Kriya Yoga
A Path to Self-Realization
Kriya is not immediately right for everybody because it is a time and energy intensive yoga practice that requires commitment and dedication. However, stillness, meditation, and asana practice is easily for everybody! Kriya involves pranayama, visualization, somatic meditation, chanting, mudras, 108 mala beads, and energetic attunement as well as a sustained daily devotion. For Asana and preliminary meditation practices, and for transformative coaching:
On this page you will learn:
Overview of kriya and how Kriya masters describe it
Preparation for Kriya
The effects of burning off karma
Receiving initiation
The Kriya lineage
Kriya House’s endorsement of Self-Realization Fellowship and the Temple of Peace in Lakewood, CO.
Kriya House is dedicated to spreading the love and joy of meditation and Self-Realization and the practices, perspectives, and encouragement to gain firsthand, direct experience of divinity.
Om. Shanti. Peace. Amen.
From Bhagavad Gita
Kriya Yoga is a meditative technique that accelerates spiritual growth and self-realization. Paramahansa Yogananda says “Kriya Yoga is the most effective method of attaining union with God; it is the science of the soul.” Originating from ancient India, it was revived by the great sage Lahiri Mahasaya through Mahavatar Babaji’s blessing in the 19th century and later brought to the West by Paramahansa Yogananda. Kriya Yoga is known as the “science of God-realization,” combining breath control, meditation, and devotion to reach higher states of consciousness. All paths lead to Self-Realization, and Kriya promises a spinal highway. Lahiri Mahasaya says “Kriya Yoga is the quickest way to reach God.” Paramahansa Yogananda says, “Kriya Yoga is the royal road to freedom; through devotion and practice, we can find our way home to the Divine.”
Both masters emphasized that the purpose of Kriya is not intellectual understanding, but spiritual experience and realization.
These teachings highlight the discipline, meditation, and detachment needed in Kriya Yoga practice.
“For one who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, the mind will be the greatest enemy.” Chapter 6, Verse 6:
“With a serene mind and a focused gaze, let the yogi sit in meditation, with a steady body and unwavering thoughts, focused on the divine.” Chapter 6, Verse 13:
“In this world, there is a great cycle of sacrifice; those who do not engage in this cycle are simply living in vain.” Chapter 3, Verse 16
“You have the right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions.” Chapter 2, Verse 47:
Preparation for Kriya Initiation
There are certain attributes that must be cultivated to receive Kriya initiation and benefit from it. The Kriya initiate should already be experienced and regular with meditation, pranayama and self-discipline in regularity of practicing. The initiate should have studied spiritual texts and generally follow the ethical guidelines of yoga such as non-violence, truthfulness, and self-control. Through meditation and experience, the initiate should have developed openness and emotional stability, having already processed issues through self-reflection and therapy. It’s important to have a guide to help you learn and perfect the practice of Kriya. Although practiced in private morning and night, it is wonderful to have a community to support and encourage you. You can find a local SRF chapter, start your own satsang of like-minded highest vibrational friendships, or join ours in Colorado. Most importantly, the Kriya initiate should have a clear intention to practice Kriya regularly, consistently, and persistently.
Millions were introduced to Yoga through Autobiography of a Yogi. <– You can listen to me read it here. Many of us signed up with the Self-Realization Fellowship to receive a correspondence of lessons, the preliminary teachings or basic lessons, written by Yogananda to gradually accustom devotees to the theory, lifestyle, discipline, and techniques to prepare for Kriya Yoga. Enroll for the lessons here. The Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) places great importance on preparing students for Kriya initiation, ensuring they are spiritually and mentally ready. After the preliminary lessons, students meet with a monastic to assess their readiness, both mentally and spiritually. Then, with a commitment and a pledge to practice 1 hour upon rising and 1 hour before sleep, the students receive 5 more Kriya lessons. The preliminary lessons have set the student up for success, as it has been a gradual journey of self-discipline and experiential learning.
Over time, the practice involves deeper meditations, with 3-hour weekly sessions and eventually 6-hour monthly meditations. Now you know that this is not for the faint of heart, or cursory spiritual explorer. Kriya and the path to self-realization is time intensive, with each lesson taking at least 3 hours to read (every two weeks), with recommendations to read it again, while meditating after each paragraph on the essence of the teachings. Lahiri Mahasaya says,
“Kriya Yoga is for the earnest seeker who desires to know God.”
This progressive approach ensures that practitioners are physically and emotionally prepared for the profound effects of Kriya Yoga. The preliminary lessons and the interview ensure that students who receive the technique value it, and don’t just put it in their spiritual toolbox for later use, or limit their use of the lessons to simple mental comprehension. Union is to be experienced, not just read about! Paramahansa Yogananda says, “In meditation, the soul begins to understand its unity with all beings, leading to the realization of God.”
