A strong spiritual life is not the product of inspiration alone, but of daily practice and discipline. Inspiration may reveal the pathway, but our daily habits move us onwards day after day, year after year. Paramhansa Yogananda taught that spiritual progress is not some vague, grand revelation, but a patient, steady and devotional practice of meditation techniques that awaken the soul’s direct experience of God.
Many begin the spiritual path with enthusiasm, with regular meditation and sensitive practice of the techniques. Often a feeling of divine grace is present and carries us along the stream of inspiration. As time passes however, sacred techniques can begin to feel mechanical, even devoid of the inspiration and grace we know is there somewhere. The remedy is not only an increase of effort, but a renewal: back to the foundations of meditation to deepen, refresh and inspire our practices anew.
Our spiritual progress then depends on our willingness to continue refining the basics, bringing greater attention, reverence and intensity to the building blocks of our spiritual life. Mastery in meditation will come to all in time who revisit these fundamentals regularly and faithfully, with deeper devotion and attunement.
Just as the musician practices scales, the yogi returns again and again to the posture, breath, energy and mind, refining these instruments of communion with God.
The four pillars of Kriya Yoga practice taught by Yogananda are Energization Exercises, Hong Sau Meditation, Aum Technique, and the Kriya Yoga technique of Lahiri Mahashaya. Together these weave a living system wherein the yogi transcends the ego on rays of divine grace.
Energization masters the prana or life force by increasing energy, and asserting control. Recharging the body with energy by the agency of will, we experience the body as Divine Energy itself. Accompanying gifts of this pranayama are improved health, vitality, awareness, concentration, calmness and inner strength.
Hong Sau in its incredible simplicity carries a profound spiritual power. Yogananda would spend hours in this simple practice of God-concentration as a youth, a sign of his spiritual greatness and also of our own potential. As we gradually still the restless mind and feelings, we sharpen the innate power of our mind to experience greater oneness with Spirit. This concentration is the gateway to all higher states of consciousness, like a calm lake which reflects the divine nature of the Soul and God.
Aum technique enables the yogi to truly listen, not with the ears or the mind, but with the soul. Aum is the Divine Mother, the Holy Ghost, the Comforter and so much more: the cosmic vibration of Spirit upholding and flowing through all creation. Again the simplicity of this technique belies its greatness: like a Cosmic River flowing through all of life, by listening and attuning to Aum every question is answered, every protection and blessing comes, every thought and feeling are imbued with the consciousness of God.
Kriya Yoga finally accelerates the evolution of the soul, like the sci-fi spaceships warping through the cosmos. Brought to the modern age by Lahiri Mahashaya and taught by Yogananda as the spiritual core practice of this mission, it is a precise and sacred technique to direct the life force and consciousness through the spine.
Yogananda taught that Kriya is an advanced pranayama that harmonizes energy, devotion and concentration into a single transformative practice. With regular and faithful practice, it deepens perception, dissolves attachments and desires, and gradually attunes one’s consciousness to divine reality.
Swami Kriyananda emphasized that Kriya works primarily by attunement. It is more about devotion than effort, and only through the power of the Guru does the disciple unlock it’s true power. Then Kriya accelerates the soul, warp speed, in its natural awakening in Divine Consciousness.
To learn or practice these techniques alone will not suffice. The spiritual life, like all of life, is not static but subject to constant challenge and change. The ego creeps in, attention wanes, habits erode, clarity fades. The antidote is always a humble, joyful return to the basics: reviewing the techniques, posture and breath, deepening awareness and devotion.
We have a new Yoga in Daily Life series at Ananda Portland, that begins February 3 with the theme Renewing Your Meditation. Whether you are new to meditation or have practiced for many years, this is an opportunity to reconnect with the living inspiration of these powerful spiritual teachings and techniques of Paramhansa Yogananda and Kriya Yoga.
Another special opportunity to renew and deepen your spiritual life is Inner Renewal Retreat at Ananda Village, available free online and streaming at Ananda Portland February 15-22. Let not life slip by and pass up on these right spiritual gifts and opportunities.
“The deeper the meditation, the more you will realize that you are not the body, not the mind, but the infinite soul.” -Paramhansa Yogananda
