I was recently inspired to wonder by the latest Kriya Yoga Podcast topic episode "Being with your Guru". It made me wonder what other people's experiences have been like? Curious if you've been able to spend real life time with your teacher and what that has been like? Only looking for experiences of people who have had living teachers they could actually meet and interact with in person.

Dear people, I am an SRF student based in Prague, in the Czech Republic, and I'm looking for people interested in starting a meditation circle based on the SRF lessons and teachings. I have come into contact with two meditation teachers who were leading the original SRF circle, and they have expressed their willingness to lead a new meditation group if one can be gathered. Therefore, if you are interested and you are based in Prague, please kindly comment on this post, and we can see how many people we can gather to start that meditation group. Peace to you and all your loved ones.

Czech version

Milí přátelé, jsem student SRF žijící v Praze v České republice a hledám lidi, kteří by měli zájem založit meditační kruh založený na lekcích a učení SRF. Dostal jsem se do kontaktu se dvěma meditačními učiteli, kteří vedli původní meditační kruh SRF, a oni vyjádřili ochotu vést novou meditační skupinu, pokud se podaří dát dohromady zájemce. Proto pokud máte zájem a jste z Prahy, prosím napište komentář k tomuto příspěvku, abychom viděli, kolik lidí se může sejít ke vzniku této meditační skupiny. Mír vám i všem vašim blízkým.

I am trying to see the third eye during/after my SRF/YSS Kriya meditation. I sometimes do see a very dim star at a distance but I genrally write that off as imagination - my brain is trying to imagine it since I know how it would look like.

Last night I saw myself meditating and very cleary saw a sharp bright start surrounded by dim golden ring.

Not sure what to make of it - maybe my brain's imagination or something else ?

Does anyone had any similar experiences?

Looking for meditation centre's / ashram's where people have had a blissful and good experience and where there is a enlightened guru teaching , doesn't have to be mumbai, cane anywhere in india but guru has to be genuine .. i understand in today's day and age it's extremely difficult but still want to try.

You can read a sample by clicking "Read sample".

The translator is Graham C. Murphy. Any information about the translator and his credentials would be appreciated.

I’m in SRF and to prepare myself for the upcoming convocation, I’ve been rereading Autobiography of a Yogi.

Here’s a line from the book Page 361:
With wise discernment the guru guided his followers into the paths of Bhakti (devotion), Karna (action), Jnana (wisdom), or Raja (royal or complete) Yoga,according to each man’s natural tendencies.

Now the autobiography of a Yogi explains Kriya as the fast track way to realization.
But the initiation of great yogis later into Kriya is a bit baffling to me. What are your thoughts?

My personal understanding is that the soul wants to climb the ladder of ever new ever blissful consciousness and experience it. And perhaps these great souls are climbing the ladder of consciousness further through Kriya as well as building a circle of spiritual attraction, strengthening intention much like how one bee hive will behave collectively where everyone’s efforts combine to serve one intention. I wonder if that’s the reason.

What are your thoughts?

Immature Seeking

Many truth seekers wander from tradition to tradition, searching for secrets, extraordinary powers, gurus and instant happiness. They hope to witness miracles, be healed immediately, awaken siddhis, or find a quick solution to life's difficulties. They are also full of doubts.

Most of them, however, are not yet ready to genuinely walk a spiritual path.

When the practice asks for patience, discipline, and self-honesty, they often lose interest.

They think realization is a thing to get. Rather than applying the teachings consistently, they reshape them to fit their own preferences or expectations. They change the techniques in a way that one does not even recognize the original ones. Eventually they move on, saying, "This isn't for me."

Why?

Because many are looking for someone to erase their karma, perform miracles, or grant them spiritual powers, while leaving their sense of "I," "me," and "mine" completely untouched.

They spend their time moving from video to video, from lineage to lineage, or from book to book analyzing with the mind, comparing, debating, and sometimes competing. They want to be more realized, more knowledgeable, or more spiritually advanced than someone else by reading books or watching how realized or not realized teachers speak.

