PART III: AVOIDING FAILURE ON THE SPIRITUAL PATH OF KRIYA

YOGA THREE FUNDAMENTAL ACHIEVEMENTS WITHIN YOUR

REACH
CHAPTER 10
THE BREATHLESS STATE
The purpose of the third part of the book is to deal with key ideas about what is
really effective in makin the Kriya plant flourish at its best! "et us first
introduce the heaven#sent tool of Incremental Routine!
Common patt!n" o# K!$%a p!a&t$&: &a'"" o# t($! #!)'nt #a$*'!
An unvaryin routine that takes always the same amount of time is what is
recommended by all orani$ations! An unvaryin schedule which consists of a
daily practice of the same set of techni%ues& chanin neither their order of
practice nor the number of their repetitions& seems the best way of startin on the
Kriya path! 'e could hardly conceive another solution!
(ften the instruction is iven that once in a week one should practice a
loner routine but there are no clear and univocal instructions about how to
conceive it! 'hen& after many months& all this effort was found ineffective and
the initial enthusiasm ot lost& we received only one uidance) **+our mistake is
that you crave for results! ,e loyal& o ahead for all your life in this way and
accept this situation as a test!**
-opi .rishna wrote how hopeless is the attempt to obtain a full reali$ation of the
potentialities contained in the human body and mind by oin on only in the
traditional way /a few minutes of concentration followin the format of the
commonly#counseled unvaryin routine!0
1!!! the whole kindom is the product of the activity of Prana and the atoms of
matter both combined! 234 5othin would be more ridiculous to suppose that
this combination of Prana and matter which resulted in such marvelous
orani$ations of livin creatures be so flimsy and unstable as to yield readily to
the human will! The impression prevailin in the minds of some people that a
few minutes6 e7ercise of concentration can work miracles in chanin one6s
e7istin level of consciousness 2!!!4 is& therefore& as correct as it would be
suppose that repeated liht hammer#blows dealt to a metal can lead to the release
of atomic enery! An overhaulin of the entire human body is necessary to effect
a radical transformation of consciousness 2!!!4 This is the reason why real success
in +oa is so very rare!1 /-opi .rishna Kundalini: The Secret of Yoga0!
8 never had doubts that one should continue to practice throuh seeminly
unproductive phases! This is what 8 did durin rayish years! 5ow and then 8
succeed in rekindlin my enthusiasm by readin spiritual books& listenin to
taped spiritual talks& etc! Takin part to yearly **convocations** was precious
indeed! All was very ood orani$ed!
19:
However& most kriyabans left! The idea of practicin Kriya daily durin
their entire life because of a promise made at the moment of initiation became a
nihtmare! ;ew knew how to et out of this une7pected situation! They had
reached a standstill where further proress appeared impossible! <ooner or later&
most part of them reached the daner point where interest and passion for Kriya
dissolved completely!
8 reflected a lot about this situation= 8 wasted a lot of time tryin to conceive a
solution! 8 fancied a test that measured our spiritual proress by considerin the
effects of Kriya upon our personality! The encouraement would come by havin
a rouh idea of the distance still to cover! 'e could look at our spiritual oal as
more concrete and down#to#earth! The certitude of a possible lorious end of our
efforts would prevented us from despondency and from yieldin to de>ection!
The idea to measure the condition of our Prana& to verify if our techni%ues
opened the Sushumna channel or stimulated the Omkar e7perience was clearly
unfeasible! The idea suested by the orani$ation that Kriya was a scientific tool
was untenable! 5o& no! 'ere it& we could measure its effect in a lab! And this is
not possible!
8f on the one hand& those students who received Kriya from an
orani$ation ot ahead with a serious effort in daily meditation only for a couple
of years& on the other hand& those who learned Kriya from material found on the
net of from a travelin teacher didn*t even practice for a sinle month?
T( +n$a* $,a o# In&!mnta* Ro't$n
"et us consider now the formidable opportunity of practicin an Incremental
Routine! 'hile followin my third teacher 8 became familiar with this idea!
8n contrast to the previous scheme& an Incremental Routine consists of
usin only one techni%ue& whose number of repetitions is radually increased!
This increase happens once a week for a certain number of weeks /usually @A0
after a minimal use of the basic techni%ues like Maha Mudra and Kriya
Pranayama! The day after the practice you can rest& practice Jaa or nothin at
all! Burin the week you can keep your practice minimal! There is another
scheme in which you have the same number of repetition durin more days in a
week! This is more challenin but the number put as oal is not so reat as the
previous! E7amples of the first scheme is the incremental routine of !a"i Kriya
and Kriya Pranayama that 8 will e7plain in this chapter! The incremental routine
of Thokar is an e7ample of the second scheme!
,oth schemes of practice are very rewardin! This procedure can be
applied to the most part of the Kriya techni%ues! This stratey leads to mastery of
the techni%ue whose number of repetitions is increased! 'e have witnessed
unbelievable results in those who follow this counsel! The completion of an
8ncremental routine has a positive effect on one*s personality& releasin it from
many inner obstacles as well as rescuin from boredom and loss of enthusiasm!
Bo not be offended by the followin comparison between Kriya and sports!
Kriya is not a sport& but in the beinnin staes of Kriya& while applyin its
19A
different psycho#physical techni%ues& it has many points in common with the
essence of athletics! ,oth shun the employment of brute force& and both re%uire
oals and the dilient channelin of one*s strenth to achieve them! ,oth also
re%uire analy$in and evaluatin one*s performance to learn from the e7perience!
5ow& what happens in athletics ives us a ood e7ample of how to
proress! Athletes who wish to achieve world class performance must somehow
increase the intensity and the %uality of their practice! (nly throuh short
intensive interval trainin sessions where they push their physical and mental
endurance beyond their normal levels& will they succeed in accomplishin
otherwise unachievable levels of performance! This is a 1law1 no one escapes!
'hen the earnestness of the student is un%uestionable& it is wise therefore to
e7plain them what an Incremental Routine is! The counsel to start with a simple
one should be iven without linerin or investiatin too much! Burin this
process& if we want that the student e7periences the breathless state& the best idea
is to convince himCher to start Jaa! (ften the breathless state flourish in their
life chanin it forever! 8n this chapter we shall discuss how this can be don in
practice!
Dnfortunately many 1meditation counselors1 have never been e7posed to
this! How many times& in fact& when we complained about a period of absolute
aridity& they come up with the necessity of loyalty? How many times were we
told outlandish stories about that loyal kriyaban who had his first intense spiritual
e7perience only on his death bed? 1A loyal disciple doesn*t lament workin for
years or for an entire life without ettin any result?1 was the reproach! 8t would
be so simple counselin us an incremental routine) the positive chane would be
immediate!
I- In&!mnta* Ro't$n o# Na.$ K!$%a
Here is an e7ample of the very words we can use to introduce a student to an
easy but very important Incremental Routine)
1(n <aturdays E or on any free day E after a short practice of Talabya
Kriya& Maha Mudra and Kriya Pranayama& practice F sets of !a"i Kriya# thus
doublin the number of the usual 9 scheduled repetitions! As usual& complete
your routine with mental Pranayama! The followin day& you can take a break
from all Kriya practices and you can ive your mind the balm of a lon& tran%uil
Jaa$ ;or the ne7t few days& resume the oriinal standard routine!
(n the followin <aturday& practice @ times the normal number of !a"i
Kriya& i!e! 1G sets! (f course& this is always to be done within the framework of
Talabya# Maha Mudra!!! finish with mental Pranayama$ 8f possible take a lon
walk in the evenin to calm the deep reions of your psyche! The followin day
rest by doin >ust Jaa and o for a walk!!! After one week& or two if you wish&
practice 1A sets of !a"i Kriya!!!! and so on !!!! G0& G9!!!up to F0 sets& which is G0
times the oriinal recommended number!
The increase of this delicate Kriya techni%ue should be radual! 8f you try
to outsmart the process and perform too many repetitions all at once& nothin
will come of it because the inner channels close up! (ur inner obstacles cannot
19H
be removed in one day= our inner force is not stron enouh to dissolve them!
This internal power is initially weak and must be enhanced week after week!
;urthermore& this process should be incorporated within a reular active life!
8t is up to you to make your practice days as pleasant as possible! 8t is
advisable to break these lon sessions into two parts E to be completed before
oin to bed! +ou can conclude each part by lyin on your back /Sa"asana: the
corpse pose0 on a mat for a couple of minutes! +ou may complete the first part
unhurriedly in the mornin& carefully respectin every detail! 8n the afternoon&
after a liht meal and a little nap& it is fine to o out& find a pleasant place to sit&
and then reserve some time to contemplate nature! Then you can complete the
remainin prearraned number of repetitions& absorbed in your practice and
perfectly at ease! +ou will see how the effects increase as dayliht approaches
twiliht!
8f you always practice in your room& arrane to have a tran%uil walk in the
evenin! Everythin will proceed harmoniously and the benediction of blissful
silence will unfailinly visit you!**
8t is possible to choose any variation of !a"i Kriya& but the best is surely the
second variation described in chapter I /**%oming do&n through four
directions**0! 8t rivets the attention in a way the basic form cannot$ 8ts smooth
shiftin of enery alon the circumference of the head has an unparalleled effect!
As for this variation& since one set consists of @A descents of enery& preceded
and followed by chantin Om in the %hakras& the process beins with @A 7 G
descents! The ne7t steps are) @A 7 @& @A 7 9!!!!& @A 7 1I& @A 7 G0! 8t has been
e7perimentally proven that there is no need to o beyond @A 7 G0 repetitions!
As for this variation& it happens that after the first half hour the head
movements are hardly noticeable! 8n other words& the forward& backward& and
sideways movement of the chin is reduced to a couple of millimeters?
E##&t" o# t( In&!mnta* Ro't$n o# Na.$ K!$%a
A ood effect of this practice is a strikin increase in mental clarity& probably due
to the stron action on the third %hakra which overns the thinkin process! A
more calibrated& precise and clear loical process rises from a more efficient
synery between thouhts and emotions! 8ntuition flows unimpeded when
important decisions are to be made!
Dnfortunately& traits of hardness miht appear sometimes in your temperament!
+ou will find yourself utterin statements that others find offensive and cuttin
but that for you& in that moment& are the e7pression of sincerity! Althouh
sustained by a luminous internal intuition& you miht hurt friends throuh your
words and only hours later& bein alone and detached& notice how those words
were inappropriate!
To understand the reason for this problem& let us look into the meanin of
**crossin** the knot of the navel! /!a"i Kriya is done primarily for this reason and
secondarily to unite Prana and 'ana and attract them into the spine!0 8t is
e7plained that the cuttin of the umbilical cord at birth splits a uni%ue reality into
19F
two parts) the spiritual and the material! The spiritual& which manifests as >oy and
calmness& establishes itself in the hiher %hakras and in the head= the material
establishes itself in the lower %hakras! That rupture between matter and spirit
inside each human is a permanent source of e7cruciatin conflicts in the lives of
many spiritual searchers! Throuh this Incremental Routine and throuh
conscious effort towards harmony between the two dimensions of <pirit and
matter in our daily lives& the healin of this rupture takes place! Althouh the
healin is harmonious& visible manifestations can be interpreted neatively by
others& often due to a kriyaban*s newly ac%uired confidence and conviction that
may appear to be stubbornness or domatism! The personality of a kriyaban is
destined to be ideally collected around a central point and all inner conflicts
healed! The effects are perceived inwardly and observed clearly in one*s
practical life! (ne feels an inward order settlin= each action seems as if it were
surrounded by a halo of calmness and headed straiht for the oal! 8t reminds
me of Ahab in 1Joby Bick1 by Herman Jelville)
1<werve meK ye cannot swerve me& 3 The path to my fi7ed purpose is
laid with iron rails& whereon my soul is rooved to run! 3 5auht*s an obstacle&
nauht*s an anle to the iron way?1
'e can conceive different 8ncremental Routines but we must remark a more
eneral principle) each Kriya techni%ue practiced in an intensive way& will arouse
specific effects E perceived in particular the ne7t day followin the practice E
that can be disturbin! 8 mean moods& fancies& memories and suddenly#arisin
desires !!!& which are a clue that a cleansin process is happenin in one*s
subconscious mind! Kriyabans should be familiar with the basic laws of the
human psyche! Couplin an 8ncremental Routine& to be practiced once a week&
with the daily practice of a simple Kriya routine has within itself an e%uilibratin
mechanism that will help them to et throuh no matter which alternatin mood!
However there could be situations such as the anuished feelin of bein
overwhelmed by a sudden storm of increasinly dark pessimism& in which
kriyabans should sense if it is necessary to stop their practice for a few weeks!
After the pause& the 1warrior1 in them will return to the battlefield ready to brin
this wonderful work to fruition!
A last point is this) when you are first ettin used to this delicate process you
miht feel some tension and doubt you are proressin! +ou miht decide to
abandon this practice on the prete7t that it is not fit for your physioloy! Contrary
to what one miht think& the effects E spiritual revelations throuh intuitive
discernment and temperamental transformations E can be indeed epochal! Those
who o ahead without fear are astonished at the effects on their psyche!
This practice can help a kriyaban to face some important and decisive
challenes that life brins before them! (ften kriyabans understand the necessity
of run after somethin that seems impossible! They miht nurture a passion for
somethin that appears as an utopia& a thin which is absurd to the common
reasonin! 'ell& the 8ncremental Routines can provide the eneretic potential
necessary to achieve that ideal!
19I
II- In&!mnta* Ro't$n o# K!$%a P!ana%ama
After some months /when the previous Incremental Routine of !a"i Kriya is
completed or at least half completed0& the kriyaban can bein a parallel process
usin the techni%ue of Kriya Pranayama and increasin it radually$ @A 7 G& @A
7 @& up to @A 7 G0 Kriya Pranayamas is a very ood plan= G9 7 G& G9 7 @&3!!G9 7
G9 is lihter but also ood! Practice in se%uence the three phases of Kriya
Pranayama# abidin by what is said in Chapter A! 'hen the practice is broken
into two or three parts E for e7ample between mornin and afternoon E you
always start from phase 1& then introduce phase G and then phase @!
8 have learned to respect all Kriya schools& but 8 will tell you now that when 8
tried to increase the number of Kriya Pranayama that 8 was tauht to perform in
my first school& after A0 repetitions of Kriya Pranayama 8 developed so much
nervousness that 8 couldn*t remain sittin! 5ow& with my new Kriya Pranayama
/closed mouth& partly with Kechari and partly without& and mentally chantin
Om in each %hakra0 8 neared 1000 Kriya breaths& always dwellin in the most
complete tran%uility!
However& 8 counsel here to move forward prudently& not ivin too
much attention to the riht lenth for each breath! Burin this process
/Incremental Routine0 it is absolutely necessary to follow nature& respectin the
rhythm of the breath suited to one*s own constitution! 8f you feel that your breath
is too short& don*t worry about it? +ou will have plenty of time in the future to
lenthen it! ;urthermore& when more than a 100 breaths are practiced& it is wise
to make use of the 1G letter Mantra 1Om !amo (hagabate )asude"aya1 /Om !a
Mo (ha *a (a comin up and Te )a Su +e )a Ya comin down0& which does not
mean to apply all the subtle details of Omkar Pranayama but simply to utili$e
that beautiful Mantra! Burin each stae of the process it is important to keep a
slender thread of breath up to the completion of the prescribed number! 8n other
words& the process should never become purely mental!
Remarks about the Incremental Routine of Kriya Pranayama
Burin the Kriya Pranayama enery cannot flow within Sushumna! "et us
visuali$e the section of the spine as the section of an onion) there are many
layers! Burin Kriya Pranayama we start by movin the Prana alon the
e7ternal layers of the spine! <lowly& we wear out one layer after the other until!!!!
until somethin happens in Sushumna and 3 and we are lost in the impression of
bein in heaven!
'ith a ood practice of Kriya Pranayama& the real sound of Om appears
uidin the soul to travel throuh the spine& contactin the Bivine "iht in the
upper part of the head! The third part of Kriya Pranayama works like a
formidable pull that draws the enery upwards! 8f the third part of Kriya
Pranayama is repeated for a proper number of times& then Prana enters
Sushumna and the e7perience of the **bell** in 'nahata chanes into the sound of
1:0
**many waters!** The perception of the <piritual "iht absorbs your attention! The
couplin of this "iht with that of the Omkar <ound is an enchantin! ,e ready
to become absorbed in a most sweet e7perience!
,ut don*t be upset if on some occasions this routine becomes an
e7traordinary >ourney in your memory! 8t happens indeed that by focusin your
attention on the %hakras you obtain a particular effect) the inner screen of your
awareness beins to display a lot of imaes! This is a physioloical fact! 8 have
reasons to suspect that those who affirm they are e7empt from such phenomenon&
it is because they do not have enouh lucidity to notice it! The %hakras are like
>ewel bo7es containin the memory of our whole life and they ive rise to the full
splendor of lost reminiscences! The essence of past events /the beauty contained
in them and never fully appreciated0 is lived aain in the %uiet pleasure of
contemplation while& sometimes& your heart is pervaded by a restrained cry! 8t is a
revelation) the liht of the <pirit seems to twinkle in what seemed to be trite
moments of your life!
And& finally& let me reply to an obvious ob>ection) **'hy should one practice the
8ncremental Routine of !a"i Kriya before that of Kriya PranayamaK 8n the
standard routine Kriya Pranayama comes firstK 'ell& the reason of our choice is
that !a"i Kriya creates that solidity that permits to practice such a challenin
procedure such as the 8ncremental Routine of Kriya Pranayama!
'nother remark
Burin this very delicate period& you can practice !adi Sodhana Pranayama
both durin your week and especially before startin the lon session of Kriya
Pranayama! +ou can take advantae of this useful techni%ue althouh it is not
part of Kriya Yoga! As 8 have already pointed out& !adi Sodhana Pranayama is
far more important than e7pert kriyabans are willin to admit! 8ts practice should
always be coupled with the basic techni%ues of Kriya Yoga! Thanks to it& a
beinner receives a dramatic transformation E many important patterns of enery
imbalance disappear! 'ithout this balancin action it is not easy to achieve a
&atchful but eaceful alertness# which is the basis itself of the Kriya meditative
state! 8t is a common e7perience that after a lon practice of !adi Sodhana
without addin any other techni%ue you enter a natural meditative state!
III- In&!mnta* Ro't$n o# t( E*mnta!% #o!m o# T(o/a!
This third Incremental Routine has a value beyond words! The incremental
scheme is different from the two previous routines! 'e have already hinted at it
in Chapter H! <tartin from 1G& a kriyaban adds si7 repetitions per week! The
fi7ed ma7imum of repetitions is G00!
"et us clarify what it means **addin si7 repetitions per week!** Burin the
first week practice 1G repetitions each day! Then consider the practice of 1F
repetitions each day E but& if there are problems& practice this techni%ue every
other day! The third week you can practice G9 repetitions on alternate days! 8t is
not necessary to practice every day= rather it is wise to work three days a week
1:1
on the averae! 'hen you reach a consistent number of repetitions /more that
A00 the effects are very stron! Therefore be very careful! At the end of all the
process& do not practice more than G00 repetitions! A ood way of closin each
lon session of Thokar is to practice (hastrika Pranayama$
The classic techni%ue of (hastrika Pranayama can be utili$ed to uide the
Prana& which tends to be dispersed in the body& into the dorsal reion& around the
fourth %hakra!
+ou know that (hastrika consists in forced rapid deep breathin& done
with the diaphram only! After a moderate number of breaths& a peaceful
Kumbhaka follows! 'ell& this techni%ue can be utili$ed in a tareted way) durin
each phase of it& the focus is always on the heart %hakra!
+ou breath throuh the nose& about one complete breath per second& bein
aware of what is happenin in the spine! +ou can bein with si7 repetitions! ,y
focusin behind the heart %hakra& you feel the enery oscillatin appro7imately
@ centimeters below and above it! 8t is like cleanin viorously the area behind
this %hakra! +ou will feel warm in that reion! Then you inhale deeply& hold
your breath and feel the warm sensation increasin there! E7hale intensifyin that
sensation! 8ncrease radually the repetitions of this techni%ue!
+ou can also add a simple variation! Burin inhalation feel the Prana in
the left part of the body movin and blendin with the Prana in the riht part of
the body! Burin e7halation feel the Prana in the riht part of the body movin
and blendin with the Prana in the left part of the body! Repeat two more times!
Then inhale feelin 'ana in the lower part of the body movin and blendin
with Prana in chest and neck reion! E7hale feelin Prana in chest and neck
reion movin and blendin with 'ana in the lower part of the body! Repeat
two more times! -o ahead with this @L@ scheme! At the end you will see that the
body is rela7ed and the enery is in the heart Chakra0
No0 $t $" n&""a!% to "ta!t t( p!a&t$& o# 1apa
8n the first part of this book 8 have already introduced Jaa! 8 am settin out to
take back the discourse of Jaa in a more systematic way! This is necessary
because the ne7t incremental routine has somethin to do with it!
How many people are there who have started and then iven up the
practice of ThokarK A reat number indeed? Part of them received Thokar
without a reliable e7planation of the value that similar procedure has& assumin
that it is only a strane procedure that ive problems with the cervical vertebrae&
they dropped its practice after some initial attempts! (ften they hide their defeat
by enactin the part of the humble devotee affirmin that for them the ,irst
Kriya techni%ues were enouh! 8f you dare to speak frankly& hintin at the value
of Thokar& addin that their attitude prevents them from en>oyin a reat treasure&
they are unable to appreciate your friendly& honest remark and react as if you
were only ve7in them!
There is no remedy to come out from this poor awkward situation! Perhaps the
1:G
reason for their incomprehensible attitude is the fact that they were not
introduced to the importance of +e"otional Prayer -Jaa. which is the
foundation of any authentic spiritual path!
5owadays& some incomprehension e7ists with respect to the practice of
+e"otional Prayer! ;or many devotees Prayer is E with rare e7ceptions E a plea
to -od with the purpose of obtainin somethin necessary to our material
e7istence! The term Jaa does not suffer of this ambiuity! There is no doubt that
Jaa is non a plea! 8t is defined as the repetition of a formula which embodies
our intent of worship and surrender to -od!
An e7ample of such a Prayer is **Om !amo (haga"ate )asude"aya**
tauht by "ahiri Jahasaya= or **Sri Ram Jay Ram Jay Jay Ram Om** recited by
<wami Ramdas durin all his life!
The /esychast movement utili$es a Prayer like) **Kyrie Iesou %hriste# Yie
tou Theou# 0leison me ton amartalon** 2"ord Mesus Christ& son of -od& have
mercy on me& a sinner!4
8 am firmly convinced that those who went to "ahiri Jahasaya already practiced
Jaa# probably for substantial part of their life! To them Kriya Yoga didn*t
represent somethin totally new but was a -od sent improvement of what they
were already practicin& in which they had already poured their soul! ;or them
the lofty procedure of Thokar was the best introduction to the lofty achievement
of the Prayer of the heart! The saw immediately this and reali$ed the
e7traordinary value of Thokar$
8n my opinion& kriyabans can brin their Sadhana to full splendor only by
enthusiastically adoptin Jaa as a daily habit! A mind absorbed in the aspiration
toward the Bivine by the daily practice of the +e"otional Prayer can create the
best ambient to practice Thokar at the ma7imum of its intensity!
8ndeed& outside the mental silence induced by Jaa& the whole set of the
Kriya techni%ues risks to become only a toy with which to e7periment& to be
e7alted throuh it and then let all disinterate by lack of enuine aspiration
toward the Bivine!
8f you start to add to your reular Kriya routine the practice of
%ontemlati"e Prayer& this not too demandin effort& will chane your life!
Choose a Mantra /Prayer0 that appeals to you! Bon*t feel oblied to use "ahiri
Jahasaya*s favored )asude"a Mantra /1Om !amo (haga"ate )asude"aya1!0 +ou
can& >ust to ive you an idea& choose one from your favorite set of prayers& one
that has /by addin& if necessary& Om or 'men at the beinnin or at the end0
twelve syllables! Twelve is a perfect number because you can utili$e it durin
Kriya Pranayama& placin each of its syllables in a different %hakra! ,eautiful
twelve syllables Mantra can be taken out of (ha1ans or poems! As an e7ample&
from the well#known Adi <hankara*s chant you can select the beautiful 1G#
syllable verse) %hi2da2nan2da2ru2ah2shi2"o2ham2shi2"o2ham 2That ;orm which
is pure consciousness and bliss& 8 am that supreme ,ein& 8 am that supreme
,ein?4
1:@
(ne thin should be stated ob>ectively) +(DR Mantra should e7press or
evoke e7actly what +(D want to achieve and embody the attitude you want to
e7press! ;or e7ample& the attitude of surrender is e7pressed by Mantras
beinnin with Om !amo !!! other Mantras miht e7press the absolute non#dual
reali$ation& and so on! <ometimes& the meanin is not as important as havin in
one6s heart the e7ample of a dear saint who used it! ,ut this is effective only if
you really love that saint!
+our chosen Mantra should have both a stron and a soft tone! 8t is
important to relish it! 1<tron tone1 means that it is incompatible with an attitude
of resined complaint& rather it implies the happiness that you are attractin
throuh the very repetition of its syllables!
8n literature you will see how very beautiful Mantras have been built!
Here you have the Krishna Mantra) Om Klim Krishnaya *o"indaya *oi21ana
)allabhaya S&aha$ Here you have the +urga /Bivine Jother0 Mantra) Om /rim
+hum +urgaye !amaha$$$$
<ome /esychasts use only 1Kyrie 0leison1! 0leison can be translated as)
1be your embrace upon me& turn yourself to me!** +ou can appreciate how the
sound 0leison seems to melt with the sound of the Om! 'hat is important to
understand is that the chosen Prayer should be able to stimulate your devotion& to
unify all your bein around the practice!
8f you study a little bit the concept of (i1a Mantra# you can fore for
yourself a wonderful Mantra! To a pre e7istent Mantra& after the initial Om& your
teacher can add some 1(i1a1 /seed0 Mantras like) Aim& BNm& -am& -lamu&
-lom& Haum& Hoom& Hreem& Hrom& .leem& .reem& <hreem& <treem& Oan& 3
These sounds were chosen by ancient yogis# who felt their beauty and
liked their vibration! They were not iven by a divinity& they are a human
discovery! These seed Mantras have no meanin but can enrich a Mantra who
has a meanin! Read your mood& feel your emotions after an intense practice of a
Mantra& don*t choose a Mantra only because certain literature e7tolls its power!
8 hope you are not so naive to believe that a Mantra works only if it is
received from a ***uru!** Certainly if you want to lihten your portfolio then race
to a teacher and buy your personal Mantra!
5aturally in certain occasions havin a teacher is >ustified! 'hen an
e7perienced person helps you to choose a Mantra and uses everythin in his
power of persuasion to convince you to apply it continually& this persons does
you the reatest of all the favors and is correct to compensate him= but that*s all?
8n order that the teachin of the Jaa is understood without misinterpretation& let
us describe a simple way for practicin it! 'hen you have found your Mantra&
resolve to complete daily at least one Mala /a rosary of 10F beads0 of it aloud!
Pronounce its syllables with serene attitude! "earn to resonate it in your mouth&
chest and head areas!
1

1
A teacher was adamant about the fact that a Mantra should be pronounced only mentally! 8 tried to
follow his counsel and it didn*t work! After various months 8 was fed up with my useless attempt) 8
dared to chant it vocally on my Mala! ,efore completin my 10F repetitions& a sprin of happiness
and mirth ushed from my heart!
1:9
'hen you have completed the 10F repetitions& close your mouth and let
Jaa o ahead mentally and& as it always happens& effortlessly in the backround
of your awareness! 'hen it is possible& take back the vocal practice of Jaa in
the ne7t hours! ;oret the meanin of the words but feel the protective shell of
tanible peace surroundin you! 8 am not recommendin to adopt a particular
visuali$ation but to increase the capacity of perceivin what is around you! This
re%uires additional time& time free from work and from social contacts! Practice
this every day and the results will not be delayed!
,e sensitive to the vibration that your Mantra arouses in the body and
heart! <ome make an unfortunate choice& throuh which they seem to punish
themselves! They affirm their limits and unworthiness! After a short time& their
practice falls apart= sometimes they find themselves repeatin it once or twice
durin the day& like a sih of de>ection! This has nothin to do with what we are
describin here!
<ometimes you miht have a hard time oin ahead with your Jaa! +ou miht
slip in a state of despondency and face the specter of doubt cast upon you by the
idea that Jaa is a **poor** practice& that there are plenty of other ways to foster
spiritual evolution& much more respectable than parrotin aain and aain the
same sentence! Resist the temptation of believin that your practice is hypnotic&
that it makes your mind di$$y? Commit yourself to Jaa with a stroner will to
knock down the wall that life has placed before you! ,elieve in the power or
your Mantra and o ahead repeatin it until you emere in the vast dimension of
a peace which you have never e7perienced before!
Consider "ahiri Jahasaya*s motto 1(anat# (anat# ban 1ay?1 /doin and doin&
one day it is done?0 At first this sentence will ive you the idea of one who&
without ever losin heart& oes all out to reach the peak of a hih mountain! The
peak to sei$e hold after a life lon effort is that particular state of consciousness
of which you have always read& called **Self2 Reali3ation**! 8n time you will
consider another perspective on the meanin of the intensive effort re%uired to
follow a spiritual path! +ou will reali$e that a very sound healthy way of
enain in somethin of permanent value consists in removin the obstacles
created by the mind= when this had been done& the spiritual dimension would
manifest naturally& without further effort on your behalf! This idea rabs you
firmly and it will be a mercy that you cultivate it and e7pand it to every facet of
your life! +ou will e7perience that the necessary action to start the cleanin
process /removin all obstacles0 consists in creatin the state of Mental Silence
and holdin onto it durin the activities of daily livin! 'hat 8 can say to you
1::
now& somethin 8 firmly believe& is that the best and surest way to achieve and to
maintain the state of Mental Silence is Jaa! 5ow& when you will decide to
practice Jaa every day& somethin of enormous importance happens then) the
breathlessness state& helped also by Kriya Yoga especially the incremental
routines& will spill an unparalleled e7perience of divine bliss into your bein!
8n books we seek -od& in Prayer we find him! Prayer is the key which opens
-od*s heart!
/Padre Pio of Pietrelcina0
IV- In&!mnta* Ro't$n o# t( A,.an&, Fo!m o# T(o/a!
'e understand that this process is an authentic challene and beinnin it is an
act of courae& a mature act of trust in Kriya and in oneself& a decision that
should only be inspired by one*s intuition!
As for a possible Incremental Routine of the 'd"anced form of Thokar# it
is ok to start from 1G rotations& but it is not possible to tell which is the best
weekly increment!
Those who have achieved the breathless state& and are able to effortlessly
hold the breath durin this practice& are not keen to follow any other cautionary
warnin about the number of rotations to be practiced! Anyone who succeeds in
that form of Thokar usually doesn*t have the patience to radually increase the
number of the rotations!
Jy suestion therefore is to start followin the counsels iven in chapter
H /study what we we have written about the Re"ersed (reathing0 and stop when
you feel discomfort! Then choose a reasonable increment that maintains the same
comfortable sensation! 8t is important to produce& at the end or our practice& a
sweet rela7ation!
Effects of the Incremental Routines of Thokar (III and IV)
'hile you are occupied in practicin these incremental routines& important
e7periences occur! After this once#in#a#lifetime e7perience& a person seems
1older1 in wisdom and temperament& as if several decades had passed! +ou have
the feelin that entire eons have passed and you have achieved somethin
permanent!
Perhaps the most visible effect is that you develop the %uality of a self#
teacher! 8n the days followin lon session of practice& you have a deeper
understandin of the nucleus of the involved techni%ues! The essential core of
the procedure& deprived of any embellishment& appears as somethin fi7ed&
definite& inevitable E somethin that could not but be that way! +ou will receive
important clues) certain details of the techni%ue will appear as wearisome and
prove useless= other aspects will reveal all their power and this will be felt by
you very clearly!
At the very beinnin of the Kriya path& it is okay to put a certain amount
of trust in a school or in a teacher& but subse%uently& you have to trust your own
e7perience and intuition! Jany kriyabans bein their path as ullible persons&
1:A
ready to be cheated! The incremental routines help to replaced that infantilism of
hanin on 1authori$ed1 teachers* every word with an ob>ective estimate of the
effects of each techni%ue! 8f you are unsure of yourself and of your practice& if
you are not able to cast all doubts away& try to read with ob>ectivity the obtained
results and discover how you are becomin& day by day& acutely and intelliently
creative! ,e surprised to discover how the idea of submittin your practice to
review by some Kriya authority does not even enter your mind!
(f e7treme importance is the fact that you have started to develop the ability to
keep your emotions at bay E 8 mean superficial emotions E in such a way that
only deep sentiments will uide your decisions! **Emotional Jaturity1 means
havin a healthy relationship with reality& means mental health& means practical
wisdom! This fact is serious and tremendously important! 'e cannot conceive
how a kriyaban who hasn*t developed this faculty can **survive** on the Kriya
path! 8t is difficult to remain faithful to the Kriya path when neative& depressive
emotions can suddenly make your trust in Kriya disinterate& fall to pieces?
8 feel certain that& if a kriyaban is not able /8 mean they have not the
capacity0 to complete at least one incremental routine of a basic Kriya techni%ue&
they will always be on the vere of losin everythin they have reali$ed!
8 have tried to retrace the theme **emotions** in some oriental books and have
found so much rhetoric& too many words without practical meanin! They
distinuish between positive /affection& happiness& contentment!!!0 and neative
/envy& aressiveness& illusion !!!0 emotions& but at the end of borin discussions
you still have not rasped the essential fact) untamed emotions can create
disaster in one*s life! 'e are overned by superficial emotions and instincts that
include our reliious conditionin& our weak points& our fears& our doubts and our
pessimism! 8t is important to have the ability to keep emotions at bay& oin our
way even when all the world and even our closest friends are tryin to convince
us to follow theirs!
'e all know how frantic and hysterical emotions often rise une7pectedly
from one*s inner self& then disappear after a while! They actually e7press a reality
devoid of authentic depth but their propulsive action inevitably results in hurried
acts accompanied by a sort of cerebral fever& nourished by a narrow& visceral
pleasure! 'hen passion inflames one*s whole bein& it is not possible to be
uided by common sense= the conse%uence is that our deeper and most earnest
choices sometimes withdraw to an irrevocable halt!
Must as durin the summer hail stones are molded& condensed and enlared
in the air before fallin down to the earth and cause disasters& fatal decisions take
shape in advance in one*s imaination! Burin daily& fre%uent daydreams& the
perspective of renouncin somethin positive which re%uires a reat
commitment throws a false liht upon our immediate future& so that what in the
past would appear as an act of cowardice& now seems to litter at the hori$on of
our life& like a dull& flat& somber sky that suddenly lihts up& serene& in luminous
a$ure blue! 'hen we listen to such allurin emotions& we pave the way for our
doom! A wron decision may become our crucifi7ion& our covenant with
1:H
unhappiness& with a state of inner misery that will last a lifetime!
And lo& some put aside Kriya Yoga forever& while others interrupt a course
of studies and throw away a profession they had been dreamin for years for
which they had fouht and suffered! They do the same with a beloved& with
friends& with their family itself! 5othin can stop them) the wise words of people
near them have no power anymore! An indomitable internal strenth wants to
produce sheer calamity in their life! <ometimes we have the idea that a person
wants only one thin) to affirm with stubbornness his 1right to ain and
suffering1 E the last is an e7pression of the Mother# main disciple and companion
of Sri 'urobindo!
