What is Kriya Yoga? The Himalayan Science of Breath, Energy and Self-Realisation

Awakening • Depth • Presence • Transformation

Kriya Yoga is a yogic path that combines meditative techniques with breath work and movement channelling kundalini energy, to awaken and transform our state of consciousness, with lesser emphasis on physical yoga postures.

How Does Kriya Yoga Work?

Whereas it takes 30 minutes for most Hatha Yoga poses to have a deep, penetrating effect, with Kriya Yoga it takes just minutes.

At its heart, Kriya involves practices designed to cleanse, activate and expand kundalini energy through a combination of:

Breath – layers of pranayama breath patterns and retentions that specifically soothe the nervous system, clear energetic channels, and refine awareness.
Mantras – specific Sanskrit syllables and seed-sounds, chanted in a particular way, that expand the electro-magnetic field of the heart and evoke a desired energetic response.
Laya movements – slow, soft, spiralling, devotional movements that activate the flow of wisdom in the body, develop heart consciousness, and heal the emotional body.
Meditation – deep, inner inquiry, that naturally dissolves mental noise and opens space for stillness, intuition, and inner peace.
Mudras – specific eye positions, body positions and hand gestures that create energetic shifts in the physical, mental and energetic bodies.
Chi movements – slow, fluid, focused movements that attune our senses to the flow of prana and our energetic body. They increase and expand, calm and integrate, teaching us to master our energy.
Spinal balance movements – that access prana currents of the subtle body (chakras) to support transformation and expansion of consciousness.

The Himalayan Roots of Kriya Yoga

Kriya Yoga has been a feature of the Himalayan Yoga traditions of northern India for thousands of years, through the living tantric lineages of great masters such as Mahavatar Babaji and Lahiri Mahasaya.

Interestingly, Kriya Yoga is not found in books or written form because its teachings were not intended for general consumption. The practices are taught directly as a transmission (known as Diksha) that blends technique with spiritual blessing, lineage, and subtle guidance from teacher to student.

Many yogis will be familiar with kriyas from the Hatha Yoga system, where practices such as neti (nasal washing) and kapala bhati (shining skull breath) are taught as preparatory cleansing practices for the body and mind, before pranayama and asana. However in Kriya Yoga, kriyas are taught as the primary focus to channel and expand energy though composite sets of practices, skillfully designed to achieve a specific, predictable and often profound shift in consciousness.

The Sanskrit word kriya comprises “kri” meaning action and “ya” meaning soul or Atman. Kriya means evolutionary action. Unlike everyday actions that keep us busy on the outside, kriya is an inward action — one that guides your attention from the surface of the mind into the deeper states of stillness, presence and aliveness of the soul. Where karma is action that creates bondage, kriya is action that directly creates our expansion and liberation.

After 18 years of practising and teaching Hatha Yoga and meditation, in 2023 Natalie was initiated into Kriya by yoga master Anand Mehrotra at Sattva Yoga in Rishikesh, India and in 2025 she completed 300-hour teacher training. This living transmission has led to not just the teaching of practices, but Natalie’s authentic embodiment of presence, love and wisdom.

What is Kundalini?

Kundalini refers to the dormant, infinite energy residing within each individual, often described as a powerful spiritual force coiled at the base of the spine. Kunda means “bottomless pit”, symbolising its boundless potential and depth.

This energy embodies the divine potential of human consciousness, and according to both Hatha and Himalayan Yoga, is considered the source of spiritual awakening and transformation.

When awakened through dedicated kriya practices, kundalini rises along the spinal energy channels (nadis), activating various chakras and leading to heightened self-awareness, expanded consciousness, and profound inner clarity and realisation.

The awakening of kundalini involves a process of purifying and balancing the nervous system, clearing energetic blockages and fostering a deep connection with one’s inner divinity. And under the guidance of an experienced teacher, kriya practices are safe and profoundly transformative.

The Benefits of Kriya Yoga Practice

Practising Kriya Yoga consistently over a period of time accelerates inner (spiritual) growth. When taken as a dedicated daily sadhana, it is truly transformational.

One undergoes a process of inner purification which leads to a profound, direct understanding of the Self and the true nature of reality. By stabilising our nervous system and refining our state of consciousness, while at the same time activating kundalini energy, we access greater and greater aspects of infinite potential that is available to every human being.

Regular practice whittles away energetic blockages, thereby allowing more refined qualities – clarity, gratitude, radiance and joy – to manifest more naturally through the personality.

Other holistic benefits include:

Balancing the nervous system;
Improving physical strength, posture and agility;
Enhancing one’s brain function, coordination, memory and sense of perception;
Diminishing mental-emotional patterns to reveal a natural state of clarity and steadiness;
Heightening presence; and
Awakening natural vitality, confidence and radiance, regardless of age or physical capacity.

Can You Practice Kriya Yoga?

Kriya Yoga offers awakening, depth, presence and transformation. And all are welcome to its practice.

If you are sincere and seeking a mature path of integrated practice that offers genuine spiritual insight and a living connection with the deeper dimensions of yoga, then Kriya Yoga is for you. It is both timeless and alive — meeting the needs of modern life while honouring the depth of the ancient yogic tradition.

Join Natalie’s next Kriya Yoga class or event to experience it for yourself!