Real Yoga

Kriya — Celibacy — Passions — The Crown Chakra and Its Counterbalance, The Kundalini Chakra

A student wrote Swami Harinanda and suggested that the use of Kriya, by awakening the Kundalini Serpent Force, was perhaps making use of one of the greatest of the lower lokas, whereas should we not be making use of our higher centers situated at the Sahasrara Center or the Crown Chakra situated and known as the Thousand Petaled Lotus at the top of the head, or even the Ajna Center, the Third Eye, situated at that point between the eyebrows at the bridge of the nose.

Both these centers are in reality glands, that when nurtured through meditation will open naturally, excreting hormonal fluid. The Crown Chakra is from the pituitary gland (white fluid) and the Ajna Chakra from the pineal gland (cream excretion). This is the Biblical Land of Milk and Honey.

If these glands are opened under the influence of any kind of drug, because they are stimulated chemically and falsely, they soon become shriveled like a prune and forever cease the ability of the gland to open as a flower. It is true that fantastic experiences can be had while under the influence of a drug, yet it is short lived. The ultimate experience a Yogi is after is to unite with Absolute Reality which is a never ending state of Satchitananda.

Since man/woman left the abode of the Garden of Eden, The Crown Chakra, and descended into the World of Duality, they bit into the apple of desire and knowledge, thus awakening the power of Shakti (energy or kundalini) situated at the base of the spine in the First Chakra or Coccyx Center.

It has been an ever ending journey of trying to re–unite with our original home. We have now become the prodigal sons.

The very earliest of Yogis realized that taking the spiritual energies down the spine via the two nadis, Ida and Pingala and expelling these heightened energies out of the body in the act of climax, that we were in effect depleting our ability to return home up and along the Sushumna Canal in the center of the spine, known as The Biblical River Jordan, or in India, The Holy Ganges — or even, the River Styx. All these rivers have a religious connotation, but in effect the alluding to them as holy is only allegorical.

Celibacy was then conceived as an ideal way to preserve these energies and lift them up the spine to the Holy Land of the Crown Chakra. What ensued was the realization that celibacy created too many emotional and mental and even psychic problems, because by the time these truths were discovered, too many lives had past, perhaps even millions, and the karma built up in the repository of Kundalini was just too great to suppress through Will, without incurring some devastating psychological illnesses — and still not arrive at the desired goal. How many awful cases of Yogis in caves trying to meditate on the God, while all the time thinking of a pretty girl. It is tragic but true. First things first.

Thus Kriya was born. These ancient sages realized that there was a way to burn out these past millions of lives by freezing them out in the coolness of the ethereal breezes of Crown Chakra. Each Kriya takes exactly one–half minute to perform, so they discovered that one entire past lifetime would be consumed in that singular act; thus through countless ages to the present day, Kriya was instigated in this life cycle by the Master Babaji and passed on through eons of time to the present day yogis.

In this long interim it was discovered that the entire Kriya could not be given all at once as not only would it burn out past lives, but if handled incorrectly could burn out the adherents present life also, so it was given in stages.

What happens is this: We create from day to day new experiences, new desires, and thus interaction brings about new passions — all of which are completely natural and healthy and should all be fulfilled — without restraint, except of course if you were to allow a passion to take you beyond the law, or do harm to another. One must express and enjoy the beauteous and complicated mechanism that makes up this interesting instrument we have inherited, with out frustration and without guilt.

I mention guilt here as so many yoga students or people into spiritual beliefs have been conditioned to think that sex is wrong, and so they frustrate, until of course they explode and contain their desire no longer — then after the fact, they suffer guilt. What a shame to be caught in this vicious circle of Spiritual mis–direction.

The secret with practicing Kriya is to be a natural man/woman and begin the swing towards lifting Kundalini up the spine and cooling her down by the time she reaches Crown Chakra. That simple effort of Will has destroyed one past life of karma. It takes 15 seconds. Then by taking your hot passions and desires down the spine allowing Kundalini to burn them up in her fire, which takes another 15 seconds, you have begun the cycle of rebalancing the teeter–totter of your physical life against that of your spiritual life.

As time goes on, the weight of Kundalini gradually becomes lighter and lighter and the fulcrum swings toward you being more awakened to your own perfection, and gradually passions, desires and the need for sex fulfillment decreases as naturally as a breeze subsides on it its own. No frustration and no guilt. Perhaps by the time you have entered your last phase of life (54 till death), the Kriya will have brought you to the point where you have become a natural celibate, with not a thought ever arising of the lower passions again. The passion will now be for God Union. Kriya by this time will be executed thousands of times a day, and will be acting on its own without your willful act or concentration. You have now become the perfect Raja Yogi, having withdrawn all your senses into the SELF (Pratyahara).

It is not to say that anyone not practicing Kriya will not gain Liberation because any proven form of yogic technique is well worth practicing. When Kriya Yoga is practiced and taught properly, young Chela or student keep in a proper balance while they are living their lives in this civilized world we now have. Balance in everything is a wonderful thing. To harmonize ones eating habits, sexual inclinations, work, resting and playtime habits is the beginning of what Yoga is about — BALANCE.

When you do the postures — it is balance. Breathing the Yogic way is balance and control, but it is still BREATHING.

Do you see what I mean? You can attain the infinite very quickly if you stop breathing, but that would be foolish wouldn't it? The same is true about celibacy. Some have led you to believe that giving up sex will get you there all the quicker. No, celibacy is attained through balance of living with a capital L, and all the while practicing your Yoga techniques. Some of the great liberated Yogis had children, wives and enjoyed a family life and all it entailed. I hope you can remain sensible and balanced and do the same thing.

Articles by Swami Harinanda and Yogi Karmananda are © 2026 and are licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

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