The Benefits of Kriya Yoga to Your Health

Kriya yoga is a mix of Karma, Jnana and Bhakti yoga styles combined in a very complex form. The word kriya describes effort or transformation. Although introduced to the modern world in the 19th century by master Lahiri Mahasaya, Kryia yoga seems to be much older.

It is said to appear in the Bhagavad-Gita a document considered to be more than 3000 years old. The practice of Kriya yoga demands a daily program of self-discipline of the mind and the body, and, most important than everything, a devotion to God. In order for a student to learn how to do this technique, a very well prepared trainer, an initiated Guru is needed.

Kriya yoga has changed the lives of people looking for a deeper, more spiritual relationship with their essence. Focusing more on the Kundalini awakening, it involves a meditation technique theorized by a series of esoteric principles. Nevertheless, the stress falls onto the power within oneself and the necessity to be guided by an initiate on the journey inside. There are several goals identifiable in Kriya yoga, among which the breaking of the separation line between mind and body.

An analysis of the three styles that meet in Kriya yoga is necessary for an understanding of the history and underlying principles of the practice. Thus, Karma yoga insists on the movement of the soul the inner and the outer mind dimension; Jnana yoga aims at conquering wisdom, allowing the mind to be free, while Bhakti yoga centers on love, and how it allows one to come to terms with everything around oneself. The combination of these three principles aims at purifying the mind and the soul. As a result, Kriya yoga practitioners believe they can achieve self-fulfillment through Kriya routine rather than by other disciplines.

There are a few steps to be followed in preparation for Kriya yoga practice. First of all, the body has to be ready, and Hatha yoga exercises are integrated in the practice for this very purpose. Then, the mind needs preparation too. Mantras are taught in Kriya yoga techniques so as to deepen the meditative experience. It is said in Bhagavad-Gita that the aim of one who practices Kriya yoga is to look for and, hopefully, reach the Supreme Goal (Samahdi), by leaving the external world with its fears, angers and desires out and by controlling the intellect and the sensory mind.