The word "kriya" means "to move" in Sanskrit, thus kriya yoga is the moving of your mental attention along certain energy pathways within your body. This defined energy movement is designed to deepen your concentration and lead to heightened awareness. This is achieved through regular practice.
History
The exact origin of kriya yoga is not known. Practiced in secret for thousands of years, kriya was developed by tantrics and yogis with advanced spiritual knowledge and insight into human nature. Much older than hatha yoga, kriya has been passed from teacher to student via direct instruction. This ensures the student is truly cleared of any physical or psychic hindrance, according to Mandalayoga.net.
Mental and Emotional Benefits
Kriya yoga induces calmness of mind and a heightened sense of awareness, enhancing your ability to concentrate and focus. By transforming negative and toxic emotions into positive energy, kriya helps you release anxiety and stress, according to the Kriya Yoga Association of New Zealand.
Physical Benefits
Physical well-being is promoted with the increased flexibility that kriya will bring to your muscles, spine and vertebrae. Muscle relaxation helps remove knots from connective tissue and breathing techniques will improve and expand your breathing ability. Major internal organs, such as the liver, spleen, stomach, colon and kidneys are also toned.
Spiritual Benefits
Kriya yoga, according to the Kriya Yoga Association of New Zealand, promises increased faith and hope, more joy and the ability to let go of despair caused by old patterns of thought. This creates an increased level of compassion and an heightened sense of altruism. Practitioners experience a renewed understanding of life purpose and meaning.
Technique
In addition to the laws of general conduct, such as doing no harm, being truthful and respecting the property of others, kriya teaches life-force control -- or pranayama.
Locations
As of 2010, about 40 yoga centers worldwide teach or practice kriya yoga. The majority of those centers are in California and the northeastern United States. Interestingly, India, China and Thailand each have one kriya yoga center.
Studies
Anette Kjellgren, of the University of Darlstad in Sweden, studied the effect of kriya breathing cycles on 103 healthy volunteers. Fifty-five volunteers practiced the kriya slow, normal and rapid breathing exercises that make up each cycle for an hour daily, six days a week for a six-week period. Forty-eight control volunteers relaxed in armchairs for 15 minutes daily during the same time period. The yoga group reported diminished feelings of stress, anxiety and depression and a heightened feeling of well-being. The yoga group also rated their optimism significantly higher than the control group.
Member Comments