About Kriya Yoga

Babaji's Kriya Yoga is a scientific art of perfect God Truth union and Self-Realization. It was revived by a great Master of India, Babaji Nagaraj, as a synthesis of ancient teachings of the 18 Siddha tradition. It includes a series of techniques or "Kriyas" grouped into five phases or branches.

Kriya Hatha Yoga: including "asanas," physical postures of relaxation, "bandahs," muscular locks, and "mudras," psycho-physical gestures, all of which bring about greater health, peace and the awakening of the principal energy channels, “the nadis”, and centers, the "chakras." Babaji has selected a particularly effective series of 18 postures, which are taught in stages and in pairs. One cares for the physical body not for its own sake but as a vehicle or temple of the Divine.

Kriya Kundalini Pranayama: is a powerful breathing technique to awaken one’s potential power and consciousness and to circulate it through the seven principal chakras between the base of the spine and the crown of the head. It awakens the latent faculties associated with the seven chakras and makes one a dynamo on all five planes of existence.

Kriya Dhyana Yoga: is a progressive series of meditation techniques to learn the scientific art of mastering the mind - to cleanse the subconscious, to develop concentration, mental clarity and vision, to awaken the intellectual, intuitive and creative faculties, and to bring about the breathless state of communion with God, "Samadhi" and Self-Realization.

Kriya Mantra Yoga: the silent mental repetition of subtle sounds to awaken the intuition, the intellect and the chakras; the mantra becomes a substitute for the "I" - centered mental chatter and facilitates the accumulation of great amounts of energy. The mantra also cleanses habitual subconscious tendencies.

Kriya Bhakti Yoga: the cultivation of the soul’s aspiration for the Divine. It includes devotional activities and service to awaken unconditional love and spiritual bliss; it includes chanting and singing, ceremonies, pilgrimages, and worship. Gradually, all of one's activities become soaked with sweetness, as the "Beloved" is perceived in all.

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Guru Mantra

Om Kriya Babaji Nama Aum
(The guru mantra of Babaji's Kriya Yoga)

Om is pranava, the primordial sound of the Universe that runs through the prana.
Kriya is ”action with awareness,” which is both the vehicle and the destination of practitioners of Kriya Yoga, by making all of our actions the object of awareness.
Babaji is the Guru of the Kriya Yoga tradition, who synthesized its ancient teachings and who has disseminated them in modern times. This is the same Babaji referred to as Mahavatar Babaji in Paramahansa Yogananda’s “Autobiography of a Yogi.”
Nama is Salutations or “I call to you”
Aum the primordial sound resonating within

This guru mantra, Om Kriya Babaji Nama Aum, has the power to connect our pulse to the pulse of Babaji, tuning us into the Grace of the legendary Himalayan Siddha, Kriya Babaji Nagaraj. Through the mantra he reveals himself to his Devotees. Through its repetition the inner guru, or supreme intelligence abiding in the crown chakra becomes accessible. The mantra is shakti, conscious energy. It has power, as the Guru transmits his shakti through the mantra and the shakti enters the disciple through the mantra. The root of the mantra is the guru's word, and indeed, the mantra is a form of the guru himself.

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Kriya Yoga is “Action with Awareness.” It is a means of self-knowledge, of knowing the truth of our being. Babaji's Kriya Yoga incorporates “awareness” in the practice of asanas, pranayama, meditation, mantras, but also teaches us to incorporate awareness in all thoughts, words, dreams and desires, in all actions. This sadhana has the enormous potential to make us more conscious human beings. It requires, however, the willingness of the body, mind, heart and will, to align with the soul’s aspiration for purification and perfection. The sadhana of BKY is a collection of 144 exercises and spiritual practices for Self realization and transformation in all of our five bodies: physical, vital, mental, intellectual and spiritual.

