MountainCactus

Yes, I also find it important to stay physically active in some way, shape, or form. If I start getting lazy and don't get my exercise in for a couple days, then I start feeling like I could bounce off the walls, haha. This is so ironically funny because I was one of those people that since I was a teenager struggled with "low energy", and now my luxury problem is I have too much, haha. There is also a degree of auto-regulation that I do in my practices. I know by feel where the optimal place is for me to swap from first to second Kriya, and I know by feel the optimal place to swap from second to third Kriya, etc. It's not the same number of Kriyas every day that gets me there, so I do not do the same amount of Kriyas every day. Some days are always going to be better or worse than others. But in the times I'm in "high tide" on my kundalini, it is a great boon to my practices. I am able to much less Kriyas and transition really quickly between the levels, and in turn spend much more time melting away in Paravastha.

There's a gas pedal and a brake in a car for a reason. One shouldn't just keep hitting the gas and forget the brake exists. Eventually you will crash. Yogananda did say for people to focus on the spiritual eye at all times to accelerate progress. But if someone was having issues and went to him I'm sure he would have told them to stop. Yogananda was also known to monitor his direct disciples very closely. His higher Kriyas also still began to favor the heart over the spiritual eye. And even in his first Kriya, you're still brining the energy back down, not just sitting up there. Also, kundalini in my experience tends to go in phases of high tide and low tide. So for now, it sounds like you're in low tide and you're able to handle it, so if you want to pump the gas a bit and keep attention at your third eye or medulla throughout the day, no big deal. But when high tide inevitably hits again, my recommendation would be to let off the gas and pump the brake. One way you can do that is in your day to day life, instead of focusing at the spiritual eye at all times, bring the heart and/or navel as your focus.

Yes I actually did read the entire thread prior to even signing up on the forum. It broke my heart to be honest, seeing the lack of progress and negative effects. The thread doesn't need to be 2 years old. 2 years is long enough to see that the progress is not there. I had checked off about half the "effects" I listed above within the first 3 months alone of working with my teacher. I will agree (and think I mentioned most earlier) that of the authors Ennio is probably the lesser of the evils, since he is not trying to profit from it. I will also say that his first Kriya of Lahiri is the closest to what I've learned, though there still some key differences. I will say through that his second, third and forth Kriya are very incredibly far off of what I was taught. The incredible effects I have gotten from second and third Kriya just would not be possible with his technique. I also think his general recommendation that new people should practice Mukerjee's Kriya and spend all day long at the Kutastha is a very poor recommendation as that practice is very imbalanced and can cause many issues. I know as a personal example if I over stimulate my Kutastha I cannot function. I feel deeply drugged, and not in a good way. I am unable to be productive at work or to interact with others. It's not good. One cannot live life from the "third eye". It's too far beyond matter. There is a reason Lahiri stimulates the Ajna chakra, then brings it back down to ground out, particularly into the heart and navel chakras. This is a fundamental part of Kriya that cannot be thrown out, imo.

Define "good effects"? And who is having "good effects" from these practices? I do not hear anyone on this forum saying they've reached enlightenment or gained any meaningful realizations from this. I do not hear anyone saying they've reached a state of spontaneous breathlessness (Kevala Kumbhaka) from these practices. I do not hear anyone here that has said these practices have led them to see the spiritual eye or hear the astral sounds. I do not hear anyone here saying these practices led them to a real state of Samadhi. These are the only effects that matter in Kriya, and they are completely non-existent here. Coincidence?

The karma you assumed from the authors is right here posted below. This is the effect of the practices you assumed from them: Cause and effect. Tamasic in turned into tamasic out. Who would have thought? And what other effects happened to your body both physically and mentally when you became "energetically unbalanced"? This can do a lot of harm under the covers. It's more than just "feeling" bad. Your feeling bad is nothing more than a symptom of bad things happening under the covers.

As for the first part about the practices, it comes both from personal experience that verified both what my teacher said and what I've learned in my studies (I really read way, way ,way too much...), combined with the experiences I've seen in talking to others that has also confirmed it. For the second part, I listed karma as cause and effect. This is about as scientific, logical, and common sense as it can be presented. It's also about as far from "belief and spiritual dogma" as one can get. FWIW we can really get deep into the paradox, where since cause and effect chains are so obvious all around us, how can there not be karma? Yet if all things are always the One, how can there be karma? The paradox runs deep in all things spiritual, and this paradox can fuel a never ending argument that can never fully be resolved. But our body/minds experience duality on a daily basis, so it would be foolish to brush it off as long as you're in a body, imo. I could really get deep into my thoughts on karma and rebirth, but it would be off topic, and my words on the matter tend to piss both the spiritual and non-spiritual people off because I always look at both sides of the paradox which both proves and disproves both sides. Either way, that is neither here nor there. As long as you're experiencing the dual world "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction".

