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Kriyā Prānāyāma

This technique is one of the essential techniques of Babaji’s/Yogananda’s Kriyā Yoga as I have been informed by a few who were initiated into Yogananda’s Kriyā Yoga. I was initiated into Kriyā Prānāyāma in 2015 during sleep by a sadhu whom I later recognized as the young Shirdi Sai Baba. He instructed me to practice it and teach it to others. I did it during sleep and became so blissfull and my spine so hot, I recognized this was a real initiation.


 Calmy follow your breath. Do not try to manipulate it to be longer than what it spontaneously is. Do not do ujjayi prānāyāma unless it comes natural and you are sure it really improves the practice. Focus on the sushumnā nadi that goes from the perineum (between the anus and the genitals) to the top of the head through the spine.


 On the in-breath sense energy rising up inside sushumnā to the top of the scull. If you do not make it all the way, don’t bother or think you are doing something wrong. But try to move energy a little faster sometime in the future when it feels comfortable, so you can get it all the way up.


 On the out-breath sense energy descending down to the perineum again.


 There is a somewhat peculiar mantra one can use. On the in-breath mentally think the mantra “hongg”. On the out-breath mentally think the mantra “sauh” (pronounced like the english word “saw”). This is the secret hamsa practice that Lord Bhairava hints at at the very end of the Vijñānabhairava Tantra.

 

Kundalinī Prānāyāma

A prānāyāma is a breathing exercise. The focus of the practice is not so much the control of prāna (vital-force), but the awakening and arousal of kundalinī. The purpose of this is to generate Shakti-bliss on which you can surf into the Self and merge awareness and Shakti into Pure Being.

Sit in a comfortable position and do the preparations for meditation as described above.

There is a special breathing-cycle to this, which it is important to keep. It has three steps: Breathing in, holding the breath and breathing out. It is very important that all three phases are of equal duration. It is also important to keep the rhythm going steadily at the same pace, so you should find a duration that suits you well and is comfortable and relaxed.

You could count to three repeatedly in the same rhythm (or whatever number is appropriate). It is important not to get tense, so one should find a comfortable number and rhythm you can keep steadily for 10 to 50 minutes without getting out of breath or feeling you are enforcing control over the breath. Enforcing control will not do any good at all, and in fact, it will block the intended result. It should be a nice, calm, peaceful cycle.

  1. 1. On the in-breath imagine and feel shakti moving from the perineum and up inside the entire spine to the top of the head. Do not imagine it as a point going up, but more like a flow in the entire channel.
  2. 2. Hold your breath in a comfortable and relaxed manner. Meanwhile, imagine/feel the energy in the brain/scull radiate in all directions.
  3. 3. On the out-breath continue radiating shakti in all directions from the brain and scull.

Alternatives: On the out-breath simply let go of any effort that may have been involved and merge with the shakti present in and around the body. Or sense/imagine energy flowing down inside the spine and striking kundalinī in the perineum waking Her up so she will rise on the next in-breath.

 

Soon you will find that shakti moves up the spine and radiates out from the brain at the same time and does so on the in-breath, while holding the breath and on the out-breath. That is a good sign and you should keep with that.

Beware that this practice is for awakening and arousing kundalinī. You may experience this as something moving in your spine, or heat in the spine, but do not be alarmed. If you find it releases more energy than you are comfortable with, then also do not be alarmed, for it will soon calm down and integrate with the system.

Also note that you may not feel anything up the spine but will feel a lot when radiating from the brain. Know that even though you felt nothing up the spine, if you feel it radiating from the brain it flowed up inside the spine as it should.