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Kriya Yoga Basics |
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Kriya Yoga Basics
Kriya Yoga is an ancient teaching directed at
spiritual growth
of a person and their developing perfect Self-Awareness. Though there
is no exact data when the tradition of Kriya Yoga originated, it is
claimed that such prophets as Jesus, Elijah and Kabir were some of the
great masters of Kriya Yoga in the past. Revived in the modern days, it
has achieved widespread popularity in the West as a specific method of
dramatically accelerating one's mental evolution: A minute of mental
energy-revolving with the help of Kriya Yoga techniques results in
greater spiritual progress that could have been made in a year's time
naturally. Krishna, who was an avatar of Hinduism's Supreme God,
Vishnu, is believed to have said that Kriya Yoga helps release the
vital energy, prana, from one's heart and channel it voluntarily. And
while the energy is the ultimate matter constituting the Universe
(along with the Awareness), by putting it under one's control a person
is able to master all of the processes occurring in their body,
rejuvenating or even dematerializing it.
From the scientific point of view, the special exercises of Kriya Yoga
saturate the blood with oxygen and decarbonate it, and thus prevent
aging of the organism. However, advanced Kriya Yoga techniques can
appear dangerous for yoga
beginners, that is why it is recommended that the studies are
conducted during a yoga
class or under the supervision of a yoga teacher.
Kriya Yoga comprises such practices as Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga and
Bhakti Yoga, uniting their most useful aspects. It is also sometimes
called Chauturanga Yoga, and consists of Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana
and Samadhi.
In other words, as in most Yoga
systems, the important components of Kriya Yoga include taming one's
body and mastering one's mind. So how exactly to do it?
Our physical body is a shell, a casing that encapsulates the mind and
the soul, that is why it is necessary to start preparing it first.
Here, some yogis restore to Hatha
Yoga
asanas and others do not go beyond a 15-minute set of basic exercises
for warming up. Anyway, when the body is ready, the Kriya Yoga
practitioner can proceed with the mental stimulation. Here, the general
laws of conduct of Yama and Niyama are taught. It means that the person
rejects violent behavior, any type of crime, abstains from lies and
does not lead sexual life. Kriya Yoga is therefore concentrated on
attaining both physical and mental health and purity.
At that point, it is time to practice meditation. Here, the Kriya Yoga
uses Mantras (religious syllables or poems instilling concentration),
Mudras (symbolic gestures promoting the control of energy-flow) and
Pranayama (breathing patterns balancing positive and negative energy
currents). Mentally directing one's energy and activating the
connections with the Cosmic world through the spine centers let unite
with the Universe and reach enlightenment.
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