KRIYA YOGA INITIATION
An uninterrupted line of direct transmission
Anyone who wishes to practice must receive initiation into the authentic Kriya Yoga technique directly from the Master or from one of his authorized monks or teachers. There are no courses or correspondence lessons in this line of teaching.

Field preparation
Individuals who would like to receive an initiation are encouraged to “prepare their field” by familiarizing themselves with the
teachings of the Masters, Paramahamsa Hariharananda and Paramahamsa Prajnanananda. A good place to start might be
be a subscription to Soul Culture online magazine (free at www.kriya.org in English) or
Reading one of the books written by Paramahamsa Hariharananda, Paramahamsa Prajnanananda or
The book Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahamsa Yogananda.

Attending a Kriya Yoga seminar
Teachers regularly travel throughout the United States, Europe and India to give lectures, initiate
new people, conduct group meditation classes and provide spiritual counseling. Please check out our
calendar of events and look for a place and date convenient to you or contact your regional
center or ashram to request information about the dates and locations of our seminars.

The Kriya Yoga seminar consists of an introductory lecture (usually on Friday evening, about 90 minutes) followed by initiation into authentic Kriya Yoga technique by an authorized teacher and a minimum of three group meditations led by the teacher. After that, everyone regularly practices on their own and attends group meditations in their locality, depending on their availability (usually meditations held once a week).

The Sanctified Initiation Process: Traditional Purification and Blessing Ceremony.
The ancient tradition of transmitting the royal science of Kriya Yoga meditation begins with purification. Students participate in this sacred ceremony to cleanse the spine and entire body. Each seeker is initiated individually through direct contact with the teacher of this line. The teacher directly helps the newly initiated perceive the three divine aspects: sound, light and vibration. Through this process, the seeker learns to see the inner light of the soul, hear divine sound and feel divine vibrations/vibrations/pulsations throughout the body. During this ceremony, the teacher intones the sacred mantras with an appropriate explanation of them in the language in which the initiation is conducted.

  • At the beginning of the ceremony, basic techniques for quieting the mind are taught, preparing the student to receive divine energies.
    Initiation into the Sacred Stream of Divine Consciousness is achieved by overcoming the inner chatter of the mind. When thought processes are silenced, then it becomes possible to immerse oneself in the Divine, in the form of sound, vibration and light.

The initiation ceremony consists of the following stages:

  • Purification of the body, spine and sense organs
  • Perception of the three divine aspects
  • Blessing with a flower
  • Offering breath to the fire
  • Pledge
  • Sacrifice to God and the masters
  • Sprinkling of holy water for the intention of peace

Participation in the initiation ceremony includes:

  • All purifications during the ceremony
  • Learning the techniques of the first level of Kriya Yoga

The first stage of the ceremony cleanses the student’s body. Another purification takes place during the ceremony of offering breath to the fire. This ceremony, externally is only a symbol but causes purification on deeper, subtle levels and the depth of purification depends on the desire and sensitivity of the student. At the end of this ceremony, level one techniques are taught so that each new person can meditate independently and continue the purification process. Several Kriya Yoga techniques are presented.
The entire ceremony, including the perception of the three divine aspects, is conducted by an authorized teacher or monk.

Offering:
The student offers three symbolic gifts to the teacher as offerings to God and the masters.

The three gifts are:

  • five fruits, which represent the fruits of all activities during life;
  • Five flowers that represent the five sense organs;
  • financial donation. The three gifts represent the causal, astral and physical bodies, respectively.

Logistics:
Before the initiation and teachings, the student fills out a special form for new initiates. It is also asked not to disclose the techniques to others in order to keep them clean.

Further practice:
New initiates are encouraged to attend at least three guided meditation sessions with a teacher, as well as participate in weekly guided group meditations held at centers around the world.