Kriya Yoga

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

With Kriya-Yoga ( Sanskrit , m., क्रिया योग, kriyā yoga, from kri : act, and yoga : union, unity, discipline) are meant specific actions that are carried out in order to remove mental and physical limitations and thus the original ones To restore a state of unity consciousness.

In the West, the term is known in the form of energy awakening and energy steering exercises, as they are u. a. made famous by Paramahansa Yogananda . By emphasizing inner energetic processes and a correspondingly methodical approach, Kriya Yoga is described by its representatives as "scientific".

Demarcation

The three classical yogas of devotion (bhakti), knowledge (jnana) and selfless action (karma) have developed according to the basic human abilities of feeling , knowing and willing . All of these three faculties are based on energy. The main characteristic of Kriya Yoga is that one works directly with this life energy ( Prana ).

In contrast to Jnana Yoga , Kriya is not based on philosophical knowledge processes. He distinguishes himself from the yoga of devotion to God and from karma yoga , which is oriented towards external action , in that it aims at a purely internal energetic activity independent of body, thoughts and feelings.

Kriya Yoga representatives see this as the most original yoga path. It is said to have already been mentioned in the ancient Indian scriptures as a yoga of breath control and the channeling of prana, so that the scriptures are interpreted in this sense. In the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali only Kriya Yoga is mentioned literally.

Hariharananda sees it as an integral yoga that develops body, intellect and soul equally, and has taken over the essence of the body- focused Hatha yoga as well as the yoga of mind control ( Raja yoga ) initiated by Patanjali .

origin

The lineage of Kriya Yoga can be traced back to Lahiri Mahasaya , who is said to have been initiated by the master Mahavatar Babaji in 1861 . His most famous student was Yukteswar Giri , who in turn initiated Satyananda Giri and Paramahansa Yogananda into the technique.

Kriya Yoga became known in the West through the lecture tours and books by Yogananda, in particular through his book Autobiography of a Yogi . In 1920 he founded the Self-Realization-Fellowship (SRF), which continued his work in the West after his death.

Characteristic

The Kriya Yoga mentioned in Patanjali can be divided into two main branches according to Georg Feuerstein : constant practice and letting go , which can be seen as the basis of every yogic discipline. The practice consists in concentrating on one's real self , and letting go means to distance oneself from the fleeting mental contents. According to verse I.12 of the Yoga Sutra, these two aspects lead to calmness of the mind, which Patanjali defines as "yoga" in verse I.2. Although he mentions various yoga poses, he does not give a recommendation for any particular technique as these have traditionally only been passed down personally.

Today Kriya Yoga is seen primarily as an exercise for awakening and directing energy. Various methods are used to harmonize, concentrate and raise the life energy in people to a higher level.

In Indian psychology, humans are viewed as consisting of five body shells (koshas). According to Jaggi Vasudev , kriya yoga uses certain body postures, breath, mental attitudes and energy activation in order to bring the first three physical body shells into line and thus to gain access to non-physical life energy.

Importance of breath

The importance of the breath and its regulation is already pointed out in the Bhagavadgita and in the Yoga Sutras: “Pranayama is inhalation, exhalation or holding of the breath; it is regulated by place, time and duration and progressively extended and refined. "( Patanjali : Yoga Sutra, verse II.50)

The conscious breathing regulation is called pranayama and serves to calm thoughts and feelings and thus to calm subconscious impulses. In addition, through a certain form of breathing, the blood should be enriched with oxygen and energy in order to relieve the heart, control the senses and make the life energy stored in this way usable. Pranayama can also bring about a complete cessation of breathing and heartbeat.

Importance of the nervous system

In the description of Kriya Yoga there is a connection between religious and physical aspects. According to Hariharananda, the extended spinal cord should be the seat of life energy, and the perception of God should take place in the head in the pituitary gland and the fontanel . Most of all, human consciousness is said to be connected to the nervous system, which is why Kriya Yoga attaches special importance to the brain and spinal cord. The prana is supposed to be withdrawn from the sense organs and muscles and concentrated in the spine, which acts as a conductor for energy flows. As the prana flows up through the spinal canal, life energy is converted into spiritual energy. Possible experiences are the perception of divine light and the cosmic sound Om . In relation to such experiences, special importance is attached to the point between the eyebrows.

