KRIYA YOGA ...MAJOR COMPONENTS -PART04

NOTE;-COMPILATION OF SACRED SCRIPTURES & GREAT MASTERS.

5-KRIYA PRANAYAMA;-

1-Deep breathing with throat sound Start the practice of Kriya Pranayama. Assume your favorite meditation position. Sit facing East. From now onwards you can utilize the trick described previously sitting on the edge of a thick cushion so the buttocks are slightly raised. The chin is a little down (your neck muscles maintain an even slight tension.) Your fingers are interlocked like in the well-known photo of Lahiri Mahasaya. Mouth and eyes are closed. Feel that the center

of your awareness is located at medulla while the inner gaze converge effortlessly on Kutastha.

Inhale deeply through the nose producing an unvoiced sound in the throat (like in Ujjayi Pranayama.)

2-To make certain the sound is correct,concentrate on increasing the friction of the air flowing through your throat. A muffled sound will originate. Increase its frequency. If the surroundings are perfectly still, a person could hear it within a 4-5 meter radius – by no means outside it.Kriya Pranayama is to be practiced with a deep abdominal breathing. This means that, during inhalation the upper part of the thorax remains almost immobile while the abdomen expands. Shoulders are not raised. During exhalation, the abdomen comes inside. During the last part of the exhalation, there is a clear perception of the navel moving in toward the spine. By refining this experience – being more aware of the navel moving inward and of the action of the diaphragm muscles – you will feel an ecstatic sensation.

3-Inhalation and exhalation have approximately the same length.Exhalation could be longer than inhalation. The 2:3 ratio between inhalation and exhalation can be felt as more natural. Some schools counsel to add a breath retention of 3 seconds after inhalation. Just to make an example: 10 seconds inhalation; 3 seconds pause; 15 seconds exhalation. Count the number of breaths utilizing a Mala [rosary beads] or the fingers. To start, you will practice 24 breaths. In time you will increase by .The sound of inhalation is similar to the amplified background noise of a loudspeaker – a quiet schhhh… /ʃ/. There is only a slight hiss during exhalation. The perfection of the sound will be reached through Kechari Mudra proper. The sound of inhalation will be very subtle, while the exhaling sound will be flute-like: Sheee Sheee [ʃiː].

4-Perceive the Prana moving through the spine.The most important fact that happens during Kriya Pranayama is this: the deep breathing producing the sound in the throat enables you to perceive

the Prana moving through the spine.To obtain this you must adopt for some weeks the following

instruction: during inhalation concentrate on the front-side of the throat Chakra (Vishuddha). Feel (become aware) that Prana flows through this Chakra into your body. Then, during exhalation, guide the vibration of Prana enliven each Chakra: you will perceive this fact as a lukewarm

sensation going down inside the spine.By practicing in this way, you will realize that breathing thru the front side of Vishuddha ''sucks'' the Prana like if you had syringe. You will feel a cold current coming up through the spine!

5-For a few weeks you may need to concentrate on this new detail of Kriya Pranayama, then it will work on its own. You will control the flow of Prana by the power of will. It will flow upward during inhalation as a cold sensation and downward during exhalation as a lukewarm sensation.Be always relaxed. The breath will become more subtle and slow down.Mentally chant Om in each Chakra

When you feel that you are practicing in a correct way the two previous points, try, if this does not create confusion, to add the following action.During inhalation, Om is mentally chanted (or, more simply,"mentally placed") in each one of the six Chakras from Muladhara to medulla. During exhalation, Om is mentally chanted in the medulla and in all the other Chakras coming down to Muladhara. Don't lose the focus of your inner gaze on Kutastha.

6-It is clear that going up and down the spine producing the throat sound, feeling the cold and warm sensations and at the same time placing Om in each Chakra is difficult. However, Lahiri Mahasaya wrote that going ahead without chanting Om in each Chakra, your Kriya becomes

"tamasic" [in other words it has not a positive nature] and many kinds of useless thoughts arise. Therefore try to calm yourself and get this result.Have a deep breath, then another: don't worry about the length of inhalation and of exhalation. (After some breaths you discover that your

breath lengthens naturally.) A short pause between inhalation and exhalation and between

exhalation and inhalation can happen naturally. The pause do no last more Reference literature says that perfect Kriya Pranayama is 80 breaths per hour about 45 seconds per breath. A beginner is far away from reaching such rhythm.

