From Bhagavad Gita

Kriya Yoga is a meditative technique that accelerates spiritual growth and self-realization. Paramahansa Yogananda says “Kriya Yoga is the most effective method of attaining union with God; it is the science of the soul.” Originating from ancient India, it was revived by the great sage Lahiri Mahasaya through Mahavatar Babaji’s blessing in the 19th century and later brought to the West by Paramahansa Yogananda. Kriya Yoga is known as the “science of God-realization,” combining breath control, meditation, and devotion to reach higher states of consciousness. All paths lead to Self-Realization, and Kriya promises a spinal highway. Find your path, and explore here if Kriya is right for you. Lahiri Mahasaya says “Kriya Yoga is the quickest way to reach God.” Paramahansa Yogananda says, “Kriya Yoga is the royal road to freedom; through devotion and practice, we can find our way home to the Divine.”

Both masters emphasized that the purpose of Kriya is not intellectual understanding, but spiritual experience and realization.

These teachings highlight the discipline, meditation, and detachment needed in Kriya Yoga practice.

 “For one who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, the mind will be the greatest enemy.” Chapter 6, Verse 6:

“With a serene mind and a focused gaze, let the yogi sit in meditation, with a steady body and unwavering thoughts, focused on the divine.” Chapter 6, Verse 13: 

“In this world, there is a great cycle of sacrifice; those who do not engage in this cycle are simply living in vain.” Chapter 3, Verse 16

“You have the right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions.” Chapter 2, Verse 47:

Preparation for Kriya Initiation

There are certain attributes that must be cultivated to receive Kriya initiation and benefit from it. The Kriya initiate should already be experienced and regular with meditation, pranayama and self-discipline in regularity of practicing. The initiate should have studied spiritual texts and generally follow the ethical guidelines of yoga such as non-violence, truthfulness, and self-control. Through meditation and experience, the initiate should have developed openness and emotional stability, having already processed issues through self-reflection and therapy. It’s important to have a guide to help you learn and perfect the practice of Kriya. Although practiced in private morning and night, it is wonderful to have a community to support and encourage you. You can find a local SRF chapter, start your own satsang of like-minded highest vibrational friendships, or join ours in Colorado. Most importantly, the Kriya initiate should have a clear intention to practice Kriya regularly, consistently, and persistently. 

Millions were introduced to Yoga through Autobiography of a Yogi. <– You can listen to me read it here. Many of us signed up with the Self-Realization Fellowship to receive a correspondence of lessons, the preliminary teachings or basic lessons, written by Yogananda to gradually accustom devotees to the theory, lifestyle, discipline, and techniques to prepare for Kriya Yoga. Enroll for the lessons here. The Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) places great importance on preparing students for Kriya initiation, ensuring they are spiritually and mentally ready. After the preliminary lessons, students meet with a monastic to assess their readiness, both mentally and spiritually. Then, with a commitment and a pledge to practice 1 hour upon rising and 1 hour before sleep, the students receive 5 more Kriya lessons. The preliminary lessons have set the student up for success, as it has been a gradual journey of self-discipline and experiential learning.

Over time, the practice involves deeper meditations, with 3-hour weekly sessions and eventually 6-hour monthly meditations. Now you know that this is not for the faint of heart, or cursory spiritual explorer. Kriya and the path to self-realization is time intensive, with each lesson taking at least 3 hours to read (every two weeks), with recommendations to read it again, while meditating after each paragraph on the essence of the teachings. Lahiri Mahasaya says,

“Kriya Yoga is for the earnest seeker who desires to know God.”

This progressive approach ensures that practitioners are physically and emotionally prepared for the profound effects of Kriya Yoga. The preliminary lessons and the interview ensure that students who receive the technique value it, and don’t just put it in their spiritual toolbox for later use, or limit their use of the lessons to simple mental comprehension. Union is to be experienced, not just read about! Paramahansa Yogananda says, “In meditation, the soul begins to understand its unity with all beings, leading to the realization of God.”

The Importance of Proper Timing

Lahiri Mahasaya cautioned against receiving advanced techniques too early. He believed that premature exposure to Kriya could result in spiritual setbacks. By carefully guiding students through preliminary practices, SRF ensures that the powerful techniques are introduced at the right time, fostering spiritual growth rather than overwhelm. 