Yes Yogananda taught this, but does that mean it was what he was taught? Also, Yogananda did include a lot of other things that helped to bridge the gap and also chose to closely monitor and move students along at a snails pace to avoid the negatives. The books do not have these safeguards in place. I mentioned yesterday that I'm not debating other systems, that all of my comments are in regards to Kriya exclusively. There are indeed multiple roads to Rome. If someone wants to follow another path, that's great. I have no issues with that. But in the realm of Kriya, the techniques taught in the book are tamasic, and this is the reason why so many people in this thread have been having so many issues. These negative issues they have been having are real, they are not "imaginary inventions of the mind". As long as the body is on the dual plane there will always be cause and effect. There is no getting around this. I'm very grateful that you have generated a lot of public interest in Kriya. You are an expert on many things, but you are not an expert on Kriya. You are still learning, just like everyone else in this thread is. Therefore, your opinion on the matter really is not the end all on the matter. Neither is mine, and that's really the point I'm getting at. I keep telling people they need to do their research, they need to read the source material from Lahiri, they need to do their due diligence on any teacher they assume (including the authors of the books), and then draw their own conclusions from that. I've made no recommendations. I've simply told people to be careful and do their homework. I'm not sure why you would disagree with that and tell people that they should instead blindly accept the authors and their techniques/teachings?

This was my experience as well when I first learned the techniques from the Stephens book. The energy was just too much. The Kriya I've learned through my teacher is not one of increasing and controlling energy through the spine. It's a technique of calming and slowly unraveling the knots in the chakras, and letting the breath itself move the energy without any intervention, visualizations, or control of any kind. This is key, because it keeps the energy in the subtle body, it does not spill over into the physical body where it can create negative overload issues. Also, because you're not physically energizing the body/mind/chakras, it leads to a much more blissful, tranquil, and deep state of meditation. I am very sensitive to energy practices that use any force. The Kriya Lahiri taught was the polar opposite of Kundalini Yoga. The techniques in the books try to shoehorn Kundalini Yoga into Kriya, and it creates a bastardized version of Kriya that loses most of the strengths of Kriya, and assumes all the weaknesses of Kundalini Yoga. If someone really wants to hit the gas pedal on the energy side of things, they would be better off just going full on Kundalini Yoga, imo. If someone is suffering overload or any other negative kundalini side effect in Kriya, they are not practicing the techniques properly. Kriya is supposed to be a path for a very slow, gentle, and easy kundalini awakening. Karma is simply cause and effect. If you accept teachings and choose to believe the words of anyone, and especially if you decide to practice their techniques on a daily basis, you are assuming the effects or karma of their teachings. This is why I keep saying it is so important to do your due diligence on researching any teacher. Meditation itself is technically classified under the umbrella of Karma Yoga in the scriptures. Anyone that you accept spiritual teachings of is your guru/teacher, even if it is through a book. And, if someone breaks the oath they've made to every single teacher that they've ever had, what does that say about their character? What type of person steals another persons teaching and tries to profit from it? How do you know you can trust them if they have such a public history of betrayal and deceit? And yes, if you created techniques and posted them on a forum, and people practiced them, you would be their guru. Any effect they got, good or bad, would be effects of your cause... or them assuming the karma of your practices. Moreover, if they had negative effects, would there not be a negative feedback loop into your own karma? It turns cyclical at this point, bad karma out from the teacher, becomes bad karma in on the student, becomes bad karma back out from the student and the wheel just keeps on spinning.

Except pulling Prana up and down the spine is not Kriya... You can do this practice, yes. But it is not the Kriya taught by Lahiri Mahasaya. And no, the techniques are not "simple". If they were, then there wouldn't be all the confusion, lack of progress, and negative side effects that are so common on this forum. Talking down to people and trying to invalidate their concerns, questions, and issues does not fix anything, and is actually quite harmful, imo.

