Kriya Yoga Sequence

[Leda Billock]

Whenwe begin a kriya sequence, we are attempting to activate both physical and mental changes within our bodies. There are kriya sequences for a wide array of outcomes. With that in mind, you need to determine what your kriya is before you put it into action. For instance, you will find that there are specific kriyas to support liver function, balance the glandular system, increase flexibility of the spine, boost circulation, detoxify and cleanse the body, and support healthy digestion.

The main idea behind a kriya sequence is that you feel physically and mentally different by the end of the practice. The sequences combine pranayama breathing techniques, asana poses, mantras (sacred sounds), eye-focus, and bandhas (body locks), to improve all areas of your body. You can use the kriya sequences to help you to enter into a meditative state and start to feel a sense of connectedness to the inner self.

Each set of moves and exercises have been specifically tailored to improve various parts of your life and being. You can practice these sequences both within your guided sessions and alone in the solitude of your own home. The more you practice this spiritual art form, the more you will feel prepared to advance to more complex kriyas.

This ancient form of yoga has unimaginable powers when done correctly. One of the most important things that you must remember here is that the kriyas should be practiced just as they were taught by Yogi Bhajan. Each pranayama or asana included in a specific kriya is done so for a reason. Differing from that sequence may mean that the kriyas are less effective than they would otherwise be, which is why you need to follow them exactly.

Once you have begun your spiritual journey into the realms of kundalini yoga, you must work with a guide to understand the basic kriyas. Learning these move-by-move and breath-by-breath will mean that you can activate their innate force. The practice takes dedication and focus to perfect but the result is worth your time and energy.

Why is it that the kriya is so vital within the kundalini yoga practice? The reason is that kriyas are able to unlock various physical, mental, and spiritual benefits that are otherwise unavailable to us. Once you begin this particular practice and move forward, you will see that each of the sequences can have a varying effect on your mental and physical state. Despite this undeniable fact, there are some common benefits that you may experience.

Enhancing your well-being and lifestyle is the pathway to leading a more enlightening and happier life. With modern-day stresses and a wide range of difficulties that we all must face, this can often be easier said than done. However, scientific research suggests that practicing kriya sequences can boost your levels of general well-being. That means that engaging in these particular sequences may have an immense power over how you feel.

Do you desire to rid yourself of everyday life stresses? Would you prefer an existence based on love, harmony, and joy? If so, taking part in kriyas as an element of your kundalini yoga practice is the right step for you. The most recent research in this area suggests that one of the major benefits of kriya practice is lowered stress levels. Combining the breathing and movement techniques along with mindfulness skills ensure that you can leave your stresses behind you and relax.

Self-realization is one of the fundamentals when it comes to kundalini yoga and yet many newcomers to the practice find this difficult. Through the kriya sequences, you should gain a better sense of focus and connectedness to your own being. The mantras and pranayamas will allow you to connect with your internal world and begin to better understand it. You should know that true self-realization is not merely an aim, but an ongoing journey. Each time you undergo a kriya, you move one small step closer to understanding your soul.

Your inner life force is available for you. You simply have to take control. The kriyas will allow you to do just that. Through the ancient methods and sequences, we are able to get in touch with our life forces and use them within our lives. When you begin to engage in these kriyas on a regular basis, you become more acutely aware of the life forces inside you as well as those around you. Each student must learn to at once accept and harness this power.

Now that you understand the basics of kriyas and why they matter to the kundalini student, we must discover more about the various techniques. The ancient sequences can be used for all manner of ailments and to reach a whole different range of outcomes. There are thousands of different kriyas out there, each of which may allow you to reach a new desire.

Students who are new to kriya sequences should observe certain guidelines to perfect their practice. Around three hours before the sequences begin, you should eat a small and healthful snack. It is also important to hydrate before a session and wear clothing that you can move freely and easily in.

When you have left a session, you may take the things that you have learned and include them in your lifestyle. For example, you may want to use the prana breathing exercises within your life as a form of relaxation.