Lahiri Mahasaya cautioned against receiving advanced techniques too early. He believed that premature exposure to Kriya could result in spiritual setbacks. By carefully guiding students through preliminary practices, SRF ensures that the powerful techniques are introduced at the right time, fostering spiritual growth rather than overwhelm. In this age of information, it seems that one can get many meditation techniques and have more knowledge than practice. Therefore, giving the complexities of a Kriya practice to somebody who is not dedicated is a waste of time for everybody. The Great Ones have been careful about transmission of Kriya knowledge, though the details are still elusive to me!
The Effects of Burning Off Karma
There are many opinions on what is meant by ‘karma.’ I use it to describe the willful action generated by our desires that keeps us in the cycle of birth and death, and the ensuing evolution through time that those actions create. We can see karma when we observe what time and activity does in our own lives. The things we have done that have caused pain and suffering resound throughout our minds and relations. The pain must be expressed, not suppressed. We must live the consequences of our actions. Whether emotionally or physically, we experience karma. Our cognitive-behavioral-emotional cycles are also a result of past habits or karma, and in Buddhism are known as the five hindrances: Worldly desire, ill-will, laziness, restlessness/worry, and uncertainty/skeptical doubt. Through meditation and the purifying effects of Kriya practice, one can notice and renounce these hindrances within oneself.
Paramahansa Yogananda noted that Kriya accelerates spiritual evolution, helping individuals transcend physical and karmic limitations faster than other methods. Practitioners experience an effect of heightened awareness and connection to the divine. By burning off karma, Kriya helps to confront and heal past traumas. Regular practice results in inner peace and mental clarity.
As with spontaneous kundalini energy rising in the spine, things rarely, occasionally, and potentially could get uncomfortable and challenging. If you’re beginning meditation, you may find grief or anger arising. These difficult emotions may arise in an intensity not felt before, perhaps for being suppressed. When it is fully expressed, it ceases to arise! Another effect is that one may experience physical tension or fatigue can be observed, accepted, and managed through relaxing and taking breaks. Triggering unresolved emotions can lead to feelings of anxiety or sadness, which are also temporary and safe to fully experience.
Another challenge is that when people have mystical experiences, some may feel disoriented and ungrounded, sometimes unable to continue their obligations. For this reason its important to have guidance, a spiritual teacher, a coach, or a community that you can rely on. During our spiritual evolution, the primary question that every challenge you are presented with is asking you “who do you think you are,” and you get to answer truthfully with either your new evolved self, or your old pattern of behavior. Through spiritual practice, we learn to maintain equanimity and unity consciousness amidst most the dramas of life, yet discern when the roar or a lion may be most appropriate to create right action! To cope with the various side-effects of a devoted, disciplined, spiritual practice, the top tips are as follows:
Start Gradually and build up slowly.
Seek Guidance with a good teacher.
Stay Grounded with walking or hatha yoga to balance the intense energy of Kriya.
Receiving Initiation
You can receive initiation after you take the preliminary lessons from Self-Realization Fellowship Route. If you’re geographically fortunate, a small organization in Sri Yukteswar’s lineage runs the Temple of Peace offers monthly or bi-monthly initiations, and comes with the benefit of having guided meditation, community-supported prasad, and great Yogi Acharya’s who’s in-person guidance you can receive. We endorse those two organizations due to our personal experience with them. You can also go through various other sources such as the Kriya Yoga Alliance, which has many free online lessons, or renegade Kriyabans teaching the techniques in parts without the collaboration of an established organization. Do what your inner guru guides you towards. Any effort to know the truth is recognized by the Supreme Godhead.
What you (and those around you) gain from Kriya will be from your depth of concentration and your daily devotion to the practice. This is not an identity that you wear once a week to “value-signal” that you are spiritual and holier-than-thou. This is a practice that you do in the privacy of your own meditation space, bookmarking the beginning and end of your day.
In the initiation process and the relationship between a disciple and their spiritual teacher, which may be a guru or an acharya, there is a giving and receiving that takes place. Diksha refers to a sacred initiation where a disciple receives profound spiritual teachings or practices, marking a significant step in their spiritual journey. This initiation is a transformative experience, signifying a deeper commitment to spiritual growth and understanding. Accompanying Diksha, Dakshina is a traditional offering made by the disciple as a gesture of respect and gratitude, and symbolizes the disciple’s appreciation for the guidance received. It can support the ongoing work of the teacher and the spiritual community.