I hear you. I was weary and skeptical of a guru as well... with good reason. There are a lot of fake guru's out there, and a lot that have done a lot of harm to people. This is why I say people need to listen to their heart and "judge the tree by the fruit it bears". One must do their due diligence and not just accept any teacher. You may not realize this, but by choosing the books, you are really choosing those authors as your guru and in turn assuming all their karmas. Is that really what you want? A guru is also not something one should be "dependent" on. A guru's one and only job is to show you the path to find the True Guru. If they are setting themself up as a point of worship, they are doing it wrong. Their goal should be to make themselves obsolete. Once you're in union with the true non-dual Guru in the Kutashta, what need do you have of a guru that lives in a body? The guru/teacher's only job is to get you into a Samadhi union with the Kutashta, and that is all. Lahiri was pretty adamant about not worshipping a guru. He would not let people worship him. When people would try to bow down to him he would stop them and bow down to them. He would not even let people take a photo of him until near the very end of his life because he was afraid people would hang it on a wall and worship it instead of practicing Kriya sadhana. Lahiri's Kriya was originally meant to be a non-dual practice. He said Kriya was the ultimate Bhakti, the ultimate Jnana, the ultimate Karma, the ultimate renunciation, etc. Don't get me wrong, until someone actually merges with the non-dual doing some of those external practices can certainly help (especially Self-Enquiry on the Jnana side, imo). But they are not necessary. All one needs to do is practice Kriya sadhana. You do not need to worship a guru/teacher to get there. And a guru requiring that you worship them is definitely a red flag to watch out for should you ever decide to get initiated, imo. Once again, look back to the source of Lahiri's teachings. If it's not inline with Lahiri's teachings, I personally reject it. These teachings we have of his in his diaries and letters to students are pure gold, as it helps us to separate the real from the fake. The fake ones are always doing something that is in opposition to Lahiri's words written from his own hand that are published and available to all. Also, there is no such thing as wasted time. You're right where you are meant to be now. Maybe you're not meant to get initiated yet? Maybe Kriya is not even the path for you? Maybe your karma is more in tune to something else entirely? I don't know, I'm just listing some possibilities here. If Kriya is the path for you, your heart will tell you. No matter how hard you try to get away from it, you will keep getting drawn back. Heck, before I got initiated into Kriya I even went and got initiated into Sadhguru's Shambhavi Mahamundra to test that out, and within a month I had abandoned that and was back to Kriya. Yogananda came from a family of Kriyabans, yet he spent years searching for his guru, and when he accepted his guru Sriyukteswar he wasn't even aware that Sriyukteswar was a Kriya guru until he walked into the door for initiation and saw the picture of Lahiri on the mantle. So please, do keep being "sincere, honest with myself and want nothing else but freedom". If you keep doing that your heart will eventually guide you true, whether that is this path or another.

You're missing the "from the books" part of it. Specifically referring to the Stephens, Ennio, and Gamana books. One will not be able to achieve Nirvikalpa Samadhi from these books. True Nirvikalpa Samadhi is one of the most rare things in the entire world. The authors themselves have not even come close, so how can one expect to follow their teachings and achieve something they have not yet come close to achieving? It's also a "judge the tree by the fruit it bears" kind of situation. Go re-read this thread all over from page one... you will see the fruit that these books bear clear as day. Kriya is also a lot more subtle and complex than I think the people here realize. There are many layers to the onion that get peeled back in the practices over time. Especially so when someone starts getting into the more complex higher Kriyas. Even for someone like me, where my teacher said I've progressed faster than most people he has seen, I have needed my teacher at various points to help me break through to the next level. Even having that natural inclination for yoga, I'm not sure I could have made it as far as I have on my own without decades of wandering in the dark. Even reaching a light stage of Savikalpa Samadhi is extremely difficult... most people will meditate their entire lives and never get a taste of this. Hell, it's not uncommon for people to meditate for decades and never even got into a state of Dhyana. Kriya is as scientific of a meditation system as it gets for being able to reach Samadhi. But an inseparable part of that system is getting an energy transmission from a guru/teacher, and having an ongoing relationship with that teacher/guru to help you to keep peeling the layers of the onion back until there is nothing left but sweet, sweet Samadhi. Also, while Lahiri said it is possible to achieve everything with first Kriya alone, and I do not disagree with him on that, it is a very slow process that way. The average person I've seen needs at least get close to mastering both Thokar (second) and Omkar (third) Kriyas to truly get there. There is something magical about that third Kriya especially... it just rockets you into another dimension. It's very easy and natural to become absorbed from this new "dimension".

