I am a beginner in yoga with a desire to progress on the spiritual path. As of now, I think I am going to start practicing either Kundalini and Kriya Yoga to accomplish this goal. However, I have read a lot about the many benefits of asanas and their many variations in disciplines such as Hatha, Ashtanga, Iyengar, and Vinyasa Yoga. Do people that wish to progress spiritually (especially beginners) normally practice both a ?spiritual? yoga such as Kriya and a ?physical? yoga such as Ashtanga? Or can spiritual progress be easily attained with just a ?spiritual? yoga? Is there a certain discipline that reconciles both and allows you to have the benefits of both? I look forward to the breadth of answers on this multifaceted subject! 
Well you pack a strong punch for a first post my friend.
This topic really warrants an article or a book.
Here are my feelings. Take or leave as you see fit.
A spiritual practice is not “easily attained”, period. It is not easily attained for raw beginners, the well-intention, or those practicing for a decade or more. Simply put, it can be tough, challenging, and frustrating work - though it has many benefits and can be a joyous pursuit when one’s viewpoint is “just so”.
In the yoga I teach, we define spirituality as the connection to the soul, the source, the light within, the spirit. Ergo, those things that truly take you, the practitioner, closer to your light (rather than farther away from it) that is spiritual. This connection can be re-established (it is disconnected in seconds by the pull of society) through the physical practice of asana, it can be re-established through the practice of pranayama, it can be reached through transformative spirituality (meditation of a certain sort)…many ways. In fact it can be re-established in a variety of ways depending on how the practice is crafted.
An of course the corollary is also true. One can do asana until you are gumby, pranayama till you pass out, and meditate like the dickens but have no growth whatsoever. We see both of these scenarios all the time. Simple people with very little in the way of a practice of any sort who are very connected and people who practice like banshees seven days a week who cannot control their ego in the slightest.
For most people wanting to move away from the external world and venture in, the physical practice can be a bit easier as it is identified on the gross level. I mean we can all pound our chest and say “I am here”, “this is me”. The physical body is touchable and therefore its a good first bridge for the deeper work.
The question would be “what will work for YOU”. That is the only germane issue. Though be cautioned that some practices, for some people, at some time, in some ways, can be harmful or fatal if swallowed.
Kriyas and kundalini yogas tend to work more directly on the subtle bodies which is not to certainly say hath yoga does not work here…And the subtle bodies affect the physical body.
And most folk identify with the physical body so it is here where they often start.
Hatha yoga is certainly spiritual in my book;it is not just physical. To me spiritual just means non-material(&material i guess) or to put it simply what you usually can not see;not obviously material.
I don’t really see this division so much between physical and “spiritual”. My understanding of that term has broadened. It bascially is awareness.But it think it something that is cultivated over time.
Let’s sayspirtual evolution is the highest form. but i think the neurobioligcal and spirtual are both linked. We are taught to believe what we can see; thevidence of the senses.
Yoga is about moving inwards.It usually takes time.To jump straight into working directly on the subtler bodies is done in some schools .
If you really serious & dedicated then a full-scope yoga apporach will give you best results.It’s like whn you build a house you do your research, get the materials,tools etc and then go about building up. But to imagine you won’t run into any obstacles or problems at any point in the build process is another learning curve in tself borne out of at least some experience,and unlikely or unrealistic.
My own view is it pays to be as well informed as possible.Both these domains intersect ,are not mutually exclusive.Also having as many yogas under your belt can only serve to broaden your understanding and appreciation of that term.I’m all for folk having lots of tools but also a basic awareness of risks( when i started i thought it could only do good, not harm) and a basic primer on what-not-to-do,safety precautions(incorrect or improper practice, lack of self-pacing,i.e charging ahead too fast,impatient for results would’nt help, short timescales, not micro-nudging or pacing our openings in safe timescales with regular practice, lack of knowledge & tools,misinformation,automatic yoga* , inappropriate yoga,using techniques that are too pwerful all at once in an insufficnetly purified nervous system --these are ones that come to mind. so we listen to this kind of feedback to err on side of caution).It can be like playing with fire;it can lookk and feel good but in inexperienced hands or folk that are not informed at all, it can occassionally go wrong. And you’ve burnt the house down.Oooops. It’s probably not that common .But it does happen. Hatha yoga learnt with an experienced teacher may be a good idea. Then if you want to try the more meditative yogas then at least you can sit comfrtaably for an hour without fidgeting or progress being otherwise alot more challngeing,slow and difficult.
All the Best.
Namaste and Welcome to the Forum.
