Kriya Yoga

Kriya means action. Not action in the world, but deliberate inward action: a precise use of breath and attention that acts on the pranic body the way exercise acts on the physical one.

What it does

The practice draws the attention and the breath along the spine in a repeated cycle. Done correctly and regularly, it quiets the nervous system, steadies the mind, and over time begins to move the energy the tradition calls kundalini.

It is not a relaxation technique, and its effects are not confined to the half hour of practice. Practitioners generally notice the change first in their sleep and their temper, long before anything they would call spiritual.

Why it is given in person

The technique is short. It is also specific, and the specificity is the whole of it — the same movement done at the wrong tempo, or with the attention in the wrong place, is a different practice with different results.

For that reason Kriya has never been published in this tradition. It is given at diksha, by a teacher who can watch what happens next and correct it. That is not secrecy for its own sake; it is the only way a technique like this can honestly be handed on.

What is asked of you

• Daily practice, however short, in preference to long practice done occasionally.
• Honesty with your teacher about what is actually happening — including when nothing is.
• Patience measured in years rather than weeks.