Dispelling yoga myth: 'I am inflexible therefore I cannot yoga'

There's quite a lot of mystique around yoga, and what happens on the mats inside those sweaty, incense filled rooms. I think most people picture themselves being ridiculed by other more bendy folks, who pretzel themselves into all kinds of positions with crazy foreign names. Meanwhile they flail around (the only one who doesn't know how to DO yoga), trying to keep up in their less-than-trendy gym clothes and eventually end up in a pile of inflexible humiliated sweat while the others breathe and chant peacefully through their practice. So let's dispel some of those myths about yoga, those things I've heard from friends, acquaintances and family. I'll tackle a few a week, until we've gone through all the big ones and everyone is ready to jump into the pool!

Yoga Myth: "You have to be flexible to do yoga and I'm not flexible"

Most people are not extremely flexible, and unless you want to continue to get more inflexible, yoga is a great way to begin to stretch that body out. You do not need to be able to put your legs over your head. Standing, sitting and lying down are enough of a start. The best part about yoga is that you start where you are, even if where you are is nowhere near to touching your toes. Yes, there will probably be people in class who will be able to contort their bodies into seemingly unnatural positions, but by and large, this is not the case and honestly, nobody cares much. Instructors (any good ones, anyway) always give options for the poses.

I do however, recommend taking a beginner's class if you're new or haven't been in a long time. This will help you get down some of the basic poses and lingo. The majority of yoga classes and styles center around the same basic principles so once you get the basics, you will feel more comfortable walking into any class.

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Kriya Yoga -- a positive way of living

Kriya Yoga is non-sectarian. Its simplified techniques cause no hardships or austerities, and were developed for householders as well as for monks. From Karma Yoga, Kriya Yoga teaches any action, kri, is done by ya, the indwelling soul; work is worship. Constant awareness of the power of the indwelling soul inhaling, leads to mind control and liberation. Kriya Yoga is a festival of breath.

The Kriya technique highlights the relationship between breath and mind. Breath influences mind and vice-versa. Their mutual relationship has revealed the mystery of how to control the mind. Breath control is self-control. Breath mastery is self-mastery.

During initiation, the aspirant's body fields are purified and the triple Divine qualities of sound, light, and vibration are experienced. As meditation deepens, the aspirant goes beyond body sense and beyond mind; true meditation begins, and the ego-sense that I am the doer is replaced by the experience of the indwelling soul as sole doer. Life's goal, variously known as liberation, enlightenment or self-realization, grows closer.

Kriya Yoga is a golden opportunity to reach higher states of consciousness and change your life, gaining all-round development of body, mind and soul. It is a quick and easy path. Kriya Yoga techniques are passed down from guru to disciple, master to aspirant, teacher to student.

There is no written record of when the ancient tradition of Kriya Yoga began. It is a spiritual technique which has been practised by saints, seers and sages from time immemorial. The rishis (seers) of the Upanishads, Shri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, Maharshi Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras, and many other masters of yoga, practised and taught this scientific method through the ages. Kriya Yoga is not a religion; it is a powerful tool to be used by those of all religions in order to hasten their own spiritual development. Adi Shankara, in the Viveka Chudamani, wrote that three things are very rare in the world: to get a human birth, to have desire for liberation, and have the company of a great soul and realized master.

In modern times, an elusive and mysterious master, Mahavatar Babaji, in 1861 brought the Kriya technique to the public through his able disciple, Shri Shyamacharan Lahiri, a pious householder. Lahiri Mahasaya, as he was popularly known, had many realized disciples. Foremost among them were Swami Shriyukteshwar, who was well-versed in the scriptures of both the East and West, and who attained the highest stage of realization, and Shrimat Bhupendranath Sanyal Mahasaya, a householder yogi most noted for his metaphorical interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita, in the light of Kriya Yoga. Among the many disciples of Shriyukteshwar were Paramahamsa Yogananda, author of the Autobiography of a Yogi, and Swami Satyananda Giri, who until 1971 was the president of Karar Ashram founded by Shriyukteshwar in 1903. Paramahamsa Hariharananda, who became the head of the Kriya Yoga Institute, USA, as well as the international organizations, was also a direct disciple of Swami Shriyukteshwar. Both Paramahamsa Yogananda and Paramahamsa Hariharananda were not only self-realized, but became instrumental in spreading the teachings of Kriya Yoga around the world.

Until the time of his mortal transition into spirit, December 3, 2002, at the age of 95 (1907-2002), Paramahamsa Hariharananda, lovingly called Baba by his thousands of disciples and students around the world, oversaw each one's spiritual development.

Today, Paramahamsa Prajnanananda, the realized disciple and successor of Paramahamsa Hariharananda, travels the world as a powerful spiritual master, loving teacher, prolific author, and speaker on world religions. Under his direction, the Kriya Yoga International Organization, supported by its monks, yogacharyas and devotees, continues to thrive.

At Kriya Yoga ashrams and centres throughout the world, guided meditations are open to those initiated by authorized teachers. Introductory programmes and initiations are offered regularly. To learn more about Kriya Yoga, log on to www.kriya.org

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