The destructive effects of yieldin to this force remind those of an asteroid
fallin throuh the atmosphere on its way to fire and destruction! <o& there is a
reasonable hope that the completion of the 8ncremental Routines save one from
bein a victim of this havoc& havin built an almost automatic refle7 of not bein
influenced or uided by frantic emotions!
The most important effect: mastering the breathless state
The breathless state is the true 8nitiation into the <piritual Path of Kriya Yoga$
The impact of this e7perience means far more than the words can convey!
,reathlessness does not mean that the breathin process becomes very %uiet! The
breathless state is characteri$ed by the fact that the breath is entirely non#e7istent
for lon& lon times E times that are considered impossible by scientific
knowlede! Dnfortunately it cannot be foreseen e7actly in which moment such
state will be reached! 8n my opinion one needs on the averae two to three years
of reular practice of the ,irst Kriya techni%ues! The two above#introduced
8ncremental Routines of Thokar /especially when coupled with intensive practice
of Jaa0 are the ultimate decisive push!
(ne think is needful) to follow a wise& rational routine! ;or this reason let me
conclude with some counsel)
<tart ,irst Kriya as usual) Maha Mudra& Talabya& !a"i Kriya& Kriya Pranayama
in three parts& a small practice of Thokar /Elementary or Advanced) five minutes
are enouh0& (hastrika with focus on the heart /if you don*t like (hastrika
practice 1G rounds of Omkar Pranayama!0 Then en>oy one round of Kriya
Pranayama &ith short breath and finally ive all your effort in reachin the
breathless state durin mental Pranayama! A ood sinal you are very close to
the breathless state& is when you reali$e that a fresh enery sustains your body
from inside! ,y oin up and down the %hakras always feelin this fresh enery&
the breath calms down and disappears!
8 ive you a useful tip!
Bo you remember the practice of Micro Thokar /see the last part of Chapter H!0K
Havin completed the 8ncremental Routine of Thokar& the Micro Thokar in each
%hakra accompanied by the syllables Te )a Su ives you the power to achieve
the breathless state durin the practice of Kriya Pranayama &ith short breath
1:F
without movin to mental Pranayama! Remember that the chantin of **<u** in the
center of each %hakra should producin a precise ecstatic sensation!
'ell& the procedure is this)
;ocus your attention on the Muladhara %hakra! Oibrate /think with emphasis0
1Te )a Su1 in Muladhara! Bo it once! Try to feel that 1Te )a Su1 creates an
oscillatory movement inside Muladhara! 'hen it becomes natural to have a very
short inhalation& inhale only what is necessary& pause an instant and concentrate
on the second %hakra$ Hold the breath ently and vibrate 1Te )a Su1 in the
second %hakra! E7hale when you feel like e7halin& concentrate on Muladhara#
vibrate 4Te )a Su4 there! 'hen it becomes natural to have a very short inhalation&
inhale only what is necessary& pause an instant and concentrate on the third
%hakra! Hold the breath ently and vibrate 1Te )a Su1 in the third %hakra!
E7hale when you feel like e7halin& concentrate on Muladhara# vibrate 4Te )a
Su4 there!
-o on like that& repeatin the procedure between Muladhara and the
fourth %hakra5 Muladhara and fifth %hakra5 Muladhara 6 (indu5 Muladhara 6
Medulla5 Muladhara 6 fifth %hakra5 Muladhara 6 fourth %hakra5 Muladhara 6
third %hakra5 Muladhara 6 second %hakra! As you see& one cycle is made of 10
short breaths! Repeat more than one cycle& increasin your concentration until
your breath is almost none7istent! Pause in 'nahata %hakra& repeatin there 1Te
)a Su1 many& many times& until you perceive liht both in 'nahata %hakra and in
the point between the eyebrows! This is the best condition to reali$e the
breathless state! (ne day you will be able to stop the breath and any movement
in the body= it will be like a miracle!

15o me pidPis %ue lo e7pli%ue! Teno el fueo en las manos1
/*arcia 7orca0
'hen the breathless state finally appears& the state or peace becomes solid!
The best idea of what you will e7perience is the followin)
The wind dies down&
the waves disappear&
the ocean becomes calm!
8n the evenin the flower closes&
people leave=
then the peace of the mountain becomes deep!
/from a oem by Taisen +eshimaru Roshi0
1:I
CHAPTER 11
THE PRAYER OF THE HEART

The breathless state& no matter how lofty and important& is not the final oal of
our spiritual >ourney! 8t embodies the Third Kriya Ste which opens the knot of
the coccy7! The ,ourth Kriya Ste marks the true& complete& final openin of the
knot of the heart& which perfects all the previous steps definitively& leadin to the
pulse#less state and therefore to the Samadhi state!
8f& after havin en>oyed for a certain period of time the breathless state&
you don*t decide to move forward E even slowly and with the correct attitude E
toward the last step of Kriya# you risk losin everythin!
As strane as it may sound& the strenth of your enthusiastic reaction to
your attainment can manify the sense of trust in your abilities! Jany pro>ects
that seemed impossible or difficult to be reali$ed in the practical life& may now
appear approachable and attainable! +ou are confident you can easily handle any
circumstance& tackle any challene that you lost so lon ao! +ou start an
enthusiastic action that occupies your time and drains your eneries without you
even knowin it! 8t brins you out of the spine& out of your tunin with the
heavenly Omkar dimension! 8t makes you nelect the daily appointment with the
breathlessness state& which is vital& and& conse%uently& disreard your duty to
deepen this state and to en>oy if for loner times!
+ou act as if the breathless state were a stable attainment& somethin that
nobody could et away from you! +ou end up complicatin your life to paro7ysm
and& even if you are potentially able to reach a deep meditation state& you end up
avoidin it! Therefore even if you consider my description too somber and
pessimistic& please start the last step& en>oyin for the rest of your life the
presence of -od that comes thru the ,ourth Kriya Ste! Enter the olden door of
the true& authentic spiritual path comin into bloom with the supreme e7perience
of the pulse#less state! This is indeed a peak achievement& an effort that usually
last a whole life time!
This chapter is to accompany you durin this last effort! 8 will recommend an
incremental routine with impressive effects& 8 will describe a particular breathin
e7ercise and& finally& 8 will recommend a theme to reflect upon! All this is to
prepare you to the ,ourth Kriya Ste !
2I3
V- In&!mnta* Ro't$n o# P!ana%ama to !a$" Samana $nto t( 4!a$n
Prepare yourself to work hard durin A#10 months! Review the techni%ue
Pranayama to raise Samana into the brain at the beinnin of Chapter F) **8nhale
in three portions!!! (ha!!!!*a!!!!(a!!! contract the abdomen !!! pause 3! e7hale in
three portions!!! Teee$$$$ )a$$$$Su!!! **
1A0
<tart your Kriya routine with Maha Mudra# !adi Sodhana# Kriya Pranayama#
then practice the 'd"anced form of Thokar /with (hastrika Pranayama if you
have the time necessary for this lon practice0 with no more than @A rotations!
G

5ow create an intense focus of enery in the navel throuh the practice of
Kaalabhati Pranayama)
Perform inhalation and e7halation rapidly= e7halation should be done by
contractin the abdominal muscles forcibly and %uickly& resultin in a backward
push! E7halation and inhalation alternate with e%ual lenths and occur about two
times per second! The navel acts as a pump and it*s almost like usin the
abdomen as bellows! The most important point to remember is that inhalation is
passive) as soon as the air is thrown out& the abdominal muscles are rela7ed and
inhalation comes automatically! The sound slihtly resembles blowin one*s
empty nose! Burin each e7pulsion& Prana is sent to the navel ! After 1:#G0 of
these short e7halations& there is a pause and the breath resumes its normal
rhythm! Then practice two more cycles of 1:#G0 short breaths
At this e7act point en>oy the Incremental Routine of Pranayama to raise
Samana into the brain$
8nhale in three portions& vibratin the syllables (ha *a (a 8 while
inhalin& radually build a stron eneretic pressure throuh Mula (andha from
the lower abdomen upwards# liftin the pelvic floor! As you finish your
inhalation& add 9ddiyana (andha and Jalandhara (andha! The chest is rela7ed&
the pressure is upon the navel#Maniura reion /+antian!0 Push down ently
with your diaphram in order to firmly compress the enery brouht down from
above!
The air enery is completely locked in& compressed both from above and
below! -o ahead holdin your breath for at least 1G mental counts increasin
with time as lon as it is comfortable! ;eel warmth increasin and brimmin over
into the surroundin abdominal reion!
5ow& slowly release the tension in the abdomen! <tart a lon& calm
e7halation /in three portions puttin Tee# (a and Su in the related centers0
comin up with your chin! ;eel the pressure of Prana risin ently up the central
channel of the spine to heart %hakra& cervical %hakra and from there& directly to
Sahasrara2,ontanelle!
After ten breaths you will feel that 'nahata %hakra is warm& pervaded by
the internal flame! After about another ten breaths it is the turn of )ishuddha
%hakra to become warm! After another ten breaths& the **fire** melts the 'mrit
/nectar0 in the upper part of your head! This nectar descends down the spine into
the navel reion! 8t travels downwards via the path of the tonue /Kechari
Mudra0& it heals the whole body and oriinates a blissful state! ;rom that moment
onwards you will reali$e that an internal source of fresh enery fills each part of
your body up to a cellular level! The physical breath seems to dissolve!
G
!adi Sodhana coupled with Maha Mudra helps you to obtain the condition where your breath flows
evenly throuh both nostrils! Practice both until you obtain this condition!
1A1
<tart with @A repetitions and increase of 1G each two weeks& until you reach G00
repetitions! This procedure means a tremendous step forward in your spiritual
path!
:hy the re"ious e;ercise is so imortant<
8t is important because the knot of the heart is opened not only by uidin enery
from the head towards the heart %hakra but also by uidin the enery from the
lower %hakras into navel reion and then from the navel reion to the heart
reion and from there into the head! This is the real& definitive cuttin of the
heart knot!
(nly when the state created in +antian ascends into the heart reion& the heart
knot is completely unfastened! 'hen the reion of the heart is run over by the
enery that comes upwards from the +antian a stron e7perience happens! The
body appears as a corpse while the soul discovers the perfect >oy of seein the
infinite ,eauty of the Bivine! (nly then a kriyaban reacts with the authentic
**surrender$** This marks the full openin of the knot of the heart!
8n the last phases of the spiritual path& the navel center /nay all the reion which
in the 8nternal Alchemy& Taoism& is known as +antian0 is very important! This is
a place where one reconi$es the 1note1 that embodies their wish to live in the
physical body! The navel center /the +antian reion0 ive us the splendid
opportunity to reali$e the spiritual dimension even at the subconscious
dimension!
8nternal Alchemy literature is precious! 8n Kriya Yoga books you don*t
find e7pressions like) 1Cultivation of the spiritual embryo1 or 1The birth of the
olden flower1 or 1Comin back to the center!1 These e7pressions ive us a
tremendous inspiration communicatin instantly with a simple imaine& a vast&
solid truth!
8t is true however that in Kriya Yoga books you find e7pressions like) **The
Samadhi state is born in the navel!** ;or those Kriya 'charyas who have
modified the techni%ue of !a"i Kriya& this sentence is surely considered
spurious! There are indeed Acharyas who cannot resist the tendency to remove
from the Kriya Yoga anythin which may seem non yoic! They have altered
!a"i Kriya eliminatin the concentration on the navel& thus reducin the
techni%ue to a pure concentration on the third Chakra! "ahiri Jahasaya wrote
unambiuously about the deep& irreplaceable action of unfastenin the knot of
the navel E not of the Janipur?
Read about the navel in Hesychasm! The followin passae comes from
Philokalia& a collection of Eastern Christian writins! 8n this e7cerpt Pseudo#
<ymeon conveys preparatory instructions for ac%uirin the vision of the Bivine
"iht)
1AG
1Then sit down in a %uite cell& in corner by yourself& and do what 8 tell you!
Close the door& and withdraw your intellect from everythin worthless and
transient! Rest your beard on your chest& and focus your physical a$e& toether
with the whole of your intellect& upon the center of your belly or your navel!
Restrain the drawin#in of breath throuh your nostrils& so as not to breathe
easily& and search inside yourself with your intellect so as to find the place of the
heart& where all the powers of the soul reside! To start with you will find there
darkness and an impenetrable density! "ater& when you persist and practice this
task day and niht& you will find& as thouh miraculously& an unceasin >oy! ;or
as soon as the intellect attains the place of the heart& at once it sees thins of
which it previously knew nothin! 8t sees the open space within the heart and it
beholds itself entirely luminous and full of discrimination! **
5ow you can finally understand what the above#%uoted passae means! 8f you
take care of your navel and complete the afore e7plained 8ncremental Routine& a
whole heaven will be yours!
8n Hesychast literature you can find more hints to the last stae of .riya than in
any modern .riya book! 8n my opinion& one can better understand the whole
edifice of Kriya Yoga by studyin those reliious movements which have left
somethin written about their conception of the %ontemlati"e Prayer and&
especially& the Prayer of the heart!
8n Hesychasm the Prayer of the heart is the Mesus Prayer lead into the
space of the heart and then recited in synchrony with the heart beat! 8n Kriya we
do the same action utili$in another Jantra! 2'e shall take back the discourse on
the Hesychasm in the first appendi7 at the end of the book4
2II3
Pa!t$&'*a! P!ana%ama: ,$""o*.$n+ a** ,'a*$t$" $n t( #o'!t( C(a/!a
"et us consider a simple way to uide Prana into the reion of the heart! (ur
breath /short& calm breath0 moves the syllables of the Jantra (ha *a (a Te )a
Su around the heart %hakra! The syllables are mentally chanted with a devotional
intent& maintainin as much as possible& the awareness of their meanin!
+ou put all the faculties of your soul in this Jantra chantin! Thus the
practice involves the entire human bein) the breath& the enery of the body& the
mind who becomes more and more surrounded by a soverein calmness!
Each of the breathin actions that 8 am oin to describe now lasts G#@ seconds!
Each is accompanied by a particular internal movement of enery! 8nhale
perceivin a hori$ontal movement of enery that from a point at the left /about A
centimeters0 of 'nahata moves toward a symmetrical point on the riht& touchin
'nahata from the back! Burin this movement& mentally chant (ha in the first
point& *a in 'nahata& (a in the point at the riht! E7hale perceivin a hori$ontal
1A@
movement of enery that from the point at the riht of 'nahata moves toward the
startin point on the left& touchin 'nahata from the back! Burin this
movement& mentally chant Te in the point at the riht& )a in 'nahata& Su in the
point at the left!
8nhale perceivin a vertical movement of enery that from a point under
'nahata /about 9 centimeters0 comes up to a symmetrical point over 'nahata&
touchin 'nahata from the back! Burin this movement& mentally chant (ha in
the point under 'nahata& *a in 'nahata& (a in the point over 'nahata! E7hale
perceivin a vertical movement of enery that from the point over 'nahata
moves down toward the point under 'nahata& touchin 'nahata from the back!
Burin this movement& mentally chant Te in the point over 'nahata& )a in
'nahata& Su in the point under 'nahata!
These 9 movements of Prana that draw a cross& cuttin in two different
directions the 'nahata %hakra are one cycle! 10F cycles without hurry are a very
ood practice! -reatly recommended is and 8ncremental Routine of this
techni%ue! (nce a week you can increment what described by half mala until you
reach the 1G mala! 8t is demandin but you have no idea of what happens to your
personality! 8f you abide by this instruction& a whole heaven will be yours! 8 have
had conclusive proof that this practice epitomi$es the most direct way to
straihten one*s path& in the case there are some problems of unbalance! Either
you believe or not& try anyway and you will be struck by the beauty of the
procedure! 8t has the power to convere toward the riht direction whatever effort
you have already done alon the spiritual path!
8t is clear that you can choose another Prayer andCor blend it with the breath in a
different way! +ou can also choose to foret the breath& let it flow freely& and
practicin mentally only! <till better is to start with the breath and then& radually
internali$in the practice& endin with a mental practice! +ou are re%uired only to
perceive in a clear way the flow of enery left#riht#left& under#over#over!
+ou can add another movement of Prana to each **cross**!
After havin completed one cycle as e7plained& you can also move Prana
forward and backward alon an hori$ontal line connectin 'nahata with the
central part of the chest& lihtly touchin the physical heart) you will perceive a
more intense focusin of the awareness around the center of the heart %hakra!
'hat you do is simple) inhale& while mentally chantin (ha in 'nahata&
*a in a middle position crossin the physical heart& (a in a point located in the
central part of the sternum /at the same heiht as 'nahata0! E7hale calmly& while
mentally chantin Te in the point located in the sternum& (a in the physical heart&
Su in 'nahata! (f course now completin 10F cycles re%uires more time!
The procedure is effective because it affects& tryin to dissolve them& all the
dualities that hamper our tunin with the cardiac ple7us! The dualities 8 am
referrin to are) Ida and Pingala /flowin sideways the spine and 'nahata.5
Prana and 'ana /havin their seat over and under 'nahata respectively0! 8n the
variation& you touch the frontal component of 'nahata) the effect is the
1A9
overcomin the innerCouter duality!
There is a more elaborate e7planation which is related with the **spiritual centers**
of subtle enery in the chest as described by some Sufi mystic!
The common knowlede is limited to the heart %hakra& 'nahata which is
connected with the e7perience of oneness with the Bivine Person! There are two
subtle centers& which are structures different from %hakras! The center on the
riht of 'nahata is connected with the individual sense of 8! The e7perience of
our personality brins to consciousness hidden desires& emotions& motivations& as
well as past memories and traumas within one6s individual history! The center on
the the left of 'nahata is connected with the e7periences of Cosmic
Consciousness! This does not mean that when you focus on it you are in a
,lissful state! Cosmic Consciousness is the stae that comes after crossin the
Collective Dnconscious! +ou must first e7perience the darkness contained in the
human heart and althouh it pertains to the universe you will perceive it as your
own E which usually clashes with one6s moral code and one6s <elf#imae!
Practicin the iven techni%ue means make Prayer swin between the
sense of 8 and the oriin of pure consciousness! The e7perience of Dnion can be
accessed throuh this path only! The esoteric e7periences of meditation on those
centers dissolves the consciousness of pure sub>ectivity! Eventually& attention is
reduced into the focus of the <piritual Heart which is the core of 'nahata!
5ow you are ready to practice the ,ourth Kriya techni%ue as described in chapter
F! The point is this) when all the Prana present in the body is condensed around
the fourth Chakra& you synchroni$e the Prayer with the pulse of the heart! +ou
will reali$e that the oscillation of enery and consciousness around 'nahata tends
to collapse in the nucleolus of the fourth %hakra! (ne day you will discover that
the Prayer has entered your heart! An incommensurable -ood is born! The heart
thrills in welcomin that state= you sip the celestial honey of a radiation of
sweetness which annihilates every desire! Every ob>ect will appear transfiured&
physical reality will reveal the indwellin presence of <pirit! The radiance
brouht about by Prayer becomes the old of your first e7perience of the Bivine!
+ou are permeated by a taste of Eternity) <! Teresa of Avila wrote about an
**Endless -oodness!** +ou will feel infinite love blossom in your heart! 8n fear and
>oy& in loneliness and companionship& you will feel this love with you! The
previous procedure is an unparalleled method for approachin this lofty moment!
2III3
Ha!t54!a$n
8t is helpful for each kriyaban and essential for Kriya teachers to study all the
available material about the concept of heart#brain! This miht be decisive to
understand the difficulties of a person which works hard in Kriya with seeminly
neliible results! Perhaps there is only a split between head#brain and heart#
brain! The best thin is to avoid ivin new techni%ues or continuously
1A:
rearranin their routine= probably what they need is to chane their attitude
toward the <piritual Path& toward life and social relationships and toward what
comes from their subconscious mind! Each person needs to rela7 their thinkin
mind and start listenin to their heart#brain!
8t would be hihly recommendable a first study about the ut) our **second
brain!** Actually& we become aware of our heart#brain only when all the parts of
our awareness E inferior circuits overnin our ut included E function in perfect
harmony! 8 limit to say that ut#brain helps to take our decisions! (ur ut often
dominates the head#brain takin decisions E we hint to this when we define the
decisions as 1visceral** E but 8 do not want to e7pand further& at least for now!
The study of the literature about the concept of heart#brain is& for the themes
dealt with in this Chapter& very inspirin! 8t can concretely improve our life&
makin precious clarifications arise continuously!
'e cannot brin ahead a purely scientific study= we must utili$e our
memory reconsiderin the main events of our life acceptin to view them from
different perspectives& overcomin all previous conditionin!
"et us be distant from polemics between those who /like Br! M! Andrew Armour
and Br! Meffrey Ardell0 affirm that the heart has an intrinsic nervous system
containin an elaborate network of neurons& neurotransmitters which enables it
to process information& produce feelins and then transmit information& includin
emotional information& from one cell to another and those who ob>ect that the
heart does not contain brain cells but only neurons that comprise its own intrinsic
system for reulatin cardiac function! 8n other words it is not a scientific fact
that the heart acts as thouh it had a mind of its own ivin birth to desires and
new plans of action!
However a kriyaban will have evidence that the heart#brain produces
conitive processes that affects our awareness! 'hat encouraes us to believe
seriously in this possibility are the numerous documented stories /see for
e7ample the book& %hange of /eart by Claire <ylvia0 of heart transplant patients
who have taken on the habits& e7pressions& tastes and memories of the dead
donor!
5ow by practicin the ,ourth Kriya Ste# we have the impression of utili$in a
new tool of knowlede! 'e perfectly know we are utili$in the brain but we have
no doubt that our heart plays a role in this process! 'e reconi$e that our heart#
brain ives us access to a completely new perception of reality! 'e cannot deny
that our Eo is still active and workin& nevertheless we are followin an
**internal teacher** whose suestions /sometimes we can call them in>unctions0
lead us to manifest hiher intellience and creativity E discoverin& at the same
time& that the ambient in which we live and operate reacts with unusual approval
and affection!
The brain rhythms naturally synchroni$e to the heart6s rhythmic activity!
This is the basis of the perfect perception of the world and its ways! A reat
revolution happens in our life! 'e were victims of self deception! 5ow we are
1AA
aware of the filter& built by conditionin& that has deformed our perception of
reality! 8t seems that our heart#brain has put in action some new centers in the
head#brain! They rant us a direct e7perience of present reality!
The bloomin of the best %ualities in our personality /deep ratification&
thankfulness feelins& unconditional love!!! unrelated from circumstances0 come
by entrustin the direction of our life to the heart#brain! This e7actly what
characteri$es the e7perience of the ,ourth Kriya stadium!
1AH
CHAPTER 1G
PRANAYAMA WITH INTERNAL BREATH
'hat 8*m oin to discuss now is not intended to be studied and tested
simultaneously while workin with the previous points e7pressed in Chapters 10
and 11! Rather& even if it is more easy if practiced when the breathless state has
become stable in your life& you can practice it anytime! 'hat 8 want to convey is
that it is really too hard workin to achieve two or more oals at the same time!
+ou will tend to practice one of them not at the full of your capacities& often
absent#mindlessly! Thus you risk of imprintin indelibly on your mind a wron
way of conceivin its practice& meanin and value!
"et us bein by introducin the Pranayama &ith internal breath!
"et us suppose that you have e7perienced the breathless state and you are
proud of your Pranayama! 5ow& can e7ist somethin reater than a Pranayama
endin& like Patan>ali e7plains& with the breathless stateK The answer is positive! 8
am referrin to a Pranayama endin with a B85AJ8C breathless state!
"et us consider the e7perience that "ahiri Jahasaya refers in his diaries
when& a couple of years after his initiation in the Himalayas& wrote) 1;ollowin
an e7cellent Pranayama& the breath is wholly internally oriented! After a lon
period& today /the purpose of my descent /on earth0 has been fulfilled?1 'hat
does it mean **wholly internally oriented**K Jore clear is P!+!) 1!!!the current will
then automatically move by itself and the >oy e7perienced will be indescribable!1
8n other words& both are referrin to a higher Pranayama where the enery
moves by itself& without our action of uidin it throuh our Kriya breathin! 8n
this situation it is clear that there is no breath but only enery and we can say that
the breath has been transformed into an internal reality!
5ow& durin any period of your life& especially this one where you are learnin to
dialoue with your heart#brain& perhaps you are ready to reali$e the same lofty
e7perience and brin to perfection your Kriya Pranayama!
8 hope that you can now follow the minimal direction 8 am oin to ive!
2I3
'e have said that Kriya Pranayama does not contemplate a free breathin) you
produce a clearly heard restricted breathin! The sound of inhalation is the same
as 911ayi Pranayama similar to the amplified backround noise of a loudspeaker!
8t comes because of air resistance durin laryneal contracture! The e7halin
sound is very subtle especially when you practice .echari Judra! 'ith Kechari
it becomes a faint whistle! However& in any case& we always describe it as
Sheeeeeee$$$
1:I
;irst instruction) e7halin <hee#shee sound uides enery into the body
Burin inhalation& make a loud sound and visuali$e a powerful vibration
departin from the se7ual $one& absorbin the enery there and uidin it into
the head! Burin e7halation try to increase the intensity of the sound of the air in
your throat! The most important thin is to vibrate the Sheee sound in your
mind! ,e fully conscious of that sound! Reali$e it is like a micro hypodermic
needle in>ectin enery and liht in each cell of your body& in particular the skin!
,reath after breath& while maintainin a slow& deep rhythm of breathin&
create a stron pressure of the awareness on the whole body! Perceive how the
downward flow of enery permeates all the parts of it) muscles& internal orans&
skin!
,efore startin the e7halation strenthen the intention of findin /or
openin0 an internal way to reach the cells of your body! 5ot one iota of vitality
in the air should leave your nose= all the vitality should be directed into the body!
"et be inspired by thinkin that the Sheee sound be like 1the cry that breaks the
hardest rock1 E thus <ri Aurobindo was referrin to the power of (i1a Mantra&
the 1sacred sound of the Rishi1 E revealin)
!!!the treasure of heaven
hidden in the secret cavern
like the youn of a bird&
within the infinite rock
/Rig2)eda# I$=>?$>0
8f you have not e7perienced the Sheee Sheee sound described by "ahiri
Jahasaya& simply create it in your mind!
S&on, $n"t!'&t$on: "p&$a* &on&nt!at$on on t( na.*
+our inhalation is as always) e7pand the abdomen by pushin out the navel
which pushes down the diaphram! Burin e7halation concentrate intensely&
much more than usual& on the navel as it moves toward the spine! ;ocus your
attention on the internal focusin of enery in the abdominal reion! This
manifests as a peculiar ecstatic sensation not only in the abdominal reion but
also in the chest reion!
An important detail is this) makin e7halation last a lot more than
inhalation! Repeat and repeat increasin the lenth of the e7halation) you will
have the impression that it could be lengthened indefinitely! At a certain point
you will surely have this ecstatic sensation!
'hen you have mastered this detail& you will find yourself becomin cra$y with
>oy E sometimes with the chin slihtly lowered& directed toward the navel as if it
were a manet! +ou can stop at this phase to en>oy this state& avoidin oin
ahead with the third instruction!
T($!, $n"t!'&t$on /this is optional) you could skip it and o to the fourth
1A0
instruction0
At this point& only a frail shell separates you from the coveted state where all
effort ceases! Oery useful but not indispensable to cross this veil& is to create a
framented e7halation! Consider dividin your e7halation into about G0#@0
framents or even more! This is in itself pleasurable& especially when each
frament tends to become microscopic! 'hen you succeeds& please do not o to
other procedures! Please utili$e all your ability to make all this more and more
subtle! The e7halation becomes endless and the framents of breath seem to have
practically dissolved? (f course when you feel the need& inhale in the way you
prefer) short breath or lon breath& feelin enery risin in the spine or forettin
this altoether! Repeat and repeat& without ever e7haustin the beauty of this
procedure!
Fo'!t( $n"t!'&t$on: n6o%$n+ t( #$na* "tat
The process of continuous framentation leads you toward somethin stunninly
new) a rotation of enery independent from the act of breathin! +ou have
crossed a barrier and reached a seeminly breathless state where there is no air
comin out your nose /this cannot be affirmed with scientific certainty but the
sensation is this!0 There is an inner source of fresh enery makin you lihter
and fillin you with strenth! The sensation is reminiscent of a brisk walk in the
wind! This can not merely be called a >oyous state) it is a feelin of infinite safety
surrounded by a crystalline state of an immobile mind!
Other remarks that might be useful
214 8f we consider )aaaaaaa$$$$ as the sound of inhalation and <heee!!! the sound
of e7halation& them mental repetition of the syllables )aaa and Sheee durin
Pranayama helps the circulation of the breath!
2G4 8n the initial phases of masterin this practice it is better to avoid any form of
Kechari Mudra) it miht sometimes ive the parado7ical impression of hinderin
your efforts! The reason is that it isolates you from your surroundin
environment!
2@4 A reat source of inspiration /specific for this practice0 is meditatin outdoors
with the eyes open and with the adamant& steadfast will of becomin one with a
mountain& a lake& or a tree in front of us! (pen your eyes and consider not only
your body but everythin before and around you as your body! Burin Sheee
visuali$e the liht that enters not only the cells of your body but& at the same
time& the atoms of everythin! After some minutes you will perceive a
continuous sound of Om$ This comfortin sound is the confirmation that you are
headin in the riht direction!
1A1
294 A strane phenomenon& that however does not contradict what we have said&
is that sometimes the best e7periences happen under conditions unfavorable to
one*s concentration& for e7ample) practicin in a waitin room while pretendin
to read a maa$ine= practicin while travelin by train& lookin out of the
window& ivin the impression of bein absorbed in one*s thouhts!!! (n such
occasions& the >oy becomes so reat that it*s difficult to hold back tears!
:hat haens after the ractice
+ou will discover that this practice has an immediate effect upon our mood! To
say it shortly& even a rainy day of 5ovember will seem to evoke the mood of the
clearest days of <prin! The simple fact of addin awareness to the e7halation
phase of your Kriya breath& visuali$in it oin toward each cell of the body has
surprisin effects! 8t makes you feel the beauty of livin as if you had vainly
hoped for years that the Bivine would be part of your daily life& without ever
seein any result!!!! then suddenly you discover that the Bivine has always been
there!
Heaven*s fire is lit in the breast of the earth
and the undyin suns here burn!
/Sri 'urobindo# @@' *od@s labor@@0
The sense of beauty and satisfaction is reat& as if an impressionist painter had
finally succeeded in actuali$in their visionary conception conveyin the idea
that the painted inert substance of matter is composed of multicolored particles of
liht& like innumerable suns radiatin in a brilliant transparency!
8t is a basically sound healthy at the point that resolves any our prison made of
psycholoical problems! This is almost always the first fact that you notice! The
psycholoical problems dissolve immediately& indeed you reali$e& with a sens of relief&
they were a complete illusion!
Another effect& worth sinali$in is that all your psycholoical problems&
especially those connected with neative moods tied with intricate and thwarted
plans for the future& appear as a nihtmare we have dissolved forever& an illusion
out of which we have emered definitively! The life which up until that point had
been full of asperities& now seems to stretch out evenly toward the future! The
beauty of livin& like wine from a full cup& seems to overflow from every atom
and fills the heart!
1AG
2II3
:hat haens after the initial euforia
8n the followin days we e7perience somethin strane that by repeatin daily
the afore e7plained e7ercise has unthouht#of development! The imae of an
anthill that*s been disturbed comes to mind) countless ants move at a frenetic
pace! <imilarly our environment appears more aitated& at times aressive
toward us! 8t is as if everythin /especially our human relationships0 is conspirin
to put us in trouble! 'e are surprised that after a lon absence some
ac%uaintances return with demandin challenes that re%uire radical chanes of
attitude on our part! 'e feel the duty of facin intricate& unsolved issues that in
the past we cleverly succeeded in avoidin! 8n this period we feel as if 1not
havin a skin anymore!1
8f we entertain no fear and o ahead with our practice undeterred& we shall
be stunned by a very peculiar effect! 'e feel we are perceivin E not only
throuh our awareness but& in a strane way& also throuh our body E what is
passin in another person*s consciousness! 'e actually e7perience a mood which
is not our own& which has no reason to e7ist) we e7perience it as if it oriinated
and emered from the intimate part of ourselves! The first reaction is to vainly
search for reasons in order to >ustify it& to find plausible rounds for it! 'hen&
after a couple of days& it vanishes& only then we reali$e that all was a kind of
subtle deception) the strane mood came from another person*s consciousness!
(ften the event is painful! 8t happens that all of a sudden& a deep
depression takes hold of our mood /let us suppose we had previously never been
sub>ect to depression0& lasts several hours and then disappears= it is not a simple
dissonance& a disharmony& but an aoni$in pain in a moment in which there is
no >ustification for it! (f course all comes from another person& especially when&
introduced to herChim& we had shaken hands and talked with with a sincere
involvement!
How is it possible that when we brin our enery and consciousness into the cells
of our body& our action has an effect on the surroundin worldK Even after many
similar episodes& you cannot know whether this is simply an impression or a real
fact! The principle of causality implies that the world inores what happens
inside your consciousness! This phenomenon disappears as soon as we cease our
practice!
'hy by uidin breath and awareness into the cells of our body& do we
obtain such strane resultsK To affirm that Pranayama &ith internal breath leads
a person to perceive reality in a different way is perfectly acceptable& but to
assume that it makes thins happen that would not otherwise happen /or that
1A@
would have happened anyway& but in a different way0 is %uite another thin! This
hypothesis has all the appearance of a fiment of our imaination!
8t is well known how ood our mind is when it comes to clutchin at
straws= but when a similar episode is observed with due detachment and& as the
days and the months o by& it repeats with mathematical precision& then the
evidence of this phenomenon cannot be denied! 8 know that what 8 am writin
evokes the most bold of !e& 'ge manias! 8t is only after listenin to similar
effects by other researchers and on account of my commitment to total sincerity&
that 8 have made up my mind to write about this particular e7perience!
8 will try now to describe with rational and cautious words what happens in the
last part of the <piritual Path!
'ell& each authentic spiritual path has an **ascendin** and a **descendin**
phase! The **ascendin** phase is what is commonly intended with mystic path
and we have described this in the previous Chapters! The **descendin** phase
usually happens automatically and it is the phase where the mystic cooperates
with the evolution of humanity! 8 understand that mine seem e7cessive words!
However it is difficult to deny that a sinle person*s spiritual reali$ation creates
an effect upon the surroundin reality! The effect is to arouse /in those who are in
tune with the practitioner& or& sometimes& even who are simply around0 the force
that is drivin ahead man*s spiritual evolution! This force& like a Bivine "iht&
can brihten up men*s clouded mental planes! 8t is very strane indeed& to see
how the spiritual efforts of an individual is linked with those who are around=
however it could not be otherwise! Jovin towards <pirit means oin far away
from Eo and its ways!
There are kriyabans who have the intention of livin peacefully& always attuned
to the hiher %hakras& considerin any other related#with#body#and#matter
e7perience as an illusion! Althouh they miht appreciate the theoretical
possibility of an effort directed to infuse the Bivine into mankind and into all the
livin thins& actually they firmly believe that this is only a romantic ideal! They
say that they love mankind !!! **as their reater <elf** but what they do is sendin
**ood vibrations** and many **pious intentions** to humanity!
'ell& talkin seriously& by studyin the bioraphies of the mystics& it appears
evident that their e7perience of cooperation with the collective evolution
happened throuh sufferin! 8 remember how <t! Pio of Pietrelcina /Padre Pio0
had many times all the pains of death by bein metaphysically united to some
wounded soldiers who were dyin on the field of battle& far away from home!
