The practice of yoga goes far beyond the muscle toning exercises associated with it in the Western mind. Perhaps 5,000 years old, yoga has been practiced as a discipline to bring the individual soul in union with the universal soul through breathing and meditation. Passed down from master to student, the discipline of yoga has branched off in many directions as inspiration has taken hold of one master after another.
There are four basic schools of yoga: Karma, Jnana, Bhakti and Raja. In each school there are many branches suitable only for those who are able to give their lives over to the study and practice of it in the style of monks. The goal of this type of yoga is to achieve self-realization and complete the cycle of reincarnation so that death will bring the soul to an eternal union with whatever spiritual afterlife the practitioner believes in. Kriya Yoga is a mixture of several schools of yoga intended to bring self-realization to those who cannot give up the material world to study the discipline.
Union
Whatever school of yoga one practices, the word itself means "union." The goal of all yoga is to bring union, whether of soul and spirit, consciousness and unconsciousness or body and mind. Kriya Yoga was derived from three of the main schools of yoga: Karma, Jnana and Bhakti. Karma Yoga follows the path of the soul's actions. It strives for ability to perform one's duty without the promise of reward.
In Karma Yoga, the performance of duty is the reward. Jnana Yoga strives for union with the non-temporal. Its practitioners learn to differentiate between the eternal and temporal, detach from the temporal, follow the six virtues and ultimately find liberation from the temporal. Bhakti Yoga is all about the pure love and service of the Supreme Being. The practitioner is expected to devote every aspect of his life to devotion, prayer and active service.
Kriya Yoga is a simplified union of these three pillars of yoga. Breathing techniques, sincere desire and constant awareness of the indwelling soul are the goals of Kriya Yoga. No austerities or hardships are required. The follower of Kriya Yoga is expected to develop the awareness that all action is taken by the spirit within and not the temporal body. The masters of Kriya Yoga believe that self-realization can be achieved in one lifetime by sincerely following Kriya Yoga.
