Kriya Yoga - where to start?

[Magnanimous]

1 hour ago, Leo Gura said:

 

Because I don't blindly follow anything. I question and test all human ideas.

@Leo Gura So you're implying Kechari Mudra isn't necessary for optimal pranayama?

[Magnanimous]

On 10/08/2025 at 5:55 PM, Leo Gura said:

Kriya is not as intense. It is subtle and long-term. You need to do it for months for it to build up its effects.

@Leo Gura If I was a beginner, and started doing Pranayama 1 today (with reasonable progression time) how many months until I could start experiencing effects?

[Leo Gura]

2 hours ago, Magnanimous said:

@Leo Gura If I was a beginner, and started doing Pranayama 1 today (with reasonable progression time) how many months until I could start experiencing effects?

There is no answer to this question. It varies wildly from person to person. You just have to make an investment and see what happens.

[OBEler]

6 hours ago, Magnanimous said:

@Leo Gura So you're implying Kechari Mudra isn't necessary for optimal pranayama?

He can't know that. Putting your tongue up needs weeks to month of training. Watch the YouTube video I posted here. 

But from what I researched it's totally worth it .

[Davino]

In my opinion, if you have a spiritual practice that doesn't yield results in every sit... Better leave it and try another one.

It took me some time to find the best fitting techniques for me, every sit makes me substantially more conscious, everytime, everyday.

Of course, all techniques have a learning curve, but I'm very against this mentality of: practice everyday for months and maybe you'll see results, you're getting ripped.

[ExploringReality]

7 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

I have not. But you should not expect anyone's experience to be like yours.

It's better to feel changes than to feel nothing change.

So I would say you're getting exactly what Kriya is supposed to get you. Kriya us supposed to active all sorts of eneries and states. That's why you're doing it. Don't get cold feet as soon as stuff starts happening, just carry on with your practice.

Kriya yoga can be done for decades, 8 hours a day. So you've just scratched the surface.

Thanks, it can feel disorienting and scary when the body starts vibrating, getting gnarly bowl movements and feelings of being pushed, birthed or something brushing up against my skin and not knowing how to reassure myself. I knew intuitively that it was from the kriyas and pranayamas but it's hard to believe when it's actually happening.

I would get strong urges to connect with big cats like jaguars, panthers and others. My body would feel like a wild cat and I needed to move freely and authentically instead of the usual way. Also a lot of rage and bluntness in my attitude was spiked, like I have a low tolerance for bullshit, games and deception. 

I will continue to do these practices, and stay open and humble.

[OBEler]

5 hours ago, Davino said:

In my opinion, if you have a spiritual practice that doesn't yield results in every sit... Better leave it and try another one.

It took me some time to find the best fitting techniques for me, every sit makes me substantially more conscious, everytime, everyday.

Of course, all techniques have a learning curve, but I'm very against this mentality of: practice everyday for months and maybe you'll see results, you're getting ripped.

Not with kechari mudra. It is reasonable that it takes time until your tounge is flexible enough to put it up and to stay there on a certain area with a lot of nerve ends. Until then you will not get much value out of it. So you need to train for weeks to month without much in return until you made it.

 

 

[Cocolove]

Im done with kriya after 90 min daily for a couple years back when leo dropped the video. I just get better results with other techniques. If I was trying kriya I would be meticulous to follow the techniques perfectly. 

I got good effects and even had an enlightenment experience from it on a retreat one. I still can feel the energy and use it to channel sexual energy, get into a meditative state, but I find self inquiry style questioning and vipassana body scanning to work better.

[Davino]

4 hours ago, OBEler said:

Not with kechari mudra. It is reasonable that it takes time until your tounge is flexible enough to put it up and to stay there on a certain area with a lot of nerve ends. Until then you will not get much value out of it. So you need to train for weeks to month without much in return until you made it.

Yes, I know, I've undergone the process. That was addressed with the learning curve point.

I just wanted to make a general warning about this trap: "spiritual practices need months of work to see results." I find this a waste of resources and an unskilful approach. Try kriya yoga 7 times, if you don't see changes in your consciousness go try another practice.

