What is Kriya Yoga?
What is Kriya Yoga?
If yoga is the process of evolving spiritually, which it is, then what is Kriya in yoga? Let’s back up a little and look at the situation. Yoga was created and practiced to help us reach ‘Moksha’ which mean freedom. Freedom from what?, you ask. Freedom from the state of illusion, separation and suffering is the answer. We all live in various states of reality, but most us live in a state of separation and we don’t realize that truly we are all part of the whole, the ‘yoga’, the interconnected web of existence.
We are prevented from living this state of connection due to our blockages and barriers; we can only gain freedom when the blockages are removed. If a river (our consciousness) is blocked from flowing (due to our toxins and imbalances), it cannot reach the ocean (freedom, liberation and enlightenment). All yoga practices are ultimately used for unblocking the flow of our consciousness into the One. This is yoga.
So What is Kriya in Yoga, Then?
There are a number of different techniques that can be called Kriya, so let’s have a look and get some perspective.
The Kriya Yoga of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras
In the Yoga of Patanjali, a number of different methods are laid out for the yogini to follow in order to free up the blockages. (The Sutras also go into detail about what the blockages are but more on that in another post). Patanjali’s Kriya Yoga lists 3 essential things that need to be done for the blockages to melt away.
The first is called Tapas. This refers to any type of practice and effort performed in the interest of creating connection. Tapas is your asana practice, purifications, pranayama, meditation, mantra and any other ‘actions’ one does. The word Tapas refers to fire, and it it fire that creates the change through action and effort.
The second part is called Svadhyaya, which means ‘study’ or ‘study of the self’. Studying yourself is essential because each one of us has different blockages, habits and patterns. We are all unique and can only evolve if we work on ourselves as individuals. No-one can follow a set scientific formula to freedom. We must learn about ourselves and address our own unique problems as we discover them. Knowing yourself is essential. Svadhyaya also means study of sacred wisdom, so that we can gain knowledge from the wisdom of the ancients.
The third part of Patanjali’s Kriya is Ishvara Pranidhana, which means ‘surrender to the higher’. No matter how hard we try, the universe has its own plan and things happen that we cannot control and that are not part of our plan. So we need devotion, faith and surrender to the higher will if we are going to progress. Without surrender, we end up with struggle and suffering due to resistance to what is and our lack of faith in a higher plan. Together, these three approaches form the essentials for the evolution of our consciousness according to Patanjali.
Kriya Yoga of Babaji and Yogananada
The famous Yogis Babaji and Paramahamsa Yogananda (author of Autobiography of a Yogi) gave us another distinct method for evolution. Even though it shares the same name as Patanjali’s system, it is different. Initiates of this Kriya Yoga system are taught special methods that quickly resolve blockages and move the yogis towards Moksha. Only initiated members of the order are taught the secret methods, but from what I can tell, much of it involves mantra and various kinds of meditation.
The Kriya of Hatha Yoga: Purification Practices
The Kriya that most people know about is the purification practices of Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga also has a step by step process for helping us to evolve. The most commonly known stages are asana (posture) and pranayama (breath and prana control), but before one gets to these steps, one must purify the body, senses and mind.
We all have residues and toxins built up in our systems due to the way we live, what we eat, our environment and even imbalances cause by our minds and senses. These toxins need to be removed if the next states of posture and breath control are going to be effective. Otherwise, it is like washing your clothes in dirty water.
So the first stage of Hatha Yoga is called Kriya, the purification practices. Some Kriyas we all know and might do often such as Kapalabatti (breath of fire). This activates and purifies the energy channels (nadis). Some of us might do Trataka (candle gazing) to purify the eyes and vision, enabling us to see clearly both literally and spiritually. You might have heard of or even do Neti, the pouring of water into the nose which cleans the sinuses and helps us be healthier and absorb life force. All of these Kriyas are meant to improve our health and bring us into the purity necessary for evolution.
There are a number of other Kriyas that are less common and more difficult, such as cleansing the throat with string (Sutra Neti), or removing toxins from the digestive tract with cloth or enemas. These are more difficult to perform and are only done in cases where there is a distinct buildup of toxins. Modern people don’t generally perform these more advanced Kriyas.
For us, we can encourage the purification we need through a number of approaches, like occasional fasting, keeping a pure diet (vegetarianism and moderation of the amount of food we eat, for example), as well as living in a clean environment, limiting exposure to screen time and internet, and going for yearly panchakarma (ayurvedic purification).
In Short
Whatever your approach to yoga, Kriya will play some part in your successful evolution because it serves such an essential role. Each type of Kriya outlined above uses different methods but the goal is the same: having a clean body and mind so that we can reach a more refined level of consciousness.
You can read more on Wikipedia: Kriya Yoga
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