Paramahamsa Yogananda writes about the science behind Kriya Yoga in his book “The Autobiography of a Yogi”. Kriya Yoga has been a subject of fascination for many urbane mystiques because the whole world is moving towards the direction of making man immortal. There is a popular fable from South India where kings were allowed to drink a Thangapushpam. It is believed that this infusion had a component of gold which energised the body and extended the life cycle. Holy texts from diverse civilisation tell us that Kings and Queens lived for 10,000 years healthily. This drink might have been called as different names by each region. Kriya Yoga, if practised correctly, will lead man to revered immortality.
The word kri means - to act, to do. Kriya Yoga means union with the infinite through our action. Any yogi who attains this status is free from the karmic cycle of births and deaths.
Kriya Yoga is much more than asanas. Breathing plays a pivotal role in achieving this state of consciousness. This yogic practice decarbonates blood; it removes the carbon dioxide from the the blood and recharges it with fresh oxygen. This exercise rejuvenates the brain and spine. Paramahamsa also mentions that this was also practised by prophets like Jesus Christ.
In simple words, through Kriya Yoga, one can materialise and dematerialise the body at will. It is said that this practise quickens human evolution. There is a theory that the human body is a universe by itself. Everything that is floating in the space, rests within us, in our astral body. This astral body is that connective link between us and the universe.
80 hours of Kriya Yoga fast forwards the human evolution by 1,000 years. It can be performed only by highly evolved yogis as their physical bodies are prepped to absorb all the power that is going to rush in. Imagine pumping million watts of power into 1 light bulb?!
If Kriya Yoga is practised correctly, it will lead to breath transforming into a mental concept. In the sense, there will be no barricade between the mind and breath - they will develop a natural chemistry. The mind need not be decluttered consciously during meditation.
Every night, each one of us turn into a yogi because we disconnect form our body involuntarily. Our life force merges with healing currents in the brain and spine and the cosmos does its part in energising us for the next 24 hours. Later, we use this energy to do what we have to do everyday - working, studying, making presentations, writing a novel. If humanity evolves enough to get this practise right, our potential will truly become limitless.
Imagine living for 2,000 years with white teeth and black hair, like the great Himalayan Master Maha Avatar Babaji.
Science doesn’t have a definite answer to many of the questions we have. For instance, how was the universe created or who created it? All our findings are man-made theories. They maybe true. But there will remain an X factor which will refuse to come to light. Yogananda ends the chapter by saying “Realised Knowledge alone destroys ignorance”. Beautiful isn’t it? How can we actually realise something that we do not know? Knowledge is always gained from the outside - we read books, we watch documentaries, we listen to podcasts. He says, this is the magic of Kriya Yoga. It wakes us up in a way that we can never go back to our old life.
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