Kriya Yoga Exercises Pdf

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Iunderstand from reading that Paramahansa Yogananda introduced the energization exercises and hong-sau technique to Kriya Yoga. I am curious to know, how Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteswar, and Babaji practiced Kriya Yoga? Did they use only the OM technique and the kriya technique? Or did they have their own kinds of energization and concentration techniques?

A close examination of the history of the many techniques practiced in India under various headings reveals that all of the techniques of our lineage have some roots in tradition. Both Hong Sau and Aum have been taught for millennia (there is the Hong Sau Upanishad, e.g.)

It is a misunderstanding to assert that any of them, and especially Yogananda, diluted the techniques for consumption by the West. This lineage paired the techniques down to their elemental essence and winnowed away the plethora of techniques and variations in those techniques that had grown up like a jungle during the long period of Kali Yuga.

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A lot of times it happens that we get stuck in life especially in professional life. This starts affecting our personal life too. When we start looking for answers we may not understand what we are expecting from life. Well this is natural to humans. In this quest we do everything but sometimes we get more confused rather than being clearer. How to get this clarity, what kind of clarity we are seeking, where to seek this clarity, etc. are some of the questions that keep us busy seeking answers. I too got trapped in such a situation many years back and when I started looking for answers I landed in IIMA (Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad). To be honest got a lot of clarity but got more questions too. My IIMA experience was a spiritual one for me.

This quest actually led me to search more on what made these big tech companies founders to seek clarity in India like Steve (Apple), Mark (Facebook), Larry (Google), etc. to name a few and to seek clarity here in my home state Uttrakhand (India). The only thing I could discover was that these people experienced yoga and meditation and this helped them get clarity in life. Now there are many yoga techniques and which one to follow was the question that I stated exploring. In the process came across this book Autobiography of a Yogi. Almost all the successful entrepreneurs at some point had studied this book.

Kriya Yoga was brought to international awareness by Paramahansa Yogananda's book Autobiography of a Yogi and through Yogananda's introductions of the practice to the west from 1920. To know more and explore the same one can visit the website .

In short Kriya Yoga meditation is the path for spiritual awakening. A way to discover our essential being and live a more conscious and content life. Kriya Yoga is a set of energization, breathing, and meditation exercises.

You've likely heard the phrase "breath is life" before. And it's true. That's why we practice pranayama or breathwork. Today, our focus is on Kriya pranayama which is part of the ancient Kriya yoga system revived by Mahavatar Babaji around 1861 through Babaji's follower Lahiri Mahasaya. It was then pushed to international attention with the publication of Paramahansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi.

Kriya pranayama offers several benefits. First, it teaches us the proper way to breathe through slow, deep breathing. It can help increase your lung capacity, reduce toxins in the body, aid digestion, improve metabolism, calm and soothe the nervous system, reduce stress, and a host of other things that will improve the quality of your life.

And literally anyone can enjoy kriya yoga benefits. Breathwork and meditation is accessible and can be practiced almost anywhere! At work, home, your car, a park bench or the ground. This form of selfcare requires no more space than the space your body takes up.

Kriya Yoga focuses on the reciprocal relationship between breath and mind. The belief is that breath control is self-control. In the practice of this Kriya yoga technique we're sharing with you today, we'll start with a simple pranayama preparation before moving into specific kriya pranayama techniques. While we finish this practice with a 30-minute Pranic Energization Technique, we won't be including that in this article.

Get 2 free private yoga sessions for Kriya Yoga, Pranayama, and Meditation and 2 weeks of unlimited group classes with authentic yoga teachers. No credit card required when you sign up today!

Start by bringing your chin to your chest in Jalandhara bandha, or chin lock. Roll your tongue in your mouth, the lower part of your tongue should touch the upper palate. Don't force it, just rest comfortably.

Bring your focus to the back of your throat. Breathe in and out through your nose, producing a sound like the ocean with your breath. Again, there's no need to force the sound. If it comes, it comes. Breathe oceanic breaths for a few minutes.

The traditional variation of Kriya yoga meditation shouldn't be practiced if you are pregnant or menstruating, have high blood pressure, abdominal inflammation, ulcers, hernia, heart ailments, epilepsy, or if you're a child under the age of 12. This variation is focused on abdominal movement and forceful exhalation, 50 times for three rounds.

If you'd like, you can place a palm on your abdomen to feel the movement as you breathe. At the end of each round, tuck your chin to your chest and hold your breath for a count of 10 before returning to normal breathing for a few moments.

This practice has several benefits. It can relieve pain from headaches and migraines, reduce stress and anxiety, calm the nervous system, improve circulation, increase oxygen flow to the brain, and more.

Start in Vajrasana, leaning slightly forward and resting your hands on your knees. Open your mouth wide and stick your tongue out as far as it can go. Start panting as a dog pants. Each time you exhale, be sure to contract your stomach.

Mandukasana helps open your hip joints, reducing strain on your needs, as well as improving abduction, strengthening your lower back, and aiding digestion. Limitations are the same as Kapalbhati and also include eye disorders. If you have any of these limitations, you can sit in Vajrasana and practice equal breathing (deep inhalations, deep exhalations).

For this breathing exercise, you won't be going fully into Mandukasana. Instead, you'll keep your knees and feet in Vajrasana position. Move into the pose and breathe for five counts before returning to Vajrasana. You'll complete five rounds of this.

We'll practice this technique for about 30 minutes, using a variety of breathing techniques like Brahmari (bee breath) during which you make a buzzing sound. Brahmari is a wonderful breathing practice that can help lower blood pressure, soothe the nervous system, stimulate the pineal and pituitary glands, dissipate anger, help you sleep, and more.

Nadi Shuddhi is a great technique to calm the mind and bring it back to the present, improve circulatory and respiratory problems, aid in relaxation, purify and balance the nadis (energy channels), and harmonize the right and left sides of the brain, among other benefits.

During the meditation, there are a few things we will be doing to experience the prana. You will sometimes be asked to bring your hands to namaste and move them slowly apart and back together. You will also be asked to hold your hands with palms facing each other and move them clockwise or anti-clockwise. Here's what those movements look like:

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