According to a revered legend within the tradition, Lahiri Mahasaya, despite his profound spiritual stature, would not personally accept dakshina from his disciples. Instead, he would set aside a symbolic amount—often cited as 5 rupees—which he left untouched. This offering, however, was not meant for him directly. It is said that once a year, Babaji, a revered and mysterious spiritual figure in the tradition, would visit and collect the dakshina, signifying that the true recipient of the offering was Babaji rather than Lahiri Mahasaya himself. This practice highlights the deep spiritual significance of dakshina as a gesture of reverence and support, transcending mere financial exchange and honoring the broader spiritual lineage and unseen guiding forces. Following the personal observances and community ethics (yama and niyama) of the 8 limbs of yoga, hoarding and grasping is inauspicious, and should protect the guru and acharya from egotistical uses of monetary resources!
A Kriya Yoga Lineage
Some of Lahiri Mahasaya’s Disciples
I, Emmy, received Autobiography of a Yogi from my partner Ryan when I really needed it! I promptly signed up for lessons through the Self-Realization Fellowship. After finishing the 18 lessons over the half year, I received Kriya initiation through Yoganandaji. Ryan, seeing my increased joy, peace, happiness, love, calm, and discipline also signed up for the lessons, but then received Kriya Initiation much quicker and to good effect, by the Temple of Peace. In the image above, you see that Sri Yukteswar Giri had many disciples, two of which are recognized alongside SRF’s lineage: Paramahansa Hariharananda, Swami Satyananda Giri, and current living president of Kriya International (Temple of Peace, Lakewood, CO) Paramahansa Prajnananda. These individuals have attained nirvikalpa Samadhi and are after the time that Yogananda established SRF, but through the fruits of their actions and their lessons and books, you can easily see they are sincere, authentic, great Masters of Yoga! Despite different approaches, SRF and Temple of Peace are both authentic Kriya Yoga teachers which we at Kriya House can full-heartedly endorse!
After retiring from his clerical work with the Indian postal service, Lahiri Mahasaya had a constant flow of devotees, disciples, and visitors in his humble home in Varanasi. Even his wife became his devotee during their householder years when she witnessed a siddhi (yogic power) in action, while he was in meditation. This was chronicled in Autobiography of a Yogi, when Yogananda visited her. Each subsequent disciple has kept a lineage as true to the teachings as they could muster, but certainly there have developed stylistic variations to the Kriya Yoga technique. Many paths exist to self-realization, and each devotee must find the path that resonates with their constitution, whether devotional or intellectual, each devotee must find their path! After a brief overview of some of the most notable disciples of Lahiri Mahasaya, I will expound on the differences in their approach to the spiritual path.
Swami Sri Yukteswar
Perhaps the most famous of Lahiri Mahasaya’s disciples, Sri Yukteswar is known for training Paramahansa Yogananda and authoring The Holy Science (Kaivalya Darsanam), which reconciles the teachings of East and West. He became a revered teacher of Kriya Yoga and a pivotal figure in the lineage.
Panchanon Bhattacharya
Panchanon Bhattacharya helped disseminate Kriya Yoga teachings through his writings and the establishment of the Arya Mission Institution in Kolkata. He played a significant role in printing and spreading Lahiri Mahasaya’s teachings. He was focused on the organizational and publication aspect compared to others.
Sanyal Mahasaya
One of the youngest disciples, he played an important role in bringing Kriya Yoga to future generations. He focused on teaching pure Kriya practices as handed down directly from Lahiri Mahasaya. Bhupendranath Sanyal focused on the practical and devotional aspects of Kriya Yoga.
Pranabananda Giri
Known for his miraculous ability to appear in two places at once, Pranabananda Giri was deeply devoted to Lahiri Mahasaya. He is mentioned in Autobiography of a Yogi and was highly revered for his yogic powers and deep spiritual insight.
A reclusive yogi and teacher of Yogananda, Swami Kebalananda was highly devoted to spiritual practices and passed on his knowledge discreetly. He was Yogananda’s tutor in Kriya Yoga. AKA Shastri Mahasaya, he was able to integrate Kriya Yoga with traditional Vedantic and Yogic philosophies, elevating Kriya as not only a practical method for self-realization but also as a system deeply rooted in India’s ancient spiritual heritage.
Tinkori Lahiri
The son of Lahiri Mahasaya, Tinkori carried on the family legacy of Kriya Yoga. He focused more on preserving his father’s spiritual teachings rather than creating new frameworks or systems. His contribution is in maintaining the direct teachings and lineage.
