Kriya Yoga in Practice-Part III

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PART III: KRIYA YOGA IN PRACTICE

CHAPTER9

REMARKSONTHE POTENTIAL DANGERS OF MEDITATION AND KRIYA

The theme of this chapter is potential dangers ofKriya Yoga in connection with

alienation from reality and with the premature awakening ofKundalini. A reader

who browses through the Web pages dealing withKriya Yoga orKundalini Yoga,

will find some pages warning against the dangers of "premature awakening of

Kundalini". It is necessary to deal with this theme before facing any didactic

issue.

There are millions of people in the West practicing meditation every day,

but there is few information about how to avoid dangers. Usually meditation is

introduced as an omni-beneficial activity. But meditation is taking a walk in your

psychic inner world, thus necessarily there should be obstacles and dangers to be

considered. 1

This subject has aroused a great interest: the list of the problems that the

allegedly premature awakening ofKundalini would cause is limitless. Besides

Kundalini, there are a few web sites that warn against any form of meditation: all

hinting at the possibility of a break with reality with unusual or extreme

strengthening of emotions, in particular agitation and anxiety, long-term

disorientation where one spaces in and out of higher planes, unable to focus longenough to work.

There are evident exaggerations. Unfortunately there is a tendency in the

Web to duplicate pages from site to site without changing a coma. If one makes

up that a yogi died of spontaneous combustion during the practice of

Pranayama, he can verify that after a physiological time (one or two months)

this story will appear on a couple of other sites. Thus we can read also that:

"Trough practicing Kundalini Yoga, an aspirant can develop occult, psychic

powers. These powers can be used for constructive or destructive purposes, but

quite often they are misused. For example the ability to read someone else's mind

can create problems and is likely to be ... resented by those who it is used on."

This is comic! When we find such amenities we wonder: "who on earth has

written such nonsense and with what purpose"?

We can also read that Yogis are inclined to fall into sorcery and black

magic because they evoke, unaware, negative entities. One guy claimed that:

1 This theme could have been placed in the first pages of this book, but I think it is

convenient to deal with this theme now because few people ever read a preface. Most

readers behave like timorous animals in unfamiliar territory, wondering whether to give

a modicum of trust to the author. They prefer to get a general idea of the author's

motivations (and obsessions) by concentrating on certain techniques to see how

deeply they are discussed. Only if they are convinced of the value of a book, they might

pay attention to the author's message in a preface. I have also decided that the first part

of the book conveys my first enthusiastic idea ofKriya as a path of Beauty. I was not

aware of any danger. Now I realize that possible dangers must to be discussed seriously;

however in my opinion it remains marginal in the discussion of the mystical path, quitetied up to deviant behaviors of people.

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"When you repeat that Mantra Om, Om... you are actually invoking a demon

spirit to come and possess your mind. Whatever that follows is the result of that

specific Hindu Demon you are invoking. " The same person adds that during a

meditation session began to levitate and "... ever since that second I haven't slept

as a human, I lost my sleep! Whenever I closed my eyes, I saw the flames ofHell, I didn't dear to close my eyes, I couldn't! I became a psychiatric case, and

26 times I've been hospitalized."

We are baffled when we meet people in real life (maybe even our friends)

who claim that Kriya is responsible of all their psychological and psychiatric

problems and of some physical troubles too. They want to convince you that by

breathing fresh air (Pranayama) they have developed all kinds of mental

ailments, even schizophrenia too. From a benediction as it seemed at the very

beginning, Kriya turned out to be a curse, a misfortune. They mention

contemptuously the same techniques that we have experimented so many times,

with so much love, drawing the purest delight.

When I read or heard all this, my first reaction was: "Now, if I must go

crazy, I prefer to go crazy because ofKriya, instead because of life itself. If the

germs of madness are inside me, they will come into bloom both if I practice

Kriya and if I do not practice it. Any discussion about whetherKriya can

accelerate the situation is perfectly useless because the answer will be never

demonstrated. Yet, considering the glorious moments experienced, I will walk

such path without an ounce of fear, had I to burn in it."

For a lot of time, this has been my way of thinking, also because I

believed after all that the alleged dangers were imagined by minds full of

confusion. But life taught me that there is a part of truth there. I continue with the

usual enthusiasm and courage but I am prudent when I talk aboutKriya to other

people.

The situation I am totally unprepared to deal with is what can happen to those who have

made use of drugs or who have shown symptoms, even weak, of mental disturbances

and start practicingKriya either because it's a trend or as a treatment. I don't know what

counsel to give to them or if in this situation it is better to exclude the practice ofKriya

altogether.

Sometimes the situation is not clear and I just guess what is confirmed by their

friends and never by the reluctant student: a desultory life-style marked by drug abuse.

Personally, I've always been taken aback when people blame their spiritual practice for

damaging their psyche but say nothing about the drugs they have taken! How came thata person went to India every year for a series of years? How came that for many years

there wasn't any interest in learning Yoga? Only recently they have practiced some mild

form of concentration and lo, a catastrophe! They go on maintaining that now they are

ill and suffer because of their prematurely awakenedKundalini! The same person who

for years took acids, any kind of amphetamines, opiates and (emulous of Castaneda)

didn't disdain the use of psychotropic plants, now is accusing the simplest yogic

exercises to have caused their doom. We don't want to rub salt in the wound -- no one

likes to put a past, which cannot be changed, in causal relation with today's troubles and

tragedies. Anyone wants to exorcize the thought of having seriously damaged their

brain and be in a condition of permanent, fatal psychic disorder. They ask us to respect

the psychological wall they have erected. That is their past, ended forever: we are

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invited to worry only overKriya and its effects that had to be marvelous (as we hastily

have promised them) and, on the contrary, have been frightening. We listen nodding our

assent and we are not permitted to clamor for a mirror in which they can see how

inconsiderate and cruel they had been toward their body.

In other students we perceive that there is a pre-existing psychological trouble.

They seldom confess how in the past at the climax of a psycho-physical breakdown

they refused to take prescribed medications. They claim they succeeded in solving anyproblem through the sheer use of their will. But we see that the reality is quite different.

How terrible is sometimes this illusion of self healing! If someone is psychologically

fragile, it is very unlikely they use the techniques ofYoga in the right way. Probably

they don't aggravate the condition of their alienation but fear and anguish might arise as

an unconscious resistance to awaken they lurking mental nightmares. Let's get things

straight: often it is the very mental disturbance that brought people to spiritual and

esoteric interests. Failure is certain: fear forces one to remain on the surface and bars

their way to deep practice. A radical transformation is impossible, feared as the worst

spectrum, a menace to one's psychological stability. Let us remember this, when they

give the most absurd and funny excuses to justify their leaving Kriya: they are doing

the right thing!Often the worse experience for a kriyaban who has tried to help them is to be a

witness of what seems a gigantic ingratitude: not only do they abandon the Kriya path

but they revolt against it as if it was an horrible thing causing havoc. Sometime they

claimKriya is the arch-enemy of the spiritual experience. Let's bite our tongue: they are

not ungrateful but sick persons and our biggest mistake was a failure to understand it

and overestimate a pseudo, almost automatic, healing action ofKriya.

On some occasions we meet both drug abuse and mental disturbance and will

never know if there were the drugs who damaged their brain and nervous system, or it

was because of an already damaged brain that they sought drugs as a remedy. The rules

of politeness require that we listen to them without reacting.

Another situation of real doom is when a student, curious of exploring the

Afterlife unknown territory or dreaming to contact a deceased relative or friend, may

get involved in spiritualism (mediumism). I have some grounds to believe that the

untrustworthy soil of spiritualism is one of the best areas to cultivate splits inside one's

personality. In my opinion, this is a field where one certainly would hurt their psyche. I

deal with this minor-in-frequency theme because there are people who claim they have

the privilege to communicate directly with the historical Masters ofKriya. It is

pathetic and, to an extent, even amusing being told that their message is coming from

the hereafter: "In this epoch, the Kriya is old-fashioned and useless. Devotion is

enough!".