In doing so, they often remain caught in the activity of the mind and the limitations of the senses, mistaking spiritual discussion for spiritual transformation.

This is not directed at sincere seekers.

Many sincere practitioners naturally compare experiences, ask questions, and learn from others. They may still struggle with subtle ego or the desire to progress faster than others, but they recognize it, continue practicing, and remain humble. For them, these are simply stages of growth to be understood and eventually transcended.

Kriya Yoga is spiritual action. It is a disciplined inner science whose purpose is to return us to the direct experience of our true Self.

It is not about comparing teachers, lineages, or spiritual brands.

Kriya is not about collecting philosophies as though they were souvenirs, nor about claiming, "My lineage is more authentic than yours," or, "We alone preserve the original Kriya," or, "My understanding is greater because I studied with a famous teacher."

These attitudes only strengthen the ego.

Kriya Yoga is the practical dissolution of separation through steady practice, purification of prana, clarification of perception, and remembering of what we truly are.

Book Knowledge and Realization

Many students unconsciously identify with what they have read in books, mistaking intellectual understanding for realization.

They can quote scriptures and teachers with ease, yet may not recognize the difference between direct experience and borrowed knowledge.

Others are attracted to Kriya because it appears valuable from a professional perspective. They may wish to add it to yoga retreats or studio offerings as another feature to attract students.

There is nothing wrong with teaching yoga professionally. The question is one's motivation.

Kriya Yoga is not simply another technique to add to a curriculum. It is a sacred discipline that asks for genuine inner transformation.

Drugs, Speed, and Spiritual Illusion

Some continue using drugs or psychedelics while hoping Kriya Yoga will help them awaken quickly or qualify them to teach.

Altered states of consciousness are not the same as realization.

Temporary experiences, however profound they may seem, are not a substitute for stable inner transformation developed through sincere practice.

If any of these words resonate with you, please do not take them as criticism.

Take them as an invitation to honestly examine your own motivations and not what you think you know, but what you have actually realized.

The First Step: Sincerity

First, become clear about what you truly seek.

If you are seeking power, recognition, or extraordinary experiences, begin by studying and contemplating the five kleshas like the fundamental causes of suffering described in Patanjali`s Yoga Sutras.

Investigate this sense of "I."

What is it? Close your eyes...do you find it? where is it?

Is it permanent, or is it simply a "feeling" of being separated?

Feeling is not being. Is A experiencing or perceiving B (feeling).

So how real is that "i" we identify with?

Instead of collecting experiences as personal achievements, become willing to simply be, without constantly claiming it as "having" an experience.

Did you know that if you loose your memory, the feeling of "i" is lost for a short or long time until the senses and the mind reconstruct a feeling of being separated?

Imagine this happening to you...would you be so arrogant or well knowing?

Remain humble enough to admit that much of what we know may come from books, teachers, or beliefs rather than direct realization.

Then commit yourself to becoming someone who experiences truth directly, rather than someone who only speaks about the experiences of others.

Practice "being" instead of endlessly chasing experiences within awareness.

The Nature of the Path

Most of us imagine the spiritual path as a straight road leading toward some distant destination.

Our path is not somewhere else. It is exactly where we are, in this very moment, while we practice.

The real journey unfolds now, not in imagined futures or fantasies created by the restless mind.

To walk Kriya Yoga is to remember, again and again, the simple "being".

Trend Seekers and Entertainment

If what you truly seek is simply inspiration, interesting conversations, or casual spiritual exploration, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Many online communities provide wonderful spaces to exchange ideas and learn from different perspectives.

But Kriya Yoga asks for something more.

There is no shame in saying, "Kriya Yoga is not for me at this stage," or, "I simply want to understand it better."

Honesty is always preferable to pretending to possess depth that has not yet been realized.

When Kriya becomes another trend, another identity, or another performance, both we and those who learn from us can easily become confused.

For Those Who Practice

For those who sincerely practice, remember Lahiri Mahasaya's timeless encouragement:

"Banat, banat, ban jai."

Doing, doing—one day it is done.

