Shanti Rubenstone, MD

Ananda Palo Alto

Answer

Hypertension, or high blood pressure is one of the most common physical ailments in our country.

Meditation of any sort definitely lowers blood pressure. At the Harvard hospitals all patients who come to the hypertension clinics are taught meditation as part of their treatment.

Bharat Cornell

Ananda Village

Answer

Dear Avin,

Your Buddhist faith does not disqualify you from Kriya Yoga initiation.

However, the Kriya Yoga technique does require on the meditator’s part a receptive openness and love for Paramhansa Yogananda and our other lineage of gurus.

Dave Warner

Ananda Village

Answer

Christ is one of our line of Kriya Gurus, along with Mahavatar Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteswar, and Paramhansa Yogananda. In the highest sense, Kriyabans are following the teachings of Christ — not the “churchianity” or narrow sectarianism that states that there is only “one way” — but what Yogananda called “original Christianity.”

Dave Warner

Ananda Village

Answer

Kriya Yoga speeds up our spiritual growth in several ways. One of them is the rapid burning up of past bad karma. According to our Kriya Gurus, kriya helps to increase the current of energy in the astral spine. This strong current carries along with it the vrittis of past karma - much like a river in flood will sweep away all the stagnant eddies and whirlpools, and carry all the old debris to the ocean.

Dave Warner

Ananda Village

Answer

There is no fixed minimum age for Kriya - just the spiritual maturity to understand what it is that you are doing with Kriya, and to understand the comittment involved.

You can learn more about the training for Kriya in India by going to:

http://www.anandaindia.org/meditation/index.html

Dave Warner

Ananda Village

Answer

The Guru lineage of Mahavatar Babaji and Lahiri Mahasaya continues through many lines, including Swami Kriyananda. I've heard that there are people who claim to be “direct” disciples of Mahavatar Babaji, but have never met them. Such things are easy to claim, but difficult to prove.

Dave Warner

Ananda Village

Answer

Hatha Yoga postures are not an integral part of Kriya Yoga practice. Many Kriya Yogis find they don’t have time for the postures. The energization exercises are more than sufficient. People with certain health problems sometimes have to adjust how they do the energization exercises. So yes, you most certainly can receive initiation into Kriya without doing Hatha Yoga!

Dave Warner

Ananda Village

Answer

Ideally, of course, we should sit upright when meditating, with the spine straight.

But since our bodies don’t always cooperate with this concept of "ideal," we should adjust accordingly. When severe back problems make it impossible to sit up, then the first step would be to try and sit with some back support, against the back of a chair or a wall.