Classical spiritualism - characterized by a person (medium) who enters a trancestate at a desk, answers the questions put by the bystanders through a code of loud raps

- has handed over its place to more modern methods such as those where all the

participants, putting their hands on an upside-down glass to move it among the letters of

the alphabet stamped on a comfortable flexible tablet (Ouija board). Many prefer the

more accessible revelations of a channelerwho lets the invoked entity express through

the flood of his own eloquence. It is interesting to see how the channeler's biographies

trace a common scheme. All tell that once they were skeptic of their own faculties and

would not accept yielding to the higher Will who had decided to entrust to them the

mission to serve as medium between spirits and humanity. Once their mission was

accepted, from the same ultra mundane source came the inspiration to mix the flow of

the various revelations with the diagnosis of unlikely illnesses, with prescription of

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expensive alternative remedies.

If spiritualism kept its promises, it would be the most valid gold-mine of

information - a direct connection with the beyond, far more accurate than any other

source! Alas, reality has nothing to do with their imagination! Apart from the automatic

writingin which the one who asks is the same person that gives the answer, the Medium

knows in advance the preferences and anticipations of the person who addresses him.

Therefore all becomes like a closed circuit: question and answer reverberate in anendless loop like the feedback of a microphone set next to its loud speaker. As anyone

can observe, the messages are always agreeable. Every adept, even of limited

intelligence, receives the message that the Divine has assigned him an important

mission I believe that this is, psychologically speaking, very dangerous. I knew some

kriyabans who plunged into situations of such a narrow vision that their life style

appeared grotesque. What I witnessed, with a sadness sharpened by the particular

situations which at that time took place, was the mental fragility of most people

practicing spiritualism. They puzzled me not only on account of their statements but

also of what emerged through their eyes. It was as if, from behind the mask of their

face, another personality appeared, extremely self-confident, who allowed others to

defraud them in the worst of the ways. Their original desire to find total freedom,spiritual realization, ended in the worst of all prisons. They gave all their possessions,

and their life, to a person who was an authentic rogue.

Kundalini

Let us begin by what is said in any Kundalini book. This concept provides a

framework which is convenient for expressing what is happening along the

Kriya path. Kundalini is Sanskrit for "coiled": it is conceived as a particular

energy coiled like a serpent in the root Chakra (Muladhara). The representationof being coiled like a spring conveys the idea of untapped potential energy. A

tremendous concentration of spiritual energy lies allegedly at the base of the

spine. It sleeps in our body and underneath the layers of our consciousness,waiting to be aroused by spiritual discipline.

In Kundalini Yoga a seeker aspires to harness this tremendous power

through specific techniques (particular breathing patterns, Bandhas, Mudras,

Bija Mantra...) and guide its rising from the Muladhara up through the

Sushumna, activating each Chakra. It is explained that whenKundalini arrives at

the crown Chakra (Sahasrara), it bestows infinite bliss, mystical illumination

etc.Each book warns against the risk of its premature Kundalini awakening

and asserts that the body must be prepared for the event. Some explain that the

problems manifests when Kundalini comes up through the wrong channel.

Others explain that even ifKundalini would come up through the right channel,

the person is unprepared to sustain all that power. They claim that the

enlightening and beautiful experiences can be so powerful that people doubt their

sanity.

Gopi Krishna

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Let us consider an excellent testimony, that of Gopi Krishna. In 1967 he

published his first major book in India,Kundalini --The Evolutionary Energy in

Man (currently available under the title Living WithKundalini ). The book gives

a clear and concise autobiographic account of the phenomenon of the awakeningofKundalini. He experienced it in 1937 although he had not a spiritual teacher

and was not initiated into any spiritual lineage. His life after awakening was both

blessed by ecstatic bliss and tormented by physical and mental discomfort.

He practiced concentration exercises for a number of years. His practice

was visualizing "an imaginary Lotus in full bloom, radiating light" at the crown

of his head. As he sat meditating - exactly as he had for the three hours before

dawn each day for seventeen years - he became aware of a powerful, pleasurable

sensation at the base of his spine. He continued to meditate; the sensation began

to spread and extend upwards. It continued to expand until he heard, quite

without warning, a roar like that of a waterfall and felt a stream of liquid light

enter his brain.

"Suddenly, with a roar like that of a waterfall, I felt a stream of liquid light entering my

brain through the spinal cord. Entirely unprepared for such a development, I was

completely taken by surprise; but regaining self-control instantaneously, I remained

sitting in the same posture, keeping my mind on the point of concentration. The

illumination grew brighter and brighter, the roaring louder, I experienced a rocking

sensation and then felt myself slipping out of my body, entirely enveloped in a halo of

light." (Gopi KrishnaLiving With Kundalini).

This experience changed radically the scheme of his life. He experienced a

continuous "luminous glow" around his head and began having a variety ofpsychological and physiological problems. At times he thought he was going

mad. He adopted a very strict diet and for years refused to do any other

concentration exercise.

"The keen desire to sit and meditate, which had always been present during the

preceding days, disappeared suddenly and was replaced by a feeling of horror of the

supernatural. I wanted to fly from even the thought of it. At the same time I felt a

sudden distaste for work and conversation, with the inevitable result that being left with

nothing to keep myself engaged, time hung heavily on me, adding to the already

distraught condition of my mind. [...] Each morning 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 I had to restrain, to prevent it from

completely overwhelming me, by keeping myself alert, usually after a completely

sleepless night; and after withstanding patiently the tortures of the day, I had to prepare

myself for even worse torment of the night. "

Let us see how the experience stabilized and he emerged from this negative

experience into an awakening that blessed him to the end of his life. He

discovered that the esoteric teachings contained a number of simple practices that

might help bring the energy back into balance after it had been awakened

incorrectly. What he practiced as a remedy reminds a lot the practice ofKriya

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Pranayama.

".... a fearful idea struck me. Could it be that I had arousedKundalini throughpingala

or the solar nerve which regulates the flow of heat in the body and is located on the

right side ofSushumna'? If so, I was doomed, I thought 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 neutralizing the dreadful burningeffect of the devouring fire within. With my mind reeling and senses deadened with

pain, but with all the will-power left at my command, I brought my attention to bear on

the left side of the seat ofKundalini, and tried to force an imaginary cold current

upward through the middle of the spinal cord. In that extraordinarily extended,

agonized, and exhausted state of consciousness, I distinctly felt the location of the nerve

and strained hard mentally to divert its flow into the central channel. Then, as if waiting

for the destined moment, a miracle happened. There was a sound like a nerve thread

snapping and instantaneously a silvery streak passed zigzag through the spinal cord,

exactly like the sinuous movement of a white serpent in rapid flight, pouring an

effulgent, cascading shower of brilliant vital energy into my brain, filling my head with

a blissful lustre in place of the flame that had been tormenting me for the last threehours. Completely taken by surprise at this sudden transformation of the fiery current,

darting across the entire network of my nerves only a moment before, and overjoyed at

the cessation of pain, I remained absolutely quiet and motionless for some time, tasting

the bliss of relief with a mind flooded with emotion, unable to believe I was really free

of the horror. Tortured and exhausted almost to the point of collapse by the agony I had

suffered during the terrible interval. I immediately fell asleep, bathed in light and for the

first time after weeks of anguish felt the sweet embrace of restful sleep."

From then onwards, Gopi Krishna believed that this experience began a process

in himself in which his whole nervous system would slowly be reorganized and itwould be transformed, wrote about the mystical experience and the evolution of

consciousness from a scientific point of view. He theorized that there existed a

biological mechanism in the human body, known from ancient times in India as

Kundalini, which was responsible for creativity, genius, psychic ability, religious

and mystical experience. In his opinion, Kundalini was the true cause of

evolution.

B. S. Goel

Another interesting testimony is that of B. S. Goel's (1935- 1998) described in

his: Psycho-Analysis and Meditation. He was a very rare individual. His

experience ofKundalini awakening happened when he was 28 and was quite

dramatic.Kundalini got awakened on its own. During this long process, his

friends thought he was "losing his mind". He went up and down India looking

for someone who could explain what was happening to him. He found many

people that had theories. However they did not know. His uniqueness lies in his

experience of classical psychoanalysis along with meditation, which he

advocated. When he was 35, his Guru appeared in his dream, and told him that

Psycho-analysis and Marxism, both of which he had embraced, were false ways

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to happiness. He told him the only path to inner peace and joy was through

God. In 1982, he opened an ashram in the Himalayas to help and guide other

aspirants who hadKundalini experiences.