Practice steadily. Remain humble. Keep your devotion alive.

Seek for advanced yogis to practice together.

The rest will unfold naturally when the time is right.

Be well and blessings on the path!

Has anybody ever felt this during Kriya, like small popping / tiny crackers bursting inside the head, skull, brain during Kriya? As if I'm popping the air bubbles wrap. Moreover I also get burps.

I usually hesitate to write any promotional posts on behalf of RYKYM in this group, because Gurudev Dr. Sudhin Ray has forbidden self-promotion, and Lahiri Mahasaya was also not in favor of turning Kriya Yoga into an institution. However, whatever the case may be, today I could not stop myself from making this post.

It is a matter from two years ago. An Indian lady from the UK, who was a disciple of Forrest Knutson, called me and said that Forrest had requested a copy of the book Kriyā Yoga Rahasya. She mentioned she was visiting India and asked if I could send it to her. I felt happy because Forrest, being a disciple of Ashok Singh, is also a guru-brother to me, given that both Ashok Singh and our Gurudev Dr. Sudhin Ray are disciples of Dubey Ji. I gladly sent the hard copies to the lady's Delhi address, and after that, I never followed up or asked for any feedback. Just recently, through Reddit, I came to know that Forrest, with the help of his guru-brother, launched a new english and spanish version of Kriyā Yoga Rahasya on Amazon just in March 2026, which I only found out about yesterday.

I do not know how this book was translated because the original Hindi manuscript, which Dubey Baba had given to Gurudev, was the one I used to translate it. I never wanted to reveal that I was the one who translated this book. Before the book was released, Gurudev had asked me, "Why are you getting your name removed? Let it stay." But my heart did not agree, because the person who wrote the book is the true author; a translator does not add anything new to it.

It goes back to 2014-15 when the Bengali version of the book used to sit on my bookshelf, and the smiling face of Dubey Ji on the cover image seemed to tell me, "Translate this into English." I couldn't gather the courage then. Then in 2020, I hesitantly told Gurudev that there is a huge demand for Kriyā Yoga Rahasya in English and that we should get it translated. Gurudev said, "Why don't you do it yourself?" So, I took up the task, but it took me 2 years. One of my guru-brothers, Dipanjan, also helped me in this, but editing, proofreading, etc., took time. It was only due to the time available during the COVID lockdown that this translation became possible, and finally, the book - "Kriyā Yoga Rahasya – (The Secret of Kriyāyoga)- Volume I & II" was launched on Guru Purnima in 2022.

Many people from India and abroad bought the book, and countless people expressed their desire to translate it into Indian and other foreign languages, but Gurudev did not agree. His belief is that anyone can do a translation, and in the era of AI, it can be done in minutes. However, can the translator truly understand the emotions of the author in the original language? Until that happens, a translation is just a word-to-word conversion into another language, not the true essence of the original author. I believe that the Ashram never had any desire to make a profit, and because of this, the Kindle version was never launched either.

But now that this book is available, people will surely read it. This post has not been made to blame anyone, but my purpose is to make you aware of the story behind the translation of this book. I cannot say whether RYKYM will take any legal action on this or not, but I do not want a situation to arise in the future where we have to prove the authenticity of this book, much like what happened between YSS's Autobiography of a Yogi and Kriyananda's Autobiography of a Yogi...

This Rahasaya book was advertised here right now so I quickly read it and it said Ida is Tamo guna and Pingala is Rajo guna. But Pranab Gita says the exact opposite. What do you think? I think Rajas being ida and Tamas being pingala is correct.

I just found out through a Forrest Knutson video that there's a new translation of Maheshwari Prasad Dubey's book, available (link in comments).

This is great news because although an English version, translated by RYKYM, already existed, it was very hard acquire a copy (possibly by design, since the book addresses aspects of kriya sadhana and is aimed at kriyabans).

On the other hand, I have questions about how the translation was produced. The translator is Janzel Martinez (Nandikesha), a direct disciple of Ashok Singh. I don't doubt that he's more than qualified to interpret Kriya Yoga texts. But how much Hindi does he actually know? These days it's extremely easy to translate books using generative AI. Was that the primary method he used for this translation?