I never said it is impossible to achieve Nirvikalpa Samadhi without a personal guru... obviously Ramana Maharshi proves it is possible if you sit in a cave for 15 years meditating non-stop until the bugs are eating through your legs. Obviously, it is much more difficult without a teacher. There are more paths than Kriya, some involve a personal teacher and some do not. Kriya however is a path for finding a personal teacher/guru. All of my comments are only geared towards someone specifically committed to the Kriya path (which is what this thread is after all, right?) If someone wants to truly follow the Kriya path to the end of the road, they should find a teacher/guru. If someone wants to just take a tourist trip through Kriya land, then the books are fine. If someone wants to follow a completely different path, cool. These are not the people I am speaking to here. I have a lot of knowledge on Kriya, but I do acknowledge the fact that there are multiple roads to Rome. All of my comments here are within the context of Kriya specifically. Anyone not on this path can feel free to ignore them. Reading through this thread I read a whole lot of lost people that are floundering and going nowhere, getting negative side effects, etc. It broke my heart to see this. In this thread I also saw a pure case of the blind leading the blind, so these people that needed help could not find help or even get pointed into a direction to get help in order to fix the issue. There simply was not anyone here that had enough knowledge to help them beyond just regurgitating the info that the authors had said in the books. It is to these people mainly that I signed up on this forum to share my knowledge. And I've already helped quite a few people. I've had numerous people PM me over the last few weeks. It has been wonderful seeing some people start to find their way. Those that are meant to hear my message will hear it, those that are not meant to hear it won't. It's all good. We all need different things at different times. The important thing to me is that this message is now here for those that do need it. Also, if you read what I have said I have not argued for anyone being correct. I've simply made two claims: 1) that the techniques in the books are not proper, that they are tamasic and that they can cause negative effects. Also that the nature of these techniques will prevent someone from getting into a state of samadhi (you can scroll back if you want to see the full technical reasoning behind this, I'm not going to type it all out again). These techniques lead people away from union as opposed to towards union. I have shared quotes from Lahiri himself to back this up, and listed the sources so anyone could go and read it for themselves. So I challenge you to go and read the source material, then look at what you've learned in the books, you will clearly see that something doesn't quite add up. 2) that Kriya is a path for a teacher/guru, and that if people want to follow Kriya they should find a teacher/guru. I have made no public recommendations for teachers or organizations. I have told people to use their devotion, mind, and most importantly their heart to find the right path for them. I have told people to keep a skeptical eye towards any teacher/guru and to "judge the tree by the fruit it bears". So no, I am not "on a crusade for your completely correct and uncorrupted system" as I have made no formal recommendations. I am not a teacher, and I have no agenda other than to help people find their way onto whatever is the best path for them. So no, I'm absolutely not saying that "My situation = everyone else's situation". You're placing many words in my mouth that I have not said and would not say.

Same way anyone else does, you have to look. The easiest and quickest way is through one of the organizations, you should have to kind of get to know the different monks and find one that you resonate with and then start communicating with them one on one on a regular basis. The more difficult route is to search for a teacher that is not affiliated with any of the organizations. This is the route I took. You can see a list on this page that has the websites for all of the teachers and organizations that have a web presence: https://www.reddit.com/r/kriyayoga/comments/9gchvy/kriya_yoga_sources/. Mind you though, there are a ton of Kriya teachers that shun the spotlight altogether and have no web presence at all, simply relying on the fact that the students meant for them will find their way to them even without advertising their presence. Also, don't be afraid to network by PM'ing people here, on other forums, and the teachers you are aware of (there are some prominent YouTubers, bloggers, and even the teachers in the list above that may be able to introduce you to someone you otherwise would not have found). This was how I found my teacher, a private discussion that led to a recommendation and introduction. I had a few phone calls with the teacher, and a long email exchange back and forth over the course of a few weeks before I ultimately decided he was my teacher and decided to travel out to him for initiation. I think this is the most important part no matter what route you choose, you must spend some time getting to know the teacher to make sure that is your teacher prior to initiation. Don't just accept the first person who comes along offering initiation. There is no need to rush. If you're going to accept energy transmission from someone, make sure they have the energetic seed you want planted inside of you. You wouldn't want to have a child with the first person you go on a date with, same should be the case with energy transmission and a teacher. It should ideally be a lifetime commitment. You must feel a devotion to that teacher and their path, one that will allow you to choose that path exclusively and not be tempted to bounce around from guru to guru collecting initiations like they are Pokemon. Yogananda was surrounded by self realized Kriya gurus his entire life, but it took him years to find his guru. Generally speaking, taking the SRF lessons is a good way to fill the time while you search. There is no need to be in a rush. Impatience is the root of all spiritual mistakes. If your heart is true, you will find your teacher when the time is right and not a moment sooner.