Nagendra nath Bhaduri
He was renowned for his advanced spiritual powers, including levitation. A humble householder yogi, he demonstrated that one could achieve profound spiritual heights while living a simple, worldly life. His dedication to Kriya Yoga exemplified the power of inner renunciation and mastery of consciousness, making him a revered figure in the spiritual lineage of Lahiri Mahasaya.
Ram Gopal Muzumdar
Known as the “Sleepless Saint,” Ramgopal had an intense focus on meditation. His key difference from others was his emphasis on deep, uninterrupted meditation to achieve higher states of consciousness. He led an extremely reclusive life dedicated to spiritual absorption.
Open To All Forms
The Divine Mother has many children of different dispositions, so she prepares different meals (religions, techniques, and paths) for her many children. Just as the mother caters to different tastes, the various disciples of Lahiri Mahasaya each contributed their unique perspectives and methods to the practice of Kriya Yoga. There are many paths to spiritual realization, and each approach has its own value. As Shri Shibendu puts it, “Anyone who wants to learn Kriya Yoga with full respect to the traditions is welcome.”
Remember that all is correct, as all is One! So, rather than fighting between lineages, respect that there are different styles of teaching, practicing, and transmitting. Don’t sue each other, don’t hoard teachings. Be open minded and generous, and do no harm.
Modernity vs Tradition: Yukteswar Giri, one of Lahiri Mahasaya’s prominent disciples, sought to bridge the gap between science and spirituality. He was a visionary who integrated scientific understanding with traditional Kriya Yoga practices, aiming to make spiritual teachings more accessible and relevant to the modern world. Sri Yukteswar’s disciple, Paramahansa Yogananda, was also said to be unconventional and free in his expression. In contrast, some of Lahiri’s disciples like Bhupendranath Sanyal adhered to a more orthodox approach, emphasizing the preservation of traditional methods and practices. Spiritual practices can evolve while still honoring their origins and it’s essence.
Public Dissemination vs Private Practice: The approach to spreading Kriya Yoga also varied among the disciples. Panchanan Bhattacharya was known for his efforts in publicly disseminating the teachings of Kriya Yoga, striving to reach as many people as possible. On the other hand, figures like Keshabananda and Ramgopal Mazumdar preferred a more personal and meditative approach, focusing on individual practice and the internal aspects of spiritual development. This difference in approach reflects the idea that while some are called to share their wisdom widely, others find their path in quieter, more introspective practices.
Family Legacy: Tinkori Lahiri, Lahiri Mahasaya’s own son, played a crucial role in preserving the direct lineage of Kriya Yoga. His focus was on maintaining the purity and continuity of his father’s teachings. In contrast, other disciples, like Yukteswar Giri, expanded the interpretations and applications of Kriya Yoga, creating broader contexts and modern adaptations. This dynamic illustrates how spiritual legacies can be both preserved and adapted over time.
Miracles vs Simplicity: The manifestation of miracles versus a focus on practical and devotional aspects is another distinction among disciples. Pranabananda, for example, was renowned for his miraculous abilities, which served to inspire and attract followers. Meanwhile, Bhupendranath Sanyal concentrated on the practical and devotional elements of Kriya Yoga, emphasizing the simplicity and discipline of the practice. Yogananda was extraordinary in that he would know the inner thoughts of his disciples, but he never flaunted his miraculous abilities. He said he wanted people to be drawn by the love of God, and not the love of phenomena. The everyday aspect of a simple spiritual life with the occasional miraculous encouragements are the way to sustained growth, in my balanced view!
If you’d like to join our community of Kriyaban’s, join us at the Self-Realization Fellowship in Lakewood, Colorado. You can check the calendar to see which Thursday evenings we meet for meditation, and which Saturday mornings we have long meditations, or show up any Sunday from 9-11 followed by fellowship conversation. it may not be everybody’s style, so it’s not for everybody: there’s an altar (similar to the one at the top of the page), chanting (which depending on your disposition you may think its mystical or cheesy!), prayers to the guru’s of the lineage, to Jesus, heavenly father, divine mother, and beloved God, and long bouts of silent meditation. I have very much enjoyed the benefits from having guru’s teachings read to me in fellowship, and encouraged each other in meditation, and discussed during fellowship tea!
This page is for educational purposes only, to help you see what you need to do to become ready for Kriya initiation. You can prepare the soil and make it fertile to sprout the powerful seed of self-realization.
My opinion is that if you’re willing to do this practice every morning upon waking, and every night before sleep, then you deserve to have the technique. If you have the technique but don’t practice it, it is useless to you. Therefore, if you’ve received Kriya initiation from a certain teacher who led you to this page that I created for him, you can get another copy of the page here. May it be for the benefit of all beings, and for the most high endeavors of the realization of ultimate reality. –> Receive your download
More pages for education and collaboration include: