Each type of yoga aims to develop the physical and spiritual qualities of the practitioner. A particularly interesting direction is Kriya Yoga, but it is not suitable for everyone. Thanks to a special system of exercises, a person’s spiritual energy is awakened.
Features
This type of practice is a kind of advanced technique of Raja Yoga, which contributes to the strengthening and revitalization of the finest currents of life energy concentrated in the spine and brain of a person.
These parts of the human body were considered by ancient Indian seers to be the tree of life. They contain subtle life and conscious centers through which energy flows, animating all the cells, tissues and organs of the body.
It is this type of yoga that allows, using a special technique, using the power of thought, to concentrate and direct this life energy around six sections of the spine, which leads to the acceleration of spiritual evolution, awareness and development of the spiritual component of a person.
Kriya Yoga gurus claim that half a minute of practice is equivalent to a year of spiritual development.
Kriya includes five mandatory phases.
- Hatha - a set of a certain number (18) of special asanas using muscle locks and gestures.
- Kundalini Pranayama - a special breathing technique aimed at awakening energy in the six spinal centers and the head.
- Dhyana - special meditative exercises that contribute to cleansing the mind, awakening intuition and a state of unity with God.
- Mantra - sound awakening of the mind and intuition and cleansing of consciousness.
- Bhakti - includes the practice of serving God - chanting, rituals, pilgrimage, worship. Many yoga practitioners consider this technique special. There are reasons for that.
- Before beginning to know the spiritual and divine component of oneself, the physical body must be prepared - basic knowledge and yoga practice must be mastered.
- After independently mastering the basics, a person will need to practice other higher techniques, including kriya. At the same time, mastering this deep self-knowledge requires the presence of an experienced mentor - a guru who will guide and transmit his knowledge to the student, recommend practicing certain yoga poses and pranayamas that contribute to spiritual development.
- Spiritual development and self-knowledge do not occur in one session. It requires regular daily practice, free time, and the ability to be alone.
History
Kriya Yoga is a rather ancient direction in yoga. In ancient India, it was quite well-known, but such knowledge was carefully hidden by priests from indifferent people for many centuries.
Only in the middle of the 19th century (1861) in the Himalayas, Mahavatar Babaji, who is considered a great yogi who managed to know the laws of immortality, taught the practice of kriya to his only disciple Lahiri Mahasaya. Later, this disciple passed on his knowledge to his successor - Sri Yukteshwar, and he, in turn, to other followers, including Paramahansa Yogananda.
Thanks to the knowledge gained in the field of spiritual development, Yogananda wrote an autobiographical book in the middle of the twentieth century and told about this amazing practice all over the world.
In the modern world, you can learn the Kriya Yoga technique in 175 countries of the world, where more than five hundred temples and meditation centers and circles are located.
Benefits
The positive aspects include:
- universal accessibility - kriya is not limited by age or gender;
- has a beneficial effect on the physical condition of a person;
- improves the mental abilities of the practitioner;
- normalization of the emotional background is noted;
- the practice is aimed at developing willpower, as well as knowing and revealing oneself.
Contraindications
Since this is more of a spiritual type of practice, there are no serious contraindications and health restrictions. This practice has only some drawbacks that a modern person will have to fight with in order to obtain the necessary results.
- Exercises must be performed regularly, allocating about an hour for this twice a day.
- For deep spiritual knowledge and development, you will need to find a real Kriya Yoga guru who will give all the necessary knowledge for this.
- Engaging in practice obliges the practitioner to adhere to a certain lifestyle, which includes observing a vegetarian menu, completely abandoning all bad habits, monitoring breathing and the awareness of spoken words.
During the practice, it is recommended to ensure complete silence, as well as to practice in a room where no one will disturb.To achieve spiritual self-knowledge, the practitioner will have to practice a lot and pay attention to self-discipline. This ancient and amazing technique of spiritual self-knowledge and unity with God is not suitable for every yoga practitioner. Since kriya refers to a higher technique, its practice requires a person not only certain basic knowledge and skills, but also a certain lifestyle, while receiving an acceleration of their spiritual evolution.