"ahiri Jahasaya himself suffered! Think of the famous episode when he
**drowned** in the body of people who were shipwrecked in a far away sea! He
had not endeavored to attract that e7perience to him! He fully accepted it when it
happened suddenly and we don*t know& but we can uess& what supreme solace
he was able to brin to those poor souls!
1A9
Jiht our destiny ive us a similar sufferinK "et us keep our feet on the
round! "ahiri J! and other saints are a mirror for all kriyabans! 'hat happened
in their body may one day happen in our body or our destiny may be completely
different! Perhaps we may think that we are not ready for followin "ahiri J!*s
e7ample& but even if we have not his wisdom and neither the inner 1<un1 of other
saints& we can at least patiently turn our heart toward this new dimension of the
spiritual path! 8f we constantly and ine7orably e7clude any difficult achievement
from our dreams and oals& our spiritual venture risks fallin apart! 'hat we can
do now is therefore to strive to perfect our Kriya Pranayama endlessly and any
future e7perience of e7pansion of awareness will happen in the most favorable
modality for our spiritual evolution!
"et us understand a fundamental principle! The practice of Pranayama
&ith Internal (reath uides the Bivine in the cells of our body and this involves
touchin the Collective Dnconscious and puts into motion the path of descent E
whose effects we have hinted!
The cells of the body are like doors that lead to a dimension that we share
with the entire human family! This is a practical discovery not an ob>ect of
theoretical speculation! To brin the conscience in the cells puts in motion this
process but& at the same time& is the best protection and the way for an e7perience
of unbelievable beauty!
After contactin the swamp of %ollecti"e 9nconscious# after crossin with
untamed serenity the various layers of obscurity that are in us and in most human
minds& we shall meet 1the abysses of truth and the oceans of smile that are
behind the auust picks of truth1 /<ri Aurobindo0! 'e shall be in touch with the
Bivine immanent in matter& a Reality beyond every e7pectation& every dream!
8n the end& there is somethin infinitely beautiful that absorbs us in a blue#
colored profundity where pure skies are perceived E >ust as they appeared durin
our infancy!
Those who want to live only in an heavenly dimension without any disturbance&
want to live in illusion) a olden illusion& but in any case illusion!
'e cannot live with a mind always focused upon constantly en>oyin
elated feelins of spiritual pleasures& with a heart fictitiously open to universal
love but in reality hard and resistant like a stone! 8n this situation our
achievement instead of a state of enlihtenment risks to resemble a chronic state
of drowsiness!
<eekin heaven*s rest or the spirit*s wordless peace&
(r in bodies motionless like statues& fi7ed
8n tranced cessations of their sleepless thouht
<at sleepin souls& and this too was a dream!
/Sri 'urobindo# Sa"itri5 (ook A 2 %anto I)04
1A:
The descent hase of any siritual ath
Each kriyaban or& more in eneral& each follower of any authentic spiritual path
has& sooner or later& the e7perience of the **descent** phase! There is a difference
between acceptin consciously this descent or inorin it! Even if it is a painful
process& it is always better practice the descent as a matter of will and choice than
wait the life itself e7ert upon us various sharp downward tus! Those tus are an
unwelcome e7perience to force us to focus on the body!
Have you observed how many illnesses the mystics have had& how
difficult it is to find a saint who hasn6t suffered from physical disturbance&
neative moods& depression!!!K 'hat is the reason of all thisK
"et us try to reply by considerin the fact that they were able to love
another person /one or more persons& this doesn*t matter0 with e7traordinary
intensity! They were also able to o out of themselves and perfectly identify with
the physical and mental condition of their loved ones! 8n this way /throuh love
and winnin the eo0& or in way 8 cannot understand& they contacted the
dimension of %ollecti"e 9nconscious! They attracted sufferin and were neither
able nor willin to find protection in their body! Perhaps they accepted sufferin
as an e7piation in their own flesh of the sins of humanity! They went on with
heroic sufferin! 8n some occasions they felt overcome by the blackest
desperation! <t! Mohn of the Cross calls that state) 1The dark niht of the soul!1
He e7plains that those souls who enter this state& feel as if -od had suddenly
abandoned them= they doubt the validity of their spiritual path! Althouh their
conscience continually surrenders to -od& they keep on believin they are
sinners& without any possibility of salvation! 8n a lenthy and profound absence
of liht and hope& even if they have the drive to o ahead with outward
e7pressions of faith& they reach the stae where they doubt the e7istence of -od!
The conse%uence is the feelin of bein irremediably impure& lost for eternity!
'ell& in my opinion& this e7perience /dark niht of the soul0 could be
mitiated or even skipped if they learned to uide their awareness into the cells
of their body! ,ut they don*t want to waste a minute of their life in lendin an ear
to their body! The last part of their path does not result in states of peaceful
e7pansion of awareness! ,ein suddenly overtaken by the descent e7perience
they did not possess the necessary protection /stron awareness of the cells of
the body0& thus the ensuin e7perience resulted in what could have been called a
**descent into hell!**
5ow the wasteland& now the silence=
A blank dark wall& and behind it heaven!
/Sri 'urobindo# from: @@Journey@s 0nd@@0
5ow& if we accept the inevitability of all this& what are we supposed to do while
brinin ahead our practice of Pranayama &ith internal breathK Anytime this is
possible& practice Jaa in the body& o ahead continuously uidin the Bivine
1AA
;orce descend into our body& spread in each cell and spill over to the e7ternal
reality! 8n this way we do not emere in an heavenly dimension of pure <pirit cut
off from reality but in the deeper and most real dimension of <pirit inside the
matter& inside the consciousness of all mankind!
"ahiri Jahasaya said) **The whole universe is in the body= the whole
universe is the final <elf!** 5ow we can understand what he meant by such a
wonderful statement?
,efore describin this Jaa& let us clarify what do we mean with %ollecti"e
9nconscious!
The %ollecti"e 9nconscious represents a part of our 9nconscious common
to mankind as a whole! Mun
@
introduced terminoloy which permits us to probe
an aspect of the mystical path which would otherwise risk bein totally
e7traneous& not only to our capability of e7pression but also to our
comprehension! Mun discovered that the human psyche is made up of layers or
strata& parts of it shared by all humanity and called the %ollecti"e 9nconscious!
To ;reud the 9nconscious was similar to a depot full of old 1removed1
thins that we cannot recall to consciousness # refused by a nearly automatic act
of the will! Mun discovered a deeper level of it) the %ollecti"e 9nconscious
which links all human beins by the deepest layers of their psyche!
The contents of the %ollecti"e 9nconscious have never been part of our
immediate conscious perception& and when an infinitesimal part of it bursts forth
into our psyche& we are momentarily dismayed!
However the influence that the %ollecti"e 9nconscious has upon our life&
is& in some occasions& vital? 'hen we feel helpless as we deal with difficult
problems& this deeper layer of our unconscious mind put us in touch with the
totality of human e7perience& a vast store of ob>ective wisdom and perfect
solutions! This can save us?
The last phase of our spiritual path contemplates we touch this dimension! 8t
happens by virtue of a universal law! Moinin our consciousness with someone
else*s means involvin ourselves with their problems! A lastin transformation in
another*s state of consciousness happens only when the opacity in them is pured
bit by bit! This cannot be achieved by any way other than sharin part of their
sufferin E feat which miht imply a momentary loss of our spiritual reali$ation!
8ndeed it is a difficult test& that only true love can >ustify= such tests must be
overcome!
There is a sentence attributed to the mythical (aba1i /%uotin ,haavad
-ita0) 10"en a little bit of the ractice of this -in&ard. religion &ill sa"e you
@
8 believe that Mun*s discoveries are precious for the understandin of the mystical path E perhaps more
than many other concepts formulated durin the G0
th
century! Even thouh his statements never lacked
the necessary prudence& the scientific community never forave him for dealin with matters that were
not considered a part of Psychiatry E such as Alchemy /deemed an absurdity0& the realm of myths
/considered the result of a senseless imaination0 and& more than any other thin& the reat value he
attributed to the reliious dimension= which he considered somethin universal and fundamentally sane&
instead of a patholoy! Presently the enthusiasm for his writins remains& especially amon those who
study topics of a spiritual and esoteric nature!
1AH
from dire fears and colossal sufferings!1 8n my opinion dire **fears and colossal
sufferins** derivin from the contact with the %uamires of Collective
Dnconscious! The perfection of Pranayama /achievement of Pranayama &ith
internal breath0 is the perfect tool which can spare us from many daners and
sufferin!
Meaningful %oincidences
A typical outcome of contactin the %ollecti"e 9nconscious is to witness a
countless series of **Meaningful %oincidences!** They happen in so many ways
that we cannot even adumbrate! Mun put a basis for the rational study of this
sub>ect in his book Synchronicity: 'n 'causal %onnecting Princile!
To e7plain with simple terms what this is all about& we say that in addition
to causality E that which acts in a linear direction of proression of time and puts
in connection two phenomena that happen in the same space at different times E
we hypothesi$e the e7istence of a principle /a causal0 that puts in connection two
phenomena that happen at the same time but in different spaces! The key point to
emphasi$e is that they have a meanin that ties them toether and it is this fact
that arouses deep emotion in the observer!
5ow& if two events happen simultaneously but in different spaces& it is
clear that causality /cause#effect chain) one has caused the other or vice versa0 is
impossible! There would be nothin strane in these events of themselves& save
one fact) the observer considers them as a meaningful coincidence E like a
miracle& somethin that the universe wants to communicate to him! The observer
is intimately touched by what is perceived as a manifestation of the mysterious
dimension of life!
An e7ample will help us to better understand this concept! A youth moves
a plant in a vase& which falls& breaks into peaces and the youn man looks at the
wounded plant! He thinks with intensity about the moment when his irlfriend
ave the vase to him as a present! There is emotion and pain in him& the event is
feared as an omen! At the same time his irlfriend /this will obviously come to
be know subse%uently0 is writin him a letter to leave him and therefore to break
their relationship!
Here the characteristics of the Jungian Synchronicity are observed! The
two events happens simultaneously and are connected& concernin the meanin
/a vase breaks and a relationship is broken0& but one is not the cause of the other!
'hen& later& our youth discovers the contemporaneity of the two events& he is
stunned! This is not telepathy or clairvoyance= in telepathy a cause could be
hypothesi$ed& for e7ample the e7istence of cerebral waves transmitted from one
person to another! 8n this case& no cause e7ists whatsoever! Mun e7plains that we
are not able to reali$e what happens) we are too limited& we cannot see that in
this situation there is only one event in a multi dimensional reality! The two
events are actually only one event& merely seen from two different points of
view!
9
4
9
8n the esoteric literature we find the concept of Siddhis /powers0! 'e are very perple7 about it!
Those who write books on Yoga are not able to resist the temptation of copyin some lines from
1AF
'hen this happens& it is as if the world would talk to you! 8f it happens& and you
notice it has happened& 8 only hope that you don*t lose your wits and come to
believe you are endowed with e7traordinary powers! 8t doesn*t deal with
telepathy& clairvoyance!!!! it is somethin very deep! +ou are openin your eyes
on the wonders of the subtle laws of this universe! ,ein utterly sincere with
ourselves is the only chance to avoid e7aerated feelins of self importance!
2III3
Jaa in the body hasn*t a stron effect like Pranayama &ith internal breath&
however it is very useful because you can practice it anytime& even immediately
after meals! 8f you want to learn it with the correct spirit it is worthwhile to read
JQre /Jirra Alfassa0& disciple and spiritual successor of <ri Aurobindo! 8 wrote
some introductory lines about her uni%ue spiritual path in the first part of the
book /see Chapter @0! Her 'genda is a must read! Jany of her reat e7periences
came durin her practice of the Mantra **thouht** throuhout the body! The
'genda is an ama$in 1lo1 of Jirra*s attempt to descend into her body E
crossin various layers of consciousness like thouhts& emotions& sensations E in
order to contact the %onsciousness of the %ells$ Her Mantra was) 1Om !amo
(haga"ateh1
<he said to <atprem /her most famous disciple0) 1<ri Aurobindo ave no
Mantra= he said that one should be able to do all the work without havin to
resort to e7ternal means! Had he reached the point where we are now& he would
have seen that the purely psycholoical method is inade%uate and that a Jaa is
necessary& because only Jaa has a direct action on the body! <o 8 had to find the
method all alone& to find my Mantra by myself! ,ut now that thins are ready& 8
have done 10 years of work in a few months!1
'alkin back and forth in her room& unremittinly concentrated on her
body& she repeated her Mantra for hours with endless devotion and total
**surrender**! Each syllable was rechared with her laser#like will and aspiration!
The luminous vibration of the Prayer easily made its way throuh her body and
reach an une7plored territory) 1!!! perfect& eternal& outside time& outside space&
Patan>ali*s Yoga Sutras! 8t*s typical to find the ridiculous warnin of the daner comin from the abuse
of the Siddhis! Ruotin Patan>ali /8O)10& they recount that Siddhis are the spiritual powers /psychic
abilities0 that may occur throuh riorous austerities= they e7plain that they vary from relatively
simple forms of clairvoyance& telepathy& to bein able to levitate& to be present at various places at
once& to become as small as an atom& to materiali$e ob>ects and more! They recommend to their
readers not to ever indule in these powers since 1they are a reat hindrance to spiritual proress1!
Indulge 2 what a beautiful word? 8f you did see someone practicin Pranayama and *indulging* in a
little bilocation for fun& could you tellK? Perhaps they don*t think enouh about what they are writin
because they let themselves be seduced by the dreams of possessin those powers! Perhaps they
already visuali$e all the fuss which will come with it) interviews& takin part in talk shows etc!
However& here& 8 repeat with emphasis& we are discussin %uite another phenomenon?
1AI
outside movement !!! beyond everythin& in !!! 8 don*t know& in an ecstasy& a
beatitude& somethin ineffable!1
'hat is e7tremely important and inspirin for us is the fact that she describes the
e7perience as a breath of the whole body that bypasses the luns! That sublime
state was the first indication the had activated the 1consciousness of the body!1
The cells& accordin to her& had their own consciousness! They acted as doors
openin on a totally new dimension of consciousness& the only one which was
free from the labyrinths of the mind!
However& to reach this plane& she also had to cross a neative layer which&
accordin to her e7planation& was the base of any disease and& apparently& of any
casual incident& the oriin of every feelin of desperation& deposited therein over
thousands of years!
"ater she discovered that when she sat for meditation& as soon as she
bean the repetition of the Mantra# there was an immediate response in the cells
of her body) they all started vibratin as 1sei$ed with an intensity of aspiration1
and that vibration went on e7pandin! 8t was like merin the totality of her
bein in the vaster manifestation of the Bivine inside matter!
Burin the day& the Mantra came as the sweetest of all thins) 1(n the
days when 8 have no special preoccupations or difficulties /days 8 could call
normal& when 8 am normal0& everythin 8 do& all the movements of this body& all&
all the words 8 utter& all the estures 8 make& are accompanied and upheld by or
lined& as it were& with this mantra) (J 5AJ( ,HA-AOATEH !!! (J 5AJ(
,HA-AOATEH !!! all& all the time& all the time& all the time!1
8n many passaes of Mother@s 'genda# <atprem and JQre discuss how the
Mantra calms the persons in surroundin areas by creatin an atmosphere of
such an intensity that all inharmoniousness ceased to e7ist! ;urthermore)
1Mantra has a reat action) it can prevent an accident! 8t simply sprins forth in a
flash& all of a sudden) 18t has to sprin up without thinkin& without callin) it
should issue forth from the bein spontaneously& like a refle7& e7actly like a
refle7!1
JQre was able to notice the difference between those who have a Mantra
and those who don*t! 1'ith those who have no Mantra& even if they have a stron
habit of meditation or concentration& somethin around them remains ha$y and
vaue& whereas Jaa imparts to those who practice it with a kind of precision& a
kind of solidity) an armature! They become alvani$ed& as it were1!
8t is difficult to find inspirin literature about other mystics who 1think1 their
Prayers in their body! A small collection of written material about this practice
has been published almost e7clusively by speciali$ed publishers in the esoteric
field! These books can be found by rummain amon occult and maic te7ts!
.ernin& .olb& "asario& 'einfurter& Peryt <hou and <piesberer are >ust a few of
the authors! Even thouh these mystics were born within Christianity and felt on
the averae in sync with its doctrines& they have been confined to a corner as if
they were e7ponents of esoteric thouht& or maicians whose aspirations were to
develop secret powers! Any reader who has the patience to research this material&
1H0
skimmin throuh paes and paes of trivial theories and practices whose only
oal is to confuse and mislead& will nonetheless find pararaphs of inimitable
charm!
Their Prayers are very short& reduced sometimes to a sinle vowel or
syllable! The main techni%ue is to choose a vowel and bein repeatin and
vibratin it in one*s feet and radually brinin it up to different parts of the
body! The same process is repeated with another vowel and so on! (f course& we
can use our chosen Mantra!
The essence of their teachin is that any sound vibration& if repeated with
an unfalterin concentration in the body& can reach its cells E 1the whole body
will be re#activated with new life and be reborn1!
1H1
Appendi7 1)
SOME MATERIAL TO STUDY
A mat'! 'n,!"tan,$n+ o# K!$%a
To study .riya in the liht of other mystical traditions can yield an une7pected
deepenin of its essence and foster a respect for each one of its techni%ues!
"ahiri Jahasaya e7pressed his certainty that if& for whichever reason& the Kriya
techni%ues disappeared from the tradition& they would& in any case be rediscovered by
those mystics who had a pure heart and therefore a discernin vision! 'hat is the deep
meanin of thisK 8t means that if in any mystic path& there are mystics who have a pure
heart& surely they would discover parts of the path of Kriya Yoga! The reason of this is
to be found in the fact that Kriya Yoga is a collection of spiritual tools that are natural
and essential! "ahiri Jahasaya partly received them and partly rediscovered them! He
orani$ed them around four points! The didactic aspect in his teachins is enial!
There is a mytholoy about Kriya practices made popular throuh P!+!*s A(+!
Accordin to what is written there& immortal master ,aba>i& durin the nineteenth
century& decided it was time to help not only a few spiritually advanced mystics& as he
did in the past& but many many more! He appeared to "ahiri Jahasaya revealin the
sacred techni%ue of Kriya Yoga! "ahiri received this teachin and ave it to humanity
throuh different disciples!
<ome believe blindly to this leend& other re>ected it wholly! 8 don*t know what
really happened! 8 like to interate that leend with somethin plausible! 8 believe that
"ahiri Jahasaya met a Jaster and received what was necessary for his evolution E this
means somethin that was chosen specifically for him! He was e7tremely skilled in the
art of meditation E so skilled it is hard to conceive! 8t is possible that the /igher Kriyas
and many Kriya variations /about which we are still fihtin to the present day0
oriinated from "ahiri Jahasaya himself? "ike the reat mystic .abir& his teachin was
the merin of reat traditions) the tantric Hatha yoa /Pranayama& Mudras and
Omkar0& the Internal 'lchemy of ancient China /subtle aspects of Pranayama& !a"i
Kriya& Pranayama with internal breathin0 and the most elevated practices of the Sufi
like +hikr /which in "ahiri Jahasaya6s terminoloy became Thokar!0 Toward the last
years of his life he discovered and e7plained techni%ues based on the Tribhangamurari
movement! Therefore 8 think credible that he received from ,aba>i only the key process
of Kriya Pranayama perhaps not the one we receive from him and call **oriinal Kriya@@
but Pranayama &ith internal breath which he mastered after some time at a deree
inconceivable for us! He then developed and implemented a plan to facilitate a mystic to
reali$e in the course of one lifetime the same oal!
8f we want to perfect our path& why read books with imainative stories about ,aba>iK
'hy let persons with low spiritual profile pollute our intuition and impoverish our life
with their hallucinatory fantasiesK 8sn*t that a colossal waste of timeK Kriya yoga is our
life and each word that comes from reat mystical traditions can inspire us& showin
healthy mechanisms by which we could ameliorate our Pranayama& our Thokar$!!! To
study Kriya in the liht of reat mystical traditions can help us to understand more
clearly the essence of an ideal universal mystic path!
1HG
Here you will find some notes about)
214 /esychasm
2G4 Sufi
2@4 Radhasoami
294 Internal 'lchemy -!ei +an.
214 /esychasm
This is a reliious movement in whose literature we can find an inspirin description of
the %ontemlati"e Prayer in eneral and in particular of the Prayer of the heart!
8n Hesychasm the Prayer of the heart is the Mesus Prayer uided into the space of
the heart and then recited in synchrony with the heart beats! 8n Kriya we do the same
action utili$in the Jantra (ha2ga2ba te2ba2su!
Jany think that the Prayer of the /eart is a Prayer uttered with a sincere
devotion sprinin from our heart& while reflectin upon the meanin of the uttered
words! Actually it is a deeper e7perience) the Hesychast literature is very clear&
illuminatin! The Prayer of the /eart involves an internal transformation of the devotee
from a smart researcher always busy in investiatin all the possible theories reardin
the spiritual life without e7cludin the complicated eoraphy of the afterword into a
entle& humble& full of compassion mystic whose wisdom leaves listeners speechless
and dismayed!
The devotee discovers that one day the Prayer happens in a particular way) it has
reached the mysterious secret $one in the heart! The rhythmic pronunciation of the
syllables of the Prayer happens spontaneously& continuously& synchronous with the
pulse! The breath first and the heart pulse later& tend to settle down and disappear! This
is an event of indescribable beauty and you have no doubt that you will perfect it in this
life and perhaps you will continue it beyond the life of your body!
Hesychasm e7plains that when the breath stops you can still o ahead mentally
chantin the Prayer E the intellect is not silenced yet by the ecstatic rapture! 'hen the
heart stops too& even for a very short duration& you cannot resist the all#consumin
internal emotion! ;rom the corners of the eyes tears of ine7pressible emotion and
deliht slowly o down! +ou come back to the normal state by carryin in the reion of
your heart a presence like a burnin ember& an infinite love! 'hen this starts to happen&
you are correctly uidin your Prayer into your heart and make it flourish into the full
<elf#reali$ation state!
8ndeed there is a piece of flesh in your body which& if it be sound& then the
whole body will be sound and if it be corrupt then the whole body will be
corrupt! 8ndeed it is the heart!
-'l2(ukhaari.
Hesychasm /from -reek) STUVWTXYZ hesychasmos& meanin 1stillness& rest& %uiet&
silence& tran%uillity10 is a Christian orthodo7 movement considerin inner peace a
necessity for everyone! (n Jount Athos the monks worked out a whole system of
1H@
contemplation based upon a simple Prayer /Kyrie Iesou %hriste# Yie tou Theou# 0leison
me ton amartalon E 17ord Jesus %hrist# son of *od# ha"e mercy on me# a sinner10 which
is called the **Jesus Prayer** practiced in complete silence!
Hesychasts interpret Christ*s in>unction in the -ospel of Jatthew which says)
1o into your closet to pray1& to mean that their first duty is to withdraw inward! (nly
when we you have stilled your hearts and bodies you can be fully open to the presence
of the Bivine! Therefore& the body should be held immovable for a lon time! Prayer
starts with the re>ection of any distractin thouht! The discipline is touh) you watch
your thouhts and couraeously fiht them! Juch of Hesychast literature is enaed
with the psycholoical analysis of temptin thouhts! A reat emphasis is placed on
humility) disaster will befall if one proceeds with pride& arroance or conceit! After
startin a battle to dispell disturbin thouhts you bein to e7perience internal stillness!
Here you can devote yourself to reach the lofty state of the Prayer of the /eart!
Perfection of the Prayer of the /eart leads to the hihest mystical achievement) the
perception of the 19ncreated 7ight1!
8f you have no time to read the ;ilocalia
:
read at least) The :ay of a Pilgrim# a novel
written by **Anonymous** in the mid#nineteenth century and translated into Enlish in
1I@0! 8 have already %uoted the book The :ay of a Pilgrim$ This book is a masterpiece!
8n the meetin between (rthodo7y and the 'est which has occurred over the past
seventy years& probably no sinle book has e7ercised a wider appeal! The main reason
for the work*s attraction is the presentation of a pilrim*s life as the model pattern of life
for those who truly wish to lead a spiritual life!
'e kriyabans& orphans of a true livin teacher& are pilrims& worn#out and
e7asperated& movin from one school to another& from a pseudo uru to another E each
one woefully inorant& slave of their own fi7ed idea that we are inept and can be
blessed only by contributin to their welfare!
8t is a matter of fact that thanks to the inspiration comin from this book we shall
be inspired to mentally murmur our chosen Mantra for several hours daily! This book
has convinced many persons unable to meditate& to start the Jesus Prayer!
A
8nstead of
>ust hanin around doin nothin they were convinced to taste the divine honey of the
%ontemlati"e Prayer!
The story is about a pilrim returnin from the Holy <epulcher who stopped at Jount
Athos and told of his lifelon search for the teachin on how 1to pray continually1 E the
way <aint Paul had recommended E to a monk! (ne is immediately struck by the
openin words) 1,y the race of -od& 8 am a Christian& by my actions& a reat sinner&
and by callin& a homeless wanderer of the humblest birth roamin from place to place!
Jy worldly oods are a knapsack with some dried bread in it& and in my breast pocket a
,ible! And that is all1!
:
The Philokalia /which is often used by Hesychasts0 is a collection of te7ts on prayer and asceticism
written from the 9th to the 1:th Centuries 2first published in -reek in 1HFG4! 8n my opinion& it is a
tedious te7t showin the attitude of the mind& obsessed by sin and temptations& to complicates the
simplest thins! However& it is irrefutable that here and there& some pearls of wisdom are
disseminated!
A
<trane as it may seem& for many the first e7posure to the Prayer of the /eart came from ;ranny and
[ooey by M!B! <aliner) 1!!! if you keep sayin that prayer over and over aain& you only have to >ust
do it with your lips at first # then eventually what happens& the prayer becomes self# active! <omethin
happens after a while! 8 don*t know what but somethin happens& the words et synchroni$ed with the
person*s heart#beats& and then you*re actually prayin without ceasin!1
1H9
5o one knows for certain if it is a true story about a particular pilrim or a
spiritual fiction created to propaate the mystical aspect of the (rthodo7 Christian faith!
<ome& on the basis of other witnesses& identify the author as the Russian (rthodo7 monk
Archimandrite Jikhail .o$lov! 'hatever the historical truth& this pilrim is the ideal
representative of a vast cateory of people who spent their life visitin sanctuaries&
churches& monasteries& the Athos Jountain& the Holy "and seekin -od throuh the
%ontinuous Prayer!
The book narrates how the pilrim was resolute about coverin an infinite distance
across the steppes& if he had to& in order to find a spiritual uide that would reveal to him
the secret of %ontinuous Prayer! (ne day& his ardor was awarded= he found a spiritual
teacher who accepted him as a disciple and radually clarified to him every detail of the
practice that was so stronly attractin him! The Pilrim was instructed to repeat the
Mesus Prayer @&000 times a day& then A&000& then 1G&000!
,y followin this counsel& the pilrim finds eventually the Prayer at his lips and
in his mind every wakin hour& as spontaneous and effortless as breath itself! 8n this
wonderful condition he comes to e7perience the effulence of the divine liht& the
innermost 1secret of the heart1! 8n order to ive an idea of what& from now onwards& his
life has become& the pilrim %uotes the -ospel passae of the birds of the air and the
lilies of the field E identifyin himself with them as completely dependent on -od)
whatever happens& it cannot separate him from -od!
<ince the action of %ontinuous Prayer oes on automatically in the mind& always
present like a backround sound& the 1inner dialo1& which prevents meditation& is under
control) one can live permanently in the dimension of Mental Silence!
/esychasts counsel to care for this state at all staes of life& at every moment!
The first commandment is to preserve in yourself a prayerful spirit E that is& to have
-od in your remembrance and e7ert yourself in every way to commit yourself to Him!
'hen this intention is sincerely etched in your mind and heart& then they counsel to
**arouse in your heart a feeling of heat!** They e7plain that when you have succeeded in
attainin this condition& you must fulfill all your duties in such a way as not to lose it!
+ou must heed this condition continuously) as soon as you reali$e that somethin is
creatin disharmony& find the cause of this disharmony and rectify it!
They also add) **Burin active life learn to constantly fi7 your own attention on
the reion of the throat E the words of Prayer ush out incessantly from there! Burin
immobile meditation feel the words of Prayer in your heart!** 8n this way soul and
body live in harmony and this is the base of the spiritual life! This harmony is not lost
durin sleep!
8 sleep& but my heart waketh
/Song of Solomon B:C0
5o wonder that those who e7perience this state try to live& as much as possible& in
solitude! 8f this is not possible& they try to avoid useless conversations! There are
moments durin the day& when the breath stops and the awareness is filled only by -od*s
presence!
' synthesis of the /esychast method
A kriyaban discovers that those instructions have ama$in similarities with the Kriya
procedures! "et us summari$e how the devotee ets across some well#defined& universal
1H:
staes! These staes mark the passae from the daily appointment with %ontemlati"e
Prayer /while fihtin the restlessness of the wanderin mind0 to the intense& lofty
e7perience of the Prayer of the /eart!
273 M'!m'! t( Prayer 6'"t a',$4*% t(n mnta**%
They teach to murmur the Prayer >ust audibly enouh that you can hear yourself! 'hen
you are **satiated** of this oral Prayer& bein to repeat it mentally! 'hen assailed by
distraction or la$iness& then return to repeatin it aloud! 8t is very important not to
disturb the peace of the practice and to maintain a tran%uil rhythm!
283 Yo' &an ma/ a #0 4o0" #!om t( 0a$"t
+ou can make a few prostrations /bows from the waist& while the rest is immobile!0
Twelve prostrations will suffice in the beinnin! That number can be constantly
increased! The prostrations warm up the body and strenthen fervor in Prayer!
293 Ln+t(n t( !(%t(m o# %o'! 4!at(
Then sit comfortably and try to lenthen the rhythm of your breath! ,reathe in and
breathe out producin and perceivin a sweet noise and sensation in the throat! 2<trane
as it miht seem& 8 have found this instruction in Hesychasm literature! 8 am not
creatin this instruction usin my Kriya knowlede!4
2:3 Com4$n t( Prayer 0$t( t( $n+o$n+ an, o't+o$n+ 4!at(
As the breath reaches a stable and reular rhythm& combine the Prayer with the inoin
and outoin breath! /8f your Prayer is lon& recite half durin inhalation and half
durin e7halation!0 Establish a link between the rhythm of the breathin process and
the mental repetition of the Prayer! As a eneral rule you should repeat your Prayer for
a minimum of 1: minutes! +ou should then radually increase to a period of @0
minutes! +ou will need to measure your time) one way is to use a Rosary! Then move on
to pure mental repetition!
2;3 G'$, a$! an, Prayer to t( p*a& o# t( (a!t
'ith all your attention focused upon the cardiac center& inhale throuh the nose&
thinkin all the words of the Prayer$ -uide air and Prayer to the place of the heart!
E7hale feelin that the Prayer remains there!
They e7plain that the center of your bein is located within the reion between the
eyebrows! This place corresponds to the abstract thouht of pure intellectuality and is
not fit for all the phases of meditation! 8f the enery of your thouht comes down to the
level of the throat E as it normally happens while recitin the Prayer 6 it ac%uires an
evocative power rechared with emotional values! As a conse%uence there is the
tendency to become lost in mental associations! 8f you move the center of your
awareness towards the heart center& the attention reaches complete cohesion& it is
sustained by a hiher intensity and nothin e7traneous can disturb it!
2<3 W$t( K'm4(a/a- Yo'! %" ,$!&t, to0a!, t( a4,omn
After some repetitions& introduce a pause after inhalation! Burin this pause tilt the chin
onto the upper part of the breast& feelin the tension of the neck muscles& hold the breath
for how much you are able to do so /comfortably without strainCforce0& lockin your
awareness in the heart center and repeatin your Prayer there several times! Then
e7hale!
1HA
2=3 Fo!+t t( 4!at(- Rpat t( 0o!," $n t( (a!t C(a/!a
<it /comfortably and without strain0 with your head bowed and your eyes directed
toward the abdomen! 2'e can observe that even if a person sits with straiht spine& he
ac%uires this position spontaneously when he comes close to the state of Samadhi!4
Empty your mind of every imae! ,e tenacious in prayin with concentrated focus on
the navel but try to enter it& as if the navel were only a **door**! 8nitially& you will find a
>oyless and dull obscurity but with persistence& a limitless happiness will be reached!
+ou will see the open space within the heart and contemplate the 19ncreated 7ight1!
+our heart will be filled with the most lovin and subtle bliss? Repeat the words in the
center of your heart! "ittle by little your attention will settle on the meanin of the
words you are usin! +our heart will be touched and the Prayer will introduce you into
its sanctuary! <trive therefore to confine your thouht to the Prayer and you will surely
reach the stae when the mind remains e7clusively in the words! This will uide you
into the final abduction of the mind into -od*s dimension!
2>3 S%n&(!on$? t( Prayer 0$t( t( 4at$n+ o# t( (a!t
The most advanced development of this teachin is the followin) durin the pause you
can synchroni$e the Prayer with the beatin of the heart! Oisuali$e your heart and turn
your eyes to it& as if you are lookin at it! "isten attentively with the mind to its
pulsations& one after the other! 'hen you are used to this& proceed /always lookin
internally at the heart0 to make each pulsation coincide with a word or with a syllable of
the Prayer! This can happen also durin inhalation and e7halation! This is the most
ancient tradition of the practice of the Prayer of the /eart!
2@3 EAp!$n& o# p!""'!5pa$n
<ometimes you will feel a warm sensation oriinatin from the heart reion! This
sensation& first mild& may turn into a sensation of solidification of the heart which is felt
like a point surrounded by an endless pressure! ;rom this pressure comes a strane
e7perience of pain! 'e perceive the Bivine& the endless "iht and we burn of love! 'e
reali$e the moment has not yet come to become one with that endless "iht and ,liss)
hence the pain!
H

27B3 P!a% 0$t( t( m$n, $n t( (a!t
8f you persevere in brinin ahead this practice& you will discover new aspects of it!
Patience and commitment should be unshakeable durin the practice! Hesychasts
e7plain that this practice reveals you 1the place of the heart!1 +ou establish your
internal life in a lastin Present& where you don*t pray anymore with the **mind in the
head** but with **the mind in the heart!** 8f you achievin this state you will have a
drastic reali$ation that **what you have lived till now had been nothing!**
+ou will be like a person en>oyin the beauty of a chilly winter near the fireside&
contemplatin either the sad or the >oyous spectacle of life& havin found the infinity of
the skies residin in your heart? The Prayer of the heart is a marvelous em whose
litter warms up life! 8ts maic spreads into each facet of life& like walkin out of a dark
room into fresh air and sunliht!
H
An Hesychast author ives this e7planation) **To pray with the heart& we suffer because we become
one with other*s pain!** He adds) **'e must come out from our own self and bein to love the other&
must suffer for him& so that we can pray for him! Pain becomes a race that passes throuh the body
which becomes dead to the world and is crucified!**
1HH
3The first step is that of purest prayer&
;rom this there comes warmth of heart&
And then a strane& a holy enery&
Then tears wrun from the heart& -od#iven!
