Enteringㆍ5

Chapter 1 | Overview of Kriya Yoga

Ⅰ Foundation for Kriya
1 The Significance of Kriya Yoga ㆍ20
2 Kriya Yoga ㆍ23
3 The Science of Kriya Yoga ㆍ26
4. Experience and Development of Meditation ㆍ29
5 Signs of True Progress in Meditation ㆍ32
6 Background Principles of Kriya Yoga ㆍ34
7. Tedong of Kriya Yoga ㆍ38
8 The Significance of Laying the Foundation through Preliminary Training ㆍ41
9 The Path of Kriya Practice Pranayam ㆍ45
10 Breathing Pranayam for Kriya Yoga ㆍ48
11 Ham Sa-So Ham (Hong Sau) Sadhana ㆍ52
12 Bhagavadgita Chapter 10 Verse 9 - Kriya Practice Bindu ㆍ56
13 What is Kutastha? ㆍ58
14 Shambhavi Mudra - Kutastha Astral Spiritual Eye ㆍ60
15 The Meaning of Kriya Initiation Diksha ㆍ64
16 Khechari Mudra ㆍ67

* 108 Teachings on Kriya by Lahiri Mahasaya ㆍ70
17 The Supreme Destination Through Kriya ㆍ89
18 Kriya's '8-fold Yoga' A???nga Yoga ㆍ92
21 Kriya Om Japa ㆍ109



Chapter 2 | First Kriya and the Foundation of Kriya Yoga

Ⅰ.
Kriya Yoga Sadhana
1 Traditional Yoga Practices and Kriyas ㆍ114
2 The Three Gunas and the Transformations of Consciousness - Kriya Yoga ㆍ117
Location of the 3 Chakras ㆍ122
4 Kriya Yoga First Kriya yoga ㆍ127
5 The Subtle Journey of Kriya Yoga Sushumna Nadi ㆍ144
6 The Relationship Between Prana and the Mind ㆍ155
7 The Meaning of Kriya Pranayam ㆍ157
8 Karma Yoga - Bhakti Yoga (Jn?na)
The Inner Path and Integration of Kriya Yoga ㆍ162
9 Brahmari Guha and Sushumna Nadi
- The Path to the Inner World ㆍ170
10 Nirvikalpa Samadhi - The Manifestation of God ㆍ171
11 Kevali Kumbhaka ㆍ173


Chapter 3 | Upper Kriya Yoga and Key Concepts

1 Higher Kriya and the Knot Granthi ㆍ178
2 Higher Kriya Sadhana ㆍ182
3 Omkar Kriya and the Stages of Samadhi ㆍ184
The Fourth Kriya of the Tattva ㆍ188
5 Teachings of Swami Pranavananda ji
Higer Kriya Yoga ㆍ190
6. Jn?na of the Spiritual Consciousness of Kriya. Vijn?naㆍ202
7 Kriya Yoga Interpretation of Kundalini ㆍ205
- Kundalini as seen in Kriya Yoga
- What is the “ascension” of Kundalini?
- The transference of Kutastha and Nirvikalpa
8 Paravastha ㆍ212
9 Return to the Source ㆍ214
10 Nadis-Channels and the Inner Structure of Kriya Yoga ㆍ216
11 The Journey of Sound N?da and Light Jyoti ㆍ223
12 What is Karma? ㆍ229
13 Transcending the Five Elements - Kriya from the Subtle to the Subtleㆍ236


Chapter 4 | The Teachings of Lahiri Mahasaya

I. Lahiri Mahasaya's Garland of Letters ㆍ243

1 The Path of Foundation and Purification ㆍ247
2 The Path of Inner Vibration and Silence ㆍ254
3 The Path of Liberation and Grace ㆍ260
4 The Core of Lahiri Mahasaya's Teachings ㆍ269
5 Teachings and Inner Practices on Daily Kriyas ㆍ275
6 Inner Experience and the Transformation of Consciousness - Lahiri Mahasaya's Teachings on Silenceㆍ277
7. Completion of Kriya, Oneness with God ㆍ280
8 Lahiri Baba's Kriya Tattva Sutra ㆍ283

Ⅱ.
Bhagavad-gita - Principles of Kriya Practice

1 The Yogic Meaning of Letting Go of the Results of Actions ㆍ293
2 Kriya Yoga? 'Action without Action' ㆍ295
3. The Real Meaning of Inner Progress? Expanding Consciousness Without Expectations ㆍ296

- Beyond the Heart ㆍ299

In conclusion ㆍ301

The word 'Kriya' comes from the Sanskrit root "kri", literally meaning 'action' or 'karma' - the path leading to the realization of divinity.
Not all actions are called kriya.
Lahiri Mahasaya explains in the Kriya Tattva Sutra, “‘The act of directing the breath to the Supreme Consciousness is true Kriya.’”

That is, the inner practice that leads to union with the ultimate Supreme Consciousness, that is Kriya.

Kriya Yoga is the practical path to Self-Realization, to your inner essence.
Knowledge and wisdom about reality, the foundation of both body and mind, gives freedom in life.
As you go through such a process, you will gain the right knowledge about the body, mind, and life-force of prana, and when you have such wisdom, you can practice Kriya Yoga effectively.

