell about second yoga you mentioned I forgot the name, is it, it has a different effect to you? If yes, what is the effect? 

[Leo Gura]

@John Iverson I think it is style, not substance.

[str4]

What does "focusing on the kutastha" precisely mean? I think Ennio stated that you should fix your internal gaze towards kutastha without straining your eyes. Well, I can't do that. If I try to fix my eyes between my eyebrows, I immediately strain my eyes. 

However, if focusing between your eyebrows means that I mentally feel the area, the same way I would feel the tip of my toe during meditation, then that is easy.

[Leo Gura]

@str4 Yes, his method strains the eyes. This is not a problem per se. Sadhguru, for example, teaches you to focus your eyes upwards about 6 inches in front of your 3rd eye. The strain goes away with practice. It's not painful, it's just some mild tension. Do it gently.

Or you can focus on other spots in the head, like the crown, which is what I do these days. I like the crown cause that's the most important chakra we want to open.

[str4]

@Leo Gura Funny, I just watched a video of sadhguru explaining the third eye, and he said that there are million different ways on how to move your energies to the third eye, or Ajna chakra, but to move your energies to the crown chakra, there are no ways at all. Only if you have your third eye open (so to speak), and after that jump into nothingness, your crown chakra opens. 

Well, again, different guru's use different rhetoric.  I guess we just have to try these things ourselves and see what happens.

I'll start doing the pranayama practice with my internal gaze between my eyebrows.

[Leo Gura]

@Stefano Provenzi I have not delved into it at all. There are hundreds of different yogas and I would need 10 lifetimes to study them all.

[who chit]

On 6/1/2018 at 4:38 PM, Leo Gura said:

Yup, in San Diego.

It was a growth experience for sure.

But I still don't know which is better. I just know that I like spinal breathing, pulling prana up my spine. Sadhguru aparently doesn't teach that.

Same here. Shambhavi Mahamudra was basically my introduction to the spiritual practices of Yoga. The biggest thing for me is that it got the kundalini stirring in a gentle way. I had moments of ecstasy here and there that lasted up to a few hours, boosts in vital energy,more clarity etc., in the 5 months I practiced it.  But,kriya spinal breathing is a different ball game,energetically/kundalini wise. The difference in "power",as in it's effects on the biological and subtle nervous system,is much greater. Combined with other practices like mahamudra, bastrika, yoni mudra kambhaka, baby kechari, shambavi mudra (concentration on kutatstha), and meditation,you have a very powerful practice. It's not a good idea to start out this heavy for anyone just getting into this. I've been at it for over 2 1/2 years,and 2 yoni mudra kambhaka's in one day is still too much energetically.

Right now the routine is:
10 minutes standard yoga asanas
1 set mahamudra (left,right,center)

Main practice:
Seating position is siddhasana
5 minutes Nadi Shodana(alternate nostril breathing)
10-15 minutes spinal breathing,with internal AUM,OM, 6 times up and 6 times down.
Bastrika for 3-4 minutes
Yoni Mudra Kambhaka with 3 bandhas/body locks (mula,uddiyana,julandhara)
20 minutes transcendental meditation
Resting in pure silent awareness (5 minutes or so)

This set is done generally twice per day, aside from the Yoni Mudra,which I only employ once for now.




 

[Leo Gura]

@who chit Sounds like a solid practice. Breath of Fire should really spike it up if you want. I guess it's really similar to Yoni Mudra.

[who chit]

3 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

@who chit Sounds like a solid practice. Breath of Fire should really spike it up if you want.

Thanks. Yeah,breath of fire is what I termed as bhastrika. It's been a constant part of the practice since the beginning. Doing it prior to Yoni Mudra with the 3 bandhas, really lights up the inner eye (ajna).

[herghly]

@Leo Gurawhat I meant is I've heard of ashrams in India you can go to and do kriya yoga most of the day . 

 

Have you heard of any type of kriya yoga type retreats ? 

 

Id love to do one 

[Leo Gura]

@herghly I have not. What's I love about Kriya is that it's supposed to be a private practice not done in groups.

You can always rent a motel room for a week and do your Kriya.

[Viking]

what is the point of kriya? i mean why does it work? what should happen? does breathing up and down the spine calm the monkey mind and lets you concentrate and enter samadhi? that's it? or can it make some energies really intense in the body? i had some mild energy-like feelings.

i didnt have too extraordinary experiences and im doing the practice for 2 months, im afraid i might be doing something wrong because my breathing is not in best shape, i often get lost in thought in the middle of the practice and during the concentration.

[herghly]

Has anyone yet to try kriya yoga on psychedelics ? I have been trying to find some information about this online, but can not find any.

 

 I wonder what would happen doing kriya yoga while on mushrooms or ayahuasca.