Then peace from thouhts of every kind!
;rom this arises purin of the intellect&
And ne7t the vision of heavenly mysteries!
Dnheard of "iht is born from this ineffably&
And thence& beyond all tellin& the heart6s illumination!
"ast comes E a step that has no limit
Thouh compassed in a sinle line E
Perfection that is endless3
/Monk Theohanis# the /esychast ascetic of the Dth century0
A *a"t !ma!/: "&ta!$an !*$+$o'" o46&t$on" 4a", on patnt non"n"
"et us reply with dinity to folly uttered by those people who have never really
practiced this path! 'e have heard from people who call themselves Christians that the
Hindu techni%ue of Mantra /Jaa0 cannot be practiced and e7perienced inside the
dimension of the Hesychasm= in other words& it can never be defined Prayer of the
/eart! They say that there is an infinite distance separatin the Christian Prayer of the
/eart from the Hindu Jaa! 'e are stunned by readin such statement as) **,ehind
some names like Krishna& Rama& or Shi"a there are demons lyin in wait! (nce they are
invoked by the use of the Mantra& the door is open for the devil to bein his theatrical
productions& usin sounds& imaes& dreams& and the imaination in eneral in order to
dra the practitioner deeper into deception!**
8f those critics would practice somethin similar to the Prayer of the /eart& this very
fact would brin them >oy& not harsh terrible >udment! 'hy talk about ecumenism if
you show such contempt towards Hinduism and YogaK 'hen a person is seriously
committed to the habit of Prayer& there is no time& no interest& nor any will to be
concerned about what pertains to other reliious traditions!
;urther nonsense is that usin this method without uidance is to court spiritual
disaster& ruinin our luns! They assure that many who have tried to learn the procedure
of the Prayer of the /eart by themselves& have ruined their luns and achieved nothin!
This seems to me an e7aeration and fundamentally a lie! They o ahead e7plainin
that the various phases of the procedure /a$e turned to the navel& attention to the
breath and to the pulsation of the heart upon which to synchroni$e the Prayer0 push one
into a world of dreams& illusions& and at times& **in a constant state of lust!**
'e cannot accept the claim that those who e7plore the way of %ontemlati"e
Prayer& without the conte7t of a reliious community& are prey to total illusion and
instead of bein in a relationship with -od& they row a subtle form of self#satisfaction
E a spiritual narcissism! This accusation is akin to the ordinary accusation that Yoga is a
process of self#deifyin& while the correct attitude should be the will to reunite with
-od& remainin a distinct person! The inorance of such affirmations are truly
astoundin? They don*t reconi$e the fact /which many mystics have often e7pressed in
poetic form0 of a completely different attitude E the idea of total& irrevocable union with
-od! 'hat they are claimin only reveals their limited knowlede of oriental meditation
and inorance of Christian literature& where numerous Christian <aints have e7pressed
their spiritual vision in a way which is identical to that of <aints and /indu Rishis!
The key accusation is that the insistence on properly performed techni%ues of
1HF
meditation as a prere%uisite for e7periencin well defined mystical states& is in contrast
to the teachin of -race! Dnfortunately this accusation is reinforced by innocent
fantasies about the workins of our brain and nervous system written and published by
some yogis who claim that the benefit accrued by repeatin the Mantra is due to certain
fre%uencies produced by its pronunciation& which cause spiritual vibrations that activate
spiritual centers within man! As we know there are plenty of theories about the use of
particular sound waves to foster the meditative state !!!! The truth is that the fervor of a
yogi*s heart& showin a total& true and sincere surrender to the Bivine& cannot be brouht
onto the table of a scientific laboratory!
Therefore& let us foret those theories and stress one firm point) a yogi sincerely
believes that a spiritual path can receive a benefit by learnin and applyin some
procedures! A yogi*s factual e7perience sanctions that a transformations happen alon
the path) surrender& total trust in -od happens and then comes the -race of -od! 'ho
has the authority of denyin thisK 'hy do certain people feel the need to stimati$e
thisK Are we not able to see that the Hesychasm writins in their comple7ity e7emplify
the validity& the wisdom& the effectiveness of all thisK
283 SUFI
The art of %ontemlati"e Prayer is developed by the Sufi /8slamic mystics0 in an
astonishin way! Sufis passionately look for the possibility& in which they firmly believe&
of a direct e7perience of -od! <oul stirrin ardent feelins and sincerity are to be found
in Sufi literature) the celebration of -od and nature shines with a strenth and amplitude
beyond comparison! ,y studyin their literature& you will receive spiritual into7ication
which is the best antidote to the tendency toward melancholy which can be the worst
malady of many spiritually oriented people!
8 died as a mineral and became a plant= 8 died as plant and rose to animal= 8 died
as animal and 8 was Jan! 'hy should 8 fearK 'hen was 8 less by dyinK +et
once more 8 shall die as Jan& to soar with anels blest= but even from anelhood
8 must pass on) all e7cept -od doth perish! 'hen 8 have sacrificed my anel#
soul& 8 shall become what no mind e*er conceived!
/Rumi#Translated by '$J$ 'rberry0
Jany Sufi practice a private and silent 'doration! (thers >oin toether in an outward
roup e7pression of their love for -od! Their belief is that when we open our heart to
'llah and utter words in His praise& 'llah fills us with strenth and inner peace)
'hen prayin& the individual bows as a human person and ets up as -od!
/'l2Junayd0
"et us now consider the lofty practice of +hikr$ 2The techni%ues of Second Kriya
/Thokar0 are similar to this +hikr$4 The word +hikr is commonly translated as
1remembrance1! Essentially& the practice of +hikr is a form of Prayer in which the
Juslim e7presses their remembrance of -od! The movements of body and in particular
of the head are utili$ed in this practice! Throuh +hikr the seed of remembrance is
planted in the heart and nourished daily& until the tree of +hikr becomes deeply rooted
and bears its fruit! +hikr is somethin of tremendous importance! Sufis teach that the
purpose of +hikr is to purify hearts and souls in order to move toward the "iht of the
1HI
Bivine without bein deflected by anythin!
They teach to bein the practice of Bhikr by utterin the Mantra aloud /+hikr of
the tonue0& then a state of reat absorption makes it impossible to o on in this way! At
this point the mental practice commences! ,y perseverin assiduously in this way&
puttin all our concentration into the practice& the syllables chanted mentally are
radually effaced from our awareness and only the meanin of the Prayer remains! The
mind becomes so calm that it is unable to think& while the deepest sentiments are
awakened E the touch of Bivine Recollection drives the mind cra$y and the most
into7icatin of >oys beins to e7pand within!
1Heavens and earth contain Je not& but the heart of Jy faithful servant
containeth Je!1
/Prohet Muhammad con"eying the &ords of *od# /adith Kudsi$0
How reat is the inspiration that we receive from imaes as this one) 1'hen a servant of
'llah utters the words **7E IlEha IllE 'llEh** /There is none worthy of worship e7cept
Allah0 sincerely& the doors of heaven open up for these words until they reach the
Throne of 'llah!1
8f one wants to follow the Sufi path and uses the Kriya techni%ues& one will encounter
no difficulties whatsoever! (f course& one should be endowed with a stron self#
teachin spirit! 8 am referrin to those procedures in which the chantin of the **7E IlEha
IllE 'llEh@@ is accompanied by the movements of the head!
8t6s interestin that "ahiri Jahasaya ave the 8slamic mantra ** 7E IlEha IllE
'llEh@@ to his Juslim disciples to be practiced durin Thokar! 'e don*t have the e7act
details of that procedure but it seems reasonable that the head was lifted /with or
without the help of the breath0 from under the navel up to the brain= after reachin the
brain& it moved from the brain to the one shoulder& then to the other shoulder and then it
hit the heart!
<ome Sufi order e7plains that he who wants to uide his Prayer into his heart&
imposes a circular movement to his head and then lowers it on his breast! A modern Sufi
confraternity practices it in the followin way) 17E1 is placed in the head& 1ilEha1 /with
head bendin to the riht0 in the riht upper part of the chest& 1illEal1 /with head
bendin to the left0 in the left upper part of the chest and 1lEh1 /with head bendin
down0 in the heart= then aain 17E1 in the head& while raisin it!!!!
As the number of repetitions of the techni%ue increases in intensity& a deep
into7ication is felt in the heart! (ne may abide by the number of repetitions iven in
Kriya schools /related with the practice of the basic form of Thokar0 or can o beyond
them in a completely different dimension! 8 know that the Sufis reach a number of
repetitions that is inconceivable to a kriyaban!
293 RADHASOAMI
The spiritual orani$ation Radhasoami /Radha S&ami0 was formally founded in 1Ith
century 8ndia is also referred to as Sant Mat /Path of the <aints0! 8t is considered a
derivation of Sikhism!
F
Actually& the tradition is much more ancient and it relates to the
F
The Sikh reliion is founded on the teachins of -uru 5anak and nine successive -urus= it is the
fifth#larest orani$ed reliion in the world! 8t is interestin that the key distinctive feature of Sikhism
is a non#anthropomorphic concept of -od& to the e7tent that one can interpret -od as the Dniverse
1F0
teachin of .abir and then -uru 5anak! There were also a roup of teachers that
assumed prominence in the northern part of the 8ndian sub#continent from about the
1@th century! Their teachins are distinuished theoloically by inward devotion to a
divine principle& and socially by an ealitarianism opposed to the %ualitative distinctions
of the Hindu caste hierarchy and to the reliious differences between Hindu and
Juslim! 8n the modern times the first name to sinal is that of Param <ant <hiv Bayal
<inh >i who created the Radha <oami movement in Manuary 1FA1 /the same year in
which "ahiri Jahasaya is reported to have received initiation into Kriya Yoga0!
The founder Param <ant <hiv Bayal <inh >i died on 1FHF in Ara& 8ndia! He did
not appoint a successor& resultin in a succession crisis upon his death! <everal disciples
eventually came to be rearded as successors& which led to splits within the roup!
These splits led to the propaation of Radhasoami teachins to a wider audience
althouh with slihtly varied interpretations!
5ow& why should kriyabans ive their time to study the Radhasoami cultK ,ecause <ri
+ukteswar and P! +oananda were part of it and because the literary material produced
by this movement is very inspirin for all those who are seekin to be in tune with the
Omkar Realty! 5ow& Radhasoami is a monotheistic reliion havin the Omkar Reality
as the **sinle -od!** 'e can say the same about Kriya Yoga! The Kriya path is a process
of refinin& in successive staes& one*s attunement with Omkar! Omkar is the final oal
of Kriya and the uni%ue essence which percolates throuh all its phases!
,our basic Radhasoami beliefs
214 Radhasoami affirms that Om is the 'ord referred to in the ,ible) 18n the beinnin
was the 'ord& and the 'ord was with -od& and the 'ord was -od!1 /Mohn 1)10 The
<ound vibration& the dynamic force of creative enery that was continuously bein sent
out from the <upreme ,ein at the dawn of the universe*s manifestation throuhout the
aes& moldin all thins animate and inanimate= could be listened to throuh a
multiphase procedure known as Surat Shabda Yoga$
The central techni%ue of Surat Shabda Yoga aims at unitin the essence of what
we call **ourselves** with the <upreme ,ein throuh a procedure of inner listenin! This
techni%ues consists in attunin the soul to the spiritual current ever vibratin within!
-od is within us but physical eyes cannot see Him& nor can these physical ears hear His
Ooice! 5evertheless we can hear the 1divine pressure1 that hums all around us! ,y
enterin into the silence and closin our ears we can perfectly catch that celestial
melody and therefore reali$e the presence of -od within ourselves! 8t takes a little time
to develop it and Om can be heard by anyone? This is an ama$in& marvelous event for
each human bein? ;rom the sacred moment when the student hears this music& he is
never aain alone! He en>oys the companionship of -od Himself! Contact with this
Primal <ource of peace& love& and bliss& removes our fears& worries and an7ieties!
Radhasoami e7plains that from ae to ae& the reat Jasters come to revive this
knowlede& after materialism has obscured it! They ive us back our supreme >oy& that
who brin us directly to our ultimate spiritual freedom!
2G4 Radhasoami emphasi$es the need of a livin spiritual Jaster or <aturu! There is
no doubt that the concept of *uru has a special place in 8ndian thouht! (ne of the main
Hindu te7ts& the (haga"ad *ita& is a dialo between -od in the form of Krishna and the
warrior prince 'r1una! Their dialo summari$es the ideal relationship between *uru and
itself!
1F1
disciple! Radhasoami e7tols the role of the *uru! 8n Radhasoami thinkin this
relationship is elaborated in reat detail E e7actly in the same way 8 heard from my
Kriya orani$ation but with an important difference) this *uru cannot be dead /or& as
they prefer to say& not havin relin%uished his body throuh Mahasamadhi0!
Radhasoami is ironic about those people who imaine themselves followers of some
dead Jaster! They comment) can a woman marry a dead man and live with himK Can a
dead doctor ive medicineK (ne person may revere the memory of a dead master or
read his writins! (ne may feel in his heart love and veneration#for him! ,ut he can
never be a real 8nitiate of that Jaster!
Comin back to the real situation& namely the relationship with a livin *uru&
this role is so important that there is a sayin that if the devotee were presented to the
*uru and -od& first he would pay respect to the *uru& since the *uru had been
instrumental in leadin him to -od! A disciple could never break off the sacred
connection with the *uru under any circumstances!
8nitiation to Surat Shabda Yoga procedures is a very important moment!
Radhasoami does not initiate everyone who asks for it! (ne has to be spiritually **ready**
for initiation! After one has been chosen for initiation& he is taken into a closed room&
where the initiator e7plains the fundamental theoretical points we are dealin with!
,eside this& at the time of initiation& he is iven a first#hand inner e7perience of the
internal "iht which appears in the point between the eyebrows! The initiator activates
this "iht stationed at the third eye of the disciple! Throuh it& one comes to 1know
-od1! 'hen a soul establishes contact with this "iht& the "iht takes it back to the
-odhead& its oriinal home! Althouh some sects forbid idolatry& enerally the would#be
initiate bows& kneels& or enerally prostrates before the *uru and worships him! They
e7plain that a *uru takes on himself part of the karma of the disciple& appears to them at
the moment of death in order to introduce them to -od! As for the meditation
techni%ues& they can be learned later from other authori$ed persons from the initiator
and in any case the disciple takes a vow of secrecy! 4
2@4 Radhasoami emphasi$es the need of weekly atherin for spiritual fellowship&
spiritual service that can manifest in many forms and for listenin to the talks of their
livin Jaster! (ften such discourses revolve round the necessity of couplin meditation
with a life of hih moral values! /Oeetarian diet& no into7icants or recreational drus!!!0
at the same time carryin out their responsibilities to family& friends and society!
Attendin to these meetins is considered of paramount importance! Burin them& one
has e7perience of meditation under the direct uidance of his teacher!
294 Radhasoami claim that the limitation of all reliions has been their inability to
make -od real to their devotees! Actually& we can not imaine that men would live as
they do& think and act as they do& if -od were real to them& if they had actually seen
Him and loved Him! -od must become real to the individual& not a mental concept but a
livin reality! To practically all men& -od is simply an abstract idea& a mental concept!
How can one worship and love a mental conceptK 'hen most people say they love -od&
it simply means that they have a certain emotion induced by different factors! ,ut this
has not the least thin to do with -od#reali$ation!
There is but one method of makin -od real to the seeker) that is& to make him
see -od and hear Him! 'hen the disciple hears the enchantin music of the internal
sounds& then this process has beun! ,ut that reali$ation is not complete! 'hen he rises
by the aid of subtler procedures to the still hiher planes& his **spiritual bein** meets
with the "iht of Kutastha& it is then that he e7periences perfect -od#reali$ation!
1FG
5ow& the sound of Om# bein the bride between the physical and the astral
world& the conscious and the unconscious& the form and the formless is the best
e7perience to increase devotion for the Bivine!
I- Ba"$& p!a&t$&
Every kriyaban who feels a stron tie with P!+!*s teachins will surely read with shivers
of surprise what comes out from Radhasoami literature! They practice daily in the
comfort and convenience of one*s own home! These procedures in their entirety are
called Surat Shabda Yoga /Surat means 1soul&1 Shabda means 1word1! The 1word1 is
the 1<ound Current1& the 1Audible "ife <tream1 or the 1Essence of the Absolute
<upreme ,ein1! The teachers of Surat Shabda Yoga encourae meditation in the %uiet
of the early mornin /before breakfast0& and before sleep! Jeditation beins with first
rela7in the body and makin it still! The position is comfortable either sittin in a chair
/both feet flat on round0 or in a cross#leed position with spine erect& keepin spine&
head and neck alined naturally! 8t is important to radually develop the ability of sittin
rela7ed and without any bodily tension!
7- Na,a Yo+a
This movement contemplate **teachin a spiritual path which is intentionally easier than
those described in the ancient scriptures as it re%uires nothin more than sittin %uietly
and lookin and listenin within!** They teach that there are no other means of spiritual
liberation& e7cept throuh the Omkar e7perience! 'ithout actual& conscious&
participation in the internally audible "ife <tream& no one can ever escape the net of
Karma and reincarnation& or ever become free and happy! They e7plain that no other
system leads so easily to the hihest reions of mystical e7perience!
8n order to bein the upward >ourney& a devotee must learn to 1o within!1 This
techni%ue is practiced coverin ears and eyes usin an arm prop! <ome combine the
listenin to the inner sounds with the attempt to taste nectar /'mrit0 by stickin the
tonue to the roof of the mouth!
28 have not found in Radhasoami the e7ercise of Talabya Kriya but only the
followin instruction! **Curl your tonue up to the roof of your mouth! -et the tip to
touch the uvula make contact with the **divine nectar** that is constantly flowin throuh
your body! -o further and enter the nasal passae! Dsually you will e7perience the
nectar only after much practice! 8t is claimed that this nectar is the \livin water6& the
\bread of life6 of which Mesus spoke! 4
5ow& in order to hear the **divine sound**& novices are asked to block their ears with the
thumbs so they cannot hear any e7ternal sounds! Dsually one places the thumbs in the
ears and pullin back >ust far enouh not to be listenin to the blood poundin throuh
your ears! 2Oariation) each thumb is placed in the ear and each hand is twisted upwards
so that the four finers of each hand rest on the top of your head& with each thumb tip
lihtly but firmly in each ear hole& sealed with the twistin action!4
(ne listens to the internal sound comin at first from the riht side and
ultimately from the top of the head! To some devotees this sounds like a bell! At a
1F@
certain moment& it beins to fairly enchant you and to pull you up with increasin
attraction and power! +ou will find yourself listenin to it with rapt attention and deep
deliht& completely absorbed in it! +ou will never wish to leave it! This e7perience is
deepened by perceivin the liht in .utastha!
8- P!&$.$n+ *$+(t $n K'ta"t(a
2They e7plain that the seat of the <pirit is at the point between the two eyebrows! 8t is
on this point that the devotee havin closed his eyes must focus his attention!
Concentration moves ideally from that point& hori$ontally out& G0#G: centimeters from
the forehead! 5o tension is put on the eyes or forehead! The a$e is focused on the
middle of the dark inner screen) radually the darkness will fade to lihter and lihter
shades& eventually openin into the infinite space!
5ote
<ome modern cults that are a derivation of Radhasoami teach this followin riht hand
position! The eyelids are closed! The inde7 finer rests lihtly on the point between the
eyebrows= thumb and middle finer rest lihtly on each closed eyeball& to steady and
stop the eyeballs from movin! <tart from the corner of the eyeballs& press very very
slihtly the eyeballs up from the bottom! +ou should see the liht formin inside your
head! +ou et the sensation that your head is flooded with liht! 'e must emphasi$e
that it is not the pressure on the eyeballs that counts E the purpose of the hand position is
meant simply to steady them and to allow you to focus better!
9- En!$&($n+ t( Ap!$n& 0$t( 1apa
The teacher ives the disciple a Mantra5 the repetition of this Mantra helps the mind to
come to complete rest and remain at rest in the iven center! Repeatin internally the
Mantra in Kutastha helps one to raise the consciousness of the <elf to hiher reions!
This is the key that helps transcendin thouht /time and space0 and opens the door of
the inner bein!
Radhasoamis are invited to use the 1 Panch 5aam1& the 1: 5ames of -od1) 1!
Jot!irin1an G! Ongkar @! Rarankar 9! Sohang :! Sat !am
The disciple sits still& eyes closed& mentally repeatin the Mantra& a$in into the
middle of the darkness lyin in front of him! 8f he perceives the inner liht& the
concentration is on it! ,reathin is natural and free flowin! This process automatically
draws the spirit#currents& normally dissipated all over the body& toward the spiritual
center! 'hen the inward a$e has brouht to a sharp and steady focus& one finds that the
darkness will fade and liht will emere! Concentrate in the middle of it and continue
repeatin slowly your Mantra! Eventually one e7periences the withdrawal of the
sensory currents and a vary peculiar state sets in) like of ** numbness**! The 8nner "iht
ceases flickerin and develops into a briht spot in the central portion of the forehead!
-radually& this brilliance enlihtens every constituent of the body from within! Every
cell& every tendril is seen as sparklin with a reflection of this uni%ue low! The divine
low ends the darkness of inorance! Perfect control of the flow of the thouhts and
emotions ensues!
II- H$+(! P!a&t$&
2The Radhasoami movement believes that besides the A %hakras in the physical body&
there are A %hakras in the rey matter of the brain& and A in the white matter! The A
spinal %hakras are materialistic in nature& therefore they are not to be stimulated /you
don*t use specific bi1a Mantras to activate them as you do in Kundalini Yoga0 but they
1F9
are simply astrally located! <trane as it may sound& lon meditation upon the Chakras
is not the riht action to be done in order to achieve **Mukti** /liberation!0 ,ut by astrally
locatin them we ac%uire the ability to leave the human body at will E a practice
sometimes referred to as 1dyin while livin1! The techni%ue consists in assumin
Kechari Mudra while concentratin upon the physical location of each %hakra until its
particular luminous vibration beins to appear! 'hen this happens you don*t dwell upon
that %hakra= you focus on the physical location of the ne7t each %hakra and so on E the
pause upon a %hakra lasts only for the necessary time to have that subtle perception of
it!
The location of the other 1G %hakras in the brain is radually revealed by movin the
Prana in a circular /or elliptical0 way inside the brain! A very sliht breath can be used
>ust at the very beinnin of this procedure& then breath is forotten and you use only
the pure strenth of your will! There are plenty of such procedures adopted by the
different Radhasoami roups! Here 8 hint to a couple of them /which represent& in my
opinion& the most effective and efficient way to mere int the Omkar dimension!0
Awareness and Prana move upwards alon the riht temple& then to the left
/under the skull vault0& downwards alon the left temple and finally to the riht touchin
Medulla and closin the ellipse! All the movement happens inside the brain!
+ou will hear internal sound inside the riht ear! Then you will hear it inside the
left ear also! -o ahead with the internal movement and listen to both tones
simultaneously! 'hen the enery in the two is balanced& a circle is formed& creatin a
force field! 8t may take you about five minutes to hear both tones at the same time!
5ow& uide the two vibrations into the center of the cranium& where they will
meet and blend into a slihtly different sound! At the ape7 of this procedure you will
have the revelation of the spiritual eye! A deep ,ell sound will lead you in the Samadhi
state! This is the culmination of this particular practice and contemplation!
;ocus on the occipital reion! Awareness and Prana move forward alon the
riht part of the crown& then move backwards alon the left part of the crown& returnin
to the startin point over the occipital reion! All movement happens hori$ontally under
the skull vault!
After completin a reat number of rounds& the soul has sufficient force to
penetrate the 1F
th
portal /this for Radhasoamis is the most elevated %hakra that is found
in the white part of the brain0! This portal opens on the true& indestructible
**Radhasoami** E the ocean of the <pirit! This is the ultimate oal to be achieved via
meditation practices!
Rma!/: t( po"$t$on o# La($!$ Ma(a"a%a $n &on#!ont" o# Ra,(a"oam$ mo.mnt
Radhasoami movement teach procedures that are very similar to the techni%ues /ong
Sau# Om# Kriya Pranayama and the techni%ue that P!+! calls Second Kriya$ 8t is
reasonable to infer that some disciples of "ahiri Jahasaya beloned to a Radhasoami
roup and perhaps& without even bein fully aware of this& added to Kriya some
elements of theory and practice which beloned to this movement!
As for "ahiri Jahasaya himself& we were tauht that he learned Kriya Yoga in
1FA1 from Jahavatar ,aba>i! ,ut it is clear also that he learned also from other sources
and brouht ahead durin his life a continuously process of e7perimentation! 'e assume
that the hypothesis that he learned also from Radhasoami tradition is reasonable! 'e
1F:
consider the hypothesis that he also enriched the Surat Shabda Yoga path!
Radhasoami teaches that Om is to be heard by closin the ears& "ahiri insists that
Om is to be heard without closin the ears /and this feat which is relatively difficult
while tryin to master Kriya Pranayama becomes possible with Thokar and Kechari
Mudra0! Radhasoami teaches that the spiritual oal is to reach the hiher centers in the
brain and be lost in that "iht= "ahiri Jahasaya emphasi$es that the turnin point is to
discover the "iht in the heart center and be lost there) 1E7ternally oriented air from
above has to be made internally oriented! Throuh Thokar& this air opens the door of the
temple of 'nahata %hakra! Then deep enrossment occurs!1 Thokar creates a reat
stimulus in the fourth %hakra uidin you to meet the white starlet /the true (indu0
whose contemplation opens the door of the Sushumna! The reat effect of the Thokar is
to **initiate** you to the Omkar dimension not only as <ound but also as <piritual "iht!
,ut you must insist with this over every measure! ;urther procedures open you to the
Omkar dimension in the aspect of movement swinin sensation which is the most
subtle and mysterious perception in which it is said resides the key to o belyin time
and space!
"ahiri Jahasaya althouh knowin that many need a cult& a structure in which
move their first steps& respects the dinity of the human person but was aainst any cult
founded upon his Kriya Yoga! Althouh knowin that his e7ample was important in the
first phase of the student*s Kriya path didn*t want to play the part of a traditional *uru
because he knew that in the lon run this pretense was detrimental to the final
emancipation of the person! 4
2:3 INTERNAL ALCHEMY CNEI DAND
The Taoist 8nternal Alchemy is a spiritual discipline& the esoteric core of Taoism& the
mystical tradition of ancient China! Jy first reference book was Taoist Yoga: 'lchemy
and Immortality by Charles "uk ] "u .uan!
'hen 8 read the description of the basic procedure /Microcosmic Orbit0 of this
ancient discipline& 8 saw it was very similar to Kriya Pranayama$ The description of the
second phase of the Taoist 8nternal Alchemy /after a certain amount of rounds of the
Microcosmic Orbit& the enery accumulated in the brain was uided from the head down
into the +an Tian0 e7emplified clearly the principle of !a"i Kriya! 8 was disoriented)
perhaps Kriya Yoga was the Taoist 8nternal Alchemy& tauht within an 8ndian conte7t!
<ome procedures like !a"i Kriya were 8ndian only in appearance! 8 thouht that it was
not a weird idea that the mythical (aba1i wasCis one of the 1immortals1 of the taoist
tradition!
Jy attention was considerably stirred up= 8 photocopied many paes& cut out the
most important pieces& put them in order and lued them onto four sheets of paper&
hihlihtin the four phases of Taoist 8nternal Alchemy! (n a different sheet 8 arraned
a rudimentary lossary! The similarity to Kriya Yoga was impressive!
"ater 8 studied every title 8 could find on the sub>ect /Taoism included0! Jy
enthusiastic response derived from the intuition that Kriya Yoga and Taoist Internal
'lchemy shared a common foundation and by studyin the latter& 8 could understand
more clearly the basis of Kriya Yoga! Here follows the way 8 defined the four steps of
8nternal Alchemy
2I3 T( #$!"t "ta+: t( t(! n!+$"
The first stae is the basis of the whole internal alchemical process& it consists in
activatin the Microcosmic Orbit! Awareness and enery /Ri0 are raised durin
1FA
inhalation alon the *o"ernor channel at the back of the spine and let flow down alon
the ,unctional channel durin e7halation! The purpose of this action is 1to brin Three
to Two& Two to (ne1! "et us see what this means! The three are Min /se7ual enery0&
Ri /love enery0 and <hen /spiritual enery0! These eneries are blended& mi7ed
toether! They were oriinated by a fracture& a split at one6s birth! The first aim of
Pranayama is to create harmony amon them and thus e7ert a permanent healin action
upon the personality!
Oarious metaphors used to e7plain its mechanism /bapipe turned upside#down&
flute with no holes!!!0 brouht back to my mind& with surprisin similarity& some weird
e7planation about Pranayama and Kriya in eneral # which 8 had once received from an
eminent source!
The micro cosmic orbit techni%ue resembles the Kriya Pranayama!
The difference is that the enery oes down in the body touchin not the Chakras but
the points on the surface of the body which are connected with the Chakras) Adam*s
apple& the central reion of the sternum& the navel& the pubic reion and the Perineum!
,y oin ahead with the practice& the difference fades away& as the result produced upon
the body6s enery is the same!
2II3 T( "&on, "ta+: ,"&n,$n+ $nto t( Dant$an
8n the second stae /defined as the 1cultivation of the spiritual embryo1 or of the 1eli7ir
of immortality10 the enery stored in the head /as a result of the Jicrocosmic (rbit0& is
conveyed into the +an Tian& behind the navel& in the lower abdomen! The +an Tian has
the dimensions of a ball whose diameter is about two#and#a#half inches lon! 8n order to
locali$e its position& one has to concentrate on the belly button& to come about one and a
half inches behind and below to the same e7tent! 8t is e7plained that to settle into this
$one& means to be born to the spiritual life! This event is desinated throuh e7pressions
like) 1Comin back to the center1= 1The union of heaven and earth1= 1The birth of the
olden flower1= 1The creation of the da$$lin em1! ,y deepenin the practice& the
vibration which is created in the +an Tian ascends spontaneously into the heart reion!
8t illuminates the space of the heart /the middle +an Tian0 and reveals one*s
fundamental nature! The 1true serenity1 manifests there! The contemplation of liht
shinin in the heart completes this second phase! /8n Kriya we increase the 1heat1 in the
reion of the navel first by Pranayama itself= then we brin this heat inside throuh
!a"i Kriya and& at last& in the heart throuh Thokar$0 4 8n conclusion 8 think this is the
first time 8 read somethin beautiful about 3 !a"i Kriya?
2III3 T( t($!, "ta+: p'"($n+ n!+% 'p0a!," t(!o'+( t( t(!'"t$n+ &(ann*-
8n the third stae& Prana is increased in the thrusting channel! This channel runs like a
tube from the Perineum to the ;ontanelle throuh the center of the body! The purpose of
increasin enery inside it& is to prepare the momentum necessary to set in motion the
Macrocosmic Orbit! 8t is difficult to understand which procedures are prescribed by the
Taoist 8nternal Alchemy because in the relatin literature& some hints about this topic are
abnormally embellished with a lot of evocative terms& metaphors which make almost
impossible to have a clear idea of what they mean in practice!
I
The procedure of liftin
I
To tell the truth& in Kriya the situation is worse since what should be the fourth step
or the Pranayama &ith internal breath /a Pranayama that happens as pure movement of
enery inside the body& without bein accompanied by any control of the physical
breath E in other words the Macrocosmic Orbit0 is rarely mentioned! As a conse%uence&
1FH
the Ban Tian into the heart6s reion /middle Ban Tian0 by focusin on the vibration
produced in the lower Ban Tian recalls "ahiri Jahasaya6s instruction to reach the knot
of the heart by attunin first with the E%uilibrium state in the <amana reion in the
abdomen!
2IV3 T( #o'!t( "ta+: t( Ma&!o &o"m$& o!4$t
'e have all the reasons to believe that this is the same e7perience called in .riya +oa)
Pranayama with 8nternal breathin! There e7ist a peculiar phenomenon of circulation of
enery in the body! The breath is absent& yet one perceives the circulation of the enery&
an **internal breath!**
The fourth stae& is a reat event which cannot be induced by visuali$ation based
methods! 8t is somethin which happens when the time is ripe throuh the full mastery
of the third stae! After havin uided the enery from the lower to the middle +an
Tian /heart reion0& when the body is loaded with static Prana& the enery reaches the
upper +an Tian /Kutastha) the reion between the eyebrows0! ,y increasin the
concentration at that spot the obstruction at the base of the spine can be perfectly
removed! A spontaneous phenomenon of circulation of enery in the body& /the
Macrocosmic Orbit0 which has vast psycholoical implications& happens! A person
enters spontaneously a state of well bein and perceives a reat infusion of enery
comin down as a olden li%uid outside and inside the body& in all its cells& particularly
the skin! At the same time& one feels that somethin is raisin up at the back& more
around than inside the spine! ,ut from a certain moment onwards& the ascendin
movement does not attract the attention as the descendin one does! The latter turns into
an indefinite pressure on all the cells of the body! To e7perience how this event widens E
in an une7pected way E the boundaries of the awareness means to have entered at the
full the last part of the spiritual path!
there is not even trace of this action of thrustin! The only procedure that 8 have
learned& so to say in between Taoist 8nternal Alchemy and Kriya& which succeeds in
settin in motion such phenomenon is the use of the framented breath! <uch techni%ue
is rounded on a succession of short pushes created by a lon framented e7halation!
1FF
Appendi7 G)
REMARKS ON THE TRIBHANGAMURARI TEACHINGS
The Macro mo"ement Tribhangamurari is perceived first by simply movin
one*s awareness alon a prescribed path& then this perception is reinforced
throuh the help of the )asude"a Mantra and then throuh the help of the
movements of the head!
As for the purpose of this perception& the main idea is that it induces the
natural movement of Kundalini enery& uidin it to cross the three main knots
/*ranti0) tonueCMedulla& heart and coccy7! 8t is obvious that this theoretical
e7planation would re%uire more space and other key clarification! The iven
description has raised many doubts in the readers! Their leitimate ob>ections are
worth %uotin!
A very pertinent one was) **These techni%ues come from <atya Charan
"ahiri /randson of "ahiri Jahasaya0 but we have no proof they come from
"ahiri Jahasaya! 'e know that <atya Charan practiced seriously after retirin!
5ow& who uided him& as his father Tincouri "ahiri was no more there! Could he
have misinterpreted the diaries and diarams describin the Thokar techni%ueK**
(ther readers asked why many schools don*t teach anythin related to the
Tribhangamurari movement but consecrate the last staes either to Thokar or to
*ayatri Kriya /the process of raisin the %hakras into Kutastha!0
As many have observed& some drawins which appeared in Kriya Yoga
books& inspired by "ahiri Jahasaya*s diaries& show somethin similar to the
Tribhangamurari movement but not identical!
(ther %uestions show the enuine desire to understand where in one*s
daily routine to place the Tribhangamurari techni%ues and& above all& if the
Thokar2 Tribhangamurari can replace the different staes of Thokar$
8n my opinion Thokar2Tribhangamurari doesn*t substitute for the classic form of
Thokar5 Tribhangamurari techni%ues are an enrichment& you can test their power
only by practicin them! The problem is that their effect cannot be received if the
counseled numbers for each one of them are inored!
They re%uire an immense amount of dedication durin a lon part our life
E 8 mean years not months!
The Tribhangamurari techni%ues have the power to create a permanent
transformation in your attitude towards Kriya by makin you ac%uainted with a
mostly unknown ecstatic state while fully livin the e7perience of life E let us
define it as a sort of trance with open eyes! (nce aain& 8 must stress that they
should be e7perienced first inside a riid scheme of Incremental Routines!