Need of a master

By working directly with the life energy on which all processes are based, the representatives of Kriya Yoga claim that it is the fastest way to realize God.

In Kriya Yoga, the possibility of quick results is closely linked to direct contact with a master and personal initiation and instruction from him. This would place considerable demands on the student. Inconsistency and lack of mental discipline are identified as the greatest obstacles to practicing this yoga. Jaggi Vasudev describes the requirements as so high that they could hardly be met by modern people today without long-term preparation, and sees the usual comfort and desire for them as a major obstacle.

Due to the risk of incorrect application of the techniques and the abuse of personal progress, Kriya Yoga is only passed on orally as part of an "initiation" by authorized persons. Those to be initiated undertake in advance to refrain from unauthorized disclosure of the technology.

Today's development

Training is made possible by the Self-Realization Fellowship organization , which refers to Yogananda and his lineage in its approach. Kriya Yoga is receiving renewed attention from the Indian mystic Jaggi Vasudev , who emphasizes the need for a scientific and tangible spiritual process for modern man.

Quotes

"The wise man who excludes all external objects, directs his gaze between the eyebrows, equalizes the inhalations and exhalations drawn through the nostrils, who has tamed the senses, mind and intellect, is anxious for salvation and has laid off desire, fear and anger, is forever liberated. "

- Bhagavadgita : Verses V.27-28, translation: S. Radhakrishnan

“Quite apart from the charm of the new and the fascination of the half-understood, yoga has many followers for good reasons. It not only gives the much sought-after path, but also a philosophy of incredible depth. It gives the possibility of controllable experience and thus satisfies the scientific need for "facts", and in addition, thanks to its breadth and depth, its venerable age and its teaching and methodology that encompasses all areas of life, it promises undreamt-of possibilities. "

- CG Jung : Yoga and the West, in: Gesammelte Werke, Volume 11, Zurich 1963, pp. 571-580

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Davis, pp. 15, 67
  2. ↑ Yogananda, pp. 128, 133, 347; Hariharananda, pp. 74ff, 89-90; s. a. Book titles like "Religion as Science", "Scientific Healing Meditations", "The Holy Science" etc.
  3. ↑ Sadhguru, Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy, Spiegel & Grau, 2016, Part 2, Chap. Energy, The Mechanics of Life
  4. ↑ Hariharananda, pp. 143ff
  5. ↑ Yoga Sutra, verse II.1
  6. ↑ Hariharananda, pp. 58, 77ff
  7. ↑ Davis, pp. 125ff
  8. ↑ https://yogananda.org/srf-introduction
  9. ↑ Govindan, pp. 23-24, 29
  10. ↑ Sadhguru, Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy, Spiegel & Grau, 2016, Part 2, Chap. Energy, The Mechanics of Life
  11. ↑ Bhagavadgita, verse IV.29 , verse V.27-27
  12. ↑ Davis, pp. 47, 80
  13. ↑ Hariharananda, pp. 112-113
  14. ↑ Yogananda, pp. 124, 252
  15. ^ Hariharananda, pp. 107, 90
  16. ↑ Hariharananda, pp. 64, 67, 97, 107
  17. ↑ Davis, pp. 47-48
  18. ^ Yogananda, p. 115
  19. ↑ Hariharananda, pp. 183-184
  20. ↑ Hariharananda, p. 10
  21. ↑ Yogananda, p. 349
  22. ↑ Sadhguru, Three Truths of Well Being, Penguin Books India, 2014, chap. Kriya: The Classic Action
  23. ↑ https://www.kriya.org/page/initiation/DE
  24. ↑ http://www.yogananda-srf.org/Meditieren_lernen.aspx
  25. ↑ https://www.ishafoundation.org/de/Isha-Kriya/isha-kriya-faq-frequently-asked-questions-isha-foundation.isa Why is this offered online?