KRIYA YOGA =========== babajiIt is said that Kriya Yoga has existed from the beginning of the creation, that it is the real meditation, the essence of life. May be we can say it is true, since Kriya simply means the breath, the life. When the body is born we start to breathe, when the body dies the breath leaves the body. This is happening all the time, we are breathing in and out. We inhale new life from the source, and we exhale that which is dead from the body. To realize who we are, our unity with life, we have to be consciously connected to the source of life through the breath. Kriya Yoga is described in Paramahamsa Yogananda’s “Autobiography of Yogi” as an instrument through which the human evolution can be enhanced. The secret about higher states of consciousness is that it is intimately related to the breath. The word yoga comes from Sanskrit yuj which means union – the union of the individual soul with Spirit. Kriya Yoga is a method to attain the union of breath and soul in each inhalation and exhalation. Kriya means action and yoga unification. Kriya Yoga is action that leads to unification, to the state of no conflict in the consciousness. In the Indian scripture Bhagavad Gita this theme is thoroughly illuminated. Here we read about the warrior Arjuna, who is the best bowman of his time, and whose life task is to fight for good against all challenges. However, staying at the battlefield Arjuna is paralysed by an inner conflict: he may have to kill family members as they side with his enemy. Arjuna is irresolute and unhappy, and unable to take action until Krishna (Kriya Yoga) comes to help him. Arjuna’s consciousness is lifted to the level of unity, where no conflicts exist. As a result, Arjuna is capable of fulfilling his divine mission in life. A good life without inner conflict is a fundamental human need. Those who faithfully and sincerely seek the Self, and who gradually receive the higher Kriya techniques, acquire insight into the deeper meaning of meditation. The source of knowledge is infinite, and the interaction between the Self and life itself is vital to realize unity in the consciousness. Kriya takes us to subtle levels in the consciousness. Closeness to the breath brings us to the lotus flower of non-duality, to a level of deep inner Silence. In this way alertness and love are manifested as a state of consciousness. Neither the intellect nor the senses are able to bring us to this state. Only the breath, the life force, has the power to take us to the Self, the Divine. With regular Kriya practice one is building inner Silence which gradually becomes a part of us. As a result one is more calm and peaceful in all aspects of life .

Surya Namaskar helps

Surya Namaskar helps

in weight loss, wrist strength and strengthens the mind and body. ======================================================================================= Step 1: Start by keeping your feet together, palms in front of your chest, inhale, take both the palms up, press the base of your palms, look up towards the ceiling. Step 2: Exhale down to uttanasana. Keep your palms next to your feet, inhale and look forward. Bend both knees, look forward and jump back to chaturangadandasana or plank pose. Step 3: Go down to a low push up and roll back shoulders. Only your palms and toes should touch the mat. Inhale and look forward to urdhava mukha svanasana. Step 4: Lift your thigh up, chest forward, exhale down. Ground your heels, push your palms away, lock your chin towards your chest and observe five breaths. Step 5: Bend both knees, look forward and jump forward to uttanasana again. Exhale down, raise your arms, bring your palms. Repeat all the steps 4 to 5 times. Step 6: Stand with your feet together and start with utkatasana, also called the chair pose. Knees, ankle bones and fingers are together. Exhale down to uttasanana. Step 7: Inhale, look forward and jump back to plank pose. Go down to urdhava mukha svanasana, move into down dog posture, raise your right leg up, take a big step forward in between your palms, take both hands up and into the warrior 1 pose. Exhale and back to down dog posture. Repeat movements on the other side. Repeat 3 or 5 times of these. Step 8: Stand close to a wall, keep your palms on the floor and raise both your legs onto the wall. You should look like an inverted ‘L’. Come down slowly. Repeat 5 to 10 times. Then try the full arm balance on the wall. Step 9 : Turn around, place your palms on the floor and try to lift your legs up. Move and jump up. Press your wrist down, shoot your legs up, take your buttocks off the wall. Hold for 20 seconds. To come down, bend both knees slowly.