Babaji’s Kriya Yoga Journal · suffering, Yoga and Tantra teaches us to do the opposite of the...

Volume 25,Number 4

Winter2019

That by which you fall is that by which you rise

B a b a j i ’ s

Kriya Yoga Journal�By M. G. Satchidananda

Inside1. That by which you fall is that by which you rise, by M. G. Satchidananda

4. Does our morality depend on our belief in the existence of God? by M.G. Satchidananda

5. Babaji’s Kriya Hatha Yoga Teacher Training, by Durga Ahlund

7. News and notes

��published quarterly by Babaji’s Kriya Yoga and Publications, Inc.

196 Mountain Road P.O. Box 90Eastman, Quebec, Canada J0E 1P0

Telephone: (450) 297-0258, Fax: (450) 297-3957 email: [email protected] home page: http://www.babajiskriyayoga.net Continued on Page 2

Life is full of mystery. Mystery,among the other five functions ofShiva, namely creation, preservation,dissolution, and grace, is the least ap-preciated or understood. Mystery iswhat obliges us to seek. Most of thetime this seeking extends only toseeking temporary relief from suffer-ing, whether it be from boredom,fear, anger, attachment, or aversion.For this seeking to succeed in bring-ing lasting relief from the causes ofsuffering, Yoga and Tantra teaches usto do the opposite of the conditioninginherent in human nature. Saiva Sid-dhantha, the teachings of the Tamil

Yoga Siddhas, as recorded in the clas-sic work of Yoga and Tantra, the Tiru-mandiram, and its northern cousin,Kashmir Shaivism, as recorded in Vi-jnanabhairava, show us how.

All Yoga is about reversing theprocess of the manifestation ofShakti, the universal force. Its meth-ods serve to turn consciousness in-ward and upward toward its source,the Self, and away from the outer dis-tractions of the lower five senses. Butin Tantra you use the energy path-ways by which you descended toclimb back up into oneness. Thesame Shakti that brings you to the

contracted state, identifying with thebody, the emotions, or mental move-ments, is the same energy that cantake you back to the expanded stateof consciousness, through pranayamabreathing, meditation, bhakti yoga,asanas, mudras, and bandams.

Furthermore, any moment orevent can be used for this purpose ofovercoming the suffering born of theegoistic perspective. This requiresthat you concentrate on the energythat you feel in it, and to turn awayfrom the story which the mind devel-ops around it. Depending on whatstate of mind you are in (the relativedegree of separation from unity), dif-ferent methods are used. If you arefeeling very separate, a great deal ofphysical stress, or emotional agita-tion, begin with asanas andpranayama until you begin to calmdown. Notice the movement of en-ergy during these practices. Then usemore subtle practices, including med-itation and mantras, to work directlyon your thoughts and the tendenciesthat give rise to their repetition. Vig-orous practices known as tapas, doneintensively to purify identificationwith the body, emotions, and themind, raise the energy to the higherchakras, and with it, higher psycho-logical states.

Fall and rise continued

Babaji’s Kriya Yoga Journal

In an advanced state, you effortlessly remain as youare in recognition of your Self as pure Awareness, Shiva-Shakti, Conscious-Energy, as the five functions of theLord manifest within you and all around you. Bliss is thesignature of the presence of the highest Shakti. All ofthese practices become fruitful to the extent that youconcentrate on the energy within. Deep in the core of myheart She stood, and there dispelled the falsity of the sensesfive, and in me in union joined. And into the rapture of thetapasvin way, entranced, drew me; She the Mother of bound-less Bounty. – Tirumandiram, Verse1183

Kundalini Shakti is a specific po-tential power and consciousnesswithin us that can be activated bythe practices mentioned above andopen our awareness to merging withthe thought-free state of samadhi.This supreme state is you. It canonly be experienced through Shaktibecause the Seer cannot be found.Shakti is the revealer, the face ofShiva. By becoming aware of its inner movements duringthese practices, the pure experience melts the egoisticsense of separation, and you enter into non-dual aware-ness. As the Siddhas said about the soul and the SupremeBeing, Shiva: “They are not two.”

A practice to reveal ShaktiThe supreme Shakti reveals herself when inbreath and

outbreath are born and die at the two extreme points, top andbottom. Thus, between two breaths, experience infinite space.

– Vijnanabharaiva, Verse 24Between inbreath and outbreath, between stopping and

going, when breath stands still at the two extreme points,inner heart and outer heart, two empty spaces will be re-vealed to you: Bhairava (Shiva) and Bhairavi (Shakti).

–Vijnanabharaiva, Verse 25

Do this practice: While following your breath, look in-side the ordinary movement and find the space insideyour body where the inhalation ends and outside yourbody where the exhalation ends. In them, there is thetimeless, thoughtless space where consciousness ex-pands, and you enter into the absolute. Merge with it.Look for God at the end of each breath. Do this first whilesitting quietly with eyes closed, and later during routineactivities such as walking.

In any activity, concentrate on the gap between inbreathand outbreath. Thus, attain to bliss.

– Vijnanabharaiva, Verse 64

You may focus inside in the heart region at the end ofthe inhalation and twelve inches in front of your chestduring the exhalation. The space inside and the spaceoutside will gradually merge into one universal space.

In verses 26 and 27 which follow, the advanced stateof samadhi, when prana no longer moves through the

nostrils, but instead moves into the shushmna nadi, andthe attention naturally move into this expanded state ofstillness, wherein breath and thought stop, and the realnature of the Divine reveals itself:

With a relaxed body when exhaling and inhaling, loseyour mind and perceive your heart, the energy center wherethe absolute essence of Bhairava flows.

