Kriya: Yoga’s Purification Practices
Hopefully you have had the opportunity to learn about the origins and traditional practices of yoga. It is important to learn about where yoga came from and why it exists. Today’s yoga has many practices that were used by the old yogis, but many practices have been forgotten or are not understood properly.
Traditionally, Hatha Yoga was used as a system of spiritual and personal refinement. It was (and is) a pathway to the divine consciousness, to universal knowledge and love. This is a lofty and elusive goal and is the ultimate destiny of a human being: to be in a state of YOGA, union with all. Hatha yoga is a system that can take us from where we are to where we want to be.
We must begin where we are at the moment, this right here, right now. Due to how we have lived up to now, most of us are not refined enough to easily enter into the ultimate yoga consciousness. Most of us need purification to eliminate the blockages that keep us stuck in our limited reality.
For this reason, the yoga system begins with a series of purifications that are called ‘kryia’. These kriyas are ‘actions’ (the word kriya means ‘action’) that start the process of purification of the physical body, energy/prana and mind that will open the doors to higher consciousness. These were classically done even before the practice of asanas and postures, to prepare the body/energy/mind for the transformative practices of asana and pranayama.
Some of the kryias are well known and many are lost to the dusty corners of yoga lore. You might be familiar with the kryia of candle gazing, cleaning the nasal passages with water (Neti) or churining the abdomen with Nauli. Others you might be less familiar with, such as pushing a cloth down the throat to cleanse the esophagus, which is too extreme for most people.
Probably the most famous of the kryia practices is kapalabatti, the breath of fire. Many yoga classes use the fast, quick, sharp and intense exhalations of kapalabatti. These quick breaths are designed to flood the energetic body with life force and get the blood flowing to all parts of the body. You might feel tingling, heat or increased circulation after kapalabatti. This is good.
This kriya is supposed to help with energy flow, purifying the channels of energetic flow called nadis. It helps to activate, clarify and purify your brain, your senses, your mind and consciousness.
Kapalabatti is also supposed to help with your digestion because it activates the abdomen strongly and brings heat into the belly, the main area of digestion. According to yoga and Ayurveda, digestion is the key to good health. It also loosens stagnancy in your system and gets your immune system/ lymphatic system circulating and helps to drive out lingering or latent disease. It can also help you to cleanse your lungs and respiratory system.
Here are some ideas about how to use kapalabatti in your practice:
Do your basic warm up practices and get your body, breath and attention activated. Then do some core strengthening practices like little crunches, Boat pose, Chaturanga and other practices to make yourself a little hot. Once you have done that, sit on your heels or on a block between your ankles in Virasana. Take 10-20 steady, deep ujjayi breaths. After those, begin to increase the speed and intensity of your exhalation until you reach a steady but lightly intense pace. Use the power of the core to push the exhalations out strongly. Do 20-50 kapalabatti breaths like that and then return to steady ujjayi breathing and notice the effects. Make sure to keep your head soft and relaxed and let all the intensity happen in the belly. You should feel a stimulating tingle though your whole body. If you feel nice after the first round, try another one and see how you feel. After this practice, start your flow and the more dynamic asanas. You can insert kapalabatti nearly anywhere in your practice and see how it affects you.
If you want to learn more about Kryia, pranayama and the classical purification practices of Hatha Yoga, consider joining us on a Foundations of Swara Yoga 200 Hour Teacher Training Course or a 100 Hour Advanced Module. We teach authentic wisdom from the heart. Join us today!
