My grandmother gave me 'Autobiography of a Yogi' by Paramahansa Yogananda many years ago. I was surprised that she gave it to me as I hadn't really spoken to her about my interest in spirituality. We weren't particularly close but I visited her in her little cottage towards the end of her life, and we connected in a way we hadn't until then. I read the book during my twenties and found it really interesting but I wasn't ready to begin any kind of spiritual practice at that time. But the other day, I was watching an interview with someone who mentioned Yogananda and Kriya yoga. It made me jump up and run to get my book. Then I wondered if there was a teacher on YouTube and found this man, Ryan Kurczak. He explains the meditation techniques and the principles on which they are founded very clearly and he has a calm aura that resonates with me. He clearly loves what he does and, although he has some books and courses, he also has a lot of information on video for free which makes a nice change from some other YouTubers I've listened to. I really feel like I can learn a lot from this man and I believe he is someone who has genuinely mastered the theory and practice of Kriya yoga.
In this video, he explains the three techniques for meditation. I decided to post this video because I had to listen to a few videos before I found this one that actually explains the method. But, as he explains, a person needs to be in the right frame of mind and to have the correct attitude to practice this meditation.I'm just a beginner but I'm excited to have finally decided on a practice that feels right for me. The three techniques are the life force arousal technique, kriya pranayama technique and jyoti mudra or yoni mudra technique. The third is new for me but the first and second ones, life force arousal and kriya pranayama, I have done before although the techniques are slightly different because they are from the Egyptian rather than the Indian tradition. The Yoga Sutras, from where this form of yoga comes, are thought to have first been written in 400 CE but the actual techniques and philosophy are much, much older and perhaps may even have come from Egypt originally.