<ome students try to relish riht away the power of Thokar
Tribhangamurari by a desultory& system#less e7perimentation& far from abidin
by the above#mentioned rules! 'hat could be the real impact of the Thokar2
Tribhangamurari techni%ue remains unknown and not even vauely
foreshadowed!
1FI
5ow& if you consider the enormous amount of time that these Incremental
Routines re%uire& you understand that no one is able to tackle with them without
havin an e7treme trust in another person& in one who ives you that instruction&
who looks into your eyes and with a serene smile challenes you to e7perience
the mystery of Dnworldly ,eauty they contain!
The only thin 8 can do& the only thin worth doin& is to relate what is stored in
my memory E the e7periences that happened and the spiritual advice received!
'hat happened in my life was a miracle! 'hen 8 received these techni%ues& 8
was completely free from work! 8 could complete all the Incremental Routines as
they were proposed to me& even those that appeared as **impossible!** (f course&
receivin a boost& a stron encouraement& from a person who had already
practiced them was indispensable! 8f 8 had read those techni%ues in a book& 8
would have surely failed in respectin the numbers= the effect would have been
far from bein the same!
(ne of the most difficult periods of my life bean when 8 received the 'mantrak
techni%ue! 8 felt down and had strane emotional and mental mood chanes! 8t
was like e7periencin a slow recovery from a nervous breakdown that robbed me
of my enery and >oy of livin! Actually 8 felt an absolute lack of enthusiasm= it
was as if there e7isted no activity that could produce any satisfaction! 8 felt
e7traneous to activities that 8 would otherwise have found very enticin! <ome
days 8 remained in my room doin nothin& as in a state of convalescence!
8n some ways 8 was prepared for this event! Jy teacher had e7plained that
by perceivin this new flow of enery alon the Tribhangamurari path& one
would foster a decrease in the hectic condition caused by superficial emotions!
The impression of havin no feelin& of bein dull& insensible& was only an
illusion due to this meaninful internal transformation!
'hen the amount of practice spent perceivin the Tribhangamurari flow
became reater than one hour& 8 felt like 8 was oin to e7plode! 8 felt how
difficult it was to bear all that power! Jy dreams were very lucid= 8 woke up in
the mornin as if 8 had lived a deeply intriuin and captivatin adventure!
(ddly& when 8 approached the G00 repetitions& any trouble disappeared! That
period was marked by an uncurbed enthusiasm about my new practice!
After havin completed the prescribed numbers of 'mantrak& without
waitin for the official initiation& 8 immediately started the practice of
Samantrak! All of us in the small roup knew what would have been the
techni%ue of Samantrak by simply reflectin on its name /Sa2mantrak ^ with the
Mantra!0 8t had to be a 1G syllable Mantra) obviously **Om !amo (haga"ate
)asude"aya$**
8 had my first Samantrak session in sprintime on a near perfect day&
when the pure air& fresh but pleasant& invited me to practice outdoors& where 8
en>oyed a blue sky with a small cluster of clouds floatin in the olden liht! 8
was really happy& and it seemed 8 had entered a new dimension! There were only
few repetitions of the techni%ue& but they chaned my mood! Samantrak was like
1I0
turnin on various lihts alon the three#curved path! 8t was as if so much sun
and clear skies finally entered my practice! The Mantra*s syllables& which 8 put
with care like seeds in each center& would warm me up the way the sun warmed
up the land around me!
The only problem was that the use of the Mantra would induce me to o
speedily! 8t was only when 8 decided to make a special effort to o ahead slowly&
that the Tribhangamurari path bean to be 1lit!1
Bespite the fact that pauses in each %hakra were short& 8 had the
impression of reapin the reward of my practice of the *ayatri Kriya! The colors
of the %hakras& namely the colors of the relative Tatt&as# were perceived& first
timidly and then always with reat clarity!
Thouh havin not yet completed the last sessions of Samantrak& my soul was
already pro>ected upon the ne7t step& eaerly anticipatin its effects! The words
of my teacher at the time resounded in my mind) **The practice of Thokar
/meanin the Thokar2Tribhangamurari techni%ue0 will produce a state of
into7ication) you will be drunk with >oy all day lon?**
At lon last& 8 received the yearned#for techni%ue! That moment of my life
was really a maic one! 8 would be lyin if 8 did not say that 8 have an endless
nostalia for it! <ince 8 practiced this routine in summer and in the open air& 8
associate it with lon sunsets& with evenins that seemed to have no end!
Throuh this procedure& the Tribhangamurari flow is intensified by
specific movements of the head! 8n Chapter I 8 have described how a continuous
slow movement of the chin ends with a >erk directed on a specific center& then&
after a micro pause& the movement restarts and there is another >erk directed on
the ne7t center and so on E five >erks! The problem is that many kriyabans focus
all the attention on ivin the strokes and don*t understand the value of creatin
mental pressure alon each millimeter of the path! The desire to et a stron
effect too soon should be curbed! The Thokar2Tribhangamurari can be ideally
mastered in four steps! "et us here consider the movement sensation up the spine
and down alon the three#curved path)
1! ;irst of all it is necessary to feel that the movements of the head
accompany perfectly& millimeter after millimeter& the flow of the internal
current! ;or some time& we make a point of forettin any attempt at
intensification! ,efore considerin a further step& we do our best to obtain
an uninterrupted perception of the current!
G! (nly now we can try to intensify the perception of the internal flow by
creatin a mental pressure alon each part of it! 'e utili$e the movements
of our head to 1touch with pressure1 each millimeter of the path& up and
down! The chin is to be moved slowly as we are strivin to win a stron
resistance! 8n Chapter I we have suested the idea) **like s%uee$in with a
pencil an almost empty tube of toothpaste to et the last little bit out! **
@! 5ow we focus on what is happenin when& stoppin for a fraction of a
1I1
second& we vibrate the related syllable in a center! 'e develop a resolve to
become aware of each of the 1G centers! 'hile points 1 and G benefit from
our effort with 'mantrak& point @ benefits from our effort with Samantrak!
9! (nly at this point we ive all possible emphasis to the five strokes and
we perceive also what is radiatin out of each center after the stroke!
8f 8 could add a fifth further point& it would be to ive e7treme attention to what
happens while chantin Teeee in the Medulla! 8n that moment we must try to
reach /to become intensely aware of0 the Kutastha!
"et me now ive an idea of what the standard Incremental Routine of Thokar2
Tribhangamurari implies!
'hile 'mantrak and Samantrak are practiced every day& the Incremental
sessions of Thokar2Tribhangamurari are practiced once a week /the other days
one can& however& practice up to @A repetitions!0 A kriyaban must have had all
the time necessary to metaboli$e the subconscious material that the stron action
e7erted upon Muladhara brins to the surface!
A kriyaban perceives first a tran%uil flow of enery risin alon the spine
durin G0#@0 seconds /this is in itself a stron e7perience0& then while comin
down& the head follows the inner flow alon the three#curved path& cuttin the
three main knots durin G0#@0 seconds! The movements are perfectly rational
and have only one purpose) to increase the strenth of the process! 8n five places
linked with )a Su +e )a Ya we have the strokes! ,y movin the head left& then
riht& then left& a kriyaban creates an Ida2Pingala balance! At this point there is
the stroke upon the Muladhara followed by the ascent throuh the spine! ,y
repeatin this process aain and aain& there is real hope that one succeeds in
enterin the Sushumna channel& stoppin the breath and en>oyin a blissful
ecstatic state?
(ne beins with @A rounds= a week later one practices @A7G& then @A7@ !!!
and finally @A7@A repetitions! This means 1GIA rounds? Can you imaine the
powerful effects of this actionK 1GIA means that you bein in the mornin and
end in the niht& doin aain and aain the same action! There is no doubt that
you*ll succeed in openin the door of Sushumna? (f course you have prepared
this e7perience by practicin @A7@:& and before that @A7@9!!!! And don*t foret
that you have practiced 'mantrak for months and Samantrak for another cycle of
months?
"ivin those lon sessions sittin in the open countryside& in total freedom and in
a state of mystical **into7ication** was an unforettable event! ;or weeks 8 had the
tendency to practice too %uickly& riskin never tastin the essence of the
procedure! 8n time 8 appreciated oin slowly and feelin that the process of
Thokar happened alon the whole path! This created a particular mental intensity
of perception!
'hen in the late afternoon the practice neared the end& 8 was keen to
diminish the strenth of the movements of my head and to en>oy the pure
1IG
vibration of each syllable! Towards the end of those blessed days# 8 often violated
the instruction to chant the syllables only mentally! 8 slowly uttered each syllable
in a whisper& en>oyin a micropause after each of these utterins! This was
enouh to perceive the sweet irradiation sprinin out from each center! This
perception amplified my e7perience of >oy! 8n this Incremental Routine 8 found
not only peace but love& bliss& into7ication!!! everythin!
(ne evenin& a sound of tollin bells came from a distant villae E it was
like a cascade of liht? 8t was so une7pected? A part of my mind went on
repeatin) 1A human bein has never been ranted so much >oy?1
To each dubious kriyaban 8 would like to say) **,e assured that if you
practice the correct number of 'mantrak and Samantrak& then the e7perience of
Thokar2Tribhangamurari will never disappoint you and will become your
favorite techni%ue?**
About two months after beinnin this last practice& 8 took part in a roup
pilrimae and walked a full niht in order to reach a beautiful sanctuary the
followin mornin! 8 moved around as if my heart bore a bra$ier within! 8
perceived that the center of my personality was not in the brain& but in my heart!
'alkin on& 8 would murmur the 1G syllables of the Mantra& ideally puttin each
one of them in the related center! 8 was perfectly aware that mine was not a
commonly established way of practicin& but 8 could not avoid it!
8 started to perceive somethin in my heart& a sort of tension of tenderness!
8 e7perienced the stron power that procedure has of chanin the way you look
at life! 8 reali$ed that my mates* lives were wrapped up in love! 8 understood that
the reality of love was the most intense force of life& corrupted only by the
pollution of mind! 8 felt that human beins could not by instinct avoid lovin or
takin care of somebody E their own children for e7ample! 8 had no doubts that
they were able to ive their own life for their children! There was in each one of
them the power for reat and incredible actions! As a conse%uence& they could
not avoid painful e7periences!
8 felt as thouh our lives were soaked in love as well as pain and traedy!
This duality was involved in earthly e7istence& interwoven with our bein! The
sentiment of this inescapable reality was e7perienced as a painful rip tearin my
chest apart! As the sun rose over our path and the sanctuary appeared over a hill&
somethin thawed in my depths and there came such an intensity of love that the
same e7perience turned into a 1blissful1 pain!
5ow 8 was ready to focus all my efforts on the Micro Tribhangamurari
mo"ement! 8t was impossible however to drop the Macro Tribhangamurari
mo"ement entirely! 8 bean e7periencin the Macro Mo"ement as a form of Jaa
before each Kriya routine! 'ith the encouraement of another kriyaban 6 who
practiced in this way for months E 8 bean practicin it with open eyes! ;or
reasons that escape my understandin& the psycholoical effect of this practice
was remarkable! ;rom the very beinnin 8 had reali$ed that an important detail
was to move not only my head but my a$e also& smoothly& without >erks! <ince
this detail is very important& let me dwell upon it!
1I@
8 started with open eyes and chin on the chest! The eyes looked at the floor! 8
murmured in a whisper the syllables of the Mantra and simultaneously raised my
chin and a$e! Jy attention moved centimeter after centimeter& lookin at
anythin that was before me! Then& without turnin the face& my head moved
toward the left shoulder& then returned to the center while at the same time 8
raised the chin up as much as possible! Burin this movement& my eyes turned up
hih! 'hen& from that chin#up position& my face slowly turned to the riht& my
eyes followed the movement and ended by lookin attentively at the area on my
riht& as far back as possible! Then my face slowly turned to the left! The eyes
followed the movement& shiftin hori$ontally without losin any detail of what
was in front of me and ended by lookin attentively at the area to my left& as far
as possible! Burin the last four strokes iven from the left& the intensity of my
a$e diminished and the eyelids closed! 8n the final instant 8 felt like fallin
asleep! 8n this way 8 repeat the procedure aain and aain!
The first effect 8 noticed from the first day of practice was the intensity of
oneiric activity! <ome dreams remained very vivid in my imaination durin the
mornin hours! 8 considered this a privileed way of creatin a dialo with the
unconscious sphere!
8 perfected the ability to meditate anywhere and not be disturbed by
anythin! 'hile in the beinnin 8 was inclined to be maniacal in preparin the
proper meditation environment and became nervous and worried about the
slihtest thin& now 8 loved to meditate in unusual places and impossible
situations E e!! travelin by train or watchin a movie! 8 saw that& stranely
enouh& such occasions could establish& by contrast& a particular state of
awareness yieldin unhoped#for results!
Jy practice of Macro Tribhangamurari mo"ement with open eyes
continues to the present day and 8 don*t want to contemplate the eventuality of
droppin it!
Remarks on the Micro Tribhangamurari routine
'hen 8 received this instruction 8 was told that& analoously to the Yoni Mudra
which is practiced every niht at the moment a kriyaban prepares to withdraw
his awareness from the body and from the physical world and ets ready for
sleep E which is a 1small death1 E the Micro mo"ement Tribhangamurari
Incremental Routine is like a peaceful return to the oriin E a preparation to 1die
forever1 E meanin to become forever free in <pirit! 8t was e7plained to me that
this last Incremental Routine& besides bein the best preparation for the conscious
e7it out of the body at death /Mahasamadhi0& burned forever the necessity of
reincarnatin!
10

10
As for what happens durin the process of Mahasamadhi& we have heard many stories about
possible **Kriya ways** of leavin the physical shell= obviously we cannot vouch for their authenticity!
<ome assert that the typical practice is Thokar& others hint at procedures happenin entirely in
Kutastha$ 'e can reasonably assume that it is not always possible to perform the physical movement
of Thokar! To focus one*s awareness in the spine or at the point between the eyebrows may be the only
1I9
A kriyaban should make every effort to create the opportunity to rant himself
the >oy and the privilee of completin the recommended number of repetitions
without every yieldin to the temptation of hurried practices!
8n Micro2mo"ement Incremental Routine we have @A sessions of practice! 'hat*s
new is that the ma>or part of this session re%uires more than one day!
(n the first day you perceive @A Jicro#movements in each of the 1G
centers /you start from what we have already envisaed in chapter H!0 The
second session re%uires that you perceive @A7G Jicro movements in each center!
2+ou e7perience one sinle lon round) HG Jicro movements in the first %hakra
without interruption& then HG in the second %hakra& and so on!!!!4 After some
days& you face the third session with @A7@ Jicro movements in each center! Then
other days pass by! Then you have your @A79 session which will fill up your
whole day!
The ne7t steps) @A7:& @A7A& @A7H& @A7F& will not only fill up a whole day
but also part of the ne7t day! Therefore you must divide your effort into two
parts! 'hat was heretofore never allowed now happens) you can sleep a whole
niht between the two parts which are considered one session! 'hat is important
is that you start more or less immediately on the mornin of the ne7t day!
Therefore& you are not allowed to o to work and it is also recommended that
you keep silent& avoidin any opportunity for conversation! /However& the use of
common sense should always prevail= if addressed& a polite reply is always
imperative!0
+ou can now understand that the followin sessions re%uire more days=
the last session re%uires about 1G days? "et me describe what happens durin the
last session) you perceive @A7@A micro movements in each center? This means)
1GIA micro movements in Muladhara& 1GIA in S&adhistan!!!! and so on& endin
after some days in Muladhara with 1GIA movements!
8t is clear that you can complete this routine only when you are free from
work! "et me emphasi$e that one should never skip over a stae! Bon*t think&
**(n my ne7t <ummer holidays 8*m oin to find a do$en days to practice @A7@A!**
5o? 8t does not work in this way! ,efore perceivin the Jicro movement @A7@A
times in each center you must have perceived it @A7@: times! And before this&
you should have perceived it @A7@9 times& and so on!!!!
Completin this Incremental Routine is really a iant achievement! Jany
splendid e7periences will happen and the last internal obstacles will be cleared
one after another!
The period in which 8 was absorbed in this process is enveloped in my memory
by a dreamy aura! 8 even still find it hard to remember it= sometimes& only in >est&
8 ask myself if it actually e7isted! ;or more than two years 8 deviated from the
common way of livin! 8 practiced all day lon& every day& out in the open if
thin possible! The most interestin thin 8*ve heard is that some kriyabans# durin the last weeks or
months before leavin the body& practice only one techni%ue) perceivin the Micro2mo"ement
Tribhangamurari nel Kutastha! At the moment of death& they mere with the 8nfinite throuh the
same procedure!
1I:
possible!
8 used to carry alon a seat made of a plastic and a wool layer& somethin
to drink& and a thirty#si7#bead rosary! 8 would sit down& breathe deeply and
proceed with the Mantra and the conse%uent Jicro movement! At the end of
each cycle& 8 would move an ob>ect& a little stone& from one side of my body to
the other to keep track of the appro7imate number of @A cycles!
(ften an invincible drowsiness overpowered all my best efforts! (n the
inner screen of my awareness a lot of imaes were displayed like dreamlike
visions! 5o help came from chanin the position of the les& practicin Maha
Mudra several times& or interruptin the practice for a short pause! Jany times 8
wondered what benefit& if any& could be received from what seemed to be a
voyae into the unconscious world of dreams!
After interruptin the practice to et some rest& 8 found out& however& that
it did not solve my problem E sleepiness came back as soon as 8 resumed the
practice! There was no way /coffee& a lot of rest30 to find some relief from it=
there was nothin to do but to accept the situation!
8 went on increasin the lenth of my sessions! ;rom a certain moment
onwards& especially by assumin Kechari Mudra& the drowsiness chaned into an
e7traordinary condition of rela7ation! Jore than once 8 found my back slihtly
bent forward= 8 learned not to straihten it with a sudden movement& because that
would interrupt the condition of absorption and %uiet!
After many hours of practice& at the end of my day& occasionally& 8 was
cauht by such euphoria that 8 felt the irresistible instinct to swin the body! 8t
was like dancin from a sittin stance& accompanyin the dance with a subtle
form of internally hittin the center where 8 was focusin my concentration!
'henever 8 pronounced the seventh syllable& my trunk swun left& thinkin of
the followin one it swun riht!!! and then left aain! 'hen 8 thouht the last
syllable my trunk %uivered a little& ivin such a profusion of bliss?
8 learned to practice without bein disturbed by anythin= in this way& the
techni%ue landed in my life as a new instinct arousin spontaneously when 8 sat
down and straihtened my spine! ;rom that moment onwards& the heart %hakra
became a reality manifestin very easily as a warm& pulsin sensation= the other
%hakras became easy detectable by inducin& throuh a moderate use of
attention& a swinin sensation in them! This event deepened my way of
practicin the Kriya techni%ues# erasin forever the necessity of any
visuali$ation!
11
(ne day 8 was on a cliff not far from a beach where a small number of
people used to o for a walk! 8 took shelter under a tree from the sun& and at dusk
8 went to the beach& leaned my back aainst a rock and stayed there& pretendin
to stare at a distant ob>ect! 8 practiced keepin my eyes open! The sky was an
indestructible crystal of infinite transparency and the ocean waves were
continually chanin their color& havin in themselves an almost unbearable
11
Even a little practice of this e7ercise is a miracle of sweetness! 8n the last part of your Kriya routine&
you can perceive three micro#movements in each of the 1G centers startin from Muladhara and
returnin to Muladhara$ ,y repeatin this for three rounds& you plune into a state without parallel!
After this routine& you can lay down in corpse pose /Sa"asana0 obtainin a particular state of physical
and mental immobility where the Kundalini enery will rise into the heart %hakra!
1IA
charm! 8 was tryin to hide my tears behind the black lenses of my sunlasses! 8
cannot describe what 8 felt e7cept in poetic form!
There is an 8ndian son /in the final part of the movie Mahabharata0
whose lyrics are taken from the S"etas"atara 9anishad # 18 have met this -reat
<pirit& as radiant as the sun& transcendin any material conception of obscurity!
(nly the one who knows Him can transcend the limits of birth and death! There
is no other way to reach liberation but meetin this -reat <pirit!1 'hen 8 listen to
the beautiful voice of the 8ndian siner repeatin 1There is no other way1& my
heart knows that nothin has the power to keep me away from this state and this
terrifically beautiful practice& which 8 will en>oy for the rest of my life!
Remark
Kriya 'charyas usually recommend to foret breath durin the Tribhangamurari
procedures! 8 have e7perimented with breath and now 8 suspect that when in some
Kriya books you read about the hue number of Kriya breaths practiced /1HGF or
G0H@A0 by some yogis in the last part of their life& this number refers to practices lived
in the Tribhangamurari scheme or in other schemes like Pranayama &ith short breath
/see my chapter A0!
1HGF can be e7perienced partly durin Macro Tribhangamurari and partly
durin Micro& where the breath not very lon utili$ed in the first becomes almost
evanescent durin the second! G0H@A is& in my opinion& practiced in more than one day&
especially while facin the **impossible** numbers of the incremental routine of Micro
Tribhangamurari!
5o one& not even the same practitioner could be accurate about the precise details of the
e7perience! -reat part of the lon meditative session is lived in an intuitively uided
state which has the characteristics of the daydreamCreverie state! 'hen you have
completed your practice& you discover that you cannot describe it because the bliss
e7perienced has totally effaced from your memory the modalities of your e7perience!
8f you practice a short number of Thokar Tribhangamurari# you can utili$e your
breath to intensify its power! 'hat 8 received from mouth of a kriyaban is the
followin)
<tartin with chin down& slowly inhale placin the syllables in the %hakras as
you do in the Thokar Tribhangamurari procedure!
/+ou can utili$e the Reverse ,reathin& therefore don*t foret to contract the navel#
Maniura reion!0 At the end of inhalation& after placin (a in the (indu& your chin is
up& parallel to the soil!
5ow hold your breath and feel and intensification of enery in the upper part of
the thora7! At the same time check the contraction of the navel# Maniura reion! 'hile
e7periencin a comfortable Kumbhaka# uide the enery alon the Tribhangamurari
path down into Muladhara! The instructions are e7actly those of Thokar
Tribhangamurari5 the only difference is that now you are holdin your breath and the
e7perience is much more intense! 'hile you are movin your head 2if you have doubts
about the movements& read aain the previous **third art: Thokar Tribhangamurari**4
place the last si7 syllables in the related centers! 5ow raise your chin and then& with
total focus on Medulla# e7hale slowly e7periencin a descent of fresh enery in all the
body /internal orans and skin!0 Then repeat the process for as lon the breath is not
dissolved!
1IH
Appendi7 @)
ABOUT THE NEW5AGE5POLLUTED KRIYA YOGA
The problem of considerin the wron attitudes towards the <piritual path is a more
serious theme than what is commonly perceived! A full reali$ation of the faddiness that
keep many kriyabans@ mind busy could drive any serious Kriya teacher cra$y! Bo we
really think that all the kriyabans who stick faithfully to a schedule of reular practice
are free from insane and totally irrational e7pectations that contradict the very basis of
the mystical pathK
"et us try to resolve the followin doubt) **(ften we introduce to another person
the value of Kriya Yoga$ This person sustains undecided althouh with a benevolent
attitude the impact with our enthusiasm! 8t may happen that later this person beins to
show an uncurbed enthusiasm about the idea of undertakin this discipline! 5ow& is it
possible that this odd chane is due to the fact that our too enthusiastic words about the
ama$in effects of Kriya have created a colossal deceptionK** Dnfortunately& if some part
of our e7planation has been twisted or overlooked by our listener& a danerous illusion
has taken solid roots in hisCher mind!
The reatest and most insidious delusion is that Kriya is an scientifically based&
and therefore almost automatic& tool of self therapy /psycholoical!0 The pro>ect of
embarkin on the Kriya path with the hope of ettin free from depression or other
common forms of neuroses leads nowhere! 8f you have a sick mind and after havin
e7perimented with alternative remedies& you follow the counsel of a too much
enthusiastic friend and try the Kriya path too& you won*t obtain anythin& e7cept for a
headache! 5ot only that) if& throuh this process somethin ood happens in your
psycho#physical system you will not reconi$e it and et only anuish! 8n this situation
there is no love for Kriya! +ou fear in your heart you will be disappointed and you will!
Kriya works when there is love for the Bivine and reat appreciation for the
Kriya techni%ues! +ou cannot look at Kriya with suspicion) 1Boes it really work1K 5o
human can ever touch the sureme *ood of Kriya unless you place it& with unshakeable
trust& above all the other achievements of the world! +ou cannot clumsily try to
camouflae your skepticism by pretendin a none7istent spiritual interest! Kriya can
work even if you are not a 1reliious1 person& but it should be the ob>ect of your
enthusiasm and aspiration!
Kriya is not a psycholoical >ourney in the realm of our mind but a spiritual path!
;orettin this ives all deformations reen liht! ;or e7ample some nourish the
roundless e7pectation that Kriya practice miht amplify their mental powers! This idea
is subtly fostered by some Kriya literature!
8 don*t want to say that this is the only idea that comes out from certain
literature! ,y no means? +ou are invited to seek the Bivine only& %uotin the -ospel
with authority! +et the precedin idea is created by many discourses! 8t ives oriin to
an almost ine7tinuishable oscillation between seekin the Bivine only& surrenderin to
His will without askin any other thin& and to use will& imaination and effort to et
some tanible results E which it is the aspect that& >ust in order to be understood& 8 call
**maic**!
This situation is made more unstable by the fact that& owin to reliious
conditionin& the idea of movin towards -od miht remain& for many persons and for a
1IF
lon time without an ounce of attractiveness!
The dawnin of a spiritual awakenin is when suddenly the Omkar dimension
enters one*s life! Omkar is important& very important! 'ithout it& you can repeat all day
lon) 1Thou art that1 but you don*t rasp its meanin! +ou are only en>oyin lofty ideas!
Even if you believe in a Hiher Self and desire to live without betrayin it& if you are
not in contact with the Omkar reality& you betray your Hiher Self continuously!
8 am not afraid of sayin that without this baptism& one*s practice of Kriya is a
caricature of "ahiri Jahasaya*s Kriya! +ou cannot talk only about spiritual evolution
linked to the number of Kriyas you have practiced! 1Evolution1 is a vaue& inconsistent
mirae which destroys all enuine spiritual aspiration! An hypothetical evolution is less
than nothin compared to the e7perience of merin into the Omkar vibration!
8 bean to free myself from all esoteric#maic conditionin when 8 was invited by a
local cultural institution to ive lessons on the present tendency of creatin self#made
reliion! 8 went throuh the whole history of western esoteric movements! +ou can
understand where the boundary line between the enuine mystical %uest and the
cultivation of maic ambitions lay when you are familiar not only with the history of
the mystical movements but esoteric too!
8 was delihted to prepare the lessons by studyin the best available essays and
te7tbooks E 8 mean books written by academics who didn*t belon /or were so smart as
to hide their membership or affiliation0 to any particular mystical school and manifested
a detached attitude toward the whole matter! 8 appreciated those te7ts that were capable
of presentin the essence of those reliious movements which flourished freely around
the reat reliions!
This was an unclouded period of my life) 8 was very ratified to have time and
opportunity to pursue such studies! The impact of certain readins& the liveliness of
certain historical facts& had the effect of cleanin my path from useless domas
admitted innocently into my life throuh the door of meek adaptin to the ideals of my
first Kriya orani$ation! 8 was struck by the devastatin inconsistency of many esoteric
movements& widely reconi$ed as demandin and elitist! Jany manificent terms&
which would have once allured me& turned out to be totally empty of any sinificance!
Their redundancy filled me with nausea as if they were an obscenity brouht forth by a
monster! 8 was stricken by the weakness of the human mind& by its discourain
slowness in dissolvin larin deceptions and fallacies!
<ince the first lesson& 8 tried to communicate what is bein e7pressed clearly
with the word **mystic!** 8 repeated that even if in some conte7t the word mystic evokes a
relationship with the mystery& with the concept of initiation /from the -reek XUT_`aYZ
2mustikos4& an initiate0 into secret reliious rituals /also this from the -reek Xbc& to
conceal0& a mystic is one who tries sincerely /adoptin any form of mental and or bodily
discipline0 to surrender themselves to something which is the %uintessence of supreme
comfort& something which lays beyond the territories of the mind E unattainable by the
acrobatics of a never satisfied mind!
The problem was that that something beyond mind was unintelliible and had no
appeal for most part of them! 8 repeated to no purpose how frail /full of suestibility
and vulnerability0 was the human psyche when it deals with approachin the spiritual
path! 8 saw that my students showed scant reard for this theme! They didn*t seem to
reali$e the relation it had with their own life! Rather someone contested me
rememberin me the reat value of the curiosity in brinin forth the scientific search!
8 reali$ed with cold mind that some listeners came to my lessons in the hope to
receive support and fuel for their illusions! Towards the end of cycle of lessons 8 tried
1II
to e7toll the concept of a **clean mystical path** E a path directed one pointedly towards
the total surrender to -od and not polluted by the fantasies and deformations of the
human mind!
8 talked privately with some students about how to approach the very core of the
spiritual path! 8 e7tolled the value of spiritual classics like) 1Tales of a Russian Pilgrim1!
8 e7tolled how beautiful and valuable it was feelin like pilrims& like those
souls who followed the thousand#year#old spiritual tradition of %ontinuous Prayer! 8t
was evident that 8 had stronly strayed off of my didactic theme! However they forot
everythin >ust five minutes after our conversation and revealed the stimulus of the
most curious illusions with the firm proposal of cultivatin them on their own with
reat deliht!
At the end of this didactic e7perience 8 had clear in front of me the reat daner to
consider any spiritual path as a maic process! Actually& there are some aspects of Kriya
advertisin that seem an invitation to tread the path of Jaic! **+ou will develop this&
you will develop that!!!!** There is a subtle conditionin& seeds of illusion that will
flourish at due time!
8 don*t advertise Kriya& but 8 know what 8 would say) **Kriya Yoga is a spiritual
path based on ood methods of concentration and Prayer! These methods had been
utili$ed for centuries!** 5ot a word more! 8 would never show pics of people who were
successful in Kriya& 8 didn*t either report of famous personaes praisin Yoga in eneral
or Kriya Yoga !!! since this ives the idea you want to sell somethin!
8 don*t appreciate that some Kriya school use sometimes /durin mass initiation0
rites similar to Jaic! They employs symbolism& purification fire rites& to enender
stron emotion& belief and blind trust!
'hy both Kriya and Jaic re%uire to take an oath of secrecy about the
techni%uesK 8n reliion there is discretion not secrecy! Biscretion comes spontaneous to
intellient and sensitive people& secrecy is unnatural& irrational& impractical and
therefore re%uires an oath!
There are two main tendencies in maic and& conse%uently& two typical ways of strayin
off one*s spiritual path! The first is the mania of receivin initiation from many
different **leitimated** lineaes of transmission= the second is the eaerness to receive
detailed information about esoteric procedures intended to alter the world of
phenomena& otherwise overned by the inevitability of the physical laws!
8 have a vivid recollection of two kriyaban friends matchin the two aforesaid
cateories!
,y my first Kriya teacher& 8 knew a person who wasn*t there in the spasmodic search for
oriinal Kriya but because of the illustrious line of descent of that teacher! He said that
**line of descent** was the most important thin to care while approachin a spiritual
teacher!
He was adamant in practicin Kriya with wron modalities& makin larin
mistakes! ;or instance& he nelected the basic rules of health& refused& durin
meditation& to assume the correct position of the backbone& didn*t even try to et
immobility in the final part of his routine! 8t was impossible to correct him! He behaved
toward me in a very cordial way but& when he talked about the absolute place to be
iven to ethic rules listed by Patan>ali& he was able to make me feel like a worm! He
critici$ed my obsession to perfect the practice of Kriya! He e7plained that the very
G00
desire to master a meditation techni%ue meant cultivatin desire and this was aainst
,uddhist principles!
The belief that the power /,araka0 of the reat Teachers of the past& is still
present in their descendants& as a non#stop chain is common enouh! He was convinced
that the spiritual proress cannot happen e7cept throuh receivin this 1power1! 8n his
life he was destined to went on receivin Kriya from those who claimed to have a valid
lineae althouh their teachins didn*t add nothin to what he already knew! He was
spellbound by the idea of 1transmission of power!1 He believed that the power received
throuh initiation had in itself the power of redemption!
He ave not so much importance to be serious in the practice of the Kriya
techni%ues E he said they were >ust to purify oneself before receivin the real
**initiation** which for him meant **power!** 'hat 8 never understood of him was that now
and then he went to assist to the liturical practices of a Catholic church only **as a
bland form of e7orcism!**
Dnfortunately& he went on payin attention to the revelations comin from a
healer /a channeler
1G
0 to whom he went in order that the spirits reveal to him the
karmic reason of a liht illness that in my opinion& could be cured easily followin the
usual dietary rules! "ater he met a roup of people who practiced spiritualism and had
.ardec as occult teacher!
8 attended a couple of times their meetins! The lifestyle reinin in that loomy
environment had the characteristics of a cult even if they disuised as a catholic roup
of prayer! Jy friend created a stron bond with that roup= unfortunately that farce cost
him dearly! He pluned into situations of such a narrow vision that his behavior
appeared rotes%ue! 8t was a revelation for me to witness his mental fraility! Oery
often& from behind the mask of a self#confident appearance& a frail personality allowed
others to defraud him in the worst of the ways! His oriinal desire to find a channel that
put him in direct contact with the power and blessins of ancient masters ended in the
worst of all prisons! He ave all his possessions& and the totality of his eneries& to a
person who was an authentic roue!
1@
That person claimed to have had the privilee to
communicate throuh a medium with P!+! and with "ahiri Jahasaya! 8t was pathetic
and& to an e7tent& even amusin bein told that nowadays P!+! *s messae is) 18n this
1G
Classical spiritualism # characteri$ed by a person /medium0 who enters a trance state at a desk&
answers the %uestions put by the bystanders throuh a code of loud raps # has handed over its place to
more modern methods such as those where all the participants& puttin their hands on an upside#down
lass to move it amon the letters of the alphabet stamped on a comfortable fle7ible tablet /(ui>a
board0! Jany prefer the more accessible revelations of a channeler who lets the invoked entity
e7press throuh the flood of his own elo%uence! 8t is interestin to see how the channeler@s
bioraphies trace a common scheme! All tell that once they were skeptic of their own faculties and
would not accept yieldin to the hiher 'ill who had decided to entrust to them the mission to serve
as medium between spirits and humanity! (nce their mission was accepted& from the same ultra
mundane source came the inspiration to mi7 the flow of the various revelations with the dianosis of
unlikely illnesses& with prescription of e7pensive alternative remedies!

1@
8 have some rounds to believe that the untrustworthy soil of spiritualism is one of the best areas to
cultivate splits inside one*s personality! Apart from the automatic &riting in which the one who asks
is the same person that ives the answer& the Jedium knows in advance the preferences and
anticipations of the person who addresses him! Therefore all becomes like a closed circuit) %uestion
and answer reverberate in an endless loop like the feedback of a microphone set ne7t to its loud
speaker! As anyone can observe& the messaes are always areeable! Every adept& even of limited
intellience& receives the messae that the Bivine has assined him an imortant mission3 8 believe
that this is& psycholoically speakin& very danerous!
G01
epoch& the Kriya is old#fashioned and useless! Bevotion is enouh?1!