The first objective of Kriya Hatha Yoga is deep physical and mental relaxation. The body can become purified of many disorders and irregularities by asana. The variety of asana grants flexibility, lightness and buoyancy in the body. The practice of the 18 asana series awakens the energy centers along the spine and kundalini, our potential power and consciousness.

Kriya Kundalini Pranayama deals more directly with the subtler vital parts of the nervous system. The first objective of pranayama is to purify the nervous system and to circulate life energy through all the nerves and subtle energy channels without obstruction. Ultimately these pranayama will awaken the sushumna and direct kundalini upward through it.

Babaji's Kriya Yoga Dhyana, demands that truth realized in our inner consciousness penetrate into our waking consciousness and become effective there. The level of our consciousness determines the nature and quality of the life we live. So, rather than trying to stop thoughts and drop into a void, our meditations focus on dynamic methods of strengthening the power of the mind, the power of visualization and stimulate a ready flow of intuition and inspiration, which can be used in our life. The meditations help us to develop our power of concentration, in order to orient the whole of our consciousness towards our soul.

Kriya Mantra Yoga is silent repetition of powerful chakra seed syllables and sound, which stimulates divine qualities. This practice tunes one's whole being and turns one's consciousness turned toward the Divine, and opens one to the a flow of divine energy and grace.

Through the practice of Babaji's Kriya Yoga , one begins to study oneself and to let go of negative habits, desires, fears and other forms of disturbances. One gradually establishes oneself in a new inner Witness perspective, full of peace and joy. As one lets go of the old egoistic perspective, one’s personality is transformed, and one begins to experience oneself as an instrument of love and as a superior creative intelligence, engaged in bringing joy to others and making the world a better place.

Babaji's Kriya Yoga is a spiritual tradition, wherein one “wakes up” from “dreaming with one’s eyes open.”. Babaji's Kriya Yoga is a path of Self-realization which is comprehensive, as it integrates all of the dimensions of our life. It is a path of self discipline which enables one to live in the world with open-hearted compassion.

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The Origin of Kriya Yoga

This tradition flows directly from the Yoga Siddhas, the perfected masters of Siva Yoga. Kriya Babaji Nagaraj synthesized his Kriya Yoga from techniques taught by the Siddhas, Agastyar and Boganathar. Babaji initiated a great yogi, S.A.A. Ramaiah into these techniques in 1954 and 1955, near Badrinath in the Himalayas.

In 1983, Yogi Ramaiah gave to Marshall Govindan a set of stringent conditions to fulfill as a condition to teach the 144 Kriyas or techniques of Babaji’s Kriya Yoga. Marshall. Govindan had, by 1983, already been practicing Kriya Yoga for more than twelve years, for at least fifty-six hours per week without a break. In addition, in 1981 he had completed a year long silence in retreat, alone, by the seashore in Sri Lanka, engaging in a non-stop practice of Yoga, known as tapas. He told Marshall Govindan that if he fulfilled these conditions he would be authorized to initiate others into the 144 kriyas of Babaji’s Kriya Yoga. It took Govindan three more years to fulfill all of the additional conditions. At that time Yogiar told him simply to wait. Yogiar had often said that once he had brought his students to the feet of the “Guru,” his work with them would be finished. On Christmas Eve, 1988, in a series of profound spiritual experiences, the message came that Govindan was to leave his teacher's ashram and organization and begin initiating others into Kriya Yoga.

Henceforward, Marshall Govindan's life was directed by the Light of the Guru, (with continuing guidance, inspiration and intuition and insight), which focused on “showing the path to others.” Beginning in 1989, his life moved in this new direction; doors opened automatically, and everything facilitated a new mission. Govindan began to share Kriya Yoga with others, first, on weekends, in Montreal, and then in 1991, after the publication of his first book on Kriya Yoga, to persons all over the world. It has been a joy for him ever since to personally share this “light,” this precious spiritual scientific art with more than 10,000 students in more than twenty countries, and to train over sixteen advanced students to do the same.