7-For a beginner if each breath lasts 20 seconds, this means that the practice is very good.

than 2-3 seconds. Each pause is a moment of comfortable peace.Listen to the sound like a ''flute'' of the breath.Make the sound of the breath subtler and subtler. The exhalation arising in

the nasal pharynx has a fine sound like a faint whistle. Symbolically speaking they say it is the "flute of Krishna". Lahiri Mahasaya described it"similar to blowing air through a keyhole". He explained that this sound has the power to cut out any external distracting factor including thoughts.

Therefore he says it is: "a razor which cuts off everything related to the mind".

8-In order to have an idea of it, take a whistle, blow, diminish, diminish…. until it is barely audible. Or consider an empty perfume sample,without cap. Close one nostril. Put the opening of the sample under the open nostril and have a long but subtle exhalation. Move up and down the

sample experiencing all the variations of the produced whistle sound. At a certain point you will obtain a fantastic whistle and say: ''This is it''.This sound is produced in the upper part of the nasal pharynx. If you feel it you have only one duty more: letting that this sound absorbs your

mind completely.

9- When you cross the number of 48 repetitions of Kriya Pranayama,move the focus of your awareness from Kutastha to Fontanelle .If you decide to face this situation, you can, from now onwards, after about 4x12 repetitions of Kriya Pranayama, move the center of your awareness

into the upper part of your head. Kriya Pranayama is to be practiced by adopting a specific Mudra which is an evolution of the classicalShambhavi Mudra. Let us learn it.Shambhavi Mudra is the act of concentrating on the space between the eyebrows, bringing the two eyebrows toward the center with a slight wrinkling of the forehead. Now, there is a higher form of Shambhavi that requires closed or half-closed eyelids. (Lahiri Mahasaya in his well-known portrait is showing this Mudra.) The eyes look upward as much as possible as if looking at the ceiling but without any head movement.

10-The light tension perceived in the muscles of the eyeballs gradually disappears and

the position can be maintained rather easily. A bystander would observe the sclera (white of the eye) under the iris because very often the inferior eyelids relax. Through this Mudra, all one's Prana collects at the top of the head.The practice seems to have a life of its own. You will eventually have the impression of crossing a mental state, which is like falling asleep, then suddenly returning to full awareness and realizing you are basking in a spiritual light. It's like a plane emerging from clouds into a clear transparent sky.After the practice of Kriya Pranayama remain at least 10 minutes immobile remaining conscious of your breath that goes naturally ahead by its own rhythm. You can chose to visualize it as a sweet energy the goes up and down your spine. In this way your breath will very easily become more calm, approaching almost to disappear.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION;-

1-About listening to the internal sound of Om while mentally chanting Om in each Chakra. In order to internalize your awareness, you mentally chant Om in each.Chakra going up (during inhalation) and down (during exhalation) along the spine. This mentally chanting of Om is an help to make the described procedure more easy. You simply teach your awareness to be more disciplined, to patiently obey you by going up and down along the spine.What is important is that you be more and more aware of what is happening in your spine.During Kriya Pranayama it may happen that you listen to the internal astral sounds. These sounds come from the activity of the Chakras.

2-A great experience is hearing a distant sound of a long-sustaining bell (the sound of Anahata.) The experience of the ''bell'' changes into the sound of''many waters.'' This is the real sound of Om that guides the soul to travel through the spine, contacting the Divine Light. Lahiri Mahasaya described it as a sound "produced by a lot of people continually striking the disk of a bell and as continuous as oil flowing out of a container". Surely, when you hear the sound of running waters or of waves breaking over cliffs, you can be sure you are on the right track.

3-A very important fact to understand is that the event of perceiving these sounds is not produced by the intensity of a unique moment of deep concentration but by the accumulation of effort during daily sessions of Kriya (''effort'' is the meticulous attention to any internal sound, no matter

how faint). What is essential is to bring ahead a continuous will to listen internally. Each chanting of the syllable Om should be accompanied by an unswerving will to track down the echo of this vibration until you become aware of the astral sounds. Your listening skills will improve.