I have been once to a yoga class that was labelled as Kriya yoga and advertised by the teacher as this great way of making spiritual progress on your path. However, my disappointment was great, it was anything but spiritual, in fact it turned out to be a parade of egos and I soon left. Then again I have attended a yoga weekend with a yoga teacher that nobody knew about, no credentials, linage or even what kind of yoga she presented, but I decided to go. Wow, what a spiritual injection I received from that lady.
I feel the spiritual impetus (and with that comes the sadhana, discipline etc) in any yoga is provided by the teacher, therefore you will read in many threads that I and many others post, that I recommend strongly that you seek out a good and competent teacher who will be able to provide that spiritual injection and impetus for you.
You might want to check out mantra yoga,kriya yoga(they have their own version of it) and other more “esoteric” inner yogas and their different aspects & facets by going here.
Sorry for such a late reply, guys. I haven’t had the time (or the internet connection) to properly respond:
Well you pack a strong punch for a first post my friend.
This topic really warrants an article or a book.
If not an article or a book, at the very least a forum discussion. 
Simply put, it can be tough, challenging, and frustrating work - though it has many benefits and can be a joyous pursuit when one’s viewpoint is “just so”.
Although I haven?t formally practiced yoga before, I can certainly relate to the experience of gaining peace of mind, only to have it dissipate shortly afterwards.
In fact it can be re-established in a variety of ways depending on how the practice is crafted.
I?m glad that yoga practice can be tweaked to fit the temperament of the person, but the variety can also pose as an obstacle to unenlightened souls like me who become easily overwhelmed by the sheer volume of literature out there. Thank goodness for helpful forums and people like you, InnerAthlete.
Kriyas and kundalini yogas tend to work more directly on the subtle bodies which is not to certainly say hath yoga does not work here…And the subtle bodies affect the physical body… I don’t really see this division so much between physical and “spiritual”. My understanding of that term has broadened. It bascially is awareness.But it think it something that is cultivated over time.
You’re right, Core, that?s probably a better way of describing it, rather than separating the yogas into ?physical? and “spiritual”.
I’m all for folk having lots of tools but also a basic awareness of risks( when i started i thought it could only do good, not harm) and a basic primer on what-not-to-do,safety precautions(incorrect or improper practice, lack of self-pacing,i.e charging ahead too fast,impatient for results would’nt help, short timescales, not micro-nudging or pacing our openings in safe timescales with regular practice, lack of knowledge & tools,misinformation,automatic yoga* , inappropriate yoga,using techniques that are too pwerful all at once in an insufficnetly purified nervous system --these are ones that come to mind. so we listen to this kind of feedback to err on side of caution)
I guess listening to my body/instincts and taking it slow are going to be important, especially when I don?t have a teacher overseeing my progress, especially when so many missteps that can be taken can lead to even more unsavory results. Thank you for the helpful checklist, Core.
However, my disappointment was great, it was anything but spiritual, in fact it turned out to be a parade of egos and I soon left… I recommend strongly that you seek out a good and competent teacher who will be able to provide that spiritual injection and impetus for you.
Pandara, even if I did have the means to go out and find a suitable teacher, the news I hear about all the spiritual charlatans lurking in this age makes me hesitant on seeking one in the future. I suppose the same principle that applies to progressing in yoga applies to finding the right teacher. But, nevertheless, one of my main objectives is to seek out a good teacher as soon as I am able, for the empowerment and for the pointers.
You might want to check out mantra yoga,kriya yoga(they have their own version of it) and other more “esoteric” inner yogas and their different aspects & facets by going here.
Thanks, again, Core. I?ve skimmed the site and it looks very authentic and insightful. Truly a gem for spiritual progress.
On this note, thanks to all you for your two cents. Although it is probably a no-brainer to help someone like me out, it really makes a tremendous difference. Hopefully I will see you guys when I post more questions on YogaForums. The world needs more people like you guys~
I understand and fully agree with you, but how will you know the charlatan from the teacher if you haven’t experienced one or the other? Before finding my teacher I had a few teachers, I wouldn’t call them charlatans, but they were not the appropriate teacher for me, it was only once I found Sri Durga Devi that I knew this is my teacher. There was an immediate inner recognition, like old friends meeting again.
Being in florida there are a lot of kundalini instructors all over florida. Personally I have had some of my most amazing experiences at the ashram in altamonte. The training for instructors there is pretty extensive and in the 7 or so teachers that I have taken a class from there, they all were good at the least, and great at the most. The instructors are good and the rates are cheap. Kundalini as taught by Yogi Bhajan does involve many different kriyas as well.
If you wish to practice solely at home, www.aypsite.org is my personal favorite as far as books and web info. Yoganis 8 limb book is my favorite of his books.