Understanding the workings of the body, mind, prana, and the six senses will help you better understand and practice Kriya Yoga.
The pranayama of Kriya Yoga goes beyond breath control to the expansion of prana and complete stillness.

The regulation, purification and expansion of prana have a close influence on the sense organs and lead to meditation that experiences the inner essence.
The depth of these aspects is what makes Kriyayo special.

The foundation of this is awareness, which is first and foremost the awareness of one's breathing, body, and mind.
It is an essential element and important foundation for meditation.
Meditation without that foundation is not effective, so laying that foundation is a very necessary element.


“This book covers the path from the foundation to the essence of Kriya Yoga in depth.”

[Author's Note]

I wrote this book in search of the original meaning of Kriya Yoga as passed down from Babaji to Shyama Charan Lahiri Mahasaya.

Humanity's long inner quest converges on one question: "Who am I?"
This question is not a simple question, but can be answered on the practical path that leads to the source of breath, Prana, and consciousness.

Kriya Yoga is the simplest yet most profound map given to those who walk the path.


It is not the monopoly of mysticism or religion, but a direct science of the structure of human existence, an inner science that aligns the life flow, prana, with the center of consciousness, Kutastha.

Lahiri Mahasaya (1828-1895), the incarnation of yoga, was the one who re-discovered this ancient path.
His life was an example of how one can achieve the ultimate goal of yoga while living in society as an ordinary disciple.

In the numerous letters he left behind and the teachings he imparted to his disciples, there is a language of enlightenment that is broader and deeper than the word 'Kriya'.
He taught that, transcending religious distinctions, “one breath, one light, one reality flows through all beings.”
Lahiri Mahasaya's letters contain simple truths that spring from the teacher's direct experience.
“Practice is not something that is done with the head, but God is there when the breath becomes still,” he said.

This book follows the context of those words and seeks to guide readers to understand Kriya Yoga not as a simple technique, but as a "restoration of divine consciousness."

When the pranayam rhythm of the breath and the vibration of the mind return to one center, man is no longer a 'seeker' but awakens to 'awareness itself'.

- The value of Kriya Yoga is the science of the inner self, the practice of the soul.
Kriya Yoga is not simply a form of breath control or meditation.
It can be said to be an inner alchemy that purifies and elevates the life energy prana, thereby opening up the potential realm of human consciousness.

The essence of this yoga is to slow down the external speed and return the inner time to the 'eternal present'.
When breath and mind cease, the flow of time stops, and only the awareness of 'being' remains at the center of existence.

This is what Lahiri Mahasaya meant when he said, “Kriya is the breath of God.”

While today's spiritual culture is often wrapped in systems and doctrines, Lahiri Mahasaya's teachings have always focused on 'direct experience.'

“Kriya is not for thinking, but for enlightenment.
Breathe quietly and feel the Divine along the path of your spine.
That path is the battlefield of the Gita.”

This book contains helpful words to help you understand and practice Kriya through the core teachings of Bhagavad-gita.
The Gita contains the essence and practice of yoga.
And, the practical essence of Kriya is written throughout the Gita through conversations between Arjuna and Sri Krishna.

Lahiri Mahasaya interpreted this conversation in the concrete language of practice, teaching experientially 'the moment when God and man meet in the battlefield of the spine.'
Therefore, all the explanations in this book are not separate from the teachings of the Gita.
The confusion of the ego, the agitation of the mind, the war of desires and doubts are real phenomena occurring within existence, and are purified and transcended one by one through Kriya.

- Lahiri Mahasaya's letters to his disciples are living scriptures.
Lahiri Mahasaya's letters, seemingly simple advice, contain within them the seeds of truth that encapsulate all the stages of yoga.
I wrote these words in this book in the hope that they will be helpful to those who read them.

This book, focusing on the teachings of Lahiri Mahasaya and connecting them with passages from the Bhagavadgita, attempts to reveal the connection between the inner philosophy of Kriya Yoga and its actual practice.
In the text, we follow the scriptures literally as much as possible, but we explain them in the 'language of insight' so that readers can understand them experientially.

I hope that this book will provide an opportunity to understand the original form of Kriya through the language of Lahiri Mahasaya.
The original form of Kriya is restored through letters and the contents of the disciple's transmission.

Also written in the book are the profound teachings of Kriya that came from the profound attainments of Paramahansa Pranavananda, who is described as the “two-bodied saint” in the autobiography of Paramahansa Yogananda.


This book contains teachings on the first and higher kriyas, centered on the teachings of Lahiri Mahasaya.
Kriya is a systematic yoga practiced on the foundation of purification.

This book is an attempt to revive the Master's breath rather than interpret his teachings.
When a verse from Lahiri Mahasaya's letter, a breath of Kriya practice, and the sound of the Bhagavad Gita resonate with each other, the value of Kriya will be fully realized.

Through this book, the readers will learn about yoga, its essence, and the fruits of Kriya Yoga.
Put your hands together and say,

Nam Yeon
OM TAT SAT

We publish the essence of yoga and the essence of inner wisdom.

“Kriya Yoga,” which is being published this time, is a book that is deeply connected to what we are aiming for.

I hope that the fruits of this book will reach all readers.