After watching the following video, I started doing daily one of the Kriya explained in this video (starting 10 min 25 sec). This gives me a lot of energy, better focus and I love it, but I can feel that it has a major effect on my kundalini energy (which started waking up these last few months). I am not at ease with that. Can someone tell me if this specific Kriya can be dangerous or not recommended ? For now I have stopped doing it.

"Let's start with one simple consideration: human organism is the most complex machine on earth, and we lack the instructions manual, so to speak. Let's use a metaphor here: this is an extremely sophisticated computer with enormous potential. Yoga is literally the programming language, low-level powerful coding to make the machine go beyond its superficial capabilities. It's like hacking, if you like - Yogis are hackers. Now, if you don't know what you're doing, and you're just putting together a lot of different chunks of code lines, chances are that your machine is going to crash. You can actually burn down a whole motherboard just writing the right kind of code.

So, Kriyas are exactly that - "programs" you're using to re-program your "human machine". It takes an enlightened being - one who can actually see the nuts and bolts of the human machinery (on all levels - physical, pranic, causal, etc etc) to design a Kriya. This is why Kriyas are always teached in closed schools and programs, where there is maximum control over the delivery. The same process is repeated over and over again tens of times until everyone is sure he understands correctly the sequence and what is required. Other forms of transmissions are extremely dangerous, given the tendency of many people to be "creative" with things they don't know nothing about (see how different "yoga teachers" teach Surya Namaskar in thousands different "variants").

The very video here is made in such a way (not her fault) that 10 people will interpret the steps in 10 different ways. For example, Kriyas require VERY specific forms of breathing that need to be done in VERY specific ways (intervals, number sequences, chakra focus, sound activation, and so on). A video teaching a Kriya must be a LOT more specific than this. If that is not already enough, many Kriyas require Tantric processes to be properly "implanted", and the use of Yantras and energy forms is often required. So even if I teach you the exact sequence of - say - Shambavi Mahamudra, and you haven't been initiated properly, you will not be able to perform it in the way it's been designed for, and that will ultimately damage you (it will also damage me, but then we're going into very complex conversations about karmic structures). So, unless we're talking about extremely innocuous (and ineffective) kriyas, you shouldn't trust nobody to give you a kriya ever, unless he/she is a teacher in a structured lineage, a.k.a. Guru-Shishya tradition.

Now - what happens if you do a kriya wrong? A lot of different things, from physical ailments to mental illness. It's not as simple as just "awakening the kundalini", although awakening the kundalini in a "body" that can't manage it can lead to death. It's about a lot of other things too: e.g. you do a Kriya that's designed for Bramacharys that focuses on empowering the Anahata chakra, and you're not strong in the other chakras, you will get mad for sure, as you will start seeing things that you can't handle. In India, where a lot of people are exposed to Yoga but some just learn it from books or friends because they don't want to enter a school, 15% of the patients of the NIMH are diagnosed with "wrong yoga practice". Summing up: look for a serious school, which means avoid any "teachers" who do not belong to a very specific and demonstrated Guru-Shishya tradition."

You can find a lot of information about Kriya Yoga in its mega-thread. I have been doing it daily for more than two years now and I haven't had any problems. I really like it, for me it is like micro dosing psychedelics and I feel very a lot of energy. But everyone is different, so the only way to really know is trying it!

In my experience, a 90-minute power yoga classes will spend about 60 or more minutes on Surya Namaskar and its many variations. So I spend about 30-45 minutes on it when subbing. Then I begin to move the students into Ananda Yoga via the usual Ananda Yoga sequence:

I have felt such empathy for teachers who have told me they never learned meditation as a part of their yoga training. Meditation is the foundation, not only of Ananda Yoga, but of the entire science of Yoga. And to go a step further, in addition to a regular meditation practice, why not strive to experience that uplifting energy of meditation no matter what you are doing, in the very midst of everyday activity?

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