4-About the fifth point of Kriya Pranayama.Let us finally remark an important point:

to practice Kriya Pranayama witha strong concentration on the upper part of your head is not appropriate for a beginning or medium level students. For this reason we have explained

that you can utilize this form of concentration only after having practiced 48 Kriya breaths. Developing a strong magnet in Sahasrara is the most powerful way of stimulating the Kundalini awakening. This implies acting on our Subconscious Mind bringing to the sphere of consciousness some contents that we are not able to assimilate. The person who experience this,especially if she/he is far from emotional maturity, might experience an entire range of negative moods.

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6-SHAMBHAVI MUDRA;-

Shambhavi mudra is a highly regarded gesture practiced in yoga and meditation. It is called the eyebrow center gazing gesture in English. The name comes from Shambhavi, the name of Devi Parvati who is the consort of Shiva, the Hindu lord.Devi Parvati is a symbol of divine energy. The existence of human beings is supposed to be propelled from the same energy. Connecting these dots, you will realize that shambhavi mudra is way to way to give direction to the energy that properly your life. Shambhavi mudra can bring your mind into a balanced condition and a state of a high level of consciousness. There are a number of shambhavi mudra benefits that make it one of the most revered forms of yoga and meditation. If you do all the shambhavi mudra steps properly, it will help you in gazing inside of your conscious and that will eventually remove all kinds of mental distracts. Shambhavi mudra is a very advanced form of yoga and meditation. Unlike other forms, it will take you some time to master all the steps .

HOW TO DO SHAMBHAVI MUDRA ?

1-Start by sitting in a meditative pose. You can sit in Padmasana, Siddhasana/Sukhasana, or any meditative pose that you are comfortable with. The place where you practice should be very quiet.

Straighten your head and spine, and pose in Gyan mudra. Your hands should be placed firmly on your kneecaps.

2-Close your eyes and relax your body including eyes, face muscles, forehead, and even behind the eyes.

3-Open your eyes gradually and try to fix them at a point. Meanwhile, your body and head relaxed.

Without moving your head, try to look inward and upward. The point that your both eyeballs should be focused on should be the eyebrow center.

4-If you are performing this step correctly, your eyebrows curve will form a V shape with an apex at your eyebrow center. If a V-shape curve is not formed, your gaze is not pointed inwards and upward correctly.

NOTE;-

Do not blink while gazing. Once your eyes get tired or water starts to come out of them, discontinue.Do it again after a short rest.When your eyes are closed, do not think about anything. Focus on the darkness that is inside your eyes and mind. If you are unable to do it, you can gradually chant OM to shift your focus on the chanting sound.

SECOND STAGE

Once you complete master these eye movements, you can then use your breath to coordinate shambhavi mudra.When you gaze at your eyebrows center, slowly inhale. Try to direct your awareness towards the Ajna chakra.When you gazing upward, hold your breath.Exhale when you lower down your gaze.

7-YONI MUDRA;-

Yoni mudra to be done once daily at night time before performing Mahamudra. This technique is best done in the deep calmness of the night, when silence is all around and one is totally and perfectly relaxed. Do regular Kriya breathing. At the end of inhilation held in the breath, bring the attention from medulla through the crown to the point between eye-brows and close the following 9 doors of the body in this fashion. Ear openings are plugged with the thumbs; index finger gently preasures eyeballs permitting them to be still(motionless). Middle fingers block nostrils. Little and ring fingers close the upper and lower lips. Mentally chant at third eye..’OM’1,’OM’2,’OM’100… In addition, you can hold the breath for long time simply release the other fingers. Eyelids can be pressed for a duration equivalent to 21 kriyas. Thereafter release the eyeball preasure. After 15 minutes release the thumb from the blocking of ear opening and remove the hand from the face. You will hear the internal sound (creative sound) and see light(Atma Jyoti) this practice cuts down the veils of ignorance and releases the soul from Karmic compulsions.Yoni Mudra generates such a concentration of energy at the point between the eyebrows that the quality of the ensuing sleep changes for the better. In other words, after crossing the subconscious layers, your awareness may succeed in reaching the so-called "super conscious" state.