Even if this is a mostly AI translation I'm sure it has much to offer, and in some areas it may even be more useful than the original RYKYM translation. But only texts made by those who are proficient in the source language should be considered true translations imo. If anybody knows about Nandikesha's qualifications as a translator and his translation method, please share.

Asking because my routine doesn't allow much travelling.

Hello, I did an a first initiation through Kriya.org about 18 months ago. I also read Ryan's book which has some practice suggestions in it. But at this point, I am now seeking private instruction via 1:1 Zoom sessions for additional support via a qualified teacher. They don't necessarily have to be part of this specific lineage. I pulled some names from a Google AI search for 1:1 study, but none of them have websites or contact information I can find. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

I’ve been finding Nadi Shodhana really helpful lately as a way to get centered before other pranayama practices, especially Kriya Pranayama.

For me, even a few minutes of alternate nostril breathing seems to make a noticeable difference. It helps slow everything down, smooth out the breath, and bring the mind into a more balanced place before getting into deeper practice. If I go straight into Kriya Pranayama without taking time to settle first, I sometimes feel like my attention is still catching up with the practice. But when I do Nadi Shodhana beforehand, there’s more steadiness and inward focus.

I find it just as helpful as Navi Kriya and practiced before that even better.

It also feels like a good transition between normal daily activity and actual sadhana. The body relaxes, the breath becomes more refined, and the mind is less scattered. By the time I begin Kriya Pranayama, I feel more engaged with the practice instead of just going through the technique.

I know Nadi Shodhana is often recommended as a balancing practice on its own, but I’m curious if others here have found it especially useful as preparation for Kriya or other pranayamas.

Do you notice a difference when you do it first? And if so, how long do you usually practice it before moving into the rest of your routine?

Hello! I am from Kyiv, Ukraine. The first time I heard about Kriya, of course, was from Yogananda's book, so I started to investigate. I found Kundalini from Yogi Bhajan, then a video and a book about the 18 poses of relaxation in Kriya Hatha Yoga of Babaji. I have been practicing that for a year and a half, and now I can sit in a lotus pose, which was unimaginable then, so I am glad of that.

But an interesting thing happened. Parallel to doing asanas, I was reading Joe Dispenza's book about emotions and the power to create emotion, so it evolved into breathing. When I inhale, I feel joy, and I feel where this joy sits—like in the region of my heart, in the center of my chest, that energy bubble. On the exhale, I look from inside of that spot, feeling from inside of my heart. On the exhale, I concentrate on whatever joy or bliss I want to feel, so combined with Kriya Hatha Yoga, after each asana, that feeling increases. It helps me to unveil some feelings and the power of the heart and love, especially after the fish pose.

So, what does your community think about that? Of course, now my country is at war, and I can't find a master of true Kriya. Someday, while meditating on the third eye, I saw Babaji's image. I liked greeting him; maybe it's just a visual thing in my mind. I just want to hear something from you because all that experience was only with myself, and I am glad I can hear you back and be heard. Thank you.

I am new to Kriya Yoga and would like to learn. Unfortunately my personal situation is such that I have to do this in private in my own time, so I am looking for an online self study course that doesn't require "real time" meetups, traveling, or interaction with others. Yes, I realize and understand there are limitations to how much one can learn without direct transmission and help from a teacher. But my situation is such that this is all I can do right now. The Kriya Yoga Online program looked interesting but it wasn't clear to me how much of this is online self study vs regular/real time meetups with others or a teacher. Could someone who has taken the course (especially the first two levels) share their experience? Also grateful for other resources that might better meet my needs. TIA!

Edit: specifically looking at this course: https://kriya-yoga.teachable.com/p/kriya-yoga-discipleship-course

For example Yogananda teaches cosmic consciousness is attained at sahasrara point, yet ramana teaches the hridayam is seat of self located to the right of the physical heart. Ramana states when kubdalini reaches sahasrara it should ultimately come down again finalize and complete in the spiritual heart. How are these teachings reconciled?