Sadhguru's techniques are not necessarily weak... they just serve a different purpose. Isha's yoga is tuned specifically for the average person to realize an increase in general health, wellness, and happiness in their lives. The Kriya Yoga of Lahiri Mahasaya was tuned specifically to make achievement of Nirvikalpa Samdhi possible for a householder in this lifetime. Two totally different goals for two totally different people. I recommend Isha to more people than I recommend Kriya, because most people are not looking for enlightenment and as such Sadhguru's techniques are better for them specifically. I only recommend Kriya for true seekers that will stop at nothing to achieve Nirvikalpa Samadhi. That being said, receiving initiation and having a one on one relationship with a true guru/teacher is a priceless thing. I've said this time and time again here, but the techniques in the book are not proper, and even if they were Kriya is too subtle of a process to learn from a book. It takes years to master Kriya, even when working with a teacher one on one. Can someone generate some intense kundalini mystical experience with the false techniques in the books and have a fun pleasurable ride in the process? Absolutely. Can people achieve Nirvikalpa Samadhi from the books, with no initiation and no relationship with a teacher.... I don't think so. I have an ongoing relationship with my teacher, we are in regular contact, and his guidance has been nothing short of a blessing. He has brought my practice of Kriya alive to a degree that the books alone are wholly inadequate and incapable of doing... and I started my Kriya journey years ago with Stephens book so I am speaking from experience here. These authors are not authorized teachers, they are not masters, and all of their claims of knowledge are self proclaimed. I think one needs to really dig deep into who they can trust as a teacher. "Judge the tree by the fruit it bears". I see more people getting lost than found with these books, so is this fruit really worthy of mass consumption? Is someone who has betrayed every oath they took to every teacher they have had someone that should be admired and trusted? Should someone be placed on a pedestal and treated as an expert simply because they claim they are and can operate a word processor or a video camera? Are we going to keep throwing money at and making every person that claims to have "secret" or "exposed" Kriya knowledge rich without actually researching their claims and examining their fruits? One should really do their due diligence before trusting any spiritual teacher. There are far more false teachers out there than there are real ones. What happens is the general public throws money and praise at the charismatic false ones that are leading people astray and totally miss the real ones that are legitimately and quietly helping to change people's lives deep down in the trenches. Many of these true teachers are literally hiding in plain sight. There is no greater blessing than finding a true teacher, one that puts your needs above their own. Finding a true teacher is not something that should be frowned upon, it is something that should be encouraged. These people are indeed hard to find though, but "when the student is ready the teacher will appear" was indeed true for me, so maybe it will be for you all as well?

Sorry for the late response, with the holiday I was not online for a few days. Yes what you mention in the Gamana techniques, of the energy coming out of the subtle body into the physical body, is not what we want. We want to keep the energy in the subtle channels, and bring it up through there. All of the negative kundalini effects come from energy entering the physical body, where it does not belong. This can definitely have negative effects on health as well, a quick google search can show you some of the physical health symptoms that can come along with kundalini entering the physical body. This is also a symptom of the undesired case of the energy going into the physical body. Kundalini awakening, in the optimal environment, does not do this. Kundalini awakening should slowly take consciousness out of the body, out of the senses, out of the mind, and into Consciousness itself. Like I mentioned a couple pages back, by strengthening the chakras with forceful energizing techniques you strengthen your ties to the body, the mind, and the ego. This backpedaling is caused through using improper energy techniques (or using proper techniques improperly...), it is absolutely not a general effect of kundalini. Kundalini should work for you, not against you. If it's working against you in Kriya, then you're doing something wrong. Kriya Yoga is the polar opposite of Kundalini Yoga, and people that try to shoehorn Kundalini Yoga into Kriya Yoga create a bastardized form of Kriya that is tamasic. This is also where having a real teacher/guru comes in handy. Kriya is a very subtle practice, and as I've said time and time again, one simply cannot master all the subtleties through a book, especially when said book has incorrect techniques to begin with... tamasic in is tamasic out... It depends upon the practices. There are some practices that go really well when combined with Kriya. You really want synergy in all practices. Kriya is a complete system though, especially when you consider the higher Kriyas, so it doesn't need anything added. Time can also become a limiting factor. For example, if I'm practicing 1st-3rd Kriyas my sessions can easily go ~2 hours each... and then multiply that by 2x per day. It's hard to fit too much extra fluff in, when the necessities alone take up that much time. Though some other practices can help, if you have time. I was kind of shocked when my guru gave me Buddhist Jhana to practice in Paravastha (after Kriya at the end of the session). I was not expecting that at all from a yoga guru. But, I was having some difficulties with absorption and in that case Jhana can be a very helpful thing. So Jhanas are definitely something people could go for after Kriya if they want. Hatha Yoga is always good to mix in as well if/when you have time (just be careful about not overdoing gross bandhas). Self-Enquiry is always something worth adding to any practice. I would avoid mixing in things like TM which encourage mindlessness, or strong energy techniques like those Gamana recommends, as they conflict with the true purpose of Kriya as opposed to working synergistically with it. Kriya is the Battle of Kurukshetra, which is described in the Bhagavad Gita. The point of Kriya is to silence the chakras, which are the points that the subtle body knots itself to the physical body, and this releases your consciousness from the body/senses into the medulla (the heart of the subtle body). Then the idea is to then meditate from this deep state. It is a crime to do Kriya and then get up with no meditation practice after. Try to absorb yourself in the spiritual eye if you can see it, if you cannot see it try to absorb yourself in the astral sounds, if you cannot hear those try to practice complete open awareness of the whole. It is in doing these meditative techniques after where you can enter Dhyana and Samadhi, which is really where the magic happens. I would not practice any "contemplation" inside of seated meditation with Kriya. You can contemplate, practice Inquiry, or any other Jnana practice throughout the day. These are very good supporting practices, just don't waste your valuable seated time on them, imo.