What is interesting for us is that Dr. Goel talks about the different degrees

of suffering he went through as his ego was destroyed and rebuild. He was thefirst, apart late Swami Satyananda Saraswati who studied the role ofBindu point,

in the occipital region. He explained that "when the consciousness marches

toward Bindu (which he calls Brahma-randhra) the ego-formations will get

exposed before the consciousness in free-associations, in free writings, in

dreams, and above all, in meditation itself.

In the last part of the book, while discussing "signals toward the final

goal", among a lot of signals he had the courage to quote one in particular whom

is not usually treated in book but in those book who want of mimic all the

gurudom matter. He quotes "the great desire for being pierced and penetrated."

About "pierced", he exemplifies it with the "desire of putting a nail at the mid-

point between the two eyebrows. About "penetrated", he clarifies that the desire

of penetration atBindu may, out of ego-ignorance "turn into the desire of passive

anal-penetration." He clarifies that an ordinary sexual act cannot satisfy the

person who need really penetrated at the Bindu to get final spiritual bliss. He

adds that: "as long as he does not reach that stage, he may often indulge in

compulsive homo-sexuality. It is very probable that many saints of all ages might

have remained great homosexuals if they had stopped their spiritual effort in

their pre-sainthood period."

A Down-to-Earth Approach

The real problem is the fear caused by the first signs ofKundalini awakening.

This is what happens to many kriyabans, especially during the first months of

their commitment. Usually this fear (which can be real anguish) is absorbed in a

short time, without problems, even if for a couple of days they feel they are

walking in equilibrium on a rope between mental health and alienation. This

phenomenon has happened to all saints and it is only a fleeting experience. There

is nothing to fear! All may cease by itself but, if you do nothing, you can also

live a couple of days in a state of emotional instability. Here you will find some

urgent actions to do.

1. When you feel uncontrolled movement of energy in your spine accompanied

by a warm (or hot) sensation and you feel fear, sit with erected spine and

concentrate all your mental strength in the point between the eyebrows. Use all

your imagination to raise a fresh current up the spine. This can be done by

inhaling through the mouth or through the left nostril -- having closed somehow

the right nostril. Repeat this until you feel something changing. This is exactly

what Gopi Krishna did to get out of his awful situation.

2. Sit quietly and practice slowly, but intensely, 108 Mula Bandha. Contract all

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the muscles at the base of the spine, maintain the contraction for a couple of

seconds and relax. Repeat. Forget the breath, try to attune to calmness in the

point between the eyebrows. Don't be in a hurry: each hold and relax should last

at least four seconds. You can have more than one session in order to complete

108 repetitions. Beside this, try to have plenty of physical activity. Utilize thispractice in those days when you feel yourself too much nervous, depressed or

having any panic attack.

3. When, after some days or weeks, the crisis is overcome, you take backKriya

Pranayama, remember that it was conceived to be the foundation of an

intrinsically healthy method. It can help one to cover all the spiritual journey in a

safe way. InKriya Pranayama you are taught to feel the coolness and the warmth

of the breath to balance Ida and Pingala. If this is respected, if it is combined

with Maha Mudra, NaviKriya and Yoni Mudra, this action can never cause

problems. The signal that will point out that everything has started over normally

working is to feel a particular joy, the feeling of having found again the state of

mind of the best times.

4. If you concentrate for some time on Muladhara, give the same concentration

to all the otherChakras and always end by concentrating on the point between

the eyebrows. In one commentary by Lahiri Mahasaya to the sacred writings, it

is written: "Being tranquil at the coccygeal center, do not stay longer. If you stay

longer at the coccygeal center, then negative Samadhi (a negative state of

absorption) will take place. So after getting up again, you should start practicing

Kriya." If, just to give an example, you use Thokar to hit different times the

Muladhara Chakra and you don't integrate this with other practices to stimulate

the higherChakras, the result is mainly a state of greyish mind that appears in

the day following the practice. It is difficult to sustain that gloomy mood - it is

as if your soul is scratched.

5. A routine which is totally based on a strong concentration on the Sahasrara is

not appropriate for beginner or medium level students. The concentration on

Sahasrara should be prepared by a long concentration on the point between the

eyebrows. This preparation requires years, not months.

Building a strong magnet in Sahasrara is the most powerful way to

stimulate the rising ofKundalini. This is of course the goal ofKriya Yoga, butyou might be non prepared for that.

6. Don't cultivate stupid theories according to which all your problems originate

from the blockage of this or that Chakra. Don't utilize techniques that work on a

single Chakra with the hope of unlocking it. Our internal knots are not as we

usually visualize them, namely like ordinary rope-knots. They have a kind of

mutual dependence, they are subtly inter-twined, one inside the other.

After studying the theory of knots (Granthis), do not focus too insistently

upon eliminating the one that you deem is the most important. You risk to

enforce those very knots you want to eliminate. Don't be like a surgeon who

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wants to remove a gallstone embedded in a organ, without taking all the care not

to destroy the organ and kill the patient. Remember that the balanced techniques

ofKriya Pranayama and of the First Omkar Kriya patiently but safely work

upon all the knots simultaneously. Increasing gradually the repetition of these

basic procedures is always the best choice!

7. Be always cautious withKumbhaka (holding your breath). The famous authorJ.K. Taimni in his The science of Yoga (The theosophical publishing house

Adyar, Chennai, India Wheaton, Il, USA) writes: "Kumbhaka affects the flow

of pranic currents in a very marked and fundamental manner and enables the

Yogi to gain increasing control over these currents. [...] Not only is Kumbhaka

the essential element of realPranayama but it is also the source of danger in the

practice ofPranayama. The moment one starts retaining the breath, especially

after inhalation, in any abnormal manner the danger begins and one can never

know what it will lead to. [...] Kumbhaka unlocks the doors of unexpected

experiences and powers. If it is taken up without the necessary preparation and

guidance it is sure to lead to disaster." Kumbhaka is very powerful and in Kriya

Yoga it is adopted with special procedures: Yoni Mudra, Thokar... Between the

two extreme eventualities: to never hold your breath or to overuse Kumbhaka,

chose an intermediary percentage of seconds ofKumbhaka. Regulate this

percentage according to your ability to bear the originated power.

8. Keep your path always clean. A clean path reaches the core ofKriya as fast as

an arrow. Unclean is a path polluted by new age, esoteric, magic, occult rituals,

channeling, spiritualistic practices... To be entangled in this activity is an

amazingly easy way of destroying, in a short time, years of genuine spiritualeffort. If from a certain school you have received visualization techniques with

the suggestion that sooner or later your visualization will become reality, polish

up your path and life forever from such a trash. Be realistic and notice how in

that ambient you have met persons who went around pretending to be spiritual,

whereas they were human wrecks.

There are many pseudo spiritual/occult activities that won't lead you

anywhere. The worst of certain schools is that after having destroyed the

attraction toward real life, they teach you to create a virtual reality with the

strength of your imagination. The visualization procedure brought to the extreme

limit is useless and treacherous. Unfortunately, it is the basis of a boundless

series of New Age methods. You believe you are very spiritual but you are

entering the kingdom of alienation. Always remember that when you do a purely

mental work that doesn't envisage verification, the danger is certain.

I remind Jung's words: "The deliberately induced psychotic state, which in

certain unstable individuals might easily lead to a real psychosis, is a danger that

needs to be taken very seriously indeed. These things really are dangerous and

ought not to be meddled with in our typically Western way. It is a meddling with

Fate, which strikes at the very roots of human existence and can let loose a flood

of sufferings of which no sane person ever dreamed."C. G. Jung, Introduction to

The Tibetan book of the Dead]

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What are, according to Jung, the "deliberately induced psychotic states"?

Unfortunately he does not explain it in detail and does not bring examples.

However it is not difficult to understand that a psychotic state is the one in which

you see things that do not exist, have a relationship (listen to voices, receive

messages) from a dimension you have created in your mind and that exists onlyfor you.

9. If you learn other methods of meditation, never relax your guard and never

stop using the common sense. Meditation relaxes the mistrustful side of your

personality; you will tend to override your inner wisdom receiving wounds in

various subtle ways. Even the most rational and intelligent person becomes an

idiot that believes in impossible things.

