What is Kriya Yoga?

At its heart, Kriya Yoga is the science of the breath. By calming and refining the breath, the restless energy of the body and mind is gradually drawn inward and upward, awakening the dormant spiritual power (Kundalini) and leading, step by step, to direct experience of one’s own God-essence. As Yogiraj Gurunath describes the journey: breath becomes prana, prana becomes Kriya, Kriya awakens Kundalini, and Kundalini opens into samadhi — absorption in the Divine.

A path proven by living masters

Kriya is not theory but a transmitted, living practice. It was restored to the modern world in 1861 when Lahiri Mahasaya received it from Mahavatar Babaji, and it has been carried down to today through an unbroken lineage of realised teachers.

The foundation: a threefold discipline

The sage Patanjali defined the very word “Kriya Yoga” as a threefold practice: tapas (self-discipline and purifying effort), svadhyaya (self-study and study of sacred texts) and ishvara-pranidhana (surrender to the Divine). These three remain the living foundation beneath the breath-science. Read more on the Yoga Sutras.

How to begin

The deepest Kriya techniques are traditionally given directly from teacher to student, through initiation. But the journey begins long before that — with sincere daily meditation, a calm and ethical life, the study of the great texts, and devotion. Explore the three gunas to understand the qualities at work within you, and let the example of the great saints kindle your longing for the Divine.