The Effects of Burning Off Karma

There are many opinions on what is meant by ‘karma.’ I use it to describe the willful action generated by our desires that keeps us in the cycle of birth and death, and the ensuing evolution through time that those actions create. We can see karma when we observe what time and activity does in our own lives. The things we have done that have caused pain and suffering resound throughout our minds and relations. The pain must be expressed, not suppressed. We must live the consequences of our actions. Whether emotionally or physically, we experience karma. Our cognitive-behavioral-emotional cycles are also a result of past habits or karma, and in Buddhism are known as the five hindrances: Worldly desire, ill-will, laziness, restlessness/worry, and uncertainty/skeptical doubt. Through meditation and the purifying effects of Kriya practice, one can notice and renounce these hindrances within oneself. 

Paramahansa Yogananda noted that Kriya accelerates spiritual evolution, helping individuals transcend physical and karmic limitations faster than other methods. Practitioners experience an effect of heightened awareness and connection to the divine. By burning off karma, Kriya helps to confront and heal past traumas. Regular practice results in inner peace and mental clarity. 

As with spontaneous kundalini energy rising in the spine, things rarely, occasionally, and potentially could get uncomfortable and challenging. If you’re beginning meditation, you may find grief or anger arising. These difficult emotions may arise in an intensity not felt before, perhaps for being suppressed. When it is fully expressed, it ceases to arise! Another effect is that one may experience physical tension or fatigue can be observed, accepted, and managed through relaxing and taking breaks.  Triggering unresolved emotions can lead to feelings of anxiety or sadness, which are also temporary and safe to fully experience.

Another challenge is that when people have mystical experiences, some may feel disoriented and ungrounded, sometimes unable to continue their obligations. For this reason its important to have guidance, a spiritual teacher, a coach, or a community that you can rely on. During our spiritual evolution, the primary question that every challenge you are presented with is asking you “who do you think you are,” and you get to answer truthfully with either your new evolved self, or your old pattern of behavior. Through spiritual practice, we learn to maintain equanimity and unity consciousness amidst most the dramas of life, yet discern when the roar or a lion may be most appropriate to create right action! To cope with the various side-effects of a devoted, disciplined, spiritual practice, the top tips are as follows:

Start Gradually and build up slowly.

Seek Guidance with a good teacher.

Stay Grounded with walking or hatha yoga to balance the intense energy of Kriya.

Receiving Initiation

You can receive initiation after you take the preliminary lessons from Self-Realization Fellowship Route. You can also go through various other sources such as the Kriya Yoga Alliance, which has many free online lessons. Every city also probably has kriyaban’s teaching the practice in person.

What you (and those around you) gain from Kriya will be from your depth of concentration and your daily devotion to the practice. This is not an identity that you wear once a week to “value-signal” that you are spiritual and holier-than-thou. This is a practice that you do in the privacy of your own meditation space, bookmarking the beginning and end of your day.

In the initiation process and the relationship between a disciple and their spiritual teacher, which may be a guru or an acharya, there is a giving and receiving that takes place. Diksha refers to a sacred initiation where a disciple receives profound spiritual teachings or practices, marking a significant step in their spiritual journey. This initiation is a transformative experience, signifying a deeper commitment to spiritual growth and understanding. Accompanying Diksha, Dakshina is a traditional offering made by the disciple as a gesture of respect and gratitude, and symbolizes the disciple’s appreciation for the guidance received. It can support the ongoing work of the teacher and the spiritual community.

According to a revered legend within the tradition, Lahiri Mahasaya, despite his profound spiritual stature, would not personally accept dakshina from his disciples. Instead, he would set aside a symbolic amount—often cited as 5 rupees—which he left untouched. This offering, however, was not meant for him directly. It is said that once a year, Babaji, a revered and mysterious spiritual figure in the tradition, would visit and collect the dakshina, signifying that the true recipient of the offering was Babaji rather than Lahiri Mahasaya himself. This practice highlights the deep spiritual significance of dakshina as a gesture of reverence and support, transcending mere financial exchange and honoring the broader spiritual lineage and unseen guiding forces. Following the personal observances and community ethics (yama and niyama) of the 8 limbs of yoga, hoarding and grasping is inauspicious, and should protect the guru and acharya from egotistical uses of monetary resources!