I am a Kriya yogi, but also have a job in the corporate sector. I tend to get too distracted with externals related to my work. I also travel a lot, which affects my meditation routine. It takes time to get back to it.
I need spiritual guidance. What is the best remedy in my situation? I don't want to lose spiritual grace.
—manjeri, Delhi Noida
There are a few things that can help you. One is to try and have satsang (spiritual fellowship) with other Kriya yogis as often as you can.
Their magnetism will help increase your own magnetism and your attempts to keep strong with the habit of Kriya meditation. It is also helpful because you can see what an extraordinary effect Kriya has on people. It will motivate you to make a stronger effort to practice Kriya faithfully and regularly.
Remember that our efforts build up momentum over time. It can take a short time if we use a great deal of willpower. It can take longer if our efforts are halfhearted. When I stumble on the spiritual path, I remember this story told by Swami Kriyananda:
“Anandamayee Ma, a great Indian saint about whom Yogananda wrote a chapter in his Autobiography of a Yogi, puts it this way:
‘You go out with a raft and try to get into the ocean of Spirit. You come to one point in the beach and you get into the water, and then the waves beat you back. And so you say, ‘Okay, that’s not the right place to go in.’
‘And then you go down the beach a bit, and you make another effort, and again the waves beat you back; and this happens again and again, and finally you find a place where the water no longer beats you back, and you just get taken by the water out to sea.'”
So in the beginning it’s a matter of constant struggle, until, as Yogananda put it, “all efforts end in ease.”