8-MAHA MUDRA;-

This is a combination of performance of Kriya breathing synchronized with specific bodily posture as described below:Sit with spine erect, cross-legged, breathing as exactly in Kirya Pracitice. At the end of inhalation, let the mind travel from medulla through the crown to the point behind the eye-brows, simultaneously cathing the toes with the finger tips of the both hands the outstretched leg bending the spine and touching the forehead on the knee of the outstretched leg. Return to the spine erect postion immediately. Simultaneously, bringing the mind from the forehead point back through the crown to the medulla. Now, exhale as in Kriya. At the end of exhalation before inhaling again fold out stretched-leg and stretch the other leg out. Repeat the same process for this leg. During the third breathing repeat, the same processes with both legs out stretched. This practice is known as Mahamudra.Four Mahamudras are done.

STEPS;-

1-Use a carpet placed on the pavement to practice the following procedure.Bend the left leg under the body so the left heel is as near as possible to the perineum; the right leg is fully extended in front. Inhale deeply, feel the energy coming up in the head. Hold the breath, stretch forward (in a

relaxed way) so that you can grasp the toes of your right foot with both hands and gently pull them backwards. In this outstretched position, the chin is pressed naturally against the chest. Continue holding the breath and mentally chant Om in the region between the eyebrows 6-12 times.

2-You can contract the anal and the abdominal muscles and draw the abdominal muscles in slightly so the navel moves inward toward the lumbar center. While holding the breath, return to the starting position and with a long exhalation, visualize sending the warm energy down to the

base of the spinal column.Repeat the procedure with the leg positions reversed and finally repeat the procedure with both legs outstretched. This is one Maha Mudra;it requires about 60-80 seconds. Maha Mudra is to be practiced three times.

NOTE; -

1-This Mudra must be comfortable and it must not hurt! Initially, most kriyabans will not be able to do the forward stretch without risking back or knee injury. To avoid this, you can keep the outstretched leg bent at the knee until the position feels comfortable!

2- For every 12 Kriya Pranayama, one should perform one Maha Mudra – three remains the minimum number. (To make it clear, those who practice 60 Kriya Pranayamas should perform Maha Mudra five times, while those who practice 12 or 24 Pranayamas should perform it three times.) There is no doubt that if you regularly skip this technique and lead a sedentary life, the spinal column will lose its elasticity. One's physical condition deteriorates over the years and it becomes almost impossible to maintain the correct meditation position for more than a few minutes – that is why Maha Mudra is so important for kriyabans.

EFFECTS;-

Maha Mudra incorporates all the three Bandhas. When applied simultaneously with the body bent forward and without excessive contraction, it helps one to be aware of both ends of Sushumna and

produces the feeling of an energetic current moving up the spine. In due course, one will be able to perceive the whole Sushumna as a radiant channel. There are reports of yogis having achieved fantastic experiences using only this technique. According to their accounts, the perception of

Sushumna has increased tremendously. There are kriyabans who have set aside all the other Kriya techniques and practiced 144 Maha Mudra in two sessions daily. They consider Maha Mudra the most useful among all Kriya Yoga techniques.

THE KEY NOTES;-

Talabhya Kriya is done after Mahamudra as it was done in the beginning of Kriya practice. The whole set of first level of Kriya described above should be done morning and night with one exemption, namely, Yoni Mudra is done only in night times and only once.Kriya practice should be constantly monitored by the Master in order to enable the disciple to receive advanced initiations.

Perfection in Kechari Mudra ( the tounge raising above the Uvula and entering the nasal cavity and blocking the inner nostrils from within) is achieved through practice of Talabhya Kriya. Once Kechari Mudra is achieved all Kriya Yoga practice is done in Kechari Mudra. The eyeballs involuntary gaze at the point between the eyebrows and gets achored there. The mind is deeply withdrawn and ecstasy follows. This is a stage when second level of Kriya initation is offered.

....SHIVOHAM....