kerk

Strictly speaking, in the breathless state you are not breathing. Lahiri's Kriya concerns this, in the context of stilling prana. Breath suspension is not that strange to a meditator. Sooner or later you'll breathe again as your body requires. Up to that point breathing could be so soft that you don't notice it; if you stopped to try to think about whether your breathing was shallow, or was completely still, I think that would be a waste of time and would take you out of the meditative state. Pure consciousness is consciousness without an object. You wouldn't feel breathing during that state because you don't feel anything in particular, you are simply being. It isn't until you come out of that state that you notice and feel things.

Here is the video again.

It's your attention, your mental focus that's more important than where your eyes are parked. Having said that, it's helpful to point your eyes up a bit when they fall, but it is not necessary to look up as far as possible. Just a little bit is OK. No straining. As you continue you may feel a slight pulling sensation that will keep your attention there even if your eyes are relaxed. You can settle your mind in the medulla area then put your attention on bhrumadiya. This is like sitting in the back of a theatre and looking up at the screen. When you see Kutastha believe me it will all be worth it. Although you needn't wait for visions as the practice should lead to good feelings.

I saw that claim. Maybe it's true. I do think that setting yourself in medulla and focusing on bhrumadiya is the key to seeing Kutastha.

@Pernani If you're struggling I suggest you get personal instruction if possible. I don't recall Stevens teaching any forcing of energy. I wasn't taught to force anything, it's gentle and blissful, no forcing or great effort. This is your body and personal energies and one should be careful and sensitive. The hot and cold thing, I believe is a holdover from JCS' SRF (Yukteswar / Yogananda) background which Ennio also had. I have not seen any reference to Lahiri teaching that. I have Nityananda's K book here and I don't see any reference to hot and cold currents. It is a very dense book and perhaps it's in there somewhere. I think if your practice is working you'll recognize that afterwards, even if no hot or cold.

Ennio seems to try on page 187 to reconcile Mukherjee's method with traditional KP which he introduced earlier. It doesn't say much though. Mukherjee's seems to be shambhavi mudra which is already a part of the overall Kriya techniques. It should be beneficial based on my limited experience. At the time of this writing, Mukherjee is traveling in the U.S. with next stop California. As to forcing, I don't know of any forcing in KP.

@john23 sorry I don't understand the question.

@TheThingy If you are spending that much time on it, your own results should tell you if it is worth that time investment. Stevens separates out certain practices that are normally performed at the same time. For example, Om Japa mentally is part of KP (see for example the last paragraph on P. 353). So is Ujjayi. And a case could probably be made that Mental K is too.

@Pernani KP can be done softly or silently. Restricting the throat (Ujjayi) will naturally make a soft whooshing or wheezing sound inside the throat. This is the aspirated, non-vocalized "shaaw" and "shee" sound. But it isn't necessary to try to make any sound when doing Kriya Yoga. The sound thing has been part of the controversies surrounding the changes / distortions / modifications made to Lahiri's Kriya in the decades since the system spread around the world. Some sources teach KP to be performed with the mouth open and making audible sounds. They even advise moistening the throat with olive oil as a sort of lubricant. Here's a special bottle for your "Kriya oil". Other lineages consider that to be a widely propagated misunderstanding. Instead they teach KP with the mouth closed and breathing through the nose as in most Yoga meditation (see J.C. Stevens p. 60 of 5th edition). It isn't practical to keep the mouth open while the tongue is in Khechari. And if you are meditating where others are around, say on public transit, you want to be discreet and silent.

The core techniques

Yes I have that too. KY can be very caffeinating. One solution is to do the second session of the day earlier in the day if possible. Another solution which I enjoy is Shambhavi Mudra which will improve Kriya anyway. That instead of Kriya Pranayama before bed. Lahiri Mahasaya had a busy life, five kids, two jobs, often lectured in the evening. When did he find time to meditate? He wrote about his struggles with this in his diary. His solution was, as he called it, to "conquer sleep" -- but that is very ascetic and probably not advisable for most of us. The body still needs sleep although maybe advanced practitioners need less sleep.

Once again the video on how to find your chakras in your spine. Also the video on Om Japa in the Chakras. Another useful little video is this one from Kriya Union. The chant is internal only.

How do you know you're stopping the breath retention too early? This is something to discuss with your instructor. You don't need to hold the breath very long in these techniques. There is a kind of quickie practice that is just chanting at Bhrumadiya. I think Gamana and Mukherjee teach this. It's not that different from Hong-Sau or Shambhavi Mudra. With KP on the other hand you are using your mind and breath to reverse the downward flow of prana and going up to medulla, as seen in this illustration. This has wonderful effects. I believe Gamana claims that his method accomplishes the same thing, but I find his style and approach generally disagreeable so I have no confidence in him. Lahiri's successor Panchanon assembled the various techniques in order, but because no organization and regular training was started, the disciples over the years added and subtracted things. Yogananda is an example; his Kriya is performed with mouth open unlike apparently everybody else's. Hariharananda / Prajnanananda would be another example. But their groups have thousands of practitioners all over the world and it looks like it's benefiting most of them. If there is a problem with books such as Gamana, Ennio Nimis, Stevens and Nityananda, it's that in later chapters they describe very advanced long-term techniques that most Kriyabans will never do. And so the reader can get overwhelmed and think they have to do all this strange stuff. Lahiri said everything is in First Kriya (mainly Mahamudra, Navi Kriya, KP, Shambhavi Mudra, Jyotimudra / Yonimudra).