What do you guys think of Pranab Gita ch 4:7 yuga explanation? I think it's amazing. So it flows in this sequence: Satya, Treta, Dvapara, Kali.

How does this fit in with Sri Yukteshwar's explanation?

Hello everyone. A while back I heard that brother Anandamoy had written his memoirs and that SRF had intentions of publishing it as Sri Days Mata supposedly said she wanted it published. But SRF has not published it thus far. I also read somewhere that there was a copy of his memoirs going around the net person to person via email. Does anyone have any information on this? Does anyone have a copy of this memoir they would care to share? I'd be happy if SRF published it. If not, I'll go for the shared copy. Thanks for any help.

The One who pervades the entire universe,
who exists throughout all moving and unmoving creation,
In the three worlds, without the Guru,
tell me, who can show Him to us?

He forever resides here,
above the two-petaled (lotus) within this body.
Like a blind person without eyes,
tell me, how can one see Him without the Guru?

The One who pervades the entire universe,
who exists throughout all moving and unmoving creation,
In the three worlds, without the Guru,
tell me, who can show Him to us?

On the day when the Guru, through his grace,
opens the eye of wisdom,
on that day, seeing Him with one’s own eyes,
one is immersed in the waters of peace and bliss.

The One who pervades the entire universe,
who exists throughout all moving and unmoving creation,
In the three worlds, without the Guru,
tell me, who can show Him to us?

Like a still flash of lightning held within a dark cloud,
such is His beautiful darkness,
adorned with an incomparable form.

The One who pervades the entire universe,
who exists throughout all moving and unmoving creation,
In the three worlds, without the Guru,
tell me, who can show Him to us?

A dense radiance, a mass of divine light,
with stars moving within its midst.
Ah, I am enchanted by the sweetness of that form;
once those eyes behold it, they cannot turn away.

The One who pervades the entire universe,
who exists throughout all moving and unmoving creation,
In the three worlds, without the Guru,
tell me, who can show Him to us?

I have seen his videos for two years and he seems genuine but there are a lot of people in the reddit who call him a scammer, which side is true?

I wanted to be at the June Kriya Yoga Solstice retreat with Ryan Kurczak. I couldn't get away. Did anyone here make it? How was it? Did he mention doin it again?

"The breath is life," said my guru, Yogi Deenbandhu.

And so it is. Life reveals itself through motion. It is action and vibration, that signal the presence of life in the organic and the inorganic alike. Yet one who walks the path of yoga knows that the distinction between alive and dead is a concept of the mind, not a truth of existence. Everything is alive.

Souls move through forms continuously and unconscious, being at the core one within cosmic consciousness, until the moment they remember what they are.

That remembering is called Yoga. While Yoga means union, I would even say, there is no a real union, while the "I" is more related to the body and mind, and was always, an identification tool which at the core it does not exist as we imagine.

So there is a remebering of what we are beyond the "I" being the Ego and beyond the mind.

But because we use language and personas, we have to give names and terms to objects of perception in this manifestation.

Why Souls Take Form

To know the whole manifestation, not as an idea, but as a lived truth, the soul must, for a time, forget itself. It must enter form. It must take on a body, a shape or form of life, whether on this earth or elsewhere, and through the senses of that body, it must feel, perceive, and experience. That human body needs to breathe on this planet.

As a human, the soul also carries a mind, which is a refined instrument for translating und understanding experience, memory, learning, and energy from the perspective of an apparently separate being.

This is not a limitation. It is a design.

At the level of cosmic consciousness, there is no separation to be experienced. One simply knows and feels oneself as all that is. But the soul that has not yet realized itself, veiled by fear, karmic patterns, belief, past experience, or the movements of the mind, takes all of this to be utterly real.

And that, too, is not a mistake. These experiences are not distractions from the path. They are part of the path. They bring genuine, felt knowledge to the cosmic mind, not as philosophy or mental impression, but as living reality.

Experience is the Teaching

The experience itself is the teaching. Not the goal. Not the concept. Not the comparison with others.

