Yogi Calisthenics 135
sound arises naturally at this stage.^26 The practitioner uses advanced breath-
ing techniques to consecutively raise and lower energ y in order to break
through the mūlādhāra granthi (root knot) and release the kuṇḍalinī, or
the latent spiritual energ y coiled at the base of the spine.As should be evident from the above, Kriya Yoga is a fairly standard form of
tantric haṭha yoga. Through the various steps of the practice, the adept’s body
is perfected into a powerful battery (to use Yogananda’s terminolog y) of divine
energ y. However, because the practice still largely relies on oral transmission from
guru to disciple, details about the specific techniques are difficult to ascertain.
Moreover, what written accounts do exist are generally vague and not particularly
systematic in their nomenclature and classifications. Although there is general
consensus on the elements of the first kriyā, the order of the exercises may be
modified, some may be repeated, and some eliminated. For instance, Yogananda
is frequently criticized for excluding the practice of khecarī mudrā. This is not
altogether true, as some disciples of Yogananda (most notably Kriyananda) report
being taught khecarī, or at the very least hearing him speak about it. However,
Yogananda evidently did eliminate the practice as a mandatory prerequisite for
advancement to initiation into the second kriyā. After the first stage, subsequent
kriyās appear to build on the oṃkāra technique of subtle pneumatics as the prac-
titioner progressively learns to channel his prāṇa through the body’s energ y cen-
ters (cakras). However, the number of distinct kriyās varies among the different
accounts, as do their divisions. In adapting this four- stage system, Yogananda
(and the SRF) dispenses with the nomenclature altogether and simply refers to
the kriyās numerically as first, second, and so on.
Although the particulars are difficult to discern due to the persistent
esotericism of the SRF’s core teachings, it appears that Yogananda kept the
basic structure of Kriya Yoga practice more or less intact for the Westerners
whom he initiated. As noted above, he dispensed with khecarī mudrā as a
requirement, recommending it only to select disciples, as he thought that
the technique’s difficulty and general strangeness would not win much pop-
ularity with a Western audience. Nābhi mudrā evidently met with a similar
fate. On the whole, Yogananda made a number of changes to the first kriyā
in terms of form and required content— and presumably to the subsequent
kriyās as well, though such differences in technique become increasingly dif-
ficult to recognize for the uninitiated. These changes were geared at rendering
the practice more approachable for his American disciples. Most visibly, the
practitioner was migrated from his traditional padmāsana (cross- legged lotus
seat) to sit upright in a straight- backed chair. As might be expected, members
of Yogananda’s lineage generally did not take kindly to these modifications