There is the danger to accept theories which throw you off balance. I am

referring to teachings that poison you against the world, that alienate you from

the society you are in. You should not cultivate disgust for all that is interesting

and enthusiastic in life and see everyday life as an illness. If you are not a monk

or nun, these attitudes are simply toxic, like taking antibiotics if you do not have

an infection. Terrible is the refusal of love, renouncement of a family, moving

toward abnormal ways of living and behavior like avoid facing life challenges.

Any mystical practice that is combined with an unbalanced life style is harmful.

Don't amputate your individuality and your desires; don't start a war

against yourselves. Don't cut yourself from everything interesting and thrilling in

life.

Do not impose chastity to yourself. Some kriyabans try uselessly to reach

this state with a certain obsession and state authentic nonsenses (the married

kriyabans practice sex once in a year only to give birth to children). This attitude

can produce disasters. There is a more moderate vision which deems the

condition of chastity is linked with conserving the energy, but without being

obsessive.

Lahiri Mahasaya admits in his diary that at times his sexual desire was

really strong. One day a disciple put him a direct question: "How can one be

definitively free from sexuality?" He replied in a way that let struck dumb the

disciple: "I will be free from sexuality only when my body will lie on the funeral

pyre." God bless his sincerity! Very strangely some are inclined to take the afore

quoted episode from Lahiri Mahasaya's life as a sign ... that he was not

spiritually realized!

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How should one behave when the experience of a substantial and spontaneous

rising of energy through the spine happens?

This state usually lasts from few instants to a couple of minutes. It many appear

as a series of bliss waves rising through the spine and entering the brain.

Sometimes it is an electric wind on the surface of the body, propagating from feet

up to head, that announces the experience. It is like having a volcano erupting

inside, a ''rocket'' shooting up through the spine! Other times, it may appear like

an intense bliss in the chest region -- suddenly you are inside an immense joy

and wake up with tears in your eyes.

The deepest experience is when the point (Bindu) in the center of

Kutastha emerges and expands into a tunnel. The awareness is pulled through it.

It is like a plunge into Eternity, burning with endless joy for several seconds --

you are filled with the euphoria obtained by this short but unforgettable glimpse

of your eternal nature. Some call this experience "Kundalini awakening".

I would like to point at the similarity with a near death experience -- NDE.

Since I think the consideration of this parallelism very useful for a kriyaban, I

counsel Kriya students to read Life beyond Life by Raymond Moody. In the

stories of those who had a NDE experience, we find some details in common

with the afore hinted experience. We find the feeling of moving upward, through

a tunnel or a narrow corridor, of floating above one's own body and seeing the

surrounding area. The whole experience is lived within a feeling of endless love

and peace. Some accounts include meetings with deceased relatives, and with

spiritual figures (beings of light). Each individual interprets such meetings

according to their own culture and expectations. Then the feeling of having

arrived at a threshold and being sent back to one's body -- often with deep

reluctance to return there -- seems to conclude the experience.

If you have had a similar experience, as a result of a serious accident, you know

how this event brought you to the edge of Eternity, offering a unique opportunity

to glimpse it. For you it remained the most real experience, paradoxically the

most "alive" of your existence.

If you are having this experience as a result ofKriya practice, you won't

feel disoriented. You have the means to be your own "doctor" and let the effectsof the blissful experience grow and mix with your life. If not refused or

repressed, the repetition of such experience gives you an unshakable certainty of

the value of spiritual techniques. No one can come to you claiming that Self-

realization is something happening in the realm of your thoughts -- like an

awakening of wisdom obtained by keen sophistication. You have had this

experience first in your body and then your way of thinking has received a

shock. But this flash of intuition is impossible without the body experiences a

very particular state. Some spiritual seekers crown their laziness by indulging in

the thought that it is our very idea of not having achieved Enlightenment that

prevents us from getting it. You know that this is nonsense.

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If one who has had this experience asks me what to do, I invite him to go ahead

with the Kriya practice and avoid going to "traveling gurus" to tell what has

happened. They have no time to take care of anyone. They repeat hastily some

general guidance and go away. They may even don't recognize the authenticity ofthe experience. Their lack of spiritual realization is, in some cases, really

remarkable.

Those who had this experience are like one who, dead in appearance, had

visited the afterworld and then had returned to walk again amongst human

beings. But this has no importance; interesting is the fact that their Ego is intact,

it hasn't turned into a "divine Ego". Therefore the path to enlightenment should

begin now and there is no step that can be disregarded. In order to become an

Emancipated Soul, one should never forget that experience, continually working

for retrieving and deepening. But this is not enough, Enlightenment is to be

achieved giving all oneself to draw that experience down into the earthly

dimension of life. Sometimes it is a hard work, but nothing in life can be

obtained without hard work.

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CHAPTER 10

INCREMENTAL ROUTINES. BUILDING THE BEST FOUNDATION OF THE

SPIRITUAL PATH

In this third part of the book, we are going to discuss a very good teaching

method to guide those who want to learn Kriya Yoga. We shall begin by

introducing the most important tool to obtain a real transformation of one's

personality: the "incremental routine".

In chapter 11, we shall underline the few secrets to experience the

breathless state. In chapter 12, we shall discuss a particular way of perfecting

Kriya Pranayama -- such procedure is not even hinted in traditional Kriya

literature. At last, in the appendix, we shall show how a person who wants to

abide by the techniques described in the correspondence course received from

his organization, can utilize them the best way.

First steps

In my opinion a teacher should always test a student's predisposition forKriya.

(This is not necessary when a student has already practiced classic Pranayama

for months.) You can counsel a routine based on Nadi Sodhana and Ujjayi (see

my firstPranayama routine in chapter 1) and see what happens.

Now, let me remark that Nadi Sodhana Pranayama is far more important

then what in the Kriya circles they are willing to admit. I actually believe thatthere has been a mistake not to includeNadi Sadhana among the basic techniqueofFirst Kriya. A beginner receives a dramatic transformation from it: many

important patterns of energy imbalance disappear. Without this action you cannot

achieve a watchful but peaceful alertness which is the base itself of the

meditative state. It is a common experience that after a long practice ofNadi

Sodhana, you discover you have entered a natural meditation state, without

having practiced any other technique.

Ujjayi is the best preparation toKriya Pranayama. Those who practice it

and pay due attention to the natural throat sounds will begin to love it and will

find the technique ofKriya Pranayama natural and easy.

How to introduce a student to Kriya Yoga

I would avoid the particular frenzy that accompanies a traditional Kriya initiation

where all the practical instructions are transmitted hastily in one single lesson! 2

I have found that it is more natural and logical to teach theKriya techniques a bit

2 Usually, within a few days, almost all details are forgotten and one goes through a

crisis. This is what usually happens with mass initiations. Things may of course go

differently! I have known a few rare people who remember the words of their teacherwith the same voice inflection.

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at a time and let one experience each without any tension. Even when it's

necessary to demonstrate all the techniques in First Kriya for reasons of

expediency, I do not recommend starting out with a complete practice. Of course,

I don't advise waiting for a "perfect" situation before starting to practice,

otherwise the decision risks being postponed indefinitely! In the first lesson Iwould not teach Navi Kriya, whose "moment" will come in time, and Yoni

Mudra, that could appear unpleasant and source of disturbance, and limitKriya

Pranayama to first part only.

After a couple of weeks, the second lesson should be devote to emphasize the

details that really matter.

1. The importance of Talabya Kriya and Om Japa (in the Chakras).

A kriyaban should never override them. A meditation sessions could be

composed only of Talabya Kriya and Om Japa followed by ten seconds of

enjoying the induced calmness. Even in this short time, one can taste the power

that is born from these two techniques. The calmness they induce might be

stunning.

Some organizations, in their didactic effort to bring Kriya Yoga to people,

picked out some easy techniques as a preparation. P. Y. choose to giveHong So

and Om techniques for six months. The first technique calms the breath and the

psychophysical system. The second technique concerns the listening to the

internal (astral) sounds, and the Om sound. These are wonderful techniques but

in Lahiri Mahasaya'sKriya, the preliminary techniques are Talabya Kriya and the

chanting ofOm in the Chakras. They lead a kriyaban to a state that is considered

a "benediction."