Another kriyaban friend seemed to live only for 1improvin1 his Kriya by incorporatin
various esoteric procedures& even those described in the manuals of Ceremonial maic!
He was convinced that only by usin certain formulas and initiatic symbols& was it
possible to complete the evolutionary >ump conducive to liberation!
After a reat insistence& 8 accepted to read what for him was a masterpiece of
initiatic literature! The book surprised me for the %uantity of information it contained!
'hile readin it& 8 entered an almost hypnotic state and didn*t immediately reali$e that
each chain of ideas therein contained had no basis at all& but was only offsprin of the
unbridled imaination of the author! Throuh an into7ication with words& the author*s
imaination dared to develop free from the relationship with reality and from the rules
of loic! The whole thin was only a pure mental en>oyment E comparable to that of
readin a fantasy novel! Readin Tolkien would have been immensely more interestin
and wise! How can you think of e7periencin somethin concrete by >ust readin such
>unkK 8 counseled to my friend some ood books= he stated he had already read them!
,ut it was a lie E he preferred to keep them at a distance!
8 came to know that he was the spiritual uide of a small roup of persons
posin as christian devotees& while they were >ust bewildered! 8 can*t imaine what he
tauht them since he never talk to me of this activity!
(ne day he met a self#named e7pert in occult matters who purported to know
the secrets of an almost e7tinct esoteric path and& in particular& a spiritual techni%ue far
more advanced than those known today& which was practiced centuries or millennia
ao& by few privileed beins! This 1e7pert1 uided him sweetly but with the surety of
a mature professional& towards a situation in which his economic base& essential to his
livin& was at risk of bein swept away& completely reduced to shambles! He easily
bewitched him! 15ow that humanity is different from before& such teachins are not
revealed to >ust anyone1 he started off& then after a pause and with a sih& finally
concluded) 1Today*s students would not know how to appreciate them and& in their
hands& they could be danerous!1
The e7pert created the impression of bein a dreamer& but was not so nadve as it
seemed= he used an enchantin terminoloy similar to that of the .abbalah /mystical
teachin within Mudaism0 and talked effortlessly about oriinal Christianity also& whose
te7ts /canonical and apocryphal0 he was able to interpret in a non#conventional way!
Jy friend tried to captivate the teacher in order to present himself as a true
adept! Confidin that he was willin to accept whatever toll and deprivation& consentin
to whatever behest& provided that this e7traordinary secret will be revealed to him& he
actually fell into the trap! After havin e7pressed some reservations& our smart teacher
at lon last capitulated& murmurin) 1(nly for you& only because 8 feel 8 am guided to
make an e7ception1! Jy friend& a poor victim %uiverin with emotion& lived the best
moment of his life& convinced that the meetin with the e7pert had been decided in the
hiher spheres! The re%uested donation to be iven durin 8nitiation ## united to the
promise of keepin absolute secrecy ## was conspicuous& since in that way he would
confirm the reat value attributed to that event! The teacher said that the donation would
be transferred to a monk who was helpin an orphanae! /8t is a real classic? !!! there is
always an orphanae in these stories!0
'hile my friend& completely satisfied& was preparin to receive such an
incomparable gift /he received the e7planation that it was a gift and that nothin could
ade%uately compensate the benedictions that such an initiation would brin to his life0
the scoundrel distractedly decided what kind of trash#stuff he was oin to demonstrate
G0G
with larin solemnity! Jy friend received with indescribable emotion& the new
techni%ue and spent two days in sheer fervor!
"ater& imprisoned in his chimera& he witnessed the rekindlin of his passion and
the comedy repeated! He heard about other incomparable valuable 1revelations1! This
illusion is& in effect& indomitable! After havin received his 1dru1& he continued his
ine7orable run toward the abyss! 8 cannot predict if& one day& he will reali$e that the
techni%ues for which he paid a fortune had been taken from some books and altered& so
he would not to uess their oriin!
,e entanled in esoteric& maic& occult rituals& spiritualistic practices!!! is an ama$inly
easy way of destroyin& in a short time& years of enuine spiritual effort?
All these e7periences tauht me that the idea that Kriya is the art of
manipulatin our karma and thus accelerate our evolution comes from maic studies!
;or this reason sometimes 8 think that it is worthwhile to study the story of the esoteric
movements to fully reali$e this!
8 am convinced that Kriya is the art of **complete surrender** to the Bivine
throuh a twofold process! ;irst comes the art of tran%uilli$in the Prana in our body
and& conse%uently& puttin the mind at rest! Then comes a sincere act of surrender
throuh %ontinuous Prayer! 8n the above described period of my life 8 bean to feel
myself as a pilrim in this world& considerin the state of %ontinuous Prayer the
shinin destination of my spiritual venture!
G0@
Appendi7 9)
PREMATURE KUNDALINI AWAKENING
'hile browsin throuh the 'eb paes dealin with Kriya Yoga or Yoga in
eneral& you will find some paes warnin aainst the daners of 1premature
awakenin of Kundalini1! The list of the problems that the alleedly premature
awakenin would cause is limitless!
There are also a few web sites that warn aainst any form of meditation&
hintin at the possibility of a break with reality with unusual or e7treme
strenthenin of emotions& in particular aitation and an7iety& lon#term
disorientation where one has become unable to focus lon enouh to work!
Kundalini is <anskrit for 1coiled1! 8t is conceived as a particular enery coiled
like a serpent in the root %hakra /Muladhara0! The representation of bein coiled
like a sprin conveys the idea of untapped potential enery havin its seat at the
base of the spine!
<ome authors foster the idea that this reat concentration of enery has its
seat in our entire body& not only at the base of the spine! 8t sleeps in our body&
underneath the layers of our consciousness& waitin to be aroused by spiritual
discipline!
8n Kundalini Yoga a seeker aspires to harness this tremendous power
throuh specific techni%ues /particular breathin patterns& (andhas# Mudras#
(i1a Mantra!!!0 and uide its risin from the Muladhara up throuh the
Sushumna& activatin each %hakra! 8t is e7plained that when Kundalini arrives at
the crown Chakra /Sahasrara0& it bestows infinite bliss& mystical illumination
etc!
The concept of Kundalini is very useful since it can be utili$ed to e7press what
enerally happens in any authentic spiritual pah! The concept of Samadhi /or
reliious ecstasy0 is very akin to 1Kundalini awakenin1! 8t may manifest as a
series of bliss waves risin throuh the spine and enterin the brain! The
e7perience usually lasts from few instants to a couple of minutes! 8t is like
havin a volcano eruptin inside& a **rocket** shootin up throuh the spine? (ther
times& it may appear like an intense bliss in the chest reion E suddenly you are
inside an immense >oy and wake up with tears in your eyes! <ometimes an
electric wind on the surface of the body& propaatin from feet up to head&
announces the e7perience!
The deepest e7perience is when the point /(indu0 in the center of
Kutastha e7pands into a tunnel! The awareness is pulled throuh it! 8t is like
burnin with endless >oy for several seconds E you are filled with the euphoria
obtained by this short but unforettable plune into Eternity!
<ome were so elated by their e7perience that wrote about it! 8 remember
an article in a speciali$ed maa$ine in which the woman who had the e7perience
attributed the event to an imainary individual who& purportedly& ranted her
G09
every intimate detail! +ou understand that it is the lady herself to write since it is
hihly improbable that another person had communicated her such profusion of
details of the event! Her alleed act of humility was annihilated by the title she
ave to her article) **;orerunners of a new race1?
<he ave the impression of not havin understood the teachin contained
in the e7perience! 8n her description& Kundalini awakenin happened in her body
as a privilee bestowed to a person by divine intervention! 'e know instead that
this event is very common to those who open for the first time a spiritual book
like a <aint bioraphy! The e7perience comes before any practice is done= it may
sprin from the vibratory shock produced by the same idea of the overwhelmin
power of the mystical path capable of sweepin away all man*s certitudes!
,ut let us come back to the main talk& the alleed daners comin from an
hypothetical Kundalini awakenin! 'e read also that) 1 Throuh practicin
Kundalini Yoga& an aspirant can develop occult& psychic powers! These powers
can be used for constructive or destructive purposes& but %uite often they are
misused! ;or e7ample the ability to read someone else*s mind can create
problems and is likely to be !!! resented by those who it is used on!1 This is
comic? 'hen we find such amenities we wonder) 1who on earth has written such
nonsense and with what purpose1K
Dnfortunately there is a tendency in the 'eb to duplicate paes from site
to site without chanin a comma! 8f one makes up that a yoi died of
spontaneous combustion durin the practice of Pranayama& he can verify that&
after a couple of months& this story will appear on some web sites!
(ther thins instead& make one feel very sad! 8 read that Yogis# sooner or
later& are inclined to fall into sorcery and black maic because they evoke&
unaware& neative entities! The author claimed that) 1'hen you repeat that
Jantra Om# Om!!! you are actually invokin a demon spirit to come and possess
your mind! He added his testimony) 1Burin a meditation session bean to
levitate! Ever since that second 8 haven*t slept as a human& 8 lost my sleep?
'henever 8 closed my eyes& 8 saw the flames of Hell& 8 didn*t dear to close my
eyes& 8 couldn*t? 8 became a psychiatric case& and GA times 8*ve been
hospitali$ed!1
8 had a hard time meetin people who claimed that Kriya was responsible of all
their psycholoical /perhaps they meant psychiatric0 problems and of some
physical troubles too! Hence& 8 should believe that by breathin fresh air&
focusin the mind on the spine and on particular centers in the head while
mentally chantin a Mantra /in e7treme synthesis Kriya Yoga can be reduce to
this0 they had developed all kinds of mental and physical ailments! ;rom a
benediction as it seemed at the very beinnin& Kriya turned out to be a curse& a
misfortune! They referred contemptuously the same techni%ues that 8 had
e7perimented so many times& with so much love& drawin the purest deliht!
'hen 8 heard all this& my reaction was) **How& with what attitude& with
what e7pectation& did these persons approached Kriya YogaK Kriya cannot be
responsible of all this! 8mpossible? They say Kriya will make me cra$y !!! well& if
G0:
8 must o cra$y& 8 prefer to o cra$y because of Kriya# instead because of livin a
materialistic life& where the spiritual dimension has no place! 8f the erms of
madness are inside me& they will come into bloom both if 8 practice Kriya and if
8 do not practice it! +et& considerin the lorious moments e7perienced& 8 will
walk the Kriya path without an ounce of fear& had 8 to burn in it!1
This was my way of thinkin and of dismissin the topic! 5ow& 8 keep on with
the usual enthusiasm but 8 am prudent when 8 talk about Kriya to other people
especially if 8 perceive them as havin specific problems of mental or emotional
loss of balance!
As for the patent e7aerations and absurd accusations about alleed
daners from Yoga in eneral or specifically from Kundalini Yoga or Kriya Yoga&
8 cannot abstain from a stron suspicion that such chares come from persons
who had for a lon time some forms of deviant behaviors& such spiritism or
maic and dru abuse!
' short remark uon drug use and mental disturbances
Personally& 8*ve always been taken aback when some people blamed their Kriya
practice /even the most simple preliminary practices0& for damain their psyche
but said nothin about different drus they have taken for years?
Here is a typical e7ample! A friend that recently has shared our interest for
meditation tells us that after practicin some simple techni%ues of meditation
/somethin very mild like awareness of the breath or concentration on the
%hakras0 has lost his mental e%uilibrium and has e7perienced the most intense
attacks of anuish and terror! He makes a bi fuss about it& postin on Yoga
forums& stimati$in with unrateful words both our early incitement to practice
and our later reassurances when his uneasiness bean to manifest!
8nstead of feelin anry with him& we react calmly and start reasonin
why he went to 8ndia each year& for a lon series of years& without ever showin
interest for Yoga or for the 8ndian spirituality! To et different types of drus at a
low price and consume them obviously? 'e are adamant about that! "ater by
other common friends we come to know that he took not only opiates but also
acids& any kind of amphetamines and /emulous of Carlos Castaneda0 didn*t
disdain the use of psychotropic plants!
At this point& we need to stop tryin to et him to reason upon how absurd
is to believe that some simple yogic e7ercises have caused his unhappy mental
situation! 8t is obvious that he wants to e7orci$e the rather frihtenin thouht of
havin seriously damaed his brain thorouh drus abuse and of bein in a
condition of permanent& fatal psychic disorder! The very idea that his past
unwary choices can reasonably be put in causal relation with his present mental
disorder is removed!
8t falls to our lot to do nothin else than listenin to him without reactin
while he puts all the blame on Yoga for all his troubles and traedies! (h& if only
we had a maic mirror in which our friend could see a synthesis of his past years
G0A
and reali$e how inconsiderate and cruel he had been toward his body and
therefore toward his cerebrospinal system?
The e;erience of *oi Krishna
To those who practice the classical Pranayama /especially with (andhas and
with lon pauses of holdin the breath0 the e7perience of a risin enery throuh
the spine happens and they can have an e7perience of panic! Dsually& this
irrational fear disappears within a couple of days!
Throuh intense concentration on Sahasrara only& -opi .rishna ot into
trouble! His life was both blessed by ecstatic bliss and tormented by physical and
mental discomfort! 8n 1IAH he wrote his e7cellent testimony in Kundalini: The
0"olutionary 0nergy in Man 2currently available under the title "ivin 'ith
Kundalini4! His book is of reat inspiration) it ives a clear and concise
autobioraphic account of the phenomenon of the awakenin of Kundalini!
He e7perienced this **awakenin** in 1I@H althouh he had not a spiritual
teacher and was not initiated into any spiritual lineae! He practiced
concentration for a number of years! His main techni%ue consisted in visuali$in
1an imainary "otus in full bloom& radiatin liht1 at the crown of the head! As
he sat meditatin E e7actly as he had for the three hours before dawn each day
for seventeen years E he became aware of a powerful& pleasurable sensation at
the base of his spine! He continued to meditate= the sensation bean to spread
and e7tend upwards! 8t continued to e7pand until he heard& %uite without
warnin& a roar like that of a waterfall and felt a stream of li%uid liht enter his
brain!
1<uddenly& with a roar like that of a waterfall& 8 felt a stream of li%uid liht
enterin my brain throuh the spinal cord! Entirely unprepared for such a
development& 8 was completely taken by surprise= but reainin self#control
instantaneously& 8 remained sittin in the same posture& keepin my mind on the
point of concentration! The illumination rew brihter and brihter& the roarin
louder& 8 e7perienced a rockin sensation and then felt myself slippin out of my
body& entirely enveloped in a halo of liht!1 /-opi .rishna 7i"ing :ith
Kundalini0!
This e7perience chaned radically the scheme of his life! He e7perienced a
continuous 1luminous low1 around his head and bean havin a variety of
psycholoical and physioloical problems! At times he thouht he was oin
mad! He adopted a very strict diet and for years refused to do any other
concentration e7ercise!
1The keen desire to sit and meditate& which had always been present durin the
precedin days& disappeared suddenly and was replaced by a feelin of horror of
the supernatural! 8 wanted to fly from even the thouht of it! At the same time 8
felt a sudden distaste for work and conversation& with the inevitable result that
bein left with nothin to keep myself enaed& time hun heavily on me&
G0H
addin to the already distrauht condition of my mind! 2!!!4 Each mornin
heralded for me a new kind of terror& a fresh complication in the already
disordered system& a deeper fit of melancholy or more irritable condition of the
mind which 8 had to restrain& to prevent it from completely overwhelmin me&
by keepin myself alert& usually after a completely sleepless niht= and after
withstandin patiently the tortures of the day& 8 had to prepare myself for even
worse torment of the niht! 1
"et us consider now how he emered from this neative e7perience into a
wonderful state of awakenin that blessed him to the end of his life! He
discovered that the esoteric teachins contained a number of practices that miht
help him to brin the enery back into balance! His main cure reminds a lot the
practice of Kriya Pranayama!
1!!!! a fearful idea struck me! Could it be that 8 had aroused Kundalini throuh
ingala or the solar nerve which reulates the flow of heat in the body and is
located on the riht side of Sushumna@< 8f so& 8 was doomed& 8 thouht
desperately and as if by divine dispensation the idea flashed across my brain to
make a last#minute attempt to rouse Ida# or the lunar nerve on the left side& to
activity& thus neutrali$in the dreadful burnin effect of the devourin fire
within! 'ith my mind reelin and senses deadened with pain& but with all the
will#power left at my command& 8 brouht my attention to bear on the left side of
the seat of Kundalini& and tried to force an imainary cold current upward
throuh the middle of the spinal cord! 8n that e7traordinarily e7tended& aoni$ed&
and e7hausted state of consciousness& 8 distinctly felt the location of the nerve
and strained hard mentally to divert its flow into the central channel! Then& as if
waitin for the destined moment& a miracle happened! There was a sound like a
nerve thread snappin and instantaneously a silvery streak passed $i$a throuh
the spinal cord& e7actly like the sinuous movement of a white serpent in rapid
fliht& pourin an effulent& cascadin shower of brilliant vital enery into my
brain& fillin my head with a blissful lustre in place of the flame that had been
tormentin me for the last three hours! Completely taken by surprise at this
sudden transformation of the fiery current& dartin across the entire network of
my nerves only a moment before& and over>oyed at the cessation of pain& 8
remained absolutely %uiet and motionless for some time& tastin the bliss of
relief with a mind flooded with emotion& unable to believe 8 was really free of
the horror! Tortured and e7hausted almost to the point of collapse by the aony 8
had suffered durin the terrible interval! 8 immediately fell asleep& bathed in liht
and for the first time after weeks of anuish felt the sweet embrace of restful
sleep!1
;rom then onwards& -opi .rishna believed that this e7perience oriinated a
process in which his whole nervous system would be slowly reorani$ed and
transformed) he tried to write about the mystical e7perience and the evolution of
consciousness from a scientific point of view! He theori$ed that there e7isted a
bioloical mechanism in the human body& known from ancient times in 8ndia as
Kundalini& which was responsible for creativity& enius& psychic ability& reliious
and mystical e7perience! 8n his opinion& Kundalini was the true cause of
evolution!
G0F
5ow& we notice that)
a! He did e7actly what in Kriya you are asked not to do /e7clusive concentration
upon Sahasrara %hakra!0
b! He saved himself by doin e7actly what in Kriya you are asked to do /raisin
a cold current throuh the spine!0
8n Kriya we learn that a routine which is totally based on a stron concentration
on the Sahasrara is not appropriate for beinner or medium level students! The
concentration on Sahasrara should be prepared by a lon concentration on the
point between the eyebrows or at Medulla or at that point which is called (indu
/see chapter A0! This preparation should last years not months! ,uildin a stron
manet in Sahasrara is the most powerful way to stimulate the risin of
Kundalini! +ou miht e7perience moments of panic or in which you feel
unrelated with the reality!
Then& let us reflect upon to the modality throuh which -opi .rishna
started a process of recovery! Convinced he had aroused Kundalini throuh
Pingala& he made a last desperate attempt to brin in activity Ida& thus
neutrali$in the internal fire that was devourin him! He tried to create a cold
current comin up toward the brain within the central channel of the spine! This
action& patiently repeated& helped him out of his predicament!
5ote
Another interestin testimony about .undalini awakenin is that of ,! <! -oel*s /1I@:#
1IIF0 described in his) Psycho2'nalysis and Meditation$ He was a very rare individual!
His e7perience of Kundalini awakenin happened when he was GF and was %uite
dramatic! Kundalini ot awakened on its own! Burin this lon process& his friends
thouht he was 1losin his mind1! He went up and down 8ndia lookin for someone
who could e7plain what was happenin to him! He found many people that had
theories! However they did not know! His uni%ueness lies in his e7perience of classical
psychoanalysis alon with meditation& which he advocated! 'hen he was @:& his *uru
appeared in his dream& and told him that Psycho#analysis and Jar7ism& both of which
he had embraced& were false ways to happiness! He told him the only path to inner
peace and >oy was throuh -od! 8n 1IFG& he opened an ashram in the Himalayas to
help and uide other aspirants who had Kundalini e7periences!
'hat is interestin for us is that Br! -oel talks about the different derees of
sufferin he went throuh as his eo was destroyed and rebuild! He was the first& apart
late <wami <atyananda <araswati who studied the role of (indu point& in the occipital
reion! He e7plained that 1when the consciousness marches toward (indu /which he
calls (rahma2randhra0 the eo#formations will et e7posed before the consciousness in
free#associations& in free writins& in dreams& and above all& in meditation itself!
8n the last part of the book& while discussin 1sinals toward the final oal1&
amon a lot of sinals he had the courae to %uote one in particular whom is not usually
treated in book but in those book who want of mimic all the urudom matter! He %uotes
1the reat desire for bein pierced and penetrated!1 About 1pierced1& he e7emplifies it
with the 1desire of puttin a nail at the mid#point between the two eyebrows! About
G0I
1penetrated1& he clarifies that the desire of penetration at (indu may& out of eo#
inorance 1turn into the desire of passive anal#penetration!1 He clarifies that an ordinary
se7ual act cannot satisfy the person who need really penetrated at the (indu to et final
spiritual bliss! He adds that) 1as lon as he does not reach that stae& he may often
indule in compulsive homo#se7uality! 8t is very probable that many saints of all aes
miht have remained reat homose7uals if they had stopped their spiritual effort in their
pre#sainthood period!1
Kundalini a&akening and Kriya Yoga
'hen Kundalini e7perience happens as a result of Kriya practice& you won*t feel
disoriented! 8f not refused or repressed& the repetition of such e7perience ives
you an unshakable certainty of the value of Kriya techni%ues! However you
must understand and accept one thin) you are like one who& dead in appearance&
had visited the afterword and then had returned to walk aain amonst human
beins! 8t is clear that no one understands you! Therefore keep silent and try to
improve your practice of Kriya!
After havin e7perienced Kundalini awakenin& some settle in a letharic
situation in which they are perfectly satisfied in establishin an areeable
atmosphere in their life! And this happens mainly because they rationali$e they
have received enlihtenment and thus no further effort is re%uired!
Bon*t deceive yourself) your Eo is intact& it hasn*t turned into a 1divine
Eo1! The path to become an Emancipated <oul& beins now and there is no step
that can be disrearded!
Avoid oin to 1travelin urus1 to tell what has happened to you! They
have no time to take care of anyone! They repeat hastily some eneral uidance
and o away! They may even don*t reconi$e the authenticity of the e7perience!
Their lack of spiritual reali$ation is& in some cases& really remarkable! +ou have
the means to be your own 'charya! "et us consider what miht be a simple
criterion to >ude the e7cellence of your routine! 8t should not be the amount of
pleasure received while practicin a Kriya techni%ue! -oin ahead seekin
pleasurable sensations durin meditation means to put your eo as the compass
needle of your spiritual >ourney! Tunin with the Omkar reality durin the
practice= achievin the breathless state when the routine is on the vere of
endin= a sense of perfect fulfillment after Kriya# bein moved to tears when you
are alone and look at a mountain or at whatever beautiful corner of your
surroundin landscape !!! the coe7istence of all these sins is surely a more
reliable criterion!
+ou must be able to see the Bivine in everythin& to find >oy in
everythin) work& free time& family& friends& contemplation of nature& art !!!
<ometimes it is difficult to be always attuned to an internal authentic feelin of
fulfillment !!! but you must study your routine& refine it continuously until this
happens!
5ever rela7 your uard and never stop usin the common sense!
Jeditation rela7es the mistrustful side of your personality= you will tend to
disreard your inner wisdom! 8 could brin many e7amples but 8 want to
G10
consider here the teachins that tend to poison you aainst the world& that
alienate you from the society you are in! They try to amputate your individuality
and your desires= they try to cut you from everythin interestin and thrillin in
life!
Bo not impose chastity to yourself believin you must behave like a saint!
<ome rational and intellient kriyabans believe impossible thins! They state
authentic nonsenses and live e7cruciatin conflicts ettin to the refusal of love!
"ahiri Jahasaya admitted in his diary that at times his se7ual desire was
really stron! (ne day a disciple put him a direct %uestion) 1How can one be
definitively free from se7ualityK1 He replied in a way that let struck dumb the
disciple) 18 will be free from se7uality only when my body will lie on the funeral
pyre!1 -od bless his sincerity? /8 knew a kriyaban who was so bound to his
illusions that he took the aforementioned episode as a sin that !!! "ahiri
Jahasaya was not spiritually reali$ed? 0
<ometimes the e7perience of a substantial and spontaneous risin of enery
throuh the spine happens! Althouh bein blissful in itself& you could react with
a feelin of uneasiness and undefined fear! Dsually this fear /which can turn into
real anuish or panic0 is absorbed in a short time& without problems! <ometimes&
you miht feel bein walkin in e%uilibrium on a rope between mental health
and alienation! This phenomenon has happened to almost all mystics! There is
nothin to fear? However it is always wise you have a sheet anchor at disposal E
here you can find the two urent actions to be done!
8! Mula (andha /10F0
<it %uietly and practice slowly& but intensely& 10F Mula (andha! Contract all the
muscles at the base of the spine& maintain the contraction for a couple of seconds
and rela7! Repeat! ;oret the breath& try to attune to calmness in the point
between the eyebrows! Bon*t be in a hurry) each hold and rela7 should last at
least four seconds! +ou can have more than one session in order to complete 10F
repetitions! ,eside this& try to have plenty of physical activity!
88! %reate a cool sensation inside the sine utili3ing your breath
/This is e7actly what -opi .rishna did to et out of his awful situation!0
'hen the problem persists& sit with erected spine and concentrate all your mental
strenth in the point between the eyebrows! Dse all your imaination to raise a
fresh current up the spine! This can be done by inhalin throuh the mouth while
keepin the tonue in the position of Sitali Pranayama or throuh the left nostril
E havin closed somehow the riht nostril! To practice Sitali& raise the borders of
the tonue to form a 1D1 e let it protrude beyond the lips! 8nhale deeply throuh
tonue and mouth! E7hale throuh the nose! ;eel a fresh sensation in the mouth&
transfer it in the spine! Repeat this for a couple of minutes until you feel
somethin chanin!
G11
,urther recommendations
1! (e al&ays rudent &hile holding your breath
,e always cautious with Kumbhaka /holdin your breath0! The famous author
M!.! Taimni in his The science of Yoga /The theosophical publishin house
Adyar& Chennai& 8ndia e 'heaton& 8l& D<A0 writes)
1Kumbhaka affects the flow of pranic currents in a very marked and fundamental
manner and enables the Yogi to ain increasin control over these currents! 2!!!4
5ot only is Kumbhaka the essential element of real Pranayama but it is also the
source of daner in the practice of Pranayama! The moment one starts retainin
the breath& especially after inhalation& in any abnormal manner the daner beins
and one can never know what it will lead to! 2!!!4 Kumbhaka unlocks the doors of
une7pected e7periences and powers! 8f it is taken up without the necessary
preparation and uidance it is sure to lead to disaster!1
Kumbhaka is very powerful and in Kriya Yoga it is adopted with special
procedures) Yoni Mudra& Thokar!!! ,etween the two e7treme eventualities) to
never hold your breath or to overuse Kumbhaka& chose an intermediary
percentae of seconds of Kumbhaka! Reulate this percentae accordin to your
ability to bear the oriinated power! 8f this is respected& if it is combined with
Maha Mudra& !a"i Kriya and Yoni Mudra# you will cover all the spiritual
>ourney in a safe way!
G! %oncentrate uon the %hakras in a balanced &ay
Bon*t cultivate stupid theories accordin to which all your problems oriinate
from the blockae of this or that %hakra! Bon*t utili$e techni%ues that work on a
sinle %hakra with the hope of unlockin it! (ur internal knots are not as we
usually visuali$e them& namely like ordinary rope#knots! They have a kind of
mutual dependence& they are subtly inter#twined& one inside the other!
After studyin the theory of knots /*ranthis0& do not focus too insistently
upon eliminatin the one that you deem is the most important! +ou risk to
enforce those very knots you want to eliminate! Bon*t be like a sureon who
wants to remove a allstone embedded in a oran& without takin all the care not
to destroy the oran and kill the patient!
8t is correct to affirm that the knots are the root cause of our miseries&
because they nourish the e7haustin world of superficial emotions and thouhts!
,ut it is not correct to think that they are our arch#enemies! They blur our vision
of the <pirit but without them we would immediately dissolve in the <pirit& we
could not lead a normal life! They are at the base of the instinct of self
preservation!
Remember that the balanced techni%ues of Kriya Pranayama& Thokar&
Thokar Tribhangamurari and mental Pranayama work upon all the knots
simultaneously! 8ncreasin radually the repetition of these basic procedures is
always the best choice?
8f you concentrate for some time on Muladhara& ive the same
G1G
concentration to all the other %hakras and always end by concentratin on the
point between the eyebrows! 8n one commentary by "ahiri Jahasaya to the
sacred writins& it is written) 1,ein tran%uil at the coccyeal center& do not stay
loner! 8f you stay loner at the coccyeal center& then neative Samadhi /a
neative state of absorption0 will take place! <o after ettin up aain& you
should start practicin Kriya$1 8f& >ust to ive an e7ample& you use Thokar to hit
different times the Muladhara %hakra and you don*t interate this with other
practices to stimulate the hiher %hakras& the result is mainly a state of reyish
mind that appears in the day followin the practice! 8t is difficult to sustain that
uncomfortable sensation E as if your soul were scratched!
@! +o not utili3e rocedures &holly based on the o&er of "isuali3ation
Dsually visuali$ation techni%ues are introduced as an omni#beneficial activity!
,ut visuali$ation is a force actin in your psychic inner world& thus necessarily
there should be obstacles and daners to be considered!
<ome schools teach you to create a virtual reality throuh the power of
your imaination! The visuali$ation procedure brouht to the e7treme limit is
useless and treacherous! +ou believe you are enterin the spiritual dimension but
you are enterin the kindom of alienation! Always remember that when you do
a purely mental work that doesn*t envisae verification& the daner is certain!
Remind Mun*s words)
1The deliberately induced psychotic state& which in certain unstable individuals
miht easily lead to a real psychosis& is a daner that needs to be taken very
seriously indeed! These thins really are danerous and ouht not to be meddled
with in our typically 'estern way! 8t is a meddlin with ;ate& which strikes at
the very roots of human e7istence and can let loose a flood of sufferins of
which no sane person ever dreamed!1 /C! -! Mun& 8ntroduction to The Tibetan
book of the +ead$.
'hat are& accordin to Mun& the 1deliberately induced psychotic states1K
Dnfortunately he does not e7plain it in detail and does not brin e7amples!
However it is not difficult to understand that a psychotic state is the one in which
you see thins that do not e7ist& have a relationship /listen to voices& receive
messaes0 from a dimension you have created in your mind and that e7ists only
for you!
G1@
Appendi7 :
INFORMATION FOR KRIYABANS WHO UTILIEE ONLY P-Y-FS TECHNIGUES
This appendi7 is devoted to those students who are serious about oin ahead by
utili$in only the Kriya techni%ues as they were tauht by P!+! and are currently
iven by the orani$ations that spread his teachins! Apart from the techni%ue of
Kechari Mudra& often %uoted in P!+!*s writins and surely practiced by him& they
don*t feel the necessity of mi7in P!+!*s techni%ues with any other spiritual
procedure! They feel they are P!+!*s disciples and therefore they think that by
adoptin other teachins it is e%uivalent to betray him! That attitude is very
spread! 'hen 8 followed P!+!*s teachins& our meditation counselor e7plained
that the worst evil was disloyalty toward *uru and his orani$ation! 'ith the
term **disloyal** she meant even >ust readin what other persons who abandoned
the orani$ation had written about Kriya Yoga! 5ow& if this is the situation& what
is the point addin here a document for themK 8n any case& why includin in this
book themes which miht seem e7traneous stuffK
The point is that many P!+!*s students develop the confidence and courae
to win any conditionin! Their decision of not mi7in P!+!*s techni%ues with any
other Kriya techni%ue becomes pure& not born out of indoctrination and
unconscious fear! They will consider what 8 have written& reason and decide to
test it! As a final outcome& they will reatly appreciate their own path! Perhaps
they decide to add Jaa or the Prayer of the heart to their path! -reat ood will
comes out of it ??
(nce my book appeared on the 'eb& an intense email e7chanes with various
researchers faithful to P!+! happened! Receivin email from them was a pleasant
surprise! After havin said in a clear way that they did not approve my decision
to write in such e7plicit way the Kriya techni%ues as "ahiri Jahasaya tauht
them& they asked precise %uestions about the techni%ues they were practicin!
;irst of all there was the old %uestion) **'hich is better& mouth or nose
Pranayama** E they knew P!+! practiced with mouth closed! <ome of them had
achieved Kechari Mudra E some havin applied the classic e7ercise of Talabya
Kriya from my book& others by followin the tips found in a Yoga web site!
P!+! in his writins and in his talks ave the definition of Kechari Mudra
without introducin any practical e7ercises to be performed over a certain period
of time in order to achieve it!
Each time 8 met kriyabans who came from P!+!*s school& they always struck me
with their e7traordinary commitment to a lon and reular practice of Kriya!
They studied all Kriya material written or dictated by P!+! and often remembered
verbatim key %uotations from that material! Althouh unsatisfied with their
understandin of the subtle mechanism underlyin the Kriya procedures and
tormented by many doubts& they never dismissed the practice! (fter they went
ahead with the practice of Kriya Yoga in spite of apparent failure! 8 had no doubts
G19
they were followin the Kriya path not for esoteric curiosities or as an alternative
form of medicine but for one reason only) to surpass the boundaries of their mind
and mere with the 8neffable! Jeetin such ardent devotees meant for me
findin aain& reflected in their eyes& the old that once lihted my life when for
the first time 8 skimmed throuh the paes of the famous P!+!*s autobioraphy!
(ur meetins were stimulatin events that afforded me plenty of food for
thouht! They always came out with somethin new that spurred me on to create
my personal vision of the Kriya path! Must to make an e7ample& one kriyaban had
e7perimented without and with Kechari E he was lucky in achievin Kechari
almost effortlessly& which is rare! 'ell& he stated that he came to the conclusion
that Pranayama with Kechari was too **weak**= it had not the **evolutionary force**
of mouth Pranayama! 8t was clear that my fried had tormented himself for a lon
time before takin his decision to ive up Kechari Mudra! (ne of my best trends
of thouht bean with our conversation) what was meant by **evolutionary force**
of Kriya Pranayama$ 8t is from those reflections that my personal position upon
the meanin of Kriya Yoga and <piritual Path in eneral took shape and
consolidated in the principles e7posed in the previous Appendi7!
(ften we touched the theme of /igher Kriyas! ;or many kriyabans the crisis
with their school bean when their re%uest to have a seminar on the /igher
Kriyas received an incomprehensible& anachronistic **5(**! They would have
reatly appreciated a seminar on the /igher Kriyas where not only the technical
details were demonstrated but also a theoretical scheme had been iven&
providin devotees with resources to conceive E and subse%uently improve E
their routine in the best of the ways! The meetins orani$ed to review the basic
teachins& no matter how many times they were repeated alon the years& were
always a source of inspiration and encouraement! They offered different
resources to boost our intuition to take our practice to a level of success we never
even dreamed possible! The disappointment of not ettin this opportunity also
in the field of the /igher Kriyas was unbearably bitter!