Because I wasted many hours trying kriya yoga and it never suited me. On the contrary, kundalini worked profoundly from the first sit and it just increased in efficiency and potency. It would have been a huge mistake to keep doubling down on kriya yoga based on the mentality before exposed.

Obviously some advanced techniques take much more time to master like comfortable padmasana, kechari mudra, etc. That is fine, but should be landing on basics that consistently work in raising your awareness and in shifting your state of consciousness.

[r0ckyreed]

I’m just now getting into Kriya Yoga, Kriya Pranayama and Supreme Fire. Supreme Fire seems very similar to Wim Hof Breathing. I wonder if Supreme Fire is more effective than Wim Hof? I usually have done Wim Hof breath work before a meditation sit. Also, is my understanding of Kriya Pranayama correct in that I am breathing up and down my spine while inhaling 8-12 seconds and exhaling 8-12 seconds? Thanks!

[r0ckyreed]

I found this really cool resource on pranayama and breath of fire (aka supreme fire). Is this how you guys do it? I practiced it like done in the video and my mind went silent. 
 

 

[OBEler]

@Davino ah I understand. What Kundalini exercise do you do? I want that include also.

[Davino]

@OBEler I like Yogigems, any of her videos are nice but this one is the most condensed and effective in my experience:

 

 

[Staples]

On 10/08/2025 at 7:09 PM, Natasha Tori Maru said:

😮

My interest in Kriya yoga is piqued.

If it does anything to enhance vividness, recollection or duration, I'm IN.

I had no idea it could do this

Long meditation retreats made my dreams extremely vivid. Worth trying if you haven't.

[Natasha Tori Maru]

Just now, Staples said:

Long meditation retreats made my dreams extremely vivid. Worth trying if you haven't.

One thing I have not done - and am VERY interested in. My colleague has attended a few and highly recommended them also.

General meditation practice (2/3 hours on the weekends) had a noticeable effect. I would assume the above would be even more-so!

My little side project with this work is dream exploration and OBE stuff. Thank you for your advice 🙏

[Staples]

@Natasha Tori Maru It took about four days for the full effects. So two weeks might be ideal if you can spare it. This was proper Vipassana setting - no talking / internet access.

[Pineal]

I do. I will be sitting sill and my entire spine will vibrate like crazy. I hear omkar constantly.  I also enter dmt realms off dmt just looking into ajna. Its so surreal and impossible seeming. With obsession and first principles analysis you can get very far!

On 8/10/2025 at 3:58 AM, bazera said:

@Leo Gura Have you felt effects so far? like actually feeling energy rising up and down along the spine.

How many pranayamas are you doing?

 

[Pineal]

On 8/10/2025 at 3:53 AM, Leo Gura said:

I skip it.

I only do pranayama and supreme fire.

Supreme fire feels important.

You can always add in more practices after a year of solid pranayama. So don't worry about it. Your first goal should be to start to feel the effects from a lot of solid pranayama. Once you are feeling that, you can think about more fancy techniques. I like to strip away all superflous techniques to get to the bare essentials.

Pranayama + supreme fire is that. You can also include maha-mudra in that but I am currently even cutting that out.

I would never cut out Maha mudra... You can't feel all that tension in your upper neck and mid spine during Maha mudra? It makes the perception of the subtle energies so profound. After doing 50(144 movements) my baseline state feels like cotton candy. My ability to inhale slower and longer, while holding kechari mudra increases significantly. Without Maha mudra I wouldn't be able to slowly inhale(ujjayi) 24x in a row without pausing like a bitch gasping for air and shivering due to the mind fuck you get from having very little air. Pranayama is very hard (even using ghee).

 

[Pineal]

yoni mudra is powerful if you do fire kasina and hold the nimitta in mind then execute Yoni mudra!

[Leo Gura]

On 8/11/2025 at 3:52 PM, OBEler said:

So you're implying Kechari Mudra isn't necessary for optimal pranayama?

I don't imply that. I simply mean it is not a good cost/return ratio for beginners. Perhaps for advanced practioners it is useful. But as a beginner focus must go on pranayama and mahamudra. You can always add stuff later once you are feeling some core effects from your practice.