Oddly enough, Talabya Kriya doesn't require concentrating on anything, it

is purely physical. Furthermore, we can remark that merely pressing the tongue

against the upper palate, maintaining the suction effect on the palate for 10-15

seconds, can, in and of itself, generate sensitivity in theAjna Chakra area in a

very short time. The detail of extending the tongue plays an important part too.

When the tongue is fully extended, it pulls on some cranial bones and leads to

decompression in theRudra Granthi area.

2. The importance ofMaha Mudra.

An important point is to make one feel the difference between Kriya Pranayamawith and without Maha Mudra. It is very wise that a kriyaban practice Maha

Mudra beforeKriya Pranayama.

There are reports ofyogis having achieved fantastic experiences using

only this technique. According to their accounts, the perception of the Sushumna

Nadi has increased tremendously. There are kriyabans who have set all the other

Kriya aside and have been practicing 144 Maha Mudra in two sessions daily.

They considerMaha Mudra the most useful technique of allKriya Yoga.

The most serious schools ofKriya recommended that for every 12 Kriya

Pranayama, one should perform oneMaha Mudra -- three remains the minimum

number. (To make it more clear, those who practice 60Kriya Pranayamas should

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practice Maha Mudra five times, while those who practices 12 or 24

Pranayamas should practice three of them.) Unfortunately, having listened to

different kriyabans, I dare say it would be a miracle if kriyabans regularly

practiced the three required repetitions. Others believe they are practicingKriya

correctly without ever practicing one single Maha Mudra! It is obvious if youforsake this exercise and lead a sedentary life, the spinal column will lose its

elasticity. One's physical condition deteriorates over the years and it becomes

almost impossible to maintain the correct meditation position for more than a

few minutes that is whyMaha Mudra is so important forkriyabans.

3. The importance ofPranayama with short breath not only during a Kriya

routine but also during free and calm moments during the day.

A great Kriya teacher said that if you want to make remarkable spiritual

progress, you should engage yourselves in being aware of at least 1728 breaths a

day. Experiencing 1728 short breaths through Pranayama with short breath (in

its different variations) requires about three hours and can be done once in a

week. You need to remain always on the border between breath and no breath.

The process should never become purely mental. This for the benefit of

increasing the Omkarexperience and avoid falling asleep. Therefore do your best

to keep a slender thread of breath up to the completion of the prescribed number.

4. The importance of mental Pranayama at the end of a routine for at least ten

minutes.Mental Pranayama has a divine beauty, without it I can bet that (unless

one is sustained for years by the excitement of the illusions created in him by a

process of indoctrination) one abandonsKriya Yoga unfailingly. Without mental

Pranayama,Kriya Yoga becomes a self imposed torture, a nightmare, a life

sentence.

5. The importance of listening to internal sounds.

Almost each Kriya student has difficulty in understanding the object ofKriya

meditation. "Meditation upon what?" is the common question. Often, at the

beginning of their efforts, "meditation" consist in the elaboration of lofty

thoughts supported by fervid imagination. In time, thoughts calm down and

won't disturb. Later, a sweet comfort, internal joy, inexplicable elation appears. Is

perhapsKriya meditation the awareness of inner bliss?Kriya meditation is surely

this but is also the meeting with the Ineffable, with the Reality that is beyondmind, which it is not emptiness but fullness. This happens by listening to the

internal sounds. Remaining absorbed in them until they become the Om sound, is

the first duty of a kriyaban -- is the highest way of living the experience ofKriya

meditation.

Right attitude

The basic rules of conduct, as described by Patanjali, are not easy to be put into

practice. At the onset of theKriya path, a student is often far away from abiding

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by them. A teacher pretends he does not notice many problematic delusive

student's behavior. Often there is a clear split between a kriyaban's new spiritual

interest and other well-rooted social, intellectual and artistic habits. Undoubtedly

after months of practice, changes in the disposition of a kriyaban appear, but are

very instable. A teacher values the constance in the practice of meditation andavoids censorial attitudes about all what does not concerns specifically Kriya

Yoga.

There are many good books on Yoga, containing the refined wisdom and

experience of innumerable enlightened yogis, but how many teach to use one's

own intelligence and to think with their own head? Usually a beginner is not able

to realize how he became slave of a bad habit. Paradoxically, it is more easy to

quit smoking because of a new ecological vogue rather than as a result of a lucid

vision of one's dependence from nicotine. But it is much more difficult to

become free from a wrong attitude towards the practice ofKriya. Many times, to

help aKriya student to get free from a harmful habit, you need only to give him a

glance; to help him to get free from a wrong attitude towards the whole

discipline of Kriya Yoga, you have to clash with him many times and the

outcome is by no means sure.

The first wrong attitude that comes to my mind is the obsession for technical

details. These students believe that something valuable can spring only from an

impeccable execution of the "magic recipe" ofKriya. They pour into theirKriya

path a remarkable commitment, but get nothing in return. It is as if their

expectations were a shield preventing the genuine beauty ofKriya from entering

their life. They call their teacher every other day with tortuous and bizarre

questions. They do not understand how important it is to enjoy the practice as it

comes out naturally and only on second time, to work on refinements using their

intuition and reasoning upon their direct experience. However, they will soon

get tired of asking questions and will eventually abandon everything.

Some people exacerbate the previous obsession by not trusting the sheer

employment of a technique, even it is done correctly, unless it is coupled by a

toilsome psychological work. They want to build brick by brick, fatiguing at the

extreme, just as if it was a complex construction, their Redemption. Only by

tormenting their psychological structure, they think, it is possible to uproot anydeeply ingrained bad habit, and the very roots of iniquity and egoism.

Often they impose themselves useless privations and attempt unnatural

renunciations. Your wise words upon the opportunity of imposing themselves

perfect chastity, are not valued. Religious conditionings can be very strong, fatal

in certain cases. Either they have been led astray by some text or they have not

the faculty of understanding the spiritual dimension of life. Their idea is that the

Divine resides outside our human dimension and we can progress only if we start

a strenuous fight against our instincts. Some entertain the project of retiring from

the active life in order to live like an hermit. The few who are able to obtain this

condition, are doomed to discover that this sudden leap into this "lucky

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condition" makes it even impossible to practice Kriya deeply, while their free

time becomes filled with trivial occupations.

The best attitude is to letKriya enter your life without tormenting yourself

with the intention of becoming worthy of it. SometimesKriya techniques will be

a source of wellbeing and mirth, other time there will be nothing of pleasurableand exciting. The best attitude is similar to that of a serious maid who, armed

with patience and circumspection, prepares a meal taking care of all the details,

from the tedious task of peeling potatoes to the final art of putting the finishing

touches. By going on with great patience, one day something tremendously vast,

beyond the mind, will manifest and crush down any dichotomy of worthy and

unworthy, pure and impure and so on. You will enter a condition where your

perceptions change. Some rediscover an almost forgotten potentiality of aesthetic

enjoyment, others are deeply moved by the significance of their family and are

overcome by a feeling of love. It is as if they had eyes and heart for the first

time. Blessed are those who have the cheek to go ahead unswervingly, in spite of

their failures, worthlessness and unsuitability!

CONSOLIDATING THE KRIYA PATH THROUGH THE INCREMENTAL

ROUTINES

Kriyabans customarily practice the same standard techniques day in and day out

changing neither the sequence nor the number of repetitions. An unvarying

routine that always takes the same amount of time is what is recommended by

many organizations. Such a fixed routine is the best practice for beginners.

Unfortunately, the risk of boredom and loss of enthusiasm is great. This is a"law" no one escapes. There is no doubt that one should continue to practice

through seemingly unproductive phases and will still get valuable experiences.

Many achievements like listening to the internal sounds, seeing the spiritual eye,

definitely will happen by practicing a fixed, unvarying routine.

Now, practicing a fixed routine for a period of time is one thing, whereas

doing it for one's entire life is something else! A yogi wrote that the hope of

obtaining a deep internal change by repeating an identical set of techniques

during an entire lifetime is comparable to hitting a piece of iron once a day in the

hope that the atomic energy it contains will someday be released. After getting

through the initial phase, kriyabans will eventually reach a standstill and further

progress appears impossible. They will suffer qualms of guilt and develop all

kinds of paranoia. Few know how to get out of this unexpected situation in a

positive way. Instinctively many succeed in rekindling their enthusiasm, but only

partly and for a short time, by readings, listening to taped spiritual talks, and

attending kirtans ... Many turn to experienced people (all organizations have

"meditation counselors") to ask for suggestions, but as soon as they make known

their reservations on the validity of their routine, or on the possibility ofKriya

Yoga to produce any actual changes in the personality, then their loyalty is

immediately questioned. How many times, they are told outlandish stories about

loyal kriyabans who had a true spiritual experience only on their death bed! "A

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loyal disciple doesn't lament working for years or for an entire life without

getting any visible results!" -- this is the reproach. This is the danger point where

interest and passion forKriya is very close to waning completely.

In the first part of the book I have hinted at the Incremental Routines. Since theyhave a unique, irreplaceable effect on one's personality, I strongly recommend

that a student focus on fundamental Kriya techniques like Navi Kriya, Kriya

Pranayama, First Omkar Kriya and Second Omkar Kriya and practice them

intensively with progressive increments of the number of repetitions. I have

witnessed unbelievable results in those who have completed Incremental

Routines, results that are inconceivable for those who follow a traditional

practice. These routines are the best foundation for a lifelong enjoyment of

Kriya. The results obtained prove that anIncremental Routine is one of the most

worthwhile activities a kriyaban can engage in. For these reason, when I trust the

earnestness of the student, I always encourage them to begin at least one

Incremental Routine. I give this counsel without lingering or investigating too

much.

What happens in athletics gives us much rich material upon which to

reflect. Athletes who wish to achieve world class performance must somehow

increase the intensity and the quality of their practice. Only through short

intensive interval training sessions where they push their physical and mental

endurance beyond their normal levels, will they succeed in accomplishing

otherwise unachievable levels of performance.

Do not be offended by the comparison between Kriya and sports. Kriya is

not a sport but in the beginning stages ofKriya, while applying its different

psycho-physical techniques, it has many points in common with the essence of

athletics. Both shun the employment of brutal force, both require goals and the

diligent channeling of one's strength toward achieving them. Both require self

analysis: to analyze and evaluate one's performance and to learn from the

experience, and both require a coach.

I understand, naturally, that this process is an authentic challenge and beginning

it is an act of courage, a mature act of trust in Kriya and in oneself, a decision

that should only be inspired by one's intuition. I take all the care to explain that it

is important to be aware of our unconscious resistance to undergo change, and to

understand the causes of the alternating moods that appear when a Kriyatechnique is practiced intensely.

The Kriya techniques arouse specific effects (especially perceived in the

day following the practice) in many ways: moods, fancies, memories and

suddenly-arising desires. All of this is beneficial. To vividly live long forgotten

parts of our life through our stimulated memory is a cleansing process. This

process has within itself an equilibrating mechanism which will prevent one

from being overwhelmed by sudden storms of grey moods. Accept however to

have humors full of ups and downs. You have to be intelligent, familiar with the

basic laws of human psyche. You have to be acquainted with the principle of

unconscious resistance to change: they should understand the deep reasons of the

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alternating moods that appear when we practice intensely the Kriya techniques.

The experiences of inner awakening bring buried psychological problems to the

surface. This is a cleansing effect and does not damage you. However, one

should sense if it is necessary to stop the practice for a few weeks or whether a

technique should be done less intensely. After a beneficial pause of a couple ofweeks, the "warrior" returns to the battlefield ready to bring their work to

fruition.

I. Incremental Routine of Navi Kriya

Here are the very words I use to introduce it: "On Saturdays, or on any free day,

put aside the usual routine and, after a short practice ofTalabya Kriya, Maha

Mudra and Kriya Pranayama, practice Navi Kriya with double the repetitions,

that is 8 sets. Complete your routine with mental Pranayama as usual. On

Sunday, take a break from allKriya practices and instead do a tranquilJapa, and

weather permitting, go for a long walk to calm the deep regions of your psyche.

For the next few days, resume the original standard routine. On the following

Saturday, do three times the normal number ofNavi Kriya: 12 sets. Of course,

this is always to be done within the framework ofTalabya, Maha Mudra... and

finish with something like mental Pranayama. On Sunday rest withJapa and go

for a walk... After one week, or two if you wish, practice 16 sets ofNavi

Kriya.... and so on .... 20, 24...up to 80 sets, which is twenty times the original

recommended number. The increase of this delicate Kriya technique should be

gradual. If you try to outsmart the process and perform too many repetitions all

at once, nothing will come of it because the inner channels close up. Our inner

obstacles cannot be removed in one day, not only because our constitution is not

strong enough but also because our inner force for dissolving them is initially

weak and must be enhanced week after week. Furthermore, this process should

be incorporated within a regular active life. It is up to you to make your practice

days as pleasant as possible; it is advisable to break these long sessions into two

or three parts -- to be completed before going to bed. You can conclude each

part by lying on your back (Savasana: the corpse pose) on a mat for a couple of

minutes. You can complete part of your practice early in the morning, carefully

respecting every detail and do the remaining prearranged number of repetitions

in the afternoon. After a light meal and a little nap, it is fine to go out, find a

pleasant place to sit, and then reserve some time to contemplate nature. Then you

can become absorbed in your practice perfectly at ease. Everything will proceedharmoniously and the effect increases as daylight approaches twilight. When you

practice in your room, arrange to have a tranquil walk in the evening, when the

benediction of blissful silence comes."

I explain to the student that it is possible to choose any variation ofNavi Kriya:

the best is Variation 2 explained in chapter 7 (Variation 2. Navi Kriya Four

Directions). It rivets the attention in a way the basic form cannot. Its smooth

shifting of energy along the circumference of the head has an unparalleled effect.

As for this variation, since one set consists of 36 descents of energy, preceded

and followed by chanting Om in the Chakras, the process begins with 36 x 2

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descents. The next steps are: 36 x 3, 36 x 4,....36 x 19, 36 x 20. It has been

experimentally proved that there is no need to go beyond 36 x 20 repetitions.

During long sessions, after the first half hour, the head movements are hardly

noticeable. In other words, the forward, backward, and sideways movement of

the chin which is initially around five centimeters is reduced to three millimeters!

What is the reason why this variation is preferable? After many repetitions of

this variation ofNavi Kriya, a very interesting phenomenon can be observed: at a

certain moment, the exhalation seems to become internal. At the very moment

the order to exhale has been imparted by the mind, it feels as if the lungs can not

move. Some instants later comes the awareness of something subtle descending

into the body, accompanied by a very pleasurable exhalation. The exhalation is a

mental act, like an internal all-pervading pressure which brings about a peculiar

feeling of well-being, harmony, and freedom. One has the impression one could

remain there forever. The breath is still coming out of the nose, yet while

practicing one would swear it wasn't. This may be considered the first timid

apparition of thePranayama with the internal breath.

Main remarks about this Incremental Routine.

A good effect of this practice is to discover a striking increase in mental clarity -

probably due to the strong action on the third Chakra which governs the thinking

process. A more calibrated, precise and clearer logical process will rise from a

more efficient synergy between thoughts and emotions. Intuition will flow freely

and face the moments of life for which important decisions are expected to be

made.

Accept also that traits of hardness might appear in your temperament.

Some kriyabans find themselves uttering statements they feel are sincere but

others find offensive and cutting. Sustained by a luminous internal intuition, you

might hurt friends through your words and only hours later, being alone and

detached, notice how the same words resound in your mind in their cruelty. With

great embarrassment, it is possible you realize that those remarks were totally

inappropriate.

Let us try to understand why this problem appears frequently. Let us

therefore see what is the meaning of the knot of the navel. It is explained that the

cutting of the umbilical cord at birth splits a unique reality into two parts: the

spiritual, which manifests as joy and calmness, establishes itself in the higherChakras and in the head; the material side in the lower Chakras. That rupture

between matter and spirit inside each human is the permanent source of

excruciating conflicts in the lives of many spiritual searchers. Through this

incremental routineand through conscious effort of harmonizing in our daily life

the two dimensions of Spirit and matter, the healing of this rupture takes place.

Although the healing is harmonious, the visible manifestations can be interpreted

negatively by others, often due to a kriyaban's newly acquired confidence and

convictions that seems stubbornness or dogmatism. 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

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one's practical life. One feels an inward order settling; each action seem as if it

were surrounded by a halo of calmness and heading right for the goal. It reminds

me of Ahab in "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville: "Swerve me? ye cannot

swerve me, The path to my fixed purpose is laid with iron rails, whereon my

soul is grooved to run. Naught's an obstacle, naught's an angle to the ironway!"

