Jai Guru! I took Kriya diksha (initiation) on March 19. I give much importance to my spiritual routine. My life is completely packed and, therefore, I feel all the more stressed to not miss Kriya or my other devotional exercises. It feels like I am increasingly disconnecting myself from society and don't have much to share since I do not know what is happening around me much of the time because I am devoting all the time I have to my spiritual discipline. Subsequently, I am more stressed and feel that I am not growing in terms of spiritual qualities.
—Pooja, India
Dear Pooja,
It is good that you give much importance to your spiritual routine. We do want to do our Kriya Yoga meditation, twice daily.
On the other hand, balance is needed. If you begin to feel stressed and disconnected, we need to find a superconscious solution. Can you cut down a little on your workload by any chance to make more time? Could you possibly sleep a little less? 6 hours is enough for the normal human being, Yogananda says. Sleeping more is just a deeply ingrained habit.
If both answers are a “no,” then how much time do you spend in your spiritual routine? Can you make it more intense, but shorter? Intensity is more important than length. You can do it like this: Energization (10 minutes), a prayer, maybe a chant, a few minutes Hong-Sau, Kriya (you do 14 for now, correct? Maybe 10 minutes), then sitting in the silence. All that can be done in 40 minutes.
There is always a good and inspired solution. Your Kriya sadhana, at any rate, should definitively not become stressful but the greatest joy of your day.
In Kriyaban Friendship, Jai Guru,
Jayadev