When you have breathed in or out completely, when thebreath movement stops on its own, in this universal lull, thethought of me disappears and the Shakti reveals herself.

An exercise to transcend thepairs of opposites

O Bhairavi, do not reside in pleas-ure nor in pain, instead be constantlyin the ineffable spatial reality thatlinks them.


Practice finding the place be-tween pain and pleasure. Recall apainful memory, for example, being

rejected or embarrassed. Now, recall a moment of greathappiness, for example one resulting from pleasure.Dwell on it. Now, return to the painful memory; then goback to the memory and feeling of pleasure and happi-ness. Imagine your right side is associated with pain,such as rejection and your left side with pleasure andhappiness. Can you hold both of them simultaneously?In your center, in the sushumna, there is equanimity andpure awareness. Focus your attention there. Who is it thatrests in this middle state? Open your eyes. Use this indaily life.

The more you can train yourself to remain centeredamid the pairs of opposites, pleasure and pain, praise andblame, success and failure, the more you will remain inthe state of equanimity. You can continue to experiencepleasure but remember the importance of turning inwardand recognizing the ground of your being.

Ishvara is the special Self, untouched by any afflictions,actions, fruits of action or by any inner impressions of desires

– Yoga Sutras, Verse I.24.

Desires: express, suppress, or observe?Tantra teaches that you should not to try to suppress

desire, but to heighten your experience of it to Self rec-ognize, by moving it away from distractions that willcause you to lose energy.

The method for doing this is to observe intently themoment of the arising of desire as an impulse withoutdeveloping its context, without judgment as to whetherit is good or bad, but with detachment. If you do so, itwill dissolve immediately into the source from which itcame. You will then experience a sweet expansion of en-ergy. It will be best to do this when you are well rested,alert, and aware. Otherwise, the energy of desire be-

Continued on Page 3

“In your center, in the

sushumna, there is

equanimity and pure

awareness. Focus your

attention there. ”

comes the desire for an object, and your mind will be car-ried way. Begin with smaller desires during the formalpractice of meditation.

Experience the absolute essence afterintense physical activity

Wander or dance to exhaustion in utter spontaneity. Then,suddenly drop to the ground and in this fall be total. There,absolute essence is revealed.

– Vijnanabharaiva, Verse 111When we have been intensely physically active, for ex-

ample, from hiking, dancing, or walking quickly, our en-ergy is raised and, as a result, we can experience anexpansion of consciousness. This reflects the variousTantra’s basic principle, which isthat consciousness follows energyand energy follows consciousness.Intense activity quiets the mind.

In stupor, anxiety, extreme feelings,at the edge of a precipice, runningfrom the battlefield, in hunger or ter-ror, or even when you sneeze, theessence of the spatiality of your ownmind can be seized.


Energy arises during life’s in-tense moments. Notice it before yousneeze, and focus on the emergingstate. After intense experiences, feelthe expansion and the bliss of the absolute. Savor it. It isthe arising of the splendor.

Understand that the spatial reality of Bhairava is presentin everything, in every being, and be this reality.


Everyone experiences I-ness. That is Bhairava. Askyourself, What is it that knows I am doing this exercise?Who knows that I am reading this text? Who is it thatknows that I am looking back at the mind? It is the Self,Bhairava. That which knows me is in everybody. As theSiddhas say: “God exists in you as you.”

Happiness resides in equality between extreme feelings.Reside in your own heart and attain to plenitude. Free your-self from hatred as well as from attachment. Then, knowingneither aversion nor bond, slip into the divine inside yourown heart.

– Vijnanabharaiva, Verses 125–126

Ethics becomes the spontaneous response of recogniz-ing the holiness of everyone, the Self in all. “Do unto oth-ers as you would have them do unto you,” is the GoldenRule. Recognizing your essential oneness with all and inlove, you seek to avoid causing suffering to others and toyourself.

Kundalini awakeningKundalini awakening is the activation of prana kun-

dalini in her evolutionary form. It is never really asleepor inactive. This power becomes available for inner trans-formation as you begin to purify your body and mindwith the methods of Tantra and Yoga. The release of oldtendencies and habits provides the capacity to experi-ence light inside your subtle body, draws your attentioninward, and powers your practice spontaneously.

A gentle way to kindle this awakening is to coax its up-ward movement with the practice of mantras. Old pat-terns of emotional reaction and thinking are starved asone redirects the prana into the mantras and the chakras.If you practice with great concentration on the energywithin, for example, the mantras, bliss arises automati-cally, even as the knots of emotional tendencies are un-

tied. See kundalini as a benign,supportive, and blissful universalenergy flowing into you from every-where. See it as breathing you. Beaware of it in the breath, nostrils,heartbeat, pulse, and muscles thathold you.

Here is an exercise: bring your at-tention to genital region and visual-ize the muladhara chakra and thesushumna nadi as a channel of lightwithin the spinal column. Inhalelight upwards through it. Feel it ra-diating at each chakra: svadhistana,manipura, anahata, vishuddi, ajna,and sahasrara. Pause at each chakra

and exhale, before inhaling again and raising the light tothe next higher chakra. Afterwards, feel all parts of yourbody to ground yourself, to integrate the subtle and phys-ical bodies with a sense of the blissful presence of the Di-vine Shakti.

Resources for further reading:Yoga Spandarika: the Sacred Texts at the Origins of

Tantra, translated by Daniel Odier, published by InnerTradