it all depends on what one desires/want, how far they want to go into the delves of their desires and how aware they are in terms of the knowledge/tools needed to reach their destination or travel their journey. At any point in their individual journey they will make a conscious decision whether they want an outside help (teacher/guru/initiation etc) or go it alone. What motivaters one might demotivate another. Its human nature. its all fair play.
Yes the right teacher is helpful.
The Right Teacher is the one most useful for you.
If you want to practice Kriya then a proper lineage holder can impart the secrets.
If you want to do the vajrayana then a lama would be good.
If you need your Bhakti lit as was said then a teacher may do that for you.
If you want to make heads or tails of the intentionally esoteric teachings then some form of initation into their secret meaning is required. This can come in the form of the right book, the right person, signs within the prakriti, and so on.
In the same way if you want to learn the basics of asana, pranayama, bandha, mudra then a teacher would be good. How can you learn otherwise? The teacher can be in the form of a book. Iyengar is in Light on Yoga is he not? Does he not initiate you through his words? Buddha is in the Dharma is he not?
You will pull what you need to you through your desire. It may not be a guru. It may just be a piece of information - however it may come.
[QUOTE=The Scales;32725] You will pull what you need to you through your desire.[/QUOTE]
I agree. Powerful words my friend.
Pandara & All,
I think i get what you are saying here.
Lineage is somehow sacred & sanscrosanct,wheras schools don’t need to be.
I wonder if this could be ,for e.g, becuase teachings can or could be be abused or their purity lost( if they are not passed on through authorised or accepted channels)?What is the compelling case for making them secret if they’d be otherwise unintellgible to the "initiated ".I apprecaite how they coud be dangerous or harmful.But is is the risk greater if some are openly shared to anyone that enquires.?
There are in total 8 kriyas. The first four as I understood it from my teacher is given to you each upon initiation. Kriyas 5-8 is not given but rather sensed intuitively by the kriyawitan (person who does kriya yoga).
Here with follow a description of the first five practices that is the First Kriya:
[B]1. Talabya Kriya[/B]
Talabya Kriya or Kechari Mudra helps to achieve the state of Tranquil breath while practiced in conjunction with Pranayam. It is an essential precondition before a Kriyanwita is introduced to the next kriya.
In the words of Lahiri Mahasay, “Putting the tongue into the head or to the area between the eyebrows provides one to be able to connect the individual self of the seeker to the cosmic Consciousness or inner Consciousness of the inner Self, the Kutastha.”
Start off with 50 mudras in the morning and increase over time to 100.
[B]2. Kriya Pranayam[/B]
The [B]Downward Journey[/B] (you do 12 of them of 22 seconds each) as pointed out by Lahiri Mahasay himself is divided into four steps:
- Raising the tongue in kechari mudra, breathing in using Ujjayi pranayama, as you breathe in visualize the breath running down the shushumna nadi from ajna chakra down to mooladhara chakra.
- crossing rudra granthi (= psychic knot) at the level of vishuddha chakra,
- crossing vishnu granthi at the level of manipura chakra and finally,
- crossing brahma granti at the level of mooladhara chakra.
The [B]Upward Journey[/B] (you do 12 of them of 22 seconds each) takes the same route back, as you release the Ujjayi breath you visualize the breath running up shushumna nadi starting at the level of kundalini shakti just below mooladhara chakra.
- crossing mooladhara chakra
- crossing swadisthana chakra,
- crossing anahata chakra
- crossing vishuddha chakra and come to rest in ajna chakra
Repeat the next round.
[B]3. Navi Kriya[/B]
Start by doing Pratistha: repeating Om once at the level of each chakra, starting from mooladhara to ajna chakra and visualize it at the back of the spine.
[B]To do Navi Kriya[/B] – Visualize navi chakra on the front of your body a little lower than manipura chakra at the back along the spine. Use ujjayi breathing in, swallow, hold and apply jalandhara bandha and repeat Om inwardly into navi chakra. Release the bandha and then the breath. Repeat 4 times in total. On the 5th you breathe in (ujjayi pranayama), but throw your head slowly back and repeat Om inwardly into manipura chakra visualized on the back of the spine. In the end you should end up doing 100 Om’s into navi and 25 into manipura.
End off kriya by doing Visarjan: exactly same as Pratistha, but you start from ajna working down to mooladhara.
[B]4. Yoni Mudra[/B]
Start by doing Pratistha: repeating Om once at the level of each chakra, starting from mooladhara to ajna chakra and visualize it as the back of the spine.
Many people teach Shanmukhi mudra as yoni mudra here, however I belief it is a mistake. This is what Shibendu taught us:
Sit in padma asana and assume yoni mudra with the hands. Apply kechari mudra and by ujjayi pranayama breathing in while all your attention is in ajna. Once the breath has been completed repeat Om into ajna and release the breath.
This kriya is practiced once every night before going to bed.
End off kriya by doing Visarjan: exactly same as Pratistha, but you start from ajna working down to mooladhara.
[B]5. Maha Mudra[/B]
Start by doing Pratistha: repeating Om once at the level of each chakra, starting from mooladhara to ajna chakra and visualize it as the back of the spine.
Sit in utthan padasana, with right leg out stretched.
Perform kechari mudra.
Take deep breath in, while exhaling bend forward and clasp big toe with both hands.
Slowly inhale, keep head up and spine as straight as possible, repeat Om into ajna once.
Release, come up by slowly exhaling.
This is one round, repeat 12 times.
Repeat 12 times to the left.
Repeat 12 times with both legs stretched out forward.
End off kriya by doing Visarjan: exactly same as Pratistha, but you start from ajna working down to mooladhara.
[I][B]Important Notice:[/B] May I ask that if you follow these practices that you treat them as sacred and with the necessary respect they deserve and apply them with an attitude of gratitude and reverence to the Divine for the great opportunity you have received to have access to this kriya. Most importantly, please stick to your practice, get a teacher if you don’t have one, because your awareness will change and you will need the guidance of a loving teacher along the way.[/I]
Blessings to all and thanks to the Divine.
[quote=core789;32736]Lineage is somehow sacred & sanscrosanct,wheras schools don’t need to be.
I wonder if this could be ,for e.g, becuase teachings can or could be be abused or their purity lost( if they are not passed on through authorised or accepted channels)?What is the compelling case for making them secret if they’d be otherwise unintellgible to the "initiated ".I apprecaite how they coud be dangerous or harmful.But is is the risk greater if some are openly shared to anyone that enquires.?[/quote]
Core,
My teacher always told us that lineage = credibility. And I think the credibility of a teacher/teaching is clearly an issue that has surfaced via so many posts here on the Forum over the past few weeks. Each individual has his/her own level of inner understanding and how you will or not perceive/receive any teaching is dependent on your own inner Light and understanding.
Thanks Pandara for the detailed information and words of wisdom.
Dear Pandara,
Thanks for your time & energy and for sharing.
The flip side of this, the way i see it, is that if something is shrouded in secrecy and sharing is not done, which you have generously done here,then chances are that it would seem to be more likely that teachings only end up in the hands of a select lucky few rather then us all. That is the main issue i see here.
Regarding this statement ,perhaps you might care to expand on it.
I agree with you ,that sometimes there is only one in the lineage that is treated as master key-holder,through the centuries. This is vertical transmission rather than horizontal transmission more appropriate to the information age where masses of people can use them for their own spiritual transformations,their family,friends and so on.Awakening for the masses ,kind of thing.A world full of Jesus’ and Buddhas.
I think this thread boils down to the meaning of “initiation” .For some it could be quite ritualistic. For others it could just be that peice of info you so generously posted above.
(P.S I’m not sure if I have experienced shaktipat. I once atteneded a workshop by an indian pranayama teacher from Hyderabad, He went around touching everyone between the eye-brows/forehead while we did nadi shodhana. I did feel something after the session but whether this was because of the practices or some kind of transference i could not conclusively say.Looks like the jury is out there,for me , as i could not say i have any definitively *conclusive personal experience)
The case of the Freemasons comes to mind here as a good example of what I think you try to say. And before anybody out there think I have a problem with freemasonry, no I don’t.
[quote=core789;32819]Regarding this statement ,perhaps you might care to expand on it.
[I]And I think the credibility of a teacher/teaching is clearly an issue that has surfaced via so many posts here on the Forum over the past few weeks[/I][/quote]
I think it was CityMonk who started the thread on a guru wearing versace and gold and also some doing yoga seemingly just for money, which I think raises the question about the credibility of a teacher. It was also Sunyuting who was banned who raised the issue of two of his teachers as fake. Please note I use teacher as I think there are very few gurus left and they won’t be out there wearing versace and gold.
So, for me and the advise I usually give to my own yogis when they start to explore beyond my teachings and classes is to look at the lineage of the teacher and its teachings. Intorrogate your prospective teacher about under whom they studied, from whom did they receive their initiation, how long, where etc. It is your right and if your prospective teacher can’t answer then look further.
Let me give you an example, in my a city a 23 year old guy started his own school of yoga with a beautiful studio attached to it etc. at the beginning of this year. He started doing yoga when he was 19, at the age of 21 went over to India to do a yoga teachers course of 21 days, god knows where as he can hardly tell you who taught him. His teacher with whom he did yoga before he became a teacher is known in my city for her push marketing and that she is in the yoga business only for the money, she actually sues you if you can’t pay, she tells overweight people straight in their face that she has little time for them in her classes. Now if I compare this to my own yoga teacher who went over to India in 1963, was initiated by Swami Sivananda, studied in Canada under Yogi Khanna, Swami Mukthananda, Dr Mishra and back in SA under Swami Venkatesananda, her whole life spells out yoga and it disciplines and through her me and many others have received the blessings of this lineage/transmission of not just teachings, but of the spiritual energy, and this is very important. I hope I answer your question here.
For me it is about comparing, go out talk to teachers, 90% of the yoga teachers in my city will readily speak about their lineage and tell you under whom they studied etc, they are not shy about it and they usually have excellent track records in terms of their credibility. It is unfortunate that there are that 10%, but that is life, it is the balance, and some people might need that bad apple to actualy realise a karma from a past incarnation.
Core, beautiful insight, much appreciated and I agree with you here.
As I understood it from my teacher receiving shaktipat will not necessarily mean that you will immediately experience firworks etc. Sometimes the shaktipat will only change something so minute in you that you might not even notice it, sometimes you may receive the shaktipat, but it will changes nothing for you, it is perhaps stored in your consciousness for another lifetime.
Not everything that happens to you will necessarily always have a tangible and physical outcome, sometimes it is so subtle on another level that we might only become consciouss of it once we pass over into our next life when we shed this one.
In 2005 I received shaktipat from Sri Satya Sai Baba when I visited his ashram. The disappointment was huge because I “felt” nothing and I was ready to dismiss Swamiji as a charlatan. But I had a very patient teacher who explained to me what I ahve said above. Now, with the wonderful kindness of that teacher I call hindsight, I am amazed and in awe to actually see how much the shaktipat I received from Sri Satya changed my life on so many levels. They were small, but significant. Perhaps we needs patience as the perculator can only allow so much water to perculate through at any given time. 
This thread was very helpful, thank you
I was jsut about to start a thread about Kriya Yoga
And ask what it was
After reading this post (by the way, based on the post, I am going to buy this book and read it) I was intrigued so I did some web research and I then found myself spending some time reading through the Self-Realization Fellowship site and there I read about the home study and the meditation practices but I was left with the thought what exactly is Kriya Yoga?
Is it meditation?
Is it Yoga like you might find in say a Hatha class?
Is it both?
Or is it something else?
I must admit after all I have read though it is intriguing but for the record I have no intention of signing up.
But this entire thread helped clear things up for me, again thank you
[QUOTE=Yulaw;40830]…
I was left with the thought what exactly is Kriya Yoga?
Is it meditation?
Is it Yoga like you might find in say a Hatha class?
Is it both?
Or is it something else?
[/QUOTE]
From my DIRECT experience is mostly meditation, high class. You also learn energization exercises .
Very important is that you learn concentration and how to heal yourself-and maybe others- by the power of will, which draws energy (prana, life force,
vital force, qi…) and directs it to the diseased body part. E. g. you learn
how to direct energy to heal your knees etc.
There are also lessons on pranayama.
This is practice, practice, practice.
There are also other things: either I do not know them yet or just too many to list.
[QUOTE=oak333;40843]From my DIRECT experience is mostly meditation, high class. You also learn energization exercises .
Very important is that you learn concentration and how to heal yourself-and maybe others- by the power of will, which draws energy (prana, life force,
vital force, qi…) and directs it to the diseased body part. E. g. you learn
how to direct energy to heal your knees etc.
There are also lessons on pranayama.
This is practice, practice, practice.
There are also other things: either I do not know them yet or just too many to list.[/QUOTE]
Thank you
It actually sound very similar to Qigong training.
Kriya yoga capitalises on the power of the breath. The jet-plane to enlightenement. It can be very powerful stuff.Asanas are optional. I’m not sure if meditation proper is something though they prescribe though once you’ve made inroads,advanced and porgressed. with your kundalilni.
Kirya means action. I beleive kriya pranayam or spinal breathing is their biggest tool.That is what is usually meant by kriya yoga but there many schools and they all may do things sightly differently with different emphases,tool-suites and routes of progression.There are different lineages.
There the SelfRealization Fellowship borne from Yogananda, Kriyananda I think and others…You might get filled in better from someone that has been affiliated with such a shool.But to simplify,it basically kriya pranayam mentally tracing routes with the energetic system, often following the spinal nerve, root to brow(some system even go to th crown) and some (Satyananda) seem to be even more elaborate & sophisticated and taking orbital routes tracing the chakras up bothe front and back of the energetic body, through the third-eye & bindu( pt. at the back of the head)…I forget all the schools but i’ve looked at the rpinciples and practices of a few and saw how they contrast in places.
As Yogananda said: a gram of practice is worth more than a tonne of theory.
Just try to practice it.
Kriya Yoga
I would like to invite you to see the link about Kriya Yoga: kriyayoga.org.in
As most of you probably know,
Kriya Yoga is a Science of Body, Mind & Spirit. It contains a few techniques, which are very ancient, secret and scientific. This Yoga gives simultaneous development of our body, mind and soul i.e. spirit. The very moment we start practising Kriya Yoga, we can easily and instantly elevate ourselves physically, mentally, morally, intellectually and spiritually.
GuruJi Yogacharya Tapan Bose is an Enilghtened Master of Kriya Yoga, initiated into Kriya Yoga at the age of 8, by Paramhamsa Hariharananda. You can contact him on email: yogacharya_bosemahasaya@yahoo.com
He lives in Kolkata in India.
Welcome!
Tadeia.
[quote=Pandara;32774]There are in total 8 kriyas. The first four as I understood it from my teacher is given to you each upon initiation. Kriyas 5-8 is not given but rather sensed intuitively by the kriyawitan (person who does kriya yoga).
Here with follow a description of the first five practices that is the First Kriya:
[B]1. Talabya Kriya[/B]
Talabya Kriya or Kechari Mudra helps to achieve the state of Tranquil breath while practiced in conjunction with Pranayam. It is an essential precondition before a Kriyanwita is introduced to the next kriya.
In the words of Lahiri Mahasay, ?Putting the tongue into the head or to the area between the eyebrows provides one to be able to connect the individual self of the seeker to the cosmic Consciousness or inner Consciousness of the inner Self, the Kutastha.?
Start off with 50 mudras in the morning and increase over time to 100.
[B]2. Kriya Pranayam[/B]
The [B]Downward Journey[/B] (you do 12 of them of 22 seconds each) as pointed out by Lahiri Mahasay himself is divided into four steps:
- Raising the tongue in kechari mudra, breathing in using Ujjayi pranayama, as you breathe in visualize the breath running down the shushumna nadi from ajna chakra down to mooladhara chakra.
- crossing rudra granthi (= psychic knot) at the level of vishuddha chakra,
- crossing vishnu granthi at the level of manipura chakra and finally,
- crossing brahma granti at the level of mooladhara chakra.
The [B]Upward Journey[/B] (you do 12 of them of 22 seconds each) takes the same route back, as you release the Ujjayi breath you visualize the breath running up shushumna nadi starting at the level of kundalini shakti just below mooladhara chakra.
- crossing mooladhara chakra
- crossing swadisthana chakra,
- crossing anahata chakra
- crossing vishuddha chakra and come to rest in ajna chakra
Repeat the next round.
[B]3. Navi Kriya[/B]
Start by doing Pratistha: repeating Om once at the level of each chakra, starting from mooladhara to ajna chakra and visualize it at the back of the spine.