2'e know that recently a couple of the orani$ations based upon P!+!*s leacy
proved to have understood that it doesn*t pay to behave in such a way and ive
reular initiation into /igher Kriyas!4
Som !ma!/" a4o't a&( on o# P-Y-F" t&(n$)'"
P!+!*s techni%ues are not described here in detail! 'e assume the reader of this
appendi7 knows them! The symbols .1& .G& .@ e .9 refer to the four Kriyas in
the way P!+! tauht them! Therefore& when you read 1.G1& remember that we are
referrin to the particular techni%ue of the Second Kriya as it was iven by P!+!
and not to the Second Kriya that you find described in chapter H? The ideas here
e7pressed come from various sources and from my direct e7perience of P!+!*s
and "ahiri*s techni%ues!
G1:
Hon+ "o &on&nt!at$on t&(n$)'
To start& let*s say oodbye to all rhetorical approach and affirm clearly that this is
not a techni%ue that ives you as by maic the ability of concentration if you do
not already possess it? 'hoever decides to practice it seriously must be endowed
with the ability to maintain a hih level of concentration durin all the practice!
As you know& the procedure starts with two breathin e7ercises! "iterature
e7plains that they o7yenate the blood and calm the system! This is true&
however it is not difficult to acknowlede that they put into motion the essential
mechanism of Kriya Pranayama 6 mi7in and balancin Prana and 'ana!
,ecause of that you could have very intense spiritual e7periences! Parado7ically
they could diminish when you start the practice of Kriya proper& especially if you
will follow a complicate routine which hinders the process of calmin the Prana
in the body instead of cooperatin with it!
As for the /ong2sau Mantra
19
it should not be taken as a 1maical
formula1 which when repeated many times produces invariably a precise effect!
This Mantra should be blended with your breath& of which you must be
constantly aware! 8f you rela7 your keen awareness of it and remain there as if
hypnoti$ed by the pleasin sound of the two syllables /ong and Sau& you shall
be disappointed! +our mind will not be prone to bein internali$ed and then
won*t surrender to the meditative state! 5ow let me dwell upon two technical
details!
The first technical detail /which sounds very strane to many students0 is to
never establish a rhythm in the mental chantin of /ong Sau! The mental chant
of this Mantra& repeated over and over& can easily and naturally conform to a
hard#to#chane rhythm! 'ell& in that case& the rhythm of your breath will never
settle down? (nce the rhythm has stabili$ed itself& even if the body 1could1
physioloically stay off#breath for some instants& the breathin process will
continue implacably!
8 am sure that many students don*t reali$e they are in the condition of
livin the emancipatin e7perience of the breathless state! The strane thin is
that many have practiced this techni%ue for years and do not doubt about the
correctness of their practice!
'hy it is so difficult to reali$e that the implacable rhythm of the litany) **/ong
So# /ong So# /ong So# /ong So$$$** marches onward like the clackerty clack of
the wheels of a train! Bo not permit this! After inhalation or after e7halation&
always wait for the impulse to breathe to appear! Bo not let that the followin
e7halation or inhalation be started by the tendency to follow a rhythm! 'hen
there are the physioloical conditions that a pause can naturally appear& allow it
to appear and e7ist! En>oy the beauty of this pause& no matter if it lasts >ust an
19
This techni%ues is also tauht with Sau durin inhalation and /ong durin e7halation! +ou discover
that the effect is same!
G1A
instant? <tudents who abide by this principle will soon verify& in a very
impressive way& how this small detail is sufficient to ease the breath off! -o
ahead patiently with this procedure and you will enter such a beautiful state that
the idea of losin it to practice another techni%ue would not even enter your
mind!
The second technical detail is based on takin into account an important factor)
the movement of the rib cae! Burin inhalation& the chest swells out /even if
this is very small0 and ets into an elastic tension! This elastic force /even if it is
minimal0 tends to be released immediately after inhalation! This hinders the
pause of the breath after inhalation& even to the point of wholly eliminatin it!
(ne should control the natural refle7 to e7hale as soon as the inhalation is
completed! This happens when you wait for the impulse to breathe to appear= in
these instants the thora7 should remain inflated even if only of a very sliht
amount!
Puttin the above two details into practice& a 1virtuous circle1 between this
rowin calmness and the reduced necessity of o7yen miht start! This leads to
an e7traordinarily result even for those who deem they are only clumsy
beinners!
Om m,$tat$on t&(n$)'
Contrarily to what some students think& this techni%ue works! And it works only
if you practice it as it is written) in the recommended position& with arm rest& no
ear plus while mental chantin of Om infinite times& with total commitment to
internal listenin!
'hen your hands become paraly$ed and you won*t sense them anymore& that is
the moment to keep on undeterred! Then you will have the e7perience!
Dsually you do not notice the e7act instant when you start listenin to the
internal sounds! 'hatever sound you perceive& no matter if indefinable and
evanescent& be confidently calm and attune devoutly to it!
Jany are unsuccessful because they are always on the alert and don*t
reach the riht deree of rela7ation! 'hat you need is the ability to switch easily
between phases of sleep and wakefulness! This is perhaps the most important
ability one has to develop! Dseless to say that this is developed in time and is
valuable in all phases of Kriya!
K7 CK!$%a p!op!D
Jy firm points are the followin)
214 8n my opinion& the hypothesis that only mouth#Pranayama causes the enery
to flow throuh the Sushumna channel E implyin that the lateral currents of Ida
and Pingala have no role E is baseless! Burin the first Kriya breaths /unless you
have mastered the Samadhi state0 Ida and Pingala do have a role! The cold
G1H
sensation durin inhalation and the warm sensation durin e7halation are the
effect of these two lateral currents! <ushumna current manifest later when our
breathin rate and pattern chane= breath becomes increasinly ethereal& subtle
and internal& mirrorin the state in the womb! At that time the real Om sound is
perceived! Perhaps students of P!+!*s teachins have never heard of the possibility
of listenin to the Om sound durin Kriya Pranayama& without closin the ears!
8t happens and fills your heart with ine7pressible >oy!
2G4 Jouth#Pranayama has the remarkable power of rantin a clear cold current
sensation durin inhalation and a warm current sensation durin e7halation!
These sensations happen almost immediately in the throat and& after some
breaths& start to happen in the spine! Those sensation attract the totality of your
awareness in the spine! This is indubitable! Therefore& there is no reason to drop
this way of practicin Kriya Pranayama definitively& even after achievin
Kechari Mudra!
2@4 Jouth#Pranayama# when lare numbers are involved /more than 9F0 may
induce a state of tension! This event becomes marked when one approaches a
hundred of repetitions! <urely in that state the enery does not flow in Sushumna!
The desire to en>oy the sensations of coolness and warmth in the throat and in the
spine could be one of the reasons of this inconvenient! Burin the practice of
Kriya Pranayama in reat numbers& one should let that the intensity of the two
sensation decreases! At the same time& a kriyaban should increase the awareness
of the %hakras and en>oy the sweetness emanatin from them! The sound of the
breath will not disappear) it is destined to become clean as that of a flute! This
sound cannot be learned durin initiation but it is e7perienced after years of
committed practice! 8t has been e7plained that) **The flute#like sound appears
only when the spine is clean like the empty tube we visuali$e durin Kriya
Pranayama!**
294 Those who are not satisfied with their perception of the movement of Prana
alon the spine& should add to Maha Mudra some moderate e7ercises for the
spine) especially lateral bendin and torsion! !adi Sodhana Pranayama can be
practiced with reat benefit before Maha Mudra: it helps to remove the obstacles
that block the door of the Sushumna!
5ote
(ne can also practice the e7ercise with the fists in front of the the mouth E 8
mean the e7ercise iven durin Kriya initiation! This is an e7traordinarily tool to
create a keen sensation of presence in the spine! 8t is a variation of Sitali
Pranayama$ Here we have the description of Sitali$
**Curl comfortably your tonue and protrude it slihtly past the lips to
form a tube! 8nhale deeply and smoothly throuh the tonue and mouth ## a
coolin sensation is felt over the tonue and into the throat! E7hale throuh the
nose ideally directin the fresh breath in all the parts of your body! To intensify
its action& you can practice it with a framented breath! Bividin the breath in
G1F
small framents& feelin a power that rises millimeter after millimeter /and
likewise descends durin framented e7halation0 has a very effective action!**
2:4 After Kriya Pranayama# unless you are not enraptured in the ecstatic state& do
not enter a state of pure concentration upon somethin static! Jove your
awareness up and down alon the spine! Pause in each %hakra for 10#G0
seconds! En>oy what comes out of it! <ome kriyaban have not understood what
to do after the practice of Kriya roer or after Jyoti Mudra! (ne should not
simply remain immovable waitin for the time o by !!! like one who is awaitin
that the shot of medicine iven into a muscle by an in>ection spreads pacifically
and is possible to stand up and walk without compromisin the action of such
treatment! 'hile you move your awareness up and down alon the dorsal spine
or dwellin on each %hakra this is the best place to apply the core principle of
the /ong So techni%ue!
+ou can visuali$e the breath /always short& calm& spontaneous breath0
oin up and down with /oooong and Soooo! After a couple of minutes& you can
**devote** each breathin act to a different %hakra! 'hat do 8 mean with thisK
,reathe naturally and feel that this breath happens in the Muladhara and it one
thin with the soothin chant of /ong so! Then another breath happens) place
your concentration on the second %hakra: this breath happens there& then
another breath happens in the third %hakra !!! and so on!!! up and down alon the
spine!!! until there is no more breath& only /ong So like a micro movement& in
each %hakra!
A ood routine could be)
284 E Preparation) balancin the 8da and Pinala currents
f5adi <odhana Pranayama
fJaha Judra
2884 E Central part) intense effort to maneti$e the spine
fJouth#.riya /no more than G90
f5ose#.riya with .echari Judra& without mental chantin of (m in
each Chakra
f5ose .riya with .echari Judra& with mental chantin of (m in each
Chakra
fMyoti Judra to obtain the e7perience of the <piritual "iht
28884 E ;inal part) awareness of the Chakra and calmness of the breath!
f <weet concentration upon each %hakra without utili$in any Mantra&
or utili$in the Jantra /ong So in all the spine& followed by /ong So in
each %hakra
2888 bis4 E Alternative final part) immersion in the Omkar reality
f (m meditation techni%ue utili$in an arm prop!
f 3 the same with open ears /without utili$in the arm rest0
G1I
f <weet concentration on each %hakra either without utili$in any
specific Mantra or utili$in the Mantra Om in each %hakra
K8
This techni%ue is completely different from the Second Kriya as tauht by
various schools! 8 have known students who& for this reason& felt deceived and
dropped it! However the techni%ue is a decidedly valuable tool to produce
spontaneous e7periences of Prana climbin up spine! The story that P!+! received
this instruction from <wami .ebalananda is plausible!
The techni%ue .G is difficult to practice! 'e focus on each %hakra until
their essence is revealed E this is the demandin oal we set up! <uch procedure
help us to perceive the colors of the Tatt&as /the five elements0 linked to the
%hakras! There are some writins by P!+! in which it is e7plained in a very clear
way the physical chanes that happen when our awareness attunes to the
different Tatt&as$ P!+! e7plains how our breath flows throuh the nostrils and
describes the different flavors we perceive in our mouth& etc! Each kriyaban runsC
stumbles upon into these writins by studyin the correspondence course! 8t*s
odd that those writins 2they are contained in the correspondence course4 are not
specifically linked to .G!
This techni%ue re%uires a lot of commitment and seldom ives
incontrovertible results durin the practice! (n the other hand& the intense and
constant effort is reatly rewarded durin the moments of rela7ation! (ften after
the practice you are so e7hausted that you feel the need to practice Sa"asana /the
corpse pose!0 This is the best condition where some spinal e7periences can
happen!
Those students who have touched with hand the value of the Om
techniFue of meditation& should not delay to ive all of their attention to this
techni%ue! A ood plan is that to practice it every day& once a day& for one whole
year!
Int!o,'&t$on K9 an, K:
"et us consider the teachin that in the oriinal Kriya is called Thokar! 8n the
writins of P!+!& this teachin is described in clear way and does not lend itself to
wron interpretations! 'hat a student misses is a uide who shows the actual
practice and ives some uideline about how to include it within one*s Kriya
routine! Kriyabans should accept to move forward radually! They should also
know that .@ is not destined to be one day dropped forever for the .9! .@ ives
results different from .9! 8nsofar those who decide to move immediately to .9
lose the effect of .@ forever! Dnfortunately& when kriyabans receive .@ and
.9& they are not able to resist the temptation of tryin .9 on the spot E 1if it
leads to <amadhi& why not try it now1K After about 1: # G0 rotations& Kumbhaka
becomes stressful! 8nstead of ivin up& they repeat the same attempt a couple of
times& while discomfort increases and a feelin of nausea or di$$iness oes on
launchin its alarm sinals! Eventually they stop& defeated! The ain is $ero& less
GG0
than $ero? 5ot only they have not obtained the slihtest trace of Samadhi& but
they have lost the initial tran%uil state!
'ell& once clarified this& what can 8 offer here as my contributeK 8 can
share an important plan to draw the ma7imum from .@ instructions! 'hat 8
propose is to devout some months to practice .@ without head movements) this
leads to master the art of astral divin throuh the spinal tunnel! 'e chose to
practice the .@ techni%ue with reat commitment but remainin immobile! This
procedure is then increased up to G00 breaths! The you practice .@ proper and in
this .@ proper you put all the ability obtained with the latter incremental process!
'hat will happenK .@ beinst to work and if your increment it up to G00 breaths
you can have undreamed#of lon term effects!
K9 pa!t$a*
Practice the .@ instructions in immobility E without movin your head! 8nhale&
placin the syllables where prescribed= intensify the awareness at the point
between the eyebrows and apply continuously the mental pressure at the base of
the spinal column!
8n this partial .@ e7halation beins immediately after the concentration at
the point between the eyebrows! The current is uided into the prescribed
centers) Jedulla& cervical& heart& lumbar& sacral and coccy7! 'hile vibratin the
syllables in the correct places& there could be a micro pause in each one of them!
However& the flow of the breath should not lose its %uality of smoothness and the
inhalin and e7halin sound remains continuous!
(ur oal is to maintain a constant intense mental pressure alon each part
of the spinal path! Kechari Mudra is e7traordinary in creatin this 1mental
pressure1 but will power is e%ually important in this task! Oisuali$ation power is
also crucial in the constant effort of raisin the awareness alon the spinal
column millimeter after millimeter with a continuous mental pressure! The
e7halation is more tran%uil) the enery lides downwards as a cascade of liht
comin from above!
5ow let us consider an incremental routine of the number of breaths to obtain the
best effect! Tradition envisaes beinnin with 1G repetitions and addin one
repetition a day until you reach G00 repetitions! This techni%ue is to be practiced
once a day! After the prescribed number of breaths# foret the breath and remain
immobile& practicin the best form of mental Pranayama! 8f durin the same day
you have a secondary session& the same techni%ue can be resumed no more than
1G times!
8nstead of addin one repetition a day& you can adopt a simpler plan)
practice G: repetitions a day for two weeks! Then practice :0 repetitions a day
for another two weeks! Then practice H: repetitions a day for another two
weeks !!!then 100!!! !!!1G:!!! and so on until you practice G00 repetitions a day for
two weeks!
Completin this Incremental Routine is a challenin& but not particularly
GG1
difficult& undertakin= time oes by without much notice and what could seem to
be an e7haustin task /doin more than 100 repetitions0 turns out to be as easy as
a moment of rest!
Burin this incremental routine& so many subtle e7periences happen! ;or
e7ample durin the sleep& or in those moments in which the body is half put to
sleep but the awareness is lucid as never& e7periences loaded of beatitude will
start to appear in the spine and the person will be overwhelmed by immense
devotion! There are moments durin the day when you reali$e you have a contact
with the dimension that is beyond the physical one! 8t is as if you feel you live
already in the dimension beyond E the astral world!
K9 p!op!
At the end of this reat effort of yours you can draw the best from .@ proper!
5ow& if you practice .@ proper with full concentration and increase the
number of its repetitions up to G00 /the plan of this incremental routine is the
same discussed for .@ partial0 you will be able to direct a tremendous amount of
enery into the heart %hakra$ This is the basis to reach hih levels of perfection
with .9! After the completition of the two Incremental Routines /a couple of
years is re%uired0 you are near your oal E to e7perience the Samadhi state!
K:
Prepare yourself to the practice of .9 by calmin the Prana in the body with
Kriya Pranayama$ Raise the enery 'ana residin under the belt into the hiher
part of the thora7 by a conrous number of repetitions of the fundamental
practice of Maha Mudra! The try to increase the number of rotations of the head
without breathin! This is possible if you are able to tune with the riht attitude!
5ormally you will be divinely uided!
However you can approach this state by decidin to benefit from what 8 have
e7plained in the central part of my Chapter H E 8 mean the instruction about
**Mastering the ad"anced form of Thokar!** "et me summari$e this instrution here!
8nhale vibratin the syllables as instructed! ;eel the enery comin up
slowly from the first to the second %hakra& from the second to the third! ;eel the
navel reion come inside and the Prana increase in the upper part of the thora7!
'hile you place the fourth and the fifth syllables e7pand a little bit further the
rib cae /sometimes the intention to e7pand is more important than the actual
e7pansion0 and complete the inhalation up to Kutastha!
There is nothin new in this! 5ow you are re%uired to hold your breath!
,efore startin the delicate process of rotatin you head& you can mentally chant
Om# Om# Om!!! rapidly /about two chants of Om per second0 feelin your
awareness like an ant& crawlin up the innermost channel of the spine millimeter
by millimeter from Muladhara upwards! After no more then 9#A seconds& you*ll
have reached the heart %hakra5 o up further up to the fifth %hakra /it is not
necessary to reach Kutastha!0 5ow you will perceive a neat& sudden freedom
from the breath!
GGG
'hile remainin stable in this state& without ever lettin the abdomen
rela7 and e7pand or the rib cae rela7& you will discover how beautiful and
comfortin is the e7perience of rotatin your head while repeatin the syllables
as tauht! <implify the dynamic and the physical intensity of the movements and
you will be surprised of how the breath seems fro$en& dissolved in some
ine7plicable way in the body! +ou don*t need any further instruction or comment!
DISCUSSION UPON TWO MINOR TECHNIGUES TO AWAKEN
KUNDALINI
8n the roup of the writins accompanyin the .G instruction& you will find the
description of two techni%ues to awaken Kundalini! The first is a techni%ue
conceived to create the perception of the astral spine& the other is a broad hint at
the 1psycho#physical blows!**
7- T&(n$)' #o! p!&$.$n+ t( a"t!a* "p$n
This techni%ue is e7plained after P!+! has e7patiated on Kundalini and iven a
clear hint at the necessity of Kechari Mudra$ At a certain point& P!+! e7plains
how& once stable in the meditation 'sana& a kriyaban ently sways the spine& left
and riht in order to feel the astral spine as separate from the body! The core of
the teachin is then e7perienced in immobility by travelin up and down the
spine& mentally chantin Om in the location of the %hakras!
1:
8t is a very
simple teachin and yet it is reat? The result can leave you astonished?
8- T&(n$)'" $n.o*.$n+ t( p"%&(o5p(%"$&a* 4*o0"
The second teachin concerns the 1psycho#physical blows** iven at the different
locations of the %hakras$ Dnfortunately& no further practical e7planation is iven!
The information 8 have received is that there e7ist different ways to effectuate
this procedure! The same syllables of the Mantra that you employ in .@ /or .90
are utili$ed as a se%uence of 1psycho#physical blows** iven at the location of
each %hakra!
There is another e7tremely effective procedure! +ou place the whole
syllables of a Mantra inside one %hakra E visuali$ed as a hori$ontal disk like a
coin!
At the end of my chapter H you can find the description of Micro Thokar /also
called Micro mo"ement0 where you can learn how to move ahead with this
procedure!
5!,! After the practice of your Kriya Yoga routine& you can induce a wonderful
e7perience of mental Pranayama by first practicin the afore e7plained tec 1&
then G then 1 aain! The two techni%ues& utili$ed in this way& induces a state of
une%ualed internali$ation?
1:
There is a direct disciple of P+ who teaches Second Kriya e7actly in this way! +ou mentally chant Om
at each %hakra*s location& from Muladhara to the point between the eyebrows& then in Sahasrara&
cervical& heart %hakra !!!! This cycle is to be repeated for A to 1G times& and the practice is concluded
by a final risin into Sahasrara!
GG@
GLOSSARY
This lossary has been added for those who already know the meanin of the most
common terms used in .riya but do not wish to retain uncertainties about the way they
are utili$ed in this book!
A*&(m% 2taoist internal ## 5ei Ban4 The Taoist 8nternal Alchemy is the mystical
tradition of ancient China! 8t reminds us of the techni%ues of ;irst .riya with such
precision that we have all the reasons to assume that it consists of the same process!
Apana Apana is one of the five forms of enery in the body! Associated with the
lower abdominal reion& it is responsible for all the bodily functions /elimination for
e7ample0 that take place there! .riya Pranayama& in its initial phase& is essentially the
movement of Prana /the particular form of enery present in the upper part of the trunk
E luns and heart0 into Apana and the movement of Apana into Prana! 'hen we inhale&
the enery from outside the body is brouht within and meets Apana in the lower
abdomen= durin e7halation& the Apana moves from its seat up and minles with Prana!
The continuous repetition of this event enerates an increase of heat in the navel reion)
this calms the breath and kindles the liht of the <piritual Eye!
A"ana Physical postures fit for meditation! Accordin to Patan>ali& the yoi*s posture
must be steady and pleasant! The most part of the kriyabans are comfortable with the
so#called /alf2lotus 2see4) this& indeed& avoids some physical problems! ;or the averae
kriyaban& Siddhasana 2see4 is considered superior to any other Asana! 8f we take finally
into account those kriyabans who are e7pert of Hatha#+oa& who have become very
fle7ible& the perfect position is undoubtedly Padmasana 2see4!
A"0$n$ CA"(0$n$D M',!a 1Ashwa1 means 1horse1= 1Aswini Judra1 means 1Judra
of the female horse1 because the anal contraction resembles the movement a horse
makes with its sphincter immediately after evacuation of the bowels! There may be
slihtly different definitions of it and& sometimes& it is confused with Jula ,andha
2see4! The basic definition is to repeatedly contract the muscles at the base of the spine
/sphincter0 with the rhythm of about two contractions per second! This Judra is a direct
way of ettin in touch with the locked and stanant enery at the base of the spine and
to pump it up!
Ban,(a 8n +oa no practice of Pranayama is considered complete without the
,andhas! They are enery valves as much as they are locks& not simple muscle
contractions& which prevent the enery from bein dissipated and redirect it inside the
spine! 2<ee Malandhara ,andha& Dddiyana ,andha and Jula ,andha4
8n the very beinnin of the .riya path& a yoi has only an appro7imate
understandin of the ,andhas& later one will come to a complete command and will be
able to use them& with sliht adaptations& in most of the .riya techni%ues! The three
,andhas& applied simultaneously& create an almost ecstatic inner shiver& a feelin of
enery current movin up the spine! <ushumna Awakenin is sustained!
GG9
B$n,' A spiritual center located in the occipital reion where the hairline twists into
a kind of vorte7! Dntil the enery& scattered in the body& reaches the ,indu& a sort of
shroud prevents the yoi from contemplatin the <piritual Eye! ,rinin all one*s force
there& in that tiny place& is not an easy task because the deeper roots of the Eo are to be
found riht there= they must be faced and eradicated!
B!at(*"" "tat 8t is e7perienced after years of .riya practice! 8t has nothin to do
with holdin the breath forcefully! 8t does not simply mean that the breath becomes
more and more %uiet! 8t is the state where the breath is entirely non#e7istent& with the
subse%uent dissolution of the mind! Jany kriyabans are not able to conceive such a
state! There is a halo of mystery that surrounds its description= people think it is
impossible and that any affirmation about its occurrence is false! 5evertheless& it is
possible& even if it is e7perienced only after years of .riya practice! 'hen it manifests&
a kriyaban does not feel the need to take in any breath at all or one takes in a very short
breath but doesn*t feel the need to e7hale for a very lon time! /"oner than the time
which medical science considers possible!0 The breath becomes so calm that the
practitioner has the factual perception that one is not breathin at all= one feels a fresh
enery in the body& sustainin its life from inside& without the necessity of o7yen!
Accordin to the .riya theory& this state is the result of havin completed the work of
cuttin of the heart knot!
B(!'ma,(%a The reion between the eyebrows& linked with A>na Chakra and with
the vision of the third eye /.utastha0!
C(a/!a The word Chakra comes from the <anskrit cakra meanin 1wheel1 or
1circle1! The Chakras are the 1wheels1 of our spiritual life= they are described in the
tantric te7ts as emanations from the <pirit& whose essence radually has e7panded in
more and more ross levels of manifestation& reachin eventually the dimension of the
base Chakra& the Juladhara& embodyin the physical world! The descended enery#
consciousness lies coiled and sleepin at the base of the spine and is called .undalini #
she who is coiled! 'e human beins consider only the physical world as real) it is only
when our .undalini awakens that we reain the full memory of the reality of the subtle
dimension of the Dniverse!
5o author has ever 1proven1 the e7istence of the Chakras E as no man has ever
proven the e7istence of the soul! 8t is difficult to describe them) we cannot brin them
onto a table in a laboratory! 8n any +oa book we find descriptions which rest on a
translation of two 8ndian te7ts& the <at#Cakra#5irupana& and the Padaka#Pancaka& by <ir
Mohn 'oodroffe& alias Arthur Avalon& in a book entitled The <erpent Power! The matter
depicted there seems to be unnaturally complicated& almost impossible to be utili$ed!
These concepts had been further polluted by theosophy and similar esoteric literature!
The controversial C! '! "eadbeater book 1The Chakras&1 is in lare part the result of
the mental elaboration of his own e7periences!
Throuh the practice of .riya& we can have an e7perience of the Chakras!
"ocated over the anus at the very base of the spinal column& in the lower part of the
coccy7& we encounter the root Chakra # named M'*a,(a!a in <anskrit& a center which
distributes enery to the les& to the lowest part of the pelvis& irradiatin especially the
-onads /testes in men& ovaries in women0! Juladhara symboli$es the ob>ective
consciousness& the awareness of the physical universe! 8t is related to instinct& security&
to our ability to round ourselves in the physical world& to the desire for material oods
GG:
and also the buildin of a ood self#imae! 8f this Chakra is in a harmonious state& we
are centered and have a stron will to live!
The second& or sacral Chakra # S0a,($"t(an # is placed inside the spine
between the last lumbar vertebrae and the beinnin of the sacrum! 8t is said that its
eneretic pro>ection is the area of the se7ual orans # in part it intersects the reion of
Juladhara*s influence! <ince it is related to base emotion& se7uality vitality& creativity&
and to the deepest part of the subconscious realms& a deep stimulus of it produces deep
involvin dreams= its action may be perceived as a feelin of livin a fable& whose
nature is sweet and allurin!
The Man$p'!a # navel center or solar ple7us # is placed in the spine at the level
of the navel& near the end of the dorsal vertebrae and the beinnin of the lumbar
vertabrae! 8t is said to influence the pancreas and the adrenal lands on top of the
kidneys! This connection ives fuel to the idea that this Chakra has the same role played
by those lands) hiher emotion and enery # >ust like the role played by adrenalin! 8t is
said that it fosters a sense of personal power& secure feelin of 18 Am!1! -rounded and
comfortable with our place in the universe& we are able to affirm with determination the
purpose of our life!
The Ana(ata # heart center& located in the spine at the heiht of the middle part
of the dorsal vertebrae # is said to influence the thymus& which is part of the immune
system! There is a universal areement that it is related to hiher emotion& compassion&
love and intuitiveness! 'hen a person concentrates on it& feelins of profound
tenderness and compassion will start to develop! A healthy and fully open heart Chakra
means to be able to see the inner beauty in othersgin spite of their apparent faults! (ne
is able to love everyone& even the straners we meet on the street! There is a proression
from the instinctual 1ut emotions1 of the lower Chakras to the hiher emotions and
feelins of the heart Chakra! 'hat is of reat interest for us& is that openin this center
means to see life in a more neutral manner and see what others cannot see! 8t ends the
predisposition to bein influenced by other people& by churches and by orani$ations in
eneral!
V$"(',,(a # throat center& e7actly amid the last cervical vertebrae and the first
dorsal vertebrae # is said to influence thyroid and parathyroid! <ince it controls the
activity of the vocal cords as well& it is said that it has somethin to do with the capacity
to e7press our ideas in the world! 8t seems to be related with the capacity for
communication and with takin personal responsibility for our actions! The person with
a healthy throat Chakra no loner thinks to blame others for his or her problems and can
carry on with life with full responsibility! Jany authors state it awakens artistic
inspiration& the ability to develop superior aesthetic perception!
A6na # the third eye Chakra& located in the central part of the brain # influences
the pituitary land 2hypophysis4 and the small brain! The hypophysis has a vital role in
oranism& in the sense that toether with the hypothalamus it acts as a command system
of all other endocrine lands! 8n <anskrit& 1A>na1 translates to 1command&1 which
means it has the command or control of our lives) throuh controlled action& it brins to
reality the fruit of our desires! Conse%uently& it is said that A>na Chakra has a vital role
in the spiritual awakenin of a person! 8t is the seat of the intuition!
The supreme Chakra is the Sa(a"!a!a # crown Chakra # riht above the top of
the head! 8t is said that it influences& or is bound with& the pineal land! 8t allows
detachment from illusion and is related to one*s overall e7pansion of awareness and
deree of attunement with the Bivine Reality! 8t is a superior reality and we can
e7perience it only in the state of breathlessness! 8t is possible to 1tune1 into it by
utili$in the B$n,' as a doorway!
GGA
Teachins pertainin to the 1F!onta* C(a/!a"1 are to be found by some
kriyabans comin from <ri +ukteswar*s disciple lineae! The perineum is the first one&
the enitals reion is the second one& the navel is the third& the central part of the
sternum reion is the fourth& the Adam*s apple is the fifth and the point between the
eyebrows may be considered as the si7th! The core of the .riya teachin reardin
them& is that when these points are touched with concentration& the enery around the
correspondent Chakra in the spine is revived!
D(a!ana Accordin to Patan>ali& Bharana is the concentration on a physical or
abstract ob>ect! 8n .riya& Bharana consist in directin the focus of our attention toward
the revelation of <pirit) (mkar*s inner sound& liht& and movement sensation! This
happens >ust after havin calmed the breath!
D(%ana Accordin to Patan>ali& Bhyana ensues from contemplatin the essential
nature of the chosen ob>ect as a steady& uninterrupted flow of consciousness! 8n .riya&
the awareness& dwellin upon the (mkar reality& is soon lost in <amadhi!
F*'t "o'n, /durin .riya Pranayama0 Burin the e7halation of .riya Pranayama& a
sliht hiss is produced in the throat= when a kriyaban succeeds in assumin the position
of .echari Judra& then the %uality of that sound increases! 8t has been likened to the
1flute of .rishna1! "ahiri Jahasaya describes it) 1as if someone blew throuh a
keyhole1! This hihly en>oyable sound cuts to pieces any distraction& increases mental
calmness and transparency and helps to prolon effortlessly the practice of .riya
Pranayama! (ne day the flute sound turns into the (m sound! 8n other words& it ives
rise to the (m sound& whose vibration will be so stron as to overwhelm the flute
sound! Burin this event& a stron movement of enery climbs up the spine!
-ranthi 2see knot4
G'!' The importance of findin a -uru /teacher0 who supervises the spiritual
trainin of the disciple is one of the tenets of many spiritual paths! A -uru is a teacher& a
uide and much more! The scriptures declare that the -uru is -od and -od is the -uru!
'e are accustomed to e7plainin the term 1-uru1 on a metaphorical interplay between
darkness and liht& in which the -uru is seen as the dispeller of darkness) 1-u1 stands
for darkness and 1Ru1 for one who removes it! <ome scholars dismiss that etymoloy=
accordin to them 1-u1 stands for 1beyond the %ualities1 and 1Ru1 for 1devoid of
form1! 8n order to ain all the benefits from the contact with the -uru& a disciple has to
be humble& sincere& pure in body and mind and ready to surrender to his -uru*s will and
instructions! Dsually& durin initiation /Biksha0 -urus bestow the esoteric knowlede
upon their disciples& throuh which they will proress alon the path to <elf reali$ation!
The internal phenomenon of <haktipat happens) the dormant spiritual reali$ation within
the disciple is awakened!
.riya orani$ations don*t insist upon the concept of <haktipat but accept all the
rest& rather they are founded upon the afore summari$ed tenets! (n the contrary& "ahiri
Jahasaya*s ideas seem to o in a sinificantly different direction! (nce he said) 18 am
not the -uru& 8 don*t maintain a barrier between the true -uru /the Bivine0 and the
disciple1! He added that he wanted to be considered a 1mirror1! 8n other words& each
kriyaban should look at him not as an unreachable ideal& but as the personification of all
the wisdom and spiritual reali$ation which& in due time& the .riya practice will be able
to produce!
GGH
5ow the %uestion is) do the .riya techni%ues work outside the -uru#disciple
relationshipK There is of course no scientifically proven answer! 8n this matter we can
use either faith or reason! Jany kriyabans are confident they are able to transform the
no#matter#how#received instruction into 1old1! They think) 1,eyond either reasonable
or improbable e7pectations of findin a .riya e7pert at my disposal& let me roll my
sleeves up and move on?1
Ha*#5*ot'" This asana has been used for meditation since time immemorial because it
provides a comfortable& very easily obtained& sittin position! The left le is bent at the
knee& brouht toward the body and the sole of the left foot is made to rest aainst the
inside of the riht thih! The heel of the left foot should is drawn in as far as possible!
The riht le is bent at the knee and the riht foot is placed over the fold of the left le
where the thih meets to hip! The riht knee is dropped as far as possible toward the
floor! The hands rest on the knees! The secret is to maintain an erect spine) this can be
obtained only by sittin on a cushion& thick enouh& with the buttocks toward the front
half of the cushion! 8n this way the buttocks are slihtly raised& while the knees are
restin on the floor! 'hen the les row tired& the position is proloned by reversin the
les! 8n certain delicate situations& it may be providential to do it on a chair& provided it
has no arms and is lare enouh! 8n this way& one le at a time can be lowered and the
knee articulation rela7ed? <ome +oa teachers e7plain that the pressure of a tennis ball
/or of a folded towel0 on the perineum can ive the benefits of the <iddhasana position!
H"%&(a"m The word Hesychasm derives from the -reek word 1hesychia1 meanin
inner %uietness& tran%uility and stillness! (utside this condition& meditation is not
possible! 8t is a discipline interatin the continual repetition of the Mesus Prayer /1"ord
Mesus Christ& <on of -od& have mercy on me& a sinner10! 8t was already used by the early
Church ;athers in the 9th and :th centuries0 with the practice of asceticism!