II. Incremental Routine of Kriya Pranayama

After some months (whenNavi Kriya is completed or, at least, half completed), I

invite the student to begin a similar process withKriya Pranayama. 36 x 2, 36 x

3,.36 x 20Kriya Pranayamas is a very good plan; 24 x 2, 24 x 3,..24 x 24 is

lighter but also good. It is clear that you practice in sequence the three phases of

Kriya Pranayama abiding by what it was said in the chapters 6 and 7. In other

words phase 1 is never eliminated and after phase 2 you move on to phase 3 only

after having practiced at least 48 breaths. When the practice is broken in two or

three parts -- for example between morning and afternoon -- when you start

again you respect the same principle to start from phase 1 etc.

When more than a 100 breaths are practiced, it is wise to make use of the

12 letterMantra, which does not mean to apply all the subtle details of the First

Omkar Pranayamabut simply to use the beauty of the Mantra to overcome that

normal boredom that would come by using only the Om Mantra. Let us clarify

that during each stage of the process it is important to keep a slender thread of

breath up to the completion of the prescribed number. In other words, the process

should never become purely mental.

Main remark about this Incremental Routine.

To many kriyabans this routine becomes an extraordinary journey in their own

memory. It happens, indeed, that by focusing our attention on the Chakras, we

obtain a particular effect: the inner screen of our awareness begins to display a

lot of images. This is a physiological fact and we have all the reasons to suspect

that those who affirm they are exempt from such phenomenon, it is because they

do not have enough lucidity to notice it. The Chakras are like jewel boxes

containing the memory of one's whole life: they give rise to the full splendor of

lost reminiscences. The essence of past events (the beauty contained in them and

never fully appreciated) is lived again in the quiet pleasure of contemplation

while our heart is, sometimes, pervaded by a restrained cry. It is a revelation: thelight of the Spirit seems to twinkle in what seemed trite moments of our life.

III. Incremental Routine of the Second Omkar Kriya

The third invaluable Incremental Routine is based on the basic form ofThokar.

We have already said that a kriyaban is instructed to gradually increase its

repetitions. This should be planned with great care: starting from 12, a kriyaban

adds six repetitions per week. Let us clarify what it means adding six repetitions

per week. After the first week with 12 repetitions every day, let us consider 18

repetitions: if there are no problems at all, this amount of 18 repetitions can be

practiced each day or every other day of the second week. It is not necessary to

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practice every day; rather it is wise to work three days a week on the average.

The reason is that when you reach a consistent number of repetitions (more that

60) the effects are very strong. The third week you can practice 24 repetitions on

alternate days and so on... The fixed maximum of repetitions is 200. (During the

two previous Incremental Routines you let a minimum of six days pass bybetween two intensive practices.)

As for the necessity of having achieved Kechari Mudra before practicing

Thokar, there are many who have practiced Thokar with enthusiasm, with

admirable commitment, who have benefited of its remarkable effects, but who

have not realized thisMudra. Kriya literature affirms,Kechari Mudra is crucial

for initiation into the Higher Kriyas. Acharyas of original Kriya demand indeed

to see the actual execution ofKechari Mudra -- they want the student's mouth

opened in front of them and to see the tongue disappear into the nasal pharynx.

Now, there is no doubt that Kechari Mudra helps to perceive the

vibrational state, the rhythm and astral location of each Chakra. But to those who

are depressed because are not able to achieve Kechari Mudra, let us remind,

without any fear of being contradicted, that many mystics, who experienced the

Divine, never heard ofKechari Mudra. The claim that: "Until one is established

inKechari Mudra, one cannot achieve the state of Eternal Tranquility" is simply

not true.

As for the Third Omkar Kriya, an incremental routine is not one thing that can be

"recommended". Those who have achieved the breathless state and are able to

hold effortless the breath during this practice, do not need anymore numbers and

won't follow any indication. Who succeeds in such form ofThokardoesn't have

the patience to gradually increase the number of the rotations. A strength, an

internal abduction drives him in uncontrollable way.

Main remarks about this Incremental Routine.

During this process, important experiences happen. An endless Beauty, creating a

before previously unknown devotion, intensifies around the fourth Chakra, as if

a mighty hand were squeezing the chest region. One feels like being

immobilized by an immense strength. It is because of the intensity of this

experience, which seems sometimes difficult to endure, that the effect ofThokar

has been described as "intoxicating". You feel you belong for Eternity to thatheavenly dimension.

The dazzling point that you perceive in the center of your heart and that

turns out to be the star inside the third eye gives a kriyaban a deeper experience.

There comes the feeling of being divided into a thousand parts - each one of

them on the verge of exploding from bliss. Inspired by this new condition,

comparing it with that of the mystics, one realizes how difficult it is to live,

carrying out daily and worldly duties, without being paralyzed by such a bliss! It

is difficult to conceive how those devotees who never had a taste of such bliss

are able to find the strength to continue practicing Kriya for years. You can only

thank those uncertain illusions about Kriya, those improbable promises that

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books andgurus make to those interested in Yoga and meditation to attract them

to the Kriya path, which keep one tied to this practice until the real experience

happens.

It is only now, having in one's heart the reverberation of such a state, that

one learns to meditate without mental pollution, and without imaginings.

IV. A Delicious Break: 20736 First Omkar Kriya

In certain moments of life it is fine to take the pleasurable commitment of

completing 20736First Omkar Kriya breaths -- either 144 each day for 144 days

or 72 each day for 288 days. This is not an Incremental Routine proper, but very

similar in its intents -- it works like a spiritual bulldozer giving you the ineffable

experience of the Omkar Reality!

Don't practice only pureFirst Omkar Kriya. Use your commonsense and

let the process itself guide you. Begin each session withMaha Mudra and then

begin breathing like in Kriya Pranayama but using the Mantra Om Na Mo....

Enter, as soon as possible, the sweet dimension of the second phase ofKriya

Pranayama. Then remain all the time halfway between Kriya Pranayama

(second and third phase) and the First Omkar Kriya. At a certain moment you

approachmore and more the dimension ofmental Pranayama.

Unlike the incremental routine ofKriya Pranayama, don't be preoccupied

of losing the thread of the breath: get all the time you need to pause in any

Chakra to enjoy some particular Omkar experience, whenever it manifests. It

may be internal sound, light, whatever...

Global Results Achieved through the Completion of the Incremental Routines

These three incremental routines put together are such that by the end of the

process, one has the feeling that entire eons have passed but that one has

achieved something concrete and permanent. After this once-in-a-lifetime

experience, a persons seems "older", in wisdom and temperament, of many

lustrum.

a. The Achievement of Emotional Maturity

These routines teach a kriyaban how to keep emotions at bay -- I mean

superficial emotions, in a way that only deep sentiments guide their decisions.

I have tried to retrace this theme in some oriental books but I have found

so much rhetoric, so many words without a practical meaning. They distinguish

between positive (affection, happiness, contentment...) and negative (envy,

aggressiveness, illusion ...) emotions. But at the end of boring discussions you

have not grasped the essential fact: untamed emotions can create a disaster in

your life. This fact is serious, tremendously important. In my opinion, kriyabans

who do not face at least once in their life the incremental routines are always on

the verge of losing everything they have realized.

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We all know that frantic and hysterical emotions often rise unexpectedly

from one's inner self, to disappear after a while. They actually express a reality

devoid of authentic profundity but their propulsive action inevitably results in

hurried acts accompanied by a sort of cerebral fever, nourished by a narrow,

visceral pleasure. When passion inflames one's whole being, it is not possible tobe guided by common sense; the consequence is that our deeper and most earnest

choices sometimes withdraw to an irrevocable halt.

Just like, during the summer, hail stones are molded, condensed and

enlarged in the air before falling down to the earth causing disasters, fatal

decisions take shape in advance in one's imagination. During daily, frequent

daydreams, the perspective of renouncing the fight throws a false light upon our

immediate future, so that what in the past would appear as an act of cowardice,

now seems to glitter at the horizon of our life, like a dull, flat, somber sky that

suddenly lights up, serene, in luminous azure blue. When we listen to such

alluring emotions, we pave the way for our doom.

Superficial emotions are not tamed by self-analysis. Our way of reacting

to emotions is the seal protecting "our right to pain and suffering" (the sentence

in quotation marks is an expression of The Mother.) These mechanisms may

become our crucifixion, our covenant with unhappiness. We can stupidly shed

away our life, profession, family and friends. The effect of yielding to emotions

does not differ from that of an asteroid falling through the atmosphere on its way

to fire and destruction. "Emotional maturity" is a healthy relationship with

reality, the quintessence of what we visualize when we use the term "mental

health".

Further, you don't imagine how remaining faithful to the Kriya path is a

delicate operation that can suddenly go bad! We are governed by emotions and

instinct that include our religious conditioning, our weak points, our fears, our

doubts, and our pessimism. Most important is the ability to keep doubts at bay, to

remain calm, to always go our way even when our closest friends are trying to

convince us to follow theirs.

b. The Ability of Standing on one's own Feet

Another effect, only second in importance, is to gradually help an unsure and full

of doubts kriyaban to become a self teacher, able to be acutely creative andameliorate day by day the execution of the techniques, "reading" with objectivity

the obtained results.

Unfortunately most kriyabans begin their path as gullible persons, ready

to be cheated. They harbor the illusion that Kriya be a series of secrets (of

growing effectiveness as soon as they receive revelation of the Higher Kriyas)

which function in an almost automatic way. They practice very little, while

pretending to practice a lot -- satisfied that theirKriya be "the supreme among all

the spiritual techniques, the airplane route to God realization".

The incremental routines change one's life: they replace the infantilism of

hanging on "authorized" teachers' every word with an objective estimate of the

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effects of each routine one has personally outlined. They give us the opportunity

to detect mistakes in our understanding of a technique and to provide one or

more corrective methods. While practicing, you will receive important clues,

especially once you have experienced different stages of the process: certain

details become wearisome; others, which you won't realize until much later, willdisappear, and still other details that seemed meaningless will be amplified and

greatly enhanced. In the days following the long sessions of practice, you will

have a deeper understanding of the technique because you will perceive its

essence intuitively. Other aspects will be revealed subsequently. Perhaps months

or years after this incremental routine, you will be able to draw interesting

connections or deductions, and meaningfully alter your point of view.

Let us avoid bowing to the authority of itinerant Gurus: life is too

precious to entrust it to another. At the very beginning of our path, we are right to

put a certain amount of trust in a school or in a teacher, but subsequently, we

have to trust our own experiences and experiments. We neither have nor need

any other tools to verify the value of a technique. When several Incremental

Routines have been completed, one will have developed the quality of a self-

teacher. A kriyaban will create a simple defensible vision ofKriya such that they

do not feel the necessity of discussing their routine with otherKriya experts.

Before closing, let me say that one definite result is that you will learn to

meditate anywhere and not be disturbed by anything. WhileKriya beginners are

maniacal in preparing the proper meditation environment and become nervous

and worried about the slightest thing, one who has completed a couple of

Incremental Routines is able to meditate in unusual places and impossible

situations e.g. traveling by train or watching a play or an uninteresting movie.

Strangely enough, such occasions may establish, by contrast, a particular state of

awareness, radically eliminating the danger of falling asleep and yielding

unhoped-for results.

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Short appendix to chapter 10: again about wrong and right attitudes

The theme of a kriyaban's bad attitudes towards the spiritual path, if it was examined

dispassionately and exhaustively would drive a teacher to despair. Where can you find a

kriyaban who has not received strong conditioning, adding to them his own myths,

imaginations and wild expectations? I have coped with this problem some years ago,

when I was invited by a local cultural institution to give lessons about the history of themystical paths. I proposed adding to such study some information about the most

known esoteric movements. My purpose was to compare them with the New Age

tendencies and show where, inside them, the boundary line between the genuine

mystical quest and the cultivation of magic ambitions lay. This was an unclouded period

of my life: I was very gratified to have time and opportunity to pursue such studies. I

was delighted to prepare the lessons by studying the best available essays and textbooks

-- I mean books written by academics who didn't belong (or were so smart as to hide

their membership or affiliation) to any particular mystical school and manifested a

detached attitude toward the whole matter. I appreciated those texts that were capable of

presenting the essence of those religious movements which flourished freely around the

great religions. The impact of certain readings, the liveliness of certain historical facts,had the effect of cleaning my path from useless dogmas admitted innocently into my

life through the door of meek adapting to the ideals of my first Kriya organization. I

was struck by the devastating inconsistency of many esoteric movements, widely

recognized as demanding and elitist. Many magnificent terms, which would have once

allured me, turned out to be totally empty of any significance. Their redundancy filled

me with nausea as if they were an obscenity brought forth by a monster. I was stricken

by the weakness of the human mind, by its discouraging slowness in dissolving glaring

deceptions and fallacies. My own experience in some Kriya groups was by no means

extraneous to that.

The cycle of lessons was repeated for some years. When we discussed about the

suggestibility and vulnerability of the human psyche when it deals with approaching the

spiritual path I saw that my students showed scant regard for this theme. They didn't

seem to realize the relation it had with their own life. Rather, it was clear that some

listeners came to my lessons in the hope to receive support and fuel for their illusions.

I repeated to no purpose that even if in some context the word mystic evokes a

relationship with the mystery, with the concept of initiation (from the Greek

[mustikos], an initiate) into secret religious rituals (also this from the Greek , to

conceal), a mystic is one who tries sincerely (adopting any form of mental and or bodily

discipline) to surrender themselves to somethingwhich is the quintessence of supreme

comfort,somethingwhich lays beyond the territories of the mind -- unattainable by the

acrobatics of a never satisfied mind. That something beyond mind was unintelligibleand had no appeal for most part of them.

Once this period was over, I had many opportunities to talk sincerely with many

spiritual researchers. They seemed to appreciate the concept of a clean mystical path --

a path not polluted by the fantasies and deformations of the human mind -- but they

forgot everything just five minutes after our conversation. My experience concerned

three categories of persons:

a. Those for whom knowledge is all in all and the only thing they love is reading --

Kriya techniques are just to purify oneself, a phase they think of having already

completed for good.

b. Psychically frail persons who hope to find inKriya an alternative medicine.

c. Persons for whom Kriya is only a chapter of esoteric.

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A. Those for whom knowledge is all in all and the only thing they love is reading

Usually they place a great emphasis on ethics. They love to cultivate purely esoteric-

occult knowledge. They believe that philosophy has in itself the power of redemption.

Don't try to make them realize that an endless wealth is waiting to manifest behind the

screen of their mental revolutions. They won't allow its radiance to clean the dustycellar where they prefer to live. They don't listen to you. They only try to get you

involved in endless discussions and when they talk about the absolute place to be given

to ethics, they will make you feel like a worm.

I spent hours discussing with a friend, epitome of such kind of researchers. After a great

insistence, I accepted to read what for him was a masterpiece of esoteric literature. The

book surprised me for the quantity of information it contained. While reading it, I

entered an almost hypnotic state and didn't immediately realize that each chain of ideas

therein contained had no basis at all, but was only offspring of the unbridled

imagination of the author. Through an intoxication with words, the author's imagination

dared to develop free from the relationship with reality and from the rules of logic. Thewhole thing was only a pure mental enjoyment -- comparable to that of reading a

fantasy novel. Reading Tolkien would have been immensely more interesting and wise.

How can you think of experiencing something concrete by just reading such junk? I

counseled to my friend some good books; he stated he had already read them. But it

was a lie -- he preferred to keep them at a distance. My relationship with him ended

when one day he started a polemic about the fact that the very desire to master a

meditation technique meant cultivating desire and this was against Buddhist principles.

That was all too much for me to take; I avoided to listened to him anymore. After some

years, a common friend told me that our "philosopher" had self imposed an Indian

name, was teaching Yoga and had a discrete following.

While sleepless nights, lost in useless discussions return to my mind, I still

wonder if he had always made fun of me. When too much ardent is your faith in the

spiritual path, when too much enthusiasm is put into your words, this makes you blind.

You are not able to read the minds of those who listen to you. I wasted, talking with

him, innumerable hours and no one wi

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Kriya Yoga in Practice-Part III