Kriya yoga is the form of yoga or yogic posture that is enunciated by the Yoga guru Mahavatar Baba ji. He is a living inspiration for many yogis around the world. There is hardly any yoga expert who is not familiar with the name of this yoga icon in India. The word “kriya” implies action. It also denotes self-realization and the power of performing well. Babaji Nagraj is also a popular devotee of this school of yoga.
Discussing Kriya yoga without a short introduction to its principal proponent, Mahavatar Babaji is unfair. As said, Babaji is like a legend to his disciples throughout the world. There were different revivals and modifications made to kriya yoga. Mahavatar Babaji was a renowned Himalayan yogi who first evolved the techniques of this kind of yoga. Yogi Nagraj can easily share the credit along with him for reviving the practice into common life. Paramhansa Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi popularized this school of yoga for the very first time.
The techniques of yoga are unique with five distinct branches. These branches are Kriya Hatha Yoga, Kriya Kundalini Yoga, Kriya Dhyana Yoga, Kriya Mantra Yoga and Kriya Bhakti Yoga. All of these postures have different objectives and benefits. While some of them consist of asana or yoga postures, others emphasize on meditation. Kriya yoga is a perfect combination for building mental and physical potency. All of the kriya postures are different to perform and their benefits are different in nature. Let’s introduce you to postures generally performed through Kriya yoga:
Hatha Yoga: Hatha yoga includes three types of yoga postures. They are asana or simple postures of relaxation, bandahs or muscular blocks and mudras or psycho-physical gestures. There are 18 postures altogether that create a complete mental as well as a physical harmony.
Kriya Kundalini Yoga: It is basically a power breathing techniques that leads to the awakening of your self-power and realization. This posture is also known as pranayama that mainly involves the breathing controls.
Kriya Dhyana Yoga: Dhyana means meditation. From this you can assume that this posture mainly stresses on the meditating postures. It is for an intellectual awakening of mankind along with the development of the power of self-vision and confidence. It is also an effective stress booster.
Kriya Mantra Yoga: Mantra is a spiritual word or syllable in the Hinduism. People generally chant the name of God while praying in solitude. It is also similar to dhyana that fosters meditation. Mantra yoga does not necessarily have a spiritual connotation. You can develop your power of concentration by dint of this yoga.
Kriya Bhakti Yoga: Bhakti yoga is a facilitator in your path to divine and a unique way to pray the name of the power you worship. Bhakti increases the power to apology and the supreme power of love. This love is something beyond the earthly love restricted within mankind. It is an overall manifestation of love to the universe.