There were hermits dwellin in the desert& seekin inner peace and spiritual
insiht& while practicin contemplation and self#discipline) they had no doubts about the
fact that knowlede of -od could be obtained only by purity of soul and prayer and not
by study or mental amusements in the field of philosophy! "ater& their method of
asceticism came to the fore as a concrete set of psychophysical techni%ues) this is
properly the core of Hesychasm! 8t was <imeon& 1the new theoloian1 /10G:#10IG0&
who developed the %uietist theory which such detail that he may be called the father of
this movement! The practice& which involved specific body postures and deliberate
breathin patterns& was intended to perceive the 9ncreated 7ight of *od! The monks of
Athos miht have kept on contemplatin peacefully this Dncreated "iht /they
considered it to be the hihest oal of earthy life0 had not their methods been
denounced as superstitious and absurd! The ob>ection was mainly based on a viorous
denial of the possibility that this Dncreated "iht was -od*s essence! 8n appro7imately
the year 1@@H& Hesychasm attracted the attention of a learned member of the (rthodo7
Church& ,arlaam of <eminara& a Calabrian monk who held the office of abbot in a
Jonastery of Constantinople and who visited Jount Athos! There he encountered the
hesychasts and heard the descriptions of their practices! ,arlaam& trained in 'estern
<cholastic theoloy& was scandali$ed and bean to combat it both orally and in his
writins! He called the hesychasts 1omphalopsychoi1 # people havin their souls in their
navels /owin to the lon time they spent concentratin on the navel reion0! ,arlaam
propounded a more intellectual approach to the knowlede of -od than the one tauht
by the hesychasts) he asserted that the spiritual knowlede could be only a work of
in%uiry& brouht ahead by one*s mind and translated in discrimination between truth and
GGF
untruth! He held that no part of -od& whatsoever& could be viewed by humans! The
practice of the hesychasts was defended by <t! -reory Palamas! He was well educated
in -reek philosophy and defended Hesychasm in the 1@90 at three different synods in
Constantinople& and he also wrote a number of works in its defense! He used a
distinction& already articulated in the 9th Century in the works of the Cappadocian
;athers& between the eneries or operations of -od and the essence of -od) while the
essence of -od can never be known by his creatures& His eneries or operations can be
known both in this life and in the ne7t= they convey to the Hesychast the truest spiritual
knowlede of -od!
8n Palamite theoloy& it is the uncreated enery of -od which illuminates the
Hesychast who has been vouchsafed an e7perience of the Dncreated "iht! 8n 1@91 the
dispute was settled) ,arlaam was condemned and returned to Calabria& afterwards
becomin bishop in the Roman Catholic Church! "ater& Hesychast doctrine was
established as the doctrine of the (rthodo7 Church! Dp to this day& the Roman Catholic
Church has never fully accepted Hesychasm) the essence of -od can be known& but
only in the ne7t life= there can be no distinction between the eneries and the essence of
-od!
Today Jount Athos is the well#known center of the practice of Hesychasm!
8da 2see 5adi4
1a*an,(a!a Ban,(a 8n Malandhara ,andha the neck and the throat are slihtly
contracted& while the chin is pressed aainst the breast!
Mapa 2<ee prayer4
K&(a!$ M',!a This Judra is carried in one of the two followin ways)
1! ,y placin the tonue in contact with the uvula at the back of the soft palate!
G! ,y slippin the tonue into the nasal pharyn7 touchin& if possible& the nasal septum!
Accordin to "ahiri Jahasaya a kriyaban should achieve it not by cuttin the
tonue ;renulum but by means of Talabya .riya 2see4! .echari is literally translated as
1the state of those who fly in the sky1& in the 1inner space1! .echari is compared to an
electrical bypass of the mind*s eneretic system! 8t chanes the path of Prana flow
causin the life force to be withdrawn from the thinkin process! 8nstead of allowin
the thouhts to >ump like fros here and there& it causes the mind to be %uiet and allows
focusin it on the oal of meditation! 'e do not reali$e the %uantity of enery we
s%uander away when we et lost in our thouhts& in our plans! .echari turns this
pernicious way of e7haustin all of our vitality into its opposite! The mind beins to
lose its despotic role) the 1inner activity1 happens no more by the thinkin process but
by the effortless development of the intuition! Coupled with .riya it is a substantial aid
in clarify one*s complicated psycholoical structures! A more elusive claim is the
e7perience of the eli7ir of life& 1Amrita&1 the 15ectar!1 This is a fluid with sweet taste
perceived by the kriyaban when the tip of his tonue touches either the uvula or the
bone protrusion in the roof of the palate under the hypophysis! The +oa tradition
e7plains that there is a 5adi oin throuh the center of the tonue= enery radiates
throuh its tip and when it touches that bone protrusion& this radiation reaches and
stimulates the A>na Chakra in the center of the brain!
.evala .umbhaka 2see ,reathless state4
GGI
Knot The traditional definition of the -ranthis identifies three knots) the ,rahma
-ranthi at the Juladhara Chakra= the Oishnu -ranthi at the heart Chakra and the point
between the eyebrows! Those are the places where 8da& Pinala and <ushumna 5adi
meet!
B!a(ma G!ant($ /located in Juladhara0 is the first knot! 8t is related to our
physical body) it preserves the inorance of our infinite nature and is the first obstacle
in the spiritual search& since it obstructs the .undalini*s path as she beins to move
toward the hiher centers! The world of names and forms creates restlessness and
prevents the mind from becomin one pointed! Ambitions and desires trap the mind!
Dntil one unties this knot& one cannot meditate effectively!
V$"(n' G!ant($ is located in the area of the heart Chakra /Anahata0& and is
related to the astral body and to the world of emotions! "ord Oishnu is the lord of
preservation! This knot creates the desire to preserve ancient knowlede& traditions&
institutions& and reliious orders! 8t produces 1compassion1& a keen desire to help
sufferin humanity! Biscriminatin knowlede combined with +oa effort can unfasten
the .not of Oishnu and obtain deliverance from the traditional bonds& deeply rooted in
our enetic code!
R',!a G!ant($ is related to the causal body and to the world of ideas& visions&
and intuitions! At a point between the eyebrows& the 8da and Pinala 5adis cross over
and then come down in the left and riht nostrils& respectively! 8da and Pinala are time
bound= after piercin the Rudra knot& the time bound consciousness dissolves # the yoi
establishes himself in the supreme Atman whose seat is <ahasrara Chakra! Perfect
emancipation is achieved!
"ahiri Jahasaya underlines the importance of overcomin two other obstacles)
tonue and navel which are unfastened by .echari Judra and by 5avi .riya&
respectively! The knot of the tonue& cuts us off from the reservoir of enery in the
<ahasrara reion! The knot of the navel oriinates from the trauma of cuttin the
umbilical cord!
The four phases of .riya +oa are e7perienced by unfastenin all the afore mentioned
knots& in the followin order)
8! .not of the tonue
88! .not of Oishnu /heart Chakra0
888! .not of the navel
8O! .not of ,rahma /Juladhara0 ] knot of Rudra /point between the eyebrows0
As we can see& in "ahiri Jahasaya*s vision& two secondary knots /tonue and navel0
have become of primary importance and two main knots /,rahma and Rudra0 are
considered a two#phased event that characteri$es the fourth and last stae of .riya! 2see
chapter H for further discussion!4 8t has been e7plained that there is a stron connection
between ,rahma and Rudra knots! Actually& havin already unfastened the knots of
tonue& heart and navel& as soon as you cross the door of <ushumna /in Juladhara0& you
come up instantaneously& unimpeded& to the 1door of the infinite1 in the point between
your eyebrows!
K!$%a Yo+a 8f we want to understand the essence of .riya +oa it is necessary to put
aside some definitions found on the web! 1.riya +oa is the science of controllin life
enery 2Prana4!1 1.riya +oa is a techni%ue that activates the astral cerebrospinal
centers!1 1.riya +oa hastens the practitioner*s spiritual development and helps to brin
about a profound state of tran%uility and -od#communion!1 1.riya +oa brins about
G@0
the stillin of sensory input!1
8 don*t want to contest them& but 8 think that .riya is broader than what is
implied! There are definitions which say nothin) they make a misleadin synthesis of
its methods and list its effects in the same way one would describe Hatha +oa or Ra>a
+oa practice! Patan>ali refers once to .riya +oa) 1.riya consists of body discipline&
mental control& and meditatin on 8swara!1 2+oa sutras 88)14 This is definitely correct&
but by followin the further evolution of his thouht& we are led astray! Althouh he
states that by constantly rememberin the inner sound of (m we can achieve the
removal of all the obstacles that block our spiritual evolution& he does not develop this
method! He is far from describin the same spiritual discipline tauht by "ahiri
Jahasaya!
.riya +oa is a 1mystic path1 utili$in the best tools used by the mystics of all
reliions! 8t consists of control of breath 2.riya Pranayama4& prayer 2Mapa& Jantra4 and
pure effort of attunin with the (mkar Reality! The soothin process of calmin the
breath& followed by the Thokar procedure& uides the bodily enery into the heart
Chakra& holdin thus& as in a rip of calmness& the unceasin refle7 oriinatin the
breath! 'hen a perfect stillness is established& when all the inner and outer movements
cease& the kriyaban perceives a radiation of fresh enery sustainin each cell from
inside= then the breathless state settles in! 'hen the physical breath is totally
transcended and a circulation of enery happens in the body E the breath is said to have
become 18nternal1 E a feelin of infinite safety& solidity and reliance oriinates! 8t is like
havin crossed a barrier and moved into a measureless space) .riya yoa is a miracle of
beauty!
K'm4(a/a .umbhaka means holdin the breath! 8t is such an important phase in
Pranayama that some +oa teachers doubt whether a modified way of breathin which
does not include any .umbhaka can be called Pranayama at all! 8t is observed that when
we are about to do somethin which re%uires our total attention& our breath is
automatically held! 'e are not deliberately doin Pranayama& but our breath is
suspended of its own accord= this demonstrates how natural this fact is! 8n Pranayama
the inhalation is called Puraka& which literally means 1the act of fillin1= the e7halation
is called Rechaka& meanin 1the act of emptyin1! Retention of breath is called
.umbhaka& meanin 1holdin1! .umbha is a pot) >ust as a water pot holds water when
it is filled with it& so in .umbhaka the breath and the Prana is held in the body! 8n the
classic +oa literature there are described four types of .umbhaka!
8! 'e breathe out deeply and hold the breath for a few seconds! This is known as 1,ahir
.umbhaka1 /E7ternal .umbhaka0!
88! The second& 1 Antar .umbhaka1 /8nternal .umbhaka0& is holdin the breath after a
deep inhalation! Dsually this kind of .umbhaka is accompanied by the use of the
,andhas!
888! The third type is that practiced by alternate breathin # breathin in deeply throuh
the left nostril& then holdin the breath and then e7halin throuh the riht3 8t is
considered the easiest form of .umbhaka!
8O! The fourth type is the most important of all& the peak of Pranayama! 8t is called
.evala .umbhaka or automatic suspension of breath) it is the breathless state where
there is no inhalation or e7halation& and not even the slihtest desire to breathe!
8n the .riya pra7is& the underlyin principle of 8! is present in some variations of
5avi .riya and in all those procedures involvin a series of very lon and calm
e7halations which seem to end in a sweet nothin! 8nternal .umbhaka 88! happens in
different .riya techni%ues= particularly in +oni Judra& Jaha Judra and Thokar! Jaha
G@1
Judra& with its balancin action on the riht and on the left side of the spine& contains
also E in a broader sense # the principles of 888!) alternatin breathin! A turnin point in
.riya is the achievement of 8O! .evala .umbhaka! 8n .riya we distinuish between
1,ahir1 /e7ternal0 and 1Antar1 /internal0 .evala .umbhaka!
1,ahir /e7ternal0 .evala .umbhaka1 /the development and clima7 of 8!0 appears
durin mental Pranayama /or durin any procedure linked with the Third .riya0 after
havin rela7ed and thus emptied the rib cae!
1Antar /internal0 .evala .umbhaka1 /the development and clima7 of 88!0
appears durin the hihest refinin of +oni Judra& Jaha Judra and Thokar /or durin
any procedure linked with the ;ourth .riya0 after havin completed a lon inhalation&
with the rib cae moderately full of air#Prana!
K'n,a*$n$ The concept of .undalini and& particularly& of its awakenin& provides a
framework which is convenient for e7pressin what is happenin alon the spiritual
path! Jost of the spiritual traditions have some awareness of .undalini= not all are
e%ually open in e7posin the practical details of the process! .undalini is <anskrit for
1coiled1) it is conceived as a particular enery coiled like a serpent in the root Chakra
/Juladhara0! The representation of bein coiled like a sprin conveys the idea of
untapped potential enery! 8t sleeps in our body and underneath the layers of our
consciousness& waitin to be aroused either by spiritual discipline or by other means #
like particular e7periences of life! 8t is depicted as risin from the Juladhara up
throuh the <ushumna& activatin each Chakra= when it arrives at the crown Chakra
/<ahasrara0& it bestows infinite bliss& mystical illumination etc! 8t is only throuh
repeatedly raisin of the .undalini& that the yoi succeeds in obtainin <elf reali$ation!
8ts risin is not a mild sense of enery flowin inside the spine! 8ts movement is like
havin a **volcano eruptin** inside& a **rocket missile** shot throuh the spine? 8ts nature
is beneficial= there is an evident resistance in trustin the reports of .undalini
awakenin accompanied by troubles such as patently disturbed breathin patterns&
distortion of thouht processes& unusual or e7treme strenthenin of emotions3 'e
are rather inclined to think that a dormant malady& brouht to open manifestation by
thouhtless practice of violent e7ercises or drus is the cause of those phenomena!
8nsomnia& hypersensitivity to environment may indeed follow the authentic e7perience!
8n a **true awakenin&** the force of .undalini eclipses the eo altoether and the
individual feels disoriented for some time! All is absorbed in a short time& without
problems! Alas& the search for a repetition of the episode may lead to disorderly and
careless practice of strane techni%ues& without ever establishin a minimal foundation
of mental silence! Each book warns aainst the risk of a premature awakenin of
.undalini and asserts that the body must be prepared for the event! Almost any yoi
thinks he or she is capable of sustainin this premature awakenin and the warnin
e7cites them more than ever) the problem is that many do not have /or have lost0 a
enuine spiritual approach and nourish a fairly eotistical condition!
8n the .riya theoretical framework we consider .undalini to be the same enery
that e7ists throuhout the body and not specifically residin in the Juladhara Chakra!
'e seldom use the term 1.undalini awakenin1 and try to avoid what could ive the
impression that such an e7perience has an alien nature) .undalini is our own enery= it
is the purest layer of our consciousness!
K'ta"t(a .utastha& the 1third eye1 or 1spiritual eye1 is the oran of inner vision /the
unified astral counterpart of the two physical eyes0& the place in our body where the
spiritual "iht manifests! ,y concentratin between the eyebrows& a formless darkness
G@G
is first perceived& then a small crepuscular liht& then other lihts= eventually we have
the e7perience of a olden rin surroundin a dark stain with a bla$in tiny white point
inside! There is a connection between .utastha and Juladhara) what we are observin
in the space between the eyebrows is nothin but the openin of the spinal door& which
is located at the root Chakra! <ome .riya teachers affirm that the condition for enterin
the last and the hihest .riya stae is that the vision of the spiritual eye has become
constant= others identify it with the condition in which the enery is perfectly calm at
the base of the spine! Therefore both affirmations are one and the same!
Ma(a M',!a Jaha Judra is a particular stretchin position of the body! The
importance of this techni%ue becomes clear as soon as we observe how it incorporates
the three main ,andhas of Hatha +oa! There are indeed a thousand and one reasons to
practice Jaha Judra with firmness! There is a ratio between the number of its
repetitions and the number of the breaths) it is recommended that for each 1G .riya
Pranayama& one should perform one Jaha Judra!
Jahasamadhi 2see <econd .riya4
Jantra 2<ee prayer4
Mnta* P!ana%ama 8n mental Pranayama a kriyaban controls the enery in his body
by forettin the breathin process and focusin only upon Prana in the Chakras and in
the body! His awareness dwells on both the inner and the e7ternal component of each
Chakra until he feels a radiation of fresh enery vitali$in each part of the body and
sustainin it from inside! This action is marked by the end of all the physical
movements& by a perfect physical and mental stillness! At times& the breath becomes so
calm that the practitioner has the absolute perception they are not breathin at all!
M'*a Ban,(a 8n Jula ,andha the perinea muscles # between the anus and the
enital orans # are slihtly contracted while a mental pressure is e7erted on the lower
part of the spine! /Bifferently from Aswini Judra& one does not simply tihten the
sphincter muscles= in Jula ,andha the perineum seems to fold upward as the pelvic
diaphram is drawn upward throuh the motion of the pubic bone!0 ,y contractin this
muscle roup& the current of Apana which normally ravitates downward is pulled
upwards& radually unitin with Prana at the navel! Jula ,andha has thus the effect of
causin Prana to flow into <ushumna channel& rather than alon 8da and Pinala!
Na,a Yo+a 5ada +oa is the path of union with the Bivine throuh listenin to inner
sounds! <urat#<habda#+oa is another name for 5ada +oa! 5ada +oa is an
e7periential meditation! 8t has its basis in the fact that one who follows the mystical
path infallibly meets this manifestation of <pirit # whatever may be their preparation
and their convictions! 8t is a hihly en>oyable form of meditation= anyone can be
involved in this even without havin fully understood it!
+ou may use a particular position of the bodyg a s%uattin position with the elbows
restin on the knees& >ust to ive an e7amplegto plu both the ears! Remainin %uietly
seated& you simply focus all your attention on subtle sounds that come from within&
rather than the audible sounds from outside! 8t is recommended to repeat mentally&
unremittinly& your favorite Jantra! Awareness of inner sound must happen& sooner or
later= your listenin skills will improve and you will become more sensitive! There are
different levels of development in the e7perience of inner sounds) you will hear a
G@@
bumblebee& the drum& the lute& the flute& the harp& the clappin of thunder or a hum like
an electrical transformer! <ome of these sounds are actually >ust the sounds of your
body& especially the blood pumpin! (ther sounds are actually the 1sounds behind the
audible sound1! 8t is into this deeper realm that& while over time ently easin the mind
into rela7ed concentration& your awareness is drawn! After some weeks of dedicated
practice you will tune in with a sound deeper than all the above#%uoted astral sounds!
This is the cosmic sound of (m! The sound is perceived in different variations= "ahiri
Jahasaya describes it as 1produced by a lot of people who keep on strikin the disk of
a bell1! 8t is continuous 1as the oil that flows out of a container1!
Na,$ <ubtle channels throuh which life enery flows throuhout the body! The most
important are 8da& which flows vertically alon the left side of the spinal column /it is
said to be of female nature0& and Pinala /of masculine nature0 which flows parallel to
8da on the riht side= <ushumna flows in the middle and represents the e7perience that
is beyond duality!
Na,$ So,(ana Alternate nostril breathin e7ercise& it is not a part of .riya +oa
proper! +et& because its effects of appeasin and cheerin up the mind /especially if it is
practiced in the mornin0 are unmatched& some kriyabans make it a reular part of their
routine!
Na.$ K!$%a The essence of this techni%ue is to dissolve inhalation and e7halation at
the state of e%uilibrium in the navel& the seat of the <amana current! 8t is coupled in
various ways with the practice of .riya Pranayama! <ome schools which do not
specifically teach it provide some substitutes for it!
N0 A+ The !e& 'ge sensibility is marked by the perception of somethin
1planetary1 at work! <ince distinuished men of science have contributed to the !e&
'ge sensibility& there is no need to dwell on the affirmation& irrelevant for our
understandin& accordin to which such a proress coincided with the entry of the solar
system in the sin of A%uarius # from this belief it derived the term 1Ae of A%uarius1
or 1!e& 'ge1! The essential thin is that people reali$ed that the discoveries of
Physics& of Alternative Jedicine& the developments of the Bepth Psycholoy& all
convered toward one and the same understandin) the substantial interdependence
amon the universe& body& psyche and spiritual dimension of human beins! The
esoteric#initiation societies& overcomin for a lon time the differences of culture and
reliious vision& had already reconi$ed this truth& which now& has become common
heritae! Burin the twentieth century& human thouht has made a stron step forward
in a healthy direction!
There are many rounds to believe that& in the future& such an epoch will be
studied with the same respect with which nowadays Humanism& Renaissance and
Enlihtenment aes are studied! The !e& 'ge thouht deserves a deep respect for
many reasons! 8f 8 hint at some 1fren$ies1 8 refer to the e7cessive use of alternative
remedies for any type of real or imainary troubles and to even more danerous theories
borrowed with a lot of superficiality from various esoteric currents& rather than to a
depth proress in the understandin& in the e7pansion of the awareness out of the
narrow fences of the small eo tied up obsessively to the maintenance of its petty
conveniences!
G@9
N$!4$/a*pa Sama,($ 2see Paravastha4
Om/a! (mkar is (m& the Bivine Reality sustainin the universe& whose nature is
vibration with specific aspects of sound& liht and inner movement! The term 1(mkar1
or 1(mkar .riya1 is also utili$ed to indicate any procedure fosterin the (mkar
e7perience ## it may be a variation of .riya Pranayama utili$in the Jantra (m 5a Jo
,ha!!!& it may include the practice of Thokar!

Pa,ma"ana 8n this asana the riht foot is placed on the left thih and the left foot on
the riht thih with the soles of the feet turned up! The name means the 1posture in
which the lotuses /the Chakras0 are seen!1 8t is e7plained that& combined with .echari
and <hambhavi Judra& this Asana creates an eneretic condition in the body& suitable to
producin the e7perience of the internal liht comin from each Chakra!
Personally& 8 do not counsel anyone to perform this difficult posture! There are
yois who had to have cartilae removed from their knees after years of forcin
themselves into Padmasana! 8n .riya +oa& at least for those livin in the west and not
used to assumin it since infancy& it is much wiser& healthier and comfortable to practice
either the Half lotus or the <iddhasana posture!
Pa!a.a"t(a This concept is linked with that of 1<thir Tattwa /Tran%uility01! 5amed
by "ahiri Jahasaya& Paravastha desinates the state that comes by holdin onto the
after#effect of .riya! 8t is not >ust >oy and peace but somethin deeper& vital for us as a
healin! ;rom our initial efforts directed at masterin the techni%ues& we perceive
moments of deep peace and harmony with the rest of the world& which e7tend durin
the day! Paravastha comes after years of discipline& when the breathless state is familiar)
the tran%uility state lasts forever& it is no loner to be souht with care! ;lashes of the
endin state of freedom comfort the mind while copin with life*s battles!
P$n+a*a 2see 5adi4
P!ana The enery inside our psychophysical system! Prana is divided into Prana&
Apana& <amana& Ddana and Oi>ana& which have their location respectively in the chest&
in the low abdomen& in the reion of the belt& in the head and in the remainin part of
the body # arms and les! That the term Prana is interpreted in two ways should not
create confusion E provided that one considers the conte7t in which the word is used! 8n
the initial phases of .riya Pranayama we are mainly interested in Prana& Apana and
<amana! 'hen we use <hambhavi Judra and durin mental Pranayama we contact
Ddana! Throuh many techni%ues /like Jaha Judra0 and by the e7perience of .riya
Pranayama with 8nternal ,reath we e7perience the fresh vitali$in nature of Oi>ana!
P!ana%ama The term Pranayama is comprised of two roots) Prana is the first= Ayama
/e7pansion0 or +ama /control0 is the second! Thus& the word Pranayama can be
understood either as the 1E7pansion of Prana1 or as the 1Control of Prana1! 8 would
prefer the first but 8 think that the correct one is the second! 8n other words& Pranayama
is the control of the enery in the whole psychophysical system by usin the breathin
G@:
process with the purpose to receive a beneficial effect or to prepare the e7perience of
meditation! The common Pranayama e7ercises # althouh they may not involve the
perception of any eneretic current # can create a remarkable e7perience of enery
risin in the spine! This is not neliible since this e7perience causes the skeptical
practitioner the discovery of the spiritual dimension and pushes him or her to seek
somethin deeper!
8n K!$%a P!ana%ama the breathin process is coordinated with the attention of
the mind up and down alon the spinal column! 'hile the breathin is deep and slow&
with the tonue either flat or turned back& the awareness accompanies the movement of
the enery around the si7 Chakras! ,y deepenin the process& the current flows in the
deepest channel in the spine) <ushumna! 'hen by a lon practice a subtle form of
enery circulates /in a clearly perceivable way0 inside the body while the physical
breath is totally settled down& the kriyaban has an e7perience of unthinkable beauty!
P!a%! 21apaH Mant!a3 Prayer is an act of communion with the Hiher Reality that
allows a person to make a reverent plead& to seek uidance& to offer praise or simply to
e7press their thouhts and emotions! The se%uence of words used in a prayer may either
be a set formula or a spontaneous e7pression in the prayin person*s own words!
'hatever be the appeal to -od& this act presupposes a belief in the Bivine 'ill to
interfere in our life! 1Ask& and ye shall receive1 /Jatt! H)H& F= G1)GG0! Prayer is a
sub>ect of wide rane and scope= here 8 will restrict it to the repetitive prayer! 8n 8ndia&
the repetition of the 5ame of the Bivine is known as Mapa! This word Mapa is derived
from the root Map # meanin) 1to utter in a low voice& repeat internally1! Mapa is also the
repetition of any Jantra& which is a broader term than prayer! Jantra can be a name of
the Bivine but also a pure sound without a meanin! A certain number of sounds were
chosen by ancient yois who sensed their power and used them e7tensively! /<ome
believe that the repetition of a Jantra has the mysterious power of brinin about the
manifestation of the Bivinity 1>ust as the splittin of an atom manifests the tremendous
forces latent in it10! The term Jantra derives from the words 1Janas1 /mind0 and 1Tra1
/protection0) we protect our mind by repeatin unrelentinly the same healthy vibration!
Dsually a Jantra is repeated verbally for some time& then in a whisper and then
mentally for some time! 8n most forms of Mapa& the repetitions are counted usin a strin
of beads known as a /Mapa0 Jala! The number of beads is enerally 10F or 100! The
Jala is used so that the devotee is free to en>oy the practice without bein preoccupied
with countin the repetitions! 8t may be performed whilst sittin in a meditation posture
or while performin other activities& such as walkin!
Sa(a"!a!a The seventh Chakra e7tends from the crown of the head up to the
;ontanelle and over it! 8t cannot be considered of the same nature as the other Chakras&
but a superior reality& which can be e7perienced only in the breathless state! 8t is not
easy therefore to concentrate upon it as we do with the other Chakras! (nly after a deep
practice of .riya Pranayama& when the breath is very calm& is the attunement with it
possible= a particular pressure over the head may be felt!
Sama,($ Accordin to Patan>ali*s Ashtana /eiht steps0 +oa& <amadhi is the state of
deep contemplation in which the ob>ect of meditation becomes inseparable from the
meditator himself) it results naturally from Bharana and Bhyana! 8n my opinion&
<amadhi does not mean 1union with -od!1 'e take so many thins for ranted! (ur
lanuae is stronly hampered) manilo%uent words risk meanin nothin! To become
one and the same thin with -od is different from to awaken to the reali$ation that we
G@A
are a part of That (neK 'ords deceive our comprehension and kindle eoist
e7pectations! (ne is thrilled by words such as) absolute& eternal& infinite& supreme&
everlastin& celestial& divine3!
8 have half a mind to suest a sober definition of <amadhi& which may
stimulate a reflection upon the meanin of the spiritual path! "et me therefore define
<amadhi as independent from any accident& beatific& near death e7perience /5BE0! The
descriptions of <amadhi and of 5BE follow the same pattern) actually the nature of the
phenomenon which takes place in the body is almost the same! This opinion may
disappoint those who smell a restrictive and limitin shade of meanin in it= however 8
prefer to think in this way and 3! discover much more durin the actual <amadhi
e7perience than to thrive in rhetoric! Even if <amadhi were no more than a 5BE
e7perience& however it would have a superlative value! 8n both the e7periences& the
awareness can provide a limpse of the Eternity beyond mind= then /this happens to the
trained yoi0 that lofty awareness blends& interates with the customary life& which is
totally transformed for the better! To those who wonder if it is fair to diminish the worth
of the .riya ecstatic state by reducin it to a process of contactin for some time the
after life dimension& we could reply that this enuine e7perience is unmatched in
fosterin in a clean way the .riya +oa ideals of a balanced spiritual life!
S(am4(a.$ M',!a A Judra in which the ocular bulbs and the eyebrows are
upturned as much as possible= often the inferior eyelids rela7 and a bystander can
observe the white of the cornea under the iris! All the visual force of the ocular nerves is
athered on the top of the head! "ahiri Jahasaya in his well known portrait is showin
this Judra!
S&on, K!$%a 8t has been reported that by usin the <econd .riya techni%ue& <wami
Pranabananda& an eminent disciple of "ahiri Jahasaya& left his body consciously /this
feat is called Jahasamadhi # the conscious e7it out of the body& at death0! There was no
violence to the body= the feat happened only at the most proper moment # accordin to a
.armic point of view when the moment was riht! 5ow the debate is) what procedure
did he make use ofK
a3 Jany claim it was the techni%ue of Thokar! 8t is possible that he arrested the
movement of the heart and therefore left his body! He miht have done one sinle
Thokar and stopped his heart= this means he put so much mental strenth in this act as
to block the enery which kept his heart throbbin!
b3 <ome believe that this supreme calmin of the heart was achieved only by a
mental action of immersion in the point between the eyebrows& enterin the liht of
.utastha! The reports say that those who were around him did not notice any head
movement! <imilarly when other reat ones left their body there was no movement!
c3 8n my opinion& Jahasamadhi is not a 1shrewd esoteric trick1 to master the
mechanics of a painless suicide! <urely each reat master relies upon his already built
ability to enter <amadhi! ,y creatin a total peace in his bein& the soul*s natural desire
to reain union with the 8nfinite <ource puts in action a natural mechanism of appeasin
the cardiac ple7us!
S$,,(a"ana The <anskrit name means 1Perfect Pose1! 8n this Asana& the sole of the
left foot is placed aainst the riht thih so that the heel presses on the perineum! The
riht heel is placed aainst the pubic bone! This position of the les& combined with
.echari Judra& closes the pranic circuit and makes .riya Pranayama easy and
profitable!
G@H
S'"('mna 2see 5adi4
Ta*a4%a K!$%a 8t is a stretchin e7ercise of the muscles of the tonue& and
particularly of the ;renulum! The purpose is to attain .echari Judra 2see4! This
practice creates a distinct calmin effect on the thouhts and& for this reason& it is never
put aside& even after .echari Judra is achieved!

T(o/a! A .riya techni%ue based on directin the Prana toward the location of one
Chakra by a particular movement of the head! <tudyin the practices of the <ufis& we
discover that "ahiri Jahasaya*s Thokar is one amon the many variations of the <ufi*s
Bhikr!
T!$4(an+am'!a!$ <ome .riya Acharya teaches the practice of Thokar in a very
particular way! The central teachin is uidin your awareness alon a three#curved
path called Tribhanamurari /Tri#bhana#murari ^ three#bend#form0! This path beins
in ,indu& bendin to the left& it descends into the seat of the Rudra knot /the reion
from Jedulla oblonata to ,hrumadhya between the eyebrows0& oes across it and
continues toward the riht side of the body! Then it reverses direction cuttin the Oishnu
knot whose seat is in the heart Chakra! Then it reverses aain its direction pointin
toward the seat of the ,rahma knot in the coccy7 reion& which is also crossed by
enterin the spine and comin up toward ,indu!
These teachers e7plain that in the last part of His life& "ahiri Jahasaya drew
with e7treme precision the three#bends form which is perceived by deepenin the after#
.riya#Pranayama meditation!
U,,$%ana Ban,(a Abdominal lock) it is usually practiced with breath out but in
.riya it is also utili$ed with breath in especially durin the practice of the main .riya
Judras) Jaha Judra& 5avi .riya and +oni Judra!
To practice it with breath out& utili$e& at least partly& Malandhara ,andha! Take a
false inhale /perform the same action of an inhale without actually pullin any air into
the body!0 Braw the belly up as much as possible! Hold your the breath out! To practice
it with breath in& contract slihtly the abdominal muscles until you intensify the
perception of the enery in the spinal column in the reion of Janipura Chakra!
Yama N$%ama +ama is <elf#control) non#violence& avoidin lies& avoidin stealin&
avoidin bein lustful& and non#attachment! 5iyama is reliious observances)
cleanliness& contentment& discipline& study of the <elf and surrender to the <upreme -od
/,rahman0! 'hile in most .riya schools these rules are put as premises to be respected
in order to receive initiation& a discriminatin researcher understands that they are to be
considered really as the conse%uences of a correct +oa practice! A beinner cannot to
much depth understand what 1<tudy of the <elf1 means! <ome teacher repeats& parrot
fashion& the necessity of observin those rules and& after havin iven absurd
clarifications of some of the above points /in particular which mental trick to utili$e in
order to 3 avoid bein lustful0& passes on to e7plain the techni%ues! 'hy utter empty
wordsK 'hom is he tryin to foolK The mystic path& when followed honestly& cannot
compromise itself with any rhetoric! 'hen an affirmation is made& it is that! +ama and
5iyama are a ood topic to study& an ideal to bear in mind& but not a vow! (nly throuh
practice is it possible to understand their real meanin and& conse%uently& see them
flourish in one*s life!
G@F
Yo+a S't!a C4% Patan6a*$D The +oa <utras are an e7tremely influential te7t on +oa
philosophy and practice) over fifty different Enlish translations are the testimony of its
importance! Althouh we are not sure of the e7act time when their author Patan>ali
lived& we can set it between G00 ,!C! and G00 A!B! The +oa <utras are made up by a
collection of 1I: aphorisms dealin with the philosophical aspects of mind and
awareness& thus establishin a sound theoretical basis of Ra>a +oa # the +oa of self
discipline and meditation! +oa is described as an eiht stae /Ashtana0 path which are
+ama& 5iyama& Asana& Pranayama& Pratyahara& Bharana& Bhyana& and <amadhi! The
first five steps build the psycho#physical foundation for havin a true spiritual
e7perience= the last three are concerned with disciplinin the mind up to its dissolution
in the ecstatic e7perience! The <utras define also some esoteric concepts& common to all
the traditions of the 8ndian thouht& such as .arma! Althouh& at times& Patan>ali is
called 1the father of +oa1& his work is actually a compendium of pre#e7istin oral +oa
traditions& an inhomoeneous whole of practices betrayin an indistinct and
contradictory theoretical backround! However& the importance of Patan>ali*s work is
beyond discussion) he clarified what others had tauht= what was abstract he made
practical? He was a enial thinker& not >ust a compiler of rules! His e%uilibrium between
theism and atheism is very appreciable! 'e do not find the least suestion of
worshipin idols& deities& urus& or sacred books # at the same time we do not find any
atheistic doctrine either! 'e know that 1+oa&1 besides bein a riorous system of
meditation practice& implies devotion to the Eternal 8ntellience or <elf! Patan>ali
affirms the importance of directin our heart*s aspiration toward (m!
Yon$ M',!a The potential of this techni%ue includes& in all effects& the final
reali$ation of the .riya path! .utastha # between the eyebrows # is the place where the
individual soul had its oriin) the delusive Eo needs to be dissolved there! The core
component of this Judra is to brin all the enery into the point between the eyebrows
and hinder its scatterin by closin the head openins E the breath is %uieted in the
reion from throat to the point between the eyebrows! 8f a deep rela7ation state is
established in the body& this practice succeeds in eneratin a very intense ecstatic state&
which spreads throuhout one*s bein! About its practical implementation& there are
minor differences amon the schools) some ive a reater importance to the vision of
the "iht and less to the dissolution of breath and mind! Amon the first& there are those
who teach& while keepin more or less the same position of the finers& to focus upon
each Chakra and to perceive their different colors! (ne satisfactory remark& found in the
traditional +oa literature& is that this techni%ue ets its name 1+oni1& meanin 1uterus1&
because like the baby in the uterus& the practitioner has no contact with the e7ternal
world& and therefore& no e7ternali$ation of consciousness!
G@I
,8,"8(-RAPH+
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