I don't think Kriya gives anyone a pass to avoid working on one's issues. A person still has whatever baggage he brought into this world plus the challenges he picked up in life. The quiet of meditation is an excellent space IMO to get a break from hammering oneself - and to let the voice of the higher self in where possible. If I may recommend a life-changing book that helps to get to the root of issues.

On points in the spine. Stevens p. 98 and 182-183.

OK that's like asking do trees exist in the ground or on the surface. The answer is both of course. They root in the ground and a portion is above ground. And as you know for some plants the root system can be more extensive than the visible part. The chakra has an anterior aspect and a posterior aspect. The anterior (front) have also been called the "social" chakras because that is how you interface to the world and to other people. The ksetrams are points of concentration (Stevens p. 73 & 76). Kriya is concerned with the posterior ksetram which is a point on the spine (Stevens p. 97-98). This video does a fine job of teaching how to locate these points for Kriya Yoga. One seeming exception may be in Shambhavi Mudra where we situate our attention at the Medulla but then look toward the Bhrumadiya between the eyebrows (Stevens calls this simply "concentration" on p. 53). But all the teachings have emphasized the connection between these two points.

@kerk Kashi Kriya states their lineage back to Lahiri Mahasaya. They are in Gisborne. A recent book covers this lineage. Australia Kriya Yoga Association, a lineage from Yukteswar, will hold Kriya initiations in Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Adelaide starting in early June. This is part of KYIO which is based in Florida USA. SRF is in Sydney and several other Australian locations. These are not endorsements but for your information.

@Mada_ Seems to be a lot of Kriya in Oz. I've asked my contacts for any recommendations, and I'll post again.

@Mada_ What country are you in?

What you need is up to you! You might benefit from other asanas. Mahamudra is the main postural practice in Kriya Yoga. There are some movement techniques in the higher Kriyas, and some lineages teach a version of Gurupronam that involves bending and twisting. The SRF teachings include 38 movement practices -- called the Energization Exercises -- in addition to Kriya meditation. So it depends on which lineage and school you are practicing and what your needs and interests are.

Mahamudra is the Kriya asana. It is part of the normal Kriya routine. Explained here.

Mahamudra, nabhi, talabya, 12-24 KP, mahamudra.

Typically 20 minutes total to go through all the practices. It's one reason why I like it; it doesn't take that long to do and get the results. Two sessions per day @ 20 min each, longer at night if time permits.

@BuddhaTree I think your comments are reasonable for someone interested in whether enlightenment exists. I don't speculate about enlightenment and don't spend much time cogitating on Yogic philosophy. I wanted meditation instructions that hew close to Lahiri and obtained them from JCS and other sources. Anyone who wants to plumb the depths of Kriya non-duality can get that in the 432 pages of Purana Purusha and they will have enough to think about for a lifetime. It's quite true that KSR contains many techniques. Stevens goes through the entire sequence of initiations, while most Kriyabans IRL don't go beyond the second or third if that, and only after years of necessary practice. Stevens' approach was to produce a complete work of encyclopedic scope rather than release it in a series of separate lessons or books like Yogananda or Gamana. That doesn't make it better or worse; it's just one way to approach it. KSR concludes with what I consider an optional and unnecessary collection of so-called "Babaji" practices mostly for reasons of historical completeness. The reader could be overwhelmed by all that stuff. So I think that is a valid criticism. I think he should have left that out. But I do not agree that KSR as a whole is disjointed; it is organized and carefully structured. He separates out into distinct lessons certain techniques that in practice, are performed together. But this is probably to the reader's benefit as each part deserves close examination. Gamana's adaptation of KP, which is Mukherjee's, is probably fine and constructive to practice though it is not conventional Kriya (as explained on Gamana's website). His Kriya Bow is of course Hariharananda's; if one wants to do that, I suggest getting it from Prajnanananda his successor as it is widely available from that source. "Kriya Supreme Fire" is not found in Kriya Yoga as Gamana admits. So Gamana has taken various pieces and strung them together as Stevens is alleged to have done. The distinguishing ingredients in the two works, to my mind, are the qualities that the author radiates. Gamana's vibe is of arrogance, dismissiveness, bloviation and selective misinterpretation of Yogiraj, while Stevens evidences honesty and respect for tradition and the reader's intelligence. In the end that is why I prefer one over the other.

Much of Gamana is self-righteous hype from an author who imagines that his readers don't know any better. At least he has conceded that his so-called "upgraded" practices are not part of Kriya tradition. If you are not guided by a credentialed and responsible teacher in a recognized Kriya lineage, use Stevens and Nityananda.