In terms of a daily habitual meditation routine, what should be the order?
I know your suppose to do the Hong-Sau then Aum Meditation and then Kriya.
But can you reverse the order?
If Kriya calms the breath and heart, then shouldn't Kriya be done first then Aum meditation and then Hong-Sau?
It just feels like doing Kriya FIRST would make the AUM and Hong-Sau more effective.
Thanks for your help.
—D. P., USA
Dear D.P.
The order of the techniques was taught this way by Paramhansa Yogananda as a beginning practice. After one has established a stable routine, and has reached a point where he is regularly sitting longer and doing a larger number of Kriyas, he can go on to practicing in a different order if his intuition and experience call for it.
The Energization Exercises help the body to relax and become calm; Hong Sau helps to quiet the breath and focus the mind, and the Aum technique helps to continue the process of interiorization. All these are necessary before one can successfully practice Kriya. Trying to do Kriya with a restless mind and body is usually counterproductive.
That said, you won’t do any harm to yourself if you practice Kriya first, but it probably won’t be very helpful to you either. We often counsel people to practice the way the guru has told us so that we can increase our attunement and draw his grace.
And, if we awaken devotion by asking the guru to practice through us, in this way we make ourselves more aware of his inner guidance. Then we can more easily discern whether or not to make changes in the routine.
I hope this helps. Many blessings on your practice!
Joy to you,
Nayaswami Sadhana Devi