[B]To do Navi Kriya[/B] ? Visualize navi chakra on the front of your body a little lower than manipura chakra at the back along the spine. Use ujjayi breathing in, swallow, hold and apply jalandhara bandha and repeat Om inwardly into navi chakra. Release the bandha and then the breath. Repeat 4 times in total. On the 5th you breathe in (ujjayi pranayama), but throw your head slowly back and repeat Om inwardly into manipura chakra visualized on the back of the spine. In the end you should end up doing 100 Om?s into navi and 25 into manipura.
End off kriya by doing Visarjan: exactly same as Pratistha, but you start from ajna working down to mooladhara.
[B]4. Yoni Mudra[/B]
Start by doing Pratistha: repeating Om once at the level of each chakra, starting from mooladhara to ajna chakra and visualize it as the back of the spine.
Many people teach Shanmukhi mudra as yoni mudra here, however I belief it is a mistake. This is what Shibendu taught us:
Sit in padma asana and assume yoni mudra with the hands. Apply kechari mudra and by ujjayi pranayama breathing in while all your attention is in ajna. Once the breath has been completed repeat Om into ajna and release the breath.
This kriya is practiced once every night before going to bed.
End off kriya by doing Visarjan: exactly same as Pratistha, but you start from ajna working down to mooladhara.
[B]5. Maha Mudra[/B]
Start by doing Pratistha: repeating Om once at the level of each chakra, starting from mooladhara to ajna chakra and visualize it as the back of the spine.
Sit in utthan padasana, with right leg out stretched.
Perform kechari mudra.
Take deep breath in, while exhaling bend forward and clasp big toe with both hands.
Slowly inhale, keep head up and spine as straight as possible, repeat Om into ajna once.
Release, come up by slowly exhaling.
This is one round, repeat 12 times.
Repeat 12 times to the left.
Repeat 12 times with both legs stretched out forward.
End off kriya by doing Visarjan: exactly same as Pratistha, but you start from ajna working down to mooladhara.
[I][B]Important Notice:[/B] May I ask that if you follow these practices that you treat them as sacred and with the necessary respect they deserve and apply them with an attitude of gratitude and reverence to the Divine for the great opportunity you have received to have access to this kriya. Most importantly, please stick to your practice, get a teacher if you don’t have one, because your awareness will change and you will need the guidance of a loving teacher along the way.[/I]
Blessings to all and thanks to the Divine.[/quote]
Dear Pandara
I honor your will to share this practsise but a bunch of questions are rising when I read your post.
- Did you ever think about that these techniks shouldn`t be pubilished to protect the student?
2.If anyone is loosing the ground under his or her feets doing what you post here freely, who will be there to guide her or him?
3.If anyone doing it enters the breathlless state, and his mates or family gets frightend who will go there to support them. - Did you ever think about karmic results for you as the poster of this, if any seeker get`s lost or crazy doing Kriya Yoga without proper guideance?
The path of Kriya Yoga the fastest way to god but it is very narrow and slippy and not realy free of danger if the practise isn`t done properly.
Without the sincere love and devotion for the divine its just another technique that can me misused and bring up very much karmic results for the seeker, and since you brother Pandara gave these techniques here this will also be your karma.
Love and ligth
Lars
[quote=Lars Rimb?ck;49866]Dear Pandara
I honor your will to share this practsise but a bunch of questions are rising when I read your post.
- Did you ever think about that these techniks shouldn`t be pubilished to protect the student?
2.If anyone is loosing the ground under his or her feets doing what you post here freely, who will be there to guide her or him?
3.If anyone doing it enters the breathlless state, and his mates or family gets frightend who will go there to support them. - Did you ever think about karmic results for you as the poster of this, if any seeker get`s lost or crazy doing Kriya Yoga without proper guideance?
The path of Kriya Yoga the fastest way to god but it is very narrow and slippy and not realy free of danger if the practise isn`t done properly.
Without the sincere love and devotion for the divine its just another technique that can me misused and bring up very much karmic results for the seeker, and since you brother Pandara gave these techniques here this will also be your karma.
Love and ligth
Lars[/quote]
Namaste Lars,
I appreciate your concern. However, Sri Shebendu is sharing freely and he asked us to share freely as well one day and I am following his injucntion concerning this.
[quote=Lars Rimb?ck;49866]1. Did you ever think about that these techniks shouldn`t be pubilished to protect the student?