Well whatever path you choose, my best advice would be that when it starts getting fun, dont try to go too fast. Like what Core said
Hey core you said,
"“when i started i thought it could only do good, not harm) and a basic primer on what-not-to-do,safety precautions(incorrect or improper practice, lack of self-pacing,i.e charging ahead too fast,impatient for results would’nt help, short timescales, not micro-nudging or pacing our openings in safe timescales with regular practice, lack of knowledge & tools,misinformation,automatic yoga* , inappropriate yoga,using techniques that are too pwerful all at once in an insufficnetly purified nervous system --these are ones that come to mind”"
and I thought I was the only one,
I understand and fully agree with you, but how will you know the charlatan from the teacher if you haven’t experienced one or the other? ?.. There was an immediate inner recognition, like old friends meeting again.
You have a point, Pandara. It?s probably not rational to suspect the worst of every teacher out there, much less call them charlatans. I haven?t formally undertaken the task of trying to find a teacher, but every time I hear about flawed teachers and teachings (the Nithyananda sex scandal as well as the mass exodus of followers from Yogananda?s SRF come to mind), it makes me gradually more skeptical. Hopefully I will have a similar inner experience when I come across the right teacher.
- Being in florida there are a lot of kundalini instructors all over florida.
- If you wish to practice solely at home, AypSite is my personal favorite as far as books and web info. Yoganis 8 limb book is my favorite of his books.
- Well whatever path you choose, my best advice would be that when it starts getting fun, dont try to go too fast.
- Much thanks for the info, Brother Neil. In fact, where I?m going to college next year (yes, that?s how young I am), there?s a Hamsacharya that can initiate me on behalf of world-renowned living master Yogiraj Gurunath, whose brand of Kundalini Kriya Yoga looks convincing. However, the instructors that you mentioned are probably just as qualified, so I?ll definitely keep them in mind when I set out looking for lessons.
- Yes, Core gave me a link to that site, as well. I?m really looking forward to reading more if two people gave it a thumbs up.
- Likewise, if two people warn me about the dangers of going too fast, I will certainly heed their advice.
Sorry to end this post with another question, but with all this discussion about different techniques and teachers:
Are the techniques that you learned from a Yoga discipline going to be wasted if you undertake a somewhat different discipline or even if you are taught the same discipline from a different teacher that teaches a variation of the techniques you learned? I?m sure the initial techniques that you learned weren?t wasted when speaking about spiritual progression, but are they automatically wasted when you undertake a different discipline/teacher because you had grown accustomed to making progress with very specialized techniques?
I realize that websites like Aypsite.org encourage practicing a variety of techniques, but since I interpret the practice as concurrent, rather than consecutive, like the question above was meant to ask, I consider it to address a different issue. Anyways, thanks for all of your thoughtful posts, as always.
I think no type of knowledge is wasted.
Meditation is different for person to person, or from one part of life to another part of life. It might require some help with focusing objects like scrolls, bells, asanas or whatever. I think it’s difficult for many people to just “be” and meditate and that’s why those things exists. Or even to make good focus even better. For example, in ashtanga vinyasa yoga that I learn the asanas is supposed to be active meditation with a steady rhytm and flow with poses and breathing.
In Yoga, one should be ready to change. If you expect the poses or the breathing exercises to bring about “enlightenment” it doesn’t happen that way. Enlightened is your own state and to reach there tons of accumulated impurities need to wither away. Excersises only help in this purification. Yoga doesn’t have its own hierarchy, but is based on a premise that the Universe has one. The universe is seen as a huge spectrum of gross to subtle worlds, both within and without. So, impurities need to go away starting from the gross, physical body, but also on the more and more subtle planes. That’s where yama, niyama become complementary practices.
But collective Yoga practice on the four fronts: poses, breathing, yama and niyama has to bring you in your transformation upto a break-through point, called pratyahara. This really anchors you firmly within and your spiritual journey can progress to concentration, meditation and contemplation.
What is true of exercises is also true of Yoga teachers. A true teacher is one who encourages you to transform, gently guides you in the process, keeps you challenged, but knows when to leave you in the care of your inner teacher. A self-styled teacher who brands his teachings is serving himself more than you.
Thus, Yoga is a journey in self-realization. Any external help is only a stepping stone.
@Danny
Thanks! I?ll be sure to keep that in mind when I experiment with different disciplines/techniques and see what works. I won?t be so dissapointed when I have to ?start from scratch?.
@Suhas
I guess what you say goes with what others in this thread have been saying. Although I felt that I had to articulate my question by putting it in terms of ?physical? vs ?spiritual?, it is important, as you point out, that the hierarchy Universe is better seen as a continuum of gross to subtle. Nevertheless, having a balanced, complementary practice is probably the best way to go, according both you and other sources I?ve read over the past few days. I will also try to maintain this same balance in internal and external guidance (being that they?re dictated by similar principles), as you so kindly pointed out.