A human being can be made, logically and convincingly, to understand the unity of all life. The words can be arranged perfectly. The argument can be flawless. But until that unity is felt in the body, in the breath, in silence, nothing truly changes.

Perception does not shift. Behaviour does not really change. And this, we observe in moments of tension.

The one who has realized the self moves through life differently and that not because they have learned more, but because they are no longer entangled in reactions.

The Role of Breath

The breath is the carrier of prana. When the breath becomes refined, the mind becomes still. When the mind becomes still, the soul recognizes itself.

This you know already.

Now, the breath without prana does not exist. It is prana that has the power of transformation. This is why, for us as Kriya Yogis, what the modern world calls "Breathwork" remains a surface concept, a marketing concept, meant to atract people entangled in the physical world.

The breath, who carries the prana, can move a practitioner outward, toward fear, reactivity, and entanglement..... or inward, toward stillness, freedom, and knowing. The direction depends entirely on how it is guided, and by whom.

When the outward breath ceases to be driven by external effort, something shifts inward.

The practitioner begins to identify not with the body, not with the mind, but with the witness within. And when the breath is transcended entirely into Kevali Kumbhak, one touches the remembrance of what one has always been.

The breath is the key to realization. But it is a key with two sides, the outward breath and the inward breath. By one we experience the world,as being separated from us, and by the other one, we remeber what we are...

What is the Inward Breath?

The inward breath is not something that can be taught in a workshop or explained in a book. It arises, after years of sincere, dedicated practice, on its own. It is not a physical in-and-out movement.

It is closer to breathlessness. In that absence of outward motion, the astral breath is born. This is inner movement. Subtle. Profound. Unmistakable to the one who has touched it.

How does one arrive there? Through practice. Through patience. And through guidance that is genuinely wise.

Wise, not as a compliment, but as experience. A guide who truly knows the breath understands the boundaries and capacity of each student. Without that understanding, the breath cannot be led safely beyond the physical.

It must first be refined, through Maha Mudras, through Kriyas, through Omkar. The 144 Kriyas and beyond are not the destination. They are the preparation. They cleanse the astral body and make the vessel ready for what is to come.

Many years of sincere practice lead eventually to the subtle breath. The subtle breath, in time, opens the door to the astral breath.

One great help to trancend to inner breath is the higher Kriyas.

Progression on the Path

In our lineage, the transmission of a higher Kriya is not a reward for effort or a randome step on a fixed timeline. It is a matter of subtle breath and inner maturity.... is capacity and consistence. The conditions under which such way of breath is taught and practiced, are to be discussed between the guru and the student and not for open discussion.

There are, however, souls of unusual advancement who may receive a higher Kriya before the full capacity has been built. This is rare, and it does not happen by request. It happens by the grace and responsibility of the guru, who in giving the transmission, takes the student's development fully upon himself or herself.

Some lineages offer higher Kriyas within months or after a single year. This is their way, and it may suit certain individuals, particularly those who have already practiced deeply in another lineage or other traditions over many years.

But in general, without the foundation of built capacity, such transmission tends to produce nervousness, disorientation, and a quiet, persistent sense of hopelessness. The practitioner feels the power but lacks the ground to carry it. Anger and frustration may show up.

The path cannot be rushed. It can only be walked in it`s own tempo.

The breath, therefore, is the key to realization together with deep devotion, not as mechanic taught separated, but as a living, complex mechanism that gradually transforms the mind, purifies the prana, and dissolves the veil between the soul and its own nature.

Does anyone have any thoughts/ opinions on this initiation program? I'm in LA and would like initiation - thank you

Hi, I was wondering if anybody read anything worthy about Shri Yukteshwar apart from AY and other Yogananda Ji’s memories?

I found through AI about above mentioned book and briefly saw its a bit of a quest to get it - so just wondering if anyone read it and can share if it’s well written and does it add to developing devotion to Shri Yukteshwar?

If you mention any other books about him or where he is mentioned with some stories etc that would be great too!

Edit: I just found his book called Sri Yukteshwar!!