Special Feature on the 11th International Yoga Day
Vivek Atray
If we earnestly urge a young person to adopt yoga, they might ask, “Why is yoga so important for me?” And to answer their question wisely, we ourselves must know the answer. For the past decade, every year on International Yoga Day, India has led the entire world in celebrating the eternal significance of yoga in our lives. Yet, as some of us know, the true meaning of yoga lies in its inner and deeply personal expression. The divine quest for unity with God, emphasized by all religions of the world, is inspired and ultimately made possible by the regular practice of the scientific methods of yoga-meditation.
The Kriyayoga system of spiritual practice ultimately enables the true yogi to achieve life’s highest goal. In the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna twice mentioned Kriyayoga in his instructions to his disciple Arjuna. And after many centuries of human ignorance, in the nineteenth century, the great guru Lahiri Mahasaya, with the blessings of his eternal guru Mahavatar Babaji, rediscovered this important and pure science. Subsequently, Lahiri Mahasaya’s disciple, Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri, imparted the profound knowledge of Kriyayoga to his disciple, Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda.
Yogananda-ji resolved to be the global ambassador of Kriyayoga and spread its benefits throughout the Western world. Today, millions of his followers worldwide practice the scientific techniques of yoga-meditation, which are naturally part of the Kriyayoga path. In his world-renowned book, “Autobiography of a Yogi,” Yogananda-ji inspiringly describes: “In persons living under the spell of maya, or natural law, the life force flows outwards to the external world and is expended and misused in the senses. The practice of Kriyayoga reverses this flow; the life force is led inward by the mind, where it unites again with the subtle currents of the spine. Thus reinvigorated, the cells of the yogi’s body and brain are spiritually recharged by an elixir.”
From “Autobiography of a Yogi,” we also learn that the regular practice of Kriyayoga enables the sincere seeker to decarbonize their blood and oxygenate it. In this way, the brain and spinal cord are revitalized by this extra oxygen, and tissue decay is arrested. It is not possible to fully describe the physical, mental, and spiritual benefits of Kriyayoga. It is a life-enriching technique whose faithful practice surely elevates the yogi’s existence.
Kriyayoga is a universal technique, and through its practice, every individual can reach spiritual heights and depths beyond their ordinary daily routine. Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (YSS), founded in 1917 by Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda, disseminates Yogananda-ji’s pure Kriyayoga teachings to seekers in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. YSS’s sister organization, Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), plays a similar role worldwide through its headquarters (Mother Center) in Los Angeles. Yogananda-ji founded SRF exactly a hundred years ago in 1925. Over these years, millions of seekers have benefited from these teachings.
For ordinary people in this world like you and me, the life-satisfying effect of yoga will only be experienced when we diligently and faithfully practice a scientific method like Kriyayoga. This, then, is the true significance of International Yoga Day for all of us!