https://yoganiketan.net/welcome-to-yoga/the-original-approach-to-kriya

The best you can do is good enough for now. There's no magical fireworks that fall from the sky when you reach 15 seconds. A long out breath is more important than a long in breath anyways as far as Pratyahara is concerned (as long out breath induces HRV and the parasympathetic response). Alternately, you do not need to do intentional Ujjayi. There is no need for intentional restriction. Simply breath as slowly and gently as is comfortable. There is no reason to try to force and stretch it beyond comfort, as this will actually work against you. You will find that Ujjayi subtly happens all on its own if you do this. The subtle automatic Ujjayi is FAR superior to the gross forceful Ujjayi. If Ujjayi doesn't happen automatically on it's own, don't worry about it. It will happen on its own eventually.

It depends on what your goals really are, imo. The books are fine for someone that simply wants to dip their toes in the water, or someone that wants to try to generate kundalini, spiritual highs, or other spiritual experience; the books are more for Kriya tourists not serious practitioners, imo. Practicing the Kriya in the books is better than not practicing yoga at all. But for one that truly wants Nirvikalpa Samadhi (permanent union with the non-dual; the highest form of "enlightenment"), which is what Kriya was specifically designed for, then the books are a detour not the path. This person should seek a guru that has mastered and is authorized to teach at least the first 3 Kriyas (Om Japa, Thokar, and Omkar Kriyas) since most people need to at least somewhat master all of these Kriyas to reach even the lighter stages of Samadhi. Even if the techniques in the books were proper (which they aren't), the process of Kriya is too subtle to truly master from a book. So, like I said it really depends on what you want. All of my comments and recommendations in this thread are mainly targeted at the true spiritual seekers or those that have been practicing the book techniques and getting negative side effects and/or a major lack of progress.

I generally practice twice per day on empty stomach conditions (sometimes on days off if I have nothing going on I do 3x). On work days to keep empty stomach this usually this equates to first thing in the morning and in the evening just after arriving home from work and right before dinner. On days that I don't have work and I have more flexibility on the times I eat, yes I do actually to prefer to practice at night before bed. It is the time I can get the deepest, and the darker it is the easier it is to see and become absorbed in the kutastha. Yogiraj said that the hours of sunrise, noon, sunset, and at night are the best times to practice. His preferred time to practice was at night. Actually, towards the end of his life he gave up sleep altogether, opting instead to practice Kriya all night long. If you read his personal diaries in Purana Purusha you can see that he writes about how he struggled with this at first. It was not easy, even for him, to give up sleep. He called it his quest to "conquer sleep". But eventually he was able to get there. Being a householder with a family and tons of devotees to tend to during the day, he kind of had no choice but to go this route to be able to get the hours of samadhi in each day that he wanted.

Incredibly so. I also rarely used to remember my dreams, and now it's a regular occurrence.

I have taken the lessons, both the old ones, and I'm currently going through the newly redone ones, I'm about 2/3 done with the new ones. The new ones especially are very well done and I think any Kriyaban would benefit from them, even those like me that are not in the Yogananda/Sriyukteswar branch of the lineage. My teacher specifically told me that other than the altered Kriya techniques and some suspected exaggeration in Autobiography (some of the stories he tells in Autobiography are very different and more extreme than how they have been passed down in my branch), that all of the other content that SRF puts out is solid. I also think the new lessons are on discount for half price until the end of the year if I remember correctly. The general information on metaphysics and spiritual matters is wonderful, especially for a westerner, as there's not a lot of good info on this stuff in the west. Also Hong-Sau and AUM are good techniques. I still practice both on occasion, even though they are not in Lahiri's teachings. If my mind is feeling very energized and unsettled on a particular day I will practice Hong-Sau for a few minutes as a warmup to Kriya to center myself. And, if I have a really good Yoni Mundra, which is practiced at the end of my session, and I want to sit longer and absorb myself in the bliss, I will practice AUM for a few minutes while my hands are already up there. I can hear all the astral sounds except the rushing water of the 5th chakra easily without plugged ears, but if I want to absorb myself in the rushing water most of the time I need to plug my ears and formally practice AUM.

Ok, there's a big misconception here generally speaking that I want to clear up. What Sadhguru teaches is not "Kriya Yoga", what he teaches and defines as "Kriya" is any internal action. It is indeed confusing because the word Kriya is used twice in a different manner. However "Kriya Yoga" is referring to a complete system of yoga that was spread to through Lahiri Mahasaya that fits all 8 branches of Patanjanli's Yoga Sutras, whereas what Sadhguru is referring to as "Kriya" is referring to any inwardly looking action, so in Sadhguru's terms some techniques are "Kriya's" and other's are not. In Lahiri's system, it's not so much the techniques that are Kriya's, as the whole system as a whole is Kriya. Technically speaking, by the definition of the word Kriya, Sadhguru is not wrong... but at the same time he did kind of leveraging the popularity of Kriya Yoga to his advantage. These are two completely different systems that sit on opposite ends of the spectrum. Both are tantric in origin, but Sadhguru's techniques are more rooted in the Hatha Yoga side of things. All of the individual components he uses can be found in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. So for all intents and purposes, Sadhguru really is a Hatha Yoga system, not a Kriya Yoga system. The semantics are confusing, but important. Once upon a time, I myself also was initiated into Shambhavi Mahamundra. It does not surprise me that there is energy overload. The hyperventilated breathing and the heavy use of bandhas can definitely cause that, especially to someone who is sensitive to K energy. Like I mentioned above, true Kriya Yoga of Lahiri Mahasaya is about "silencing the Prana". In Lahiri's Kriya there is no need for gross bandhas, as the techniques practiced properly automatically leads to subtle bandhas. You want to lock the energy in the subtle body, not the physical body. The idea is for the energy to travel through the Sushumna, which is in the subtle body. You do not want the energy to travel through the spine, which is in the physical body. You want all of this energy to stay in the subtle body if possible. It is when this energy is taken out of the subtle body into the physical body through force that the negative kundalini effects really start to run wind; and this was my experience exactly. I know in SMM initiation in one of the videos Sadhguru mentions that the point of doing the gross bandhas in SMM is to learn how to apply a subtle bandha... but he unfortunately never offers any advice for a path forward to that end. There is also no hyperventilated breathing in Lahiri's Kriya, only slow, gentle, deep breathing. I do think that learning true Lahiri Kriya would help. Aside from that, you can try to reach out to Isha for advice, but I doubt you'll actually be able to get to speak to anyone really knowledgeable on the manner, likely just one of the volunteer acharyas. Their acharyas are trained specifically to stick to the script, they even go so far as to teach them to pronounce the words the same way Sadhguru does, so if there's no script for this you may not be able to get help. This is one problem I have with Big Baba gurus, as I believe that if you cannot phone your "guru" up or go visit him to ask advice, and if he has no clue who you are, then he isn't really your guru. Sadhguru specifically goes to great lengths to hide from his followers, the only way to actually see him in person is to pay to go to an event that he is a part of, and these events all have thousands of people at them so you never really can get any real one on one time with him. If you're experiencing negative kundalini energy you really should be working with a knowledgeable guru one on one in some form. There are ways to work around it, but I think everyone is a little different so you kind of best to work with someone that has worked with a lot of people and been through the process themselves. What worked for me may not work for you. Aside from that, the typical grounding recommendations definitely help. If you find yourself super committed to Sadhguru, you could always go back down to Isha Kriya, which should not overly stimulate the energy, at least anymore than any basic meditation will. Once again, this is guru territory as everyone is different . You can definitely cause physical harm, and it can be difficult to go to work and function in the external world if you're really slamming the kundalini gas pedal. It is possible to awaken K with a gentle and not forced approach. Though there are some people that are super sensitive, the rare types that basically randomly trip and fall into a full scale K awakening one day. This was not me. For me it has been a slow process that has come on like waves in a rising tide; two steps forward, one step back. I try to keep as much energy in the subtle body as possible, where it belongs. When I personally practiced SMM it was before I had experienced my first K rising, so that didn't negatively react in me at the time. I had my first K rising when practicing Kriya through books, and it was very uncomfortable at first. In the spinal breathing I felt massive sexual energy, almost too much to bear, going all the way up my spine to the crown, and I could feel it arcing out into my body the whole way like how lightening arcs as it shoots through the air. After this I was pretty much dead to the world for 2-3 days after. It took a long time to recover from that massive energy overload. Let's just say, I was a skeptic until that day, and that experience made a believer out of me. After that time I've had to be a bit more careful about my practices, especially avoiding bandhas and forced breathing as those really force the energy to arc out into the physical body in my personal experience. But Lahiri's Kriya never overloads me. These days it's not the rising of the tide that bothers me, it's just the lowering of the tide, when I start to feel even a slight separation from God it creates this great desperation and longing for God; my guru calls this the "true internal Bhakti". So yes this should determine what you practice going forward, imo. Your first step, since you mentioned you want to stay loyal to Sadhguru, is to try to reach out to Isha to see if they may be of help. If they are not able to help you, I would recommend seeking a guru that is willing and able to help you, and that would mean ditching Isha. Your heath is more important than your sense of loyalty to an organization, imo. I would not recommend experimenting on yourself, taking advice from the internet, and hoping that you can make it through it on your own. As the words that the original Legend of Zelda made famous: "It is dangerous to go alone". That's my .02 at least.

It truly is a great show, especially for us yogis.

Ah the synchronicity, just saw that this was posted today on YouTube for any that want to dig deeper down that rabbit hole quoted above:

Haha, yes the hours upon hours of research is a fun journey. You will learn a lot if you go through all the different books I've recommended. Yes I believe Yogananda was a great master. I love Yogananda, I owe him a debt of gratitude. Yoga, and Kriya Yoga specifically, may never have gotten a foothold in the West if not for him. I also love his general teachings. Like I said the SRF lessons and his books on the Gita and Bible are wonderful. I think he exaggerated some in Autobiography, and I wish he never would have changed the Kriya techniques. However, one does have to look at the context of his entire system to pass judgment. He taught an "energized" form of Kriya, but he strictly limited the number of Kriyas each student could do daily, and made them get permission from a monastic to increase. He started people off at 14, and it was not easy to get permission to add more. For context, my teacher has placed no limits on me for first Kriya, he has only limited me on the number of reps for the higher Kriyas. I can practice first Kriya all day long if I want with no negative effects, because it's not the energized version. Yogananda also added Hong-Sau and AUM into his system which are more calming techniques which do add some balance to the energized Kriya. He also encouraged renunciation, so optimally if one wants to truly follow Yogananda's path they would join his monastic order where they would not only have easy access to advanced teachers, but live with them on a day to day basis. He also added a strong devotional and karma yoga aspect, which I think helps balance and ground some of the potential negative effects of the energized version of Kriya out. In his version of the second Kriya he also did incorporate OM Japa back into the technique, though he did also leave in the parts he added to the first Kriya as well. So, for someone that was devoted to Yogananda and wanted to join his monastic order and follow all his techniques, I think they could make it all the way home. I'm not sure why he changed the techniques but I can speculate that it had a lot to do with struggling to find a way to mass teach a very subtle system of yoga, as well as to alter or leave some things out that would be considered offensive to 1920's America. I think (or at least like to believe) that he made most of the changes out of necessary concession, not by choice. Maybe he also felt pressured after making such bold claims like those presented in Autobiography that he needed to juice up the energy of the techniques to sate the American craving for experience? I don't know, all I can do is speculate. But either way, I still think that Lahiri's original techniques are better. As for the Tibetan tradition and the like, one must remember that most other paths other than Lahiri's original Kriya were meant for monastics; people that would be living and interacting with masters every day; people that did not have families, jobs, or a life that could be impeded by negative side effects; people that had the space and time to work through it. A lot of these schools also have their root in martial arts. For someone that is training for battle, gaining physical power from the chakras, especially that powerful 3rd chakra in the navel, is extremely important for practical reasons. I cannot say whether or not these practices can lead to Samadhi or not as I've never practiced them myself, but there obviously are enlightened beings on these paths. However, I can say that I always like to lean on scripture in spiritual matters. Kriya is the practical application of the Bhagavad Gita. If you read that book you will start to understand. Since I trust the Gita and what Krishna says in it, I can trust Kriya. I'm not as well versed in the Buddhist side of things, though I do think it is obviously a valid path. But, this thread is specific to Kriya, and in Kriya the goal is "stillness of Prana". Lahiri's path is the only meditation path I'm aware of that was meant specifically for householders and asked for no external sacrifice or renunciation of any kind. As for the question on the spiritual heart, that's a bit more nuanced. Ramana Maharshi said that the heart was the seat of the Self. Lahiri never specifically said anything like that, but he did place a heavy emphasis on the heart in the higher Kriyas. So I kind of have to go off of my own opinion and intuition here to bring those two facts into one, so take it as that. My thinking is that the heart is one of our greatest bonds to the world. Love is the most powerful emotion we have. Love is the only emotion that every human being would voluntarily give their life for. Have you ever seen the Avatar: The Last Air Bender episode where he is unlocking his chakras with his guru? When it came time to the crown the guru told him that he had to let everything go, but Aang refused because of his love for Kitara. This is something that is common in the path of enlightenment. Our love for our families, friends, and the world in general is our biggest road block to true union with the "Self". But this is something we have to move beyond as well. Like I mentioned above, the causal body is the Kutastha, which is "the eyeball" as you termed it (I'm not super familiar with Leo's teachings, I'm mainly just here for the Kriya discussion, lol). I believe that the non-dual Atman takes causal form in the Kutastha, and that through the Kutastha and some part in the brain (right brain? right hippocampus? Ajna? Crown? Pineal gland? I'm not exactly sure, but these are the common ideas I've heard) the causal body is bound to the subtle body just like the subtle body takes physical form in the chakras. I hope that makes sense, lol!