Kriya means action or movement. kriya yoga is so called because it is a system where one intentionally rotates one’s attention along fixed pathways. This movement of awareness is done, however with control. Also, kriya yoga is so called because one moves the body into specified mudras, bandhas and asanas according to a fixed scheme of practice. The word kriya is often is often translated as meaning practical. It is concerned solely with practice, without the slightest philosophical speculation. The system is designed to bring results, not merely to talk about them. Sometimes the word kriya is translated as ‘preliminary’ for kriya yoga is a preliminary practice that leads first to dharana and then eventually to the transcendental state of dhyana(meditation) and yoga(union). It is a technique which has been designed to lead to that state of being which is beyond all techniques. Finally the word kriya is used to describe each individual practice. Thus the process of kriya yoga consists of a number of kriyas each being done one after the other in a fixed sequence. The purpose of kriya yoga is to transform your whole life into a continuous expression of joy, bliss and wisdom. It is designed to transform tamas into sattwa.
The aim of kriya yoga is to induce a state of thoughtlessness. Kriya yoga harmonizes the whole mind from the surface layers to the depths. Allows one to explore and know the mind and go beyond. Induces dhyana and intensifies spontaneous awareness. Kriya yoga practice may induce strong, overwhelming desires for many things. Kriya yoga is a method, a very sophisticated method of harmonizing and synchronizing the natural forces and energies of one’s being. Kriya yoga brings about the same change within the human framework. Kriya yoga merely uses, refines and channels the already existing energy for the awakening of one’s being. Kriya yoga is a means to self-knowledge. Nothing new is produced, rather that which is already there is allowed to blossom and unfold. Kriya yoga is a method of transmutation. It is a method of alchemy. Each individual kriya is composed of a number of subsidiary techniques. These are the basic tools of kriya yoga. They can be classified into the following groups: Asana. Mudra, Bandha, Mantra, Pranayama and Psychic passage awareness. These six groups of techniques are the building blocks of the kriyas. While doing kriya yoga, the aspirant becomes a mandala, a focus for more subtle energies. All the systems of yoga are intended to develop subtle and direct perception. Kriya yoga brings about subtle perception by harmonizing the forces of the entire body and mind, which leads directly to refinement of perception.