Date Posted:08:08 Author: anonymous-28Aug02 Subject: Re: Kriya at Ananda In reply to:
Green Lantern - 28 Aug 2002
's message, "Re: Kriya at Ananda" on 08:07
"But the question still remains: is what they are preserving Paramahansaji's teachings or someone elses?"
They are preserving Kriya.
"From this it sounds to me that Kriyananda did not receive instruction from Yoganandaji regarding the practice of kechari or the exercises one should perform to achieve it."
If Kriyananda was able to perform Kechari in his first attempt and Yogananda told him to practice it latter, this is an instruction on Kechari. Yogananda did not teach him the exercises to achieve it because this was not necessary -- since he was able already to do it. Anyway, I think you are mistaking Kechari with the exercises we must perform to achieve it. In his K-14 lesson, Master wrote that Kechari "must be practiced regularly." This is a clear instruction.
Master taught Kechari Mudra to Dr. Lewis, telling him to practice Kriya Yoga with Kechari. To be able to get the tongue into Kechari, one first have to stretch the phrenum (the membrane under the tongue), so Lahiri Mahasaya included tongue-stretching excercises as a part of his Kriya initiation. For me, it is OK if Kriyananda learned these exercises elsewhere. They are not Kechari yet, just a preparation. Further, touching the tongue to the uvula is only the first stage of Kechari. Then, the tongue must be placed inside the nasal cavity, behind the uvula. Once one can make the Kriya sounds with his tongue turned back, if he can hold the tongue inside the nasal cavity and still relax his throat enough so his concentration is on the spinal currents and not on the tension in the tongue, then it would be fine to do Kriya that way. Only then, Lahiri Mahasaya would teach his disciples the higher Kriyas, which originally should be performed with Kechari Mudra.