[/quote]
This is the first of the 8 Kriyas and are freely available in many sources and as I understood it from Shr Shebendu the first kriya poses no great danger even to the uninitiated practitioner.
As mentioned above, it was imparted to me by Sri Shibendu and my own teacher that these practices are save and hold no great uncontrolled dangers to the student. The first kriya as I as taught by Sri Shibendu is more prepatory for the more advanced work that follow later in the other kriyas.
Not lilkely to happen. Only in the later kriyas. Please understand that this is the first kriyas and mainly harmless.
Yes, i did and I accept them, ie the karma, freely, thank you.
[quote=Lars Rimb?ck;49866]The path of Kriya Yoga the fastest way to god but it is very narrow and slippy and not realy free of danger if the practise isn`t done properly.
Without the sincere love and devotion for the divine its just another technique that can me misused and bring up very much karmic results for the seeker, and since you brother Pandara gave these techniques here this will also be your karma.[/quote]
Thank you for reminding me, i am fully aware of this. I didn’t just posted this kriya without thinking, the indication by my guides was clear, that it was ok for me to publish it, as it is already widely avaialble on other sites. Please also read my important notice at the end.
Lars, I hardly just ever write something because I want to or at a whim, most of what I write I am guided about and as such I follow and trust the Divine Light that guides me in everything I do, even in publishing the first Kriya.
I trust this clear your concerns and leads you to less attachment about the outcome for me on this. It is my karma, thank you.
Namaste Pandara
I wouldnt post the concern about the breathless state one migth enter doing the first Kriyas if I didnt see it happen.
We are from different Kriya Yoga schools.
I?m a student of Yogiraj SatGurunath Siddhanath and as well familiar with the practise Yogananda once gave.
It looks like there are some differences within the Kriyas you got taugth and the ones we do pratise and the Srf techniques which are the same that we do.
Joni Mudra as well as Nabhi Kriya belong to the more advanced Kriyas in the teaching of SRF as well as in the Hamsa Yoga Sangh.
Yes people published a lot of the sacred practise, some of them offer online initiation and if you google their names very very ugly things about them are going around.
I want post any Name here, but just want to mention that there are people hanging out drunk, having relations with under age Prostitutes and and and, if this people claim to be authorised to initiate into Kriya Yoga this appears simply as a bad joke to me.
[B]To say it very clearly this one is not for you my brother Pandara, I think you are an honest man.[/B]
But I would`nt take this people as a reference.
In another thread of this forum you tried to support a person which went completly out of balance, doing Kriya Practise without proper guidance, so this One thinks you know for energetical unbalanced, psychological unstable and not properly prepared persons also the first Kriya are not free of danger.
Ligth and Love
Lars
Pandera,
Most of the traditions of yoga will all claim that initiation is required. It is not just the case with yoga, but all of the spiritual traditions. And it is simply because unless the master-disciple relationship is emphasized, the tradition will simply not survive. Masters who are teaching need disciples, and there have been many cases where lineages have simply dissapeared because the master was unable to find a suitable disciple to transmit the teaching and it’s methods. Even today, the methods of the tantric Buddhists are almost extinct. Not only because of this, but because they have remained so secretive about their methods, that this added even more to the situation - they got fewer and fewer disciples.
This aside, you can practice yoga without the need of a master or a guru if you equip yourself with the right knowledge, or if you are willing to take a risky approach and do some trial and error before you begin to gather a sense of the way. That it is impossible to attain “success” without the help of a guru is just nonsense. How is it that the first masters who had discovered these methods come to their understanding ? There was nobody there before them to learn from, the work was alone in the alone. When you are entering into any new territory, it is the case. And they had to inquire as deeply as possible before coming to their discoveries. Only then, in an attempt to make it easier for others to progress along the path, they started teaching.
So it is possible to progress in yoga towards one’s enlightenment without initiation or a guru. In the East, they are known as pratyekabuddhas. Pratyekabuddha literally means a “long Buddha”, one who has come to awakening without the guidance of a master. Gautama Buddha was one of the pratyekabuddhas. But it is also important for one to be aware that it is going to be difficult. In some cases, because of the personality of the disciple himself, it is almost impossible. It is a bit like trying to learn quantum physics from scratch, without any prior training, going to a university, or a teacher.
did you mean “lone Buddha”? Pratyeka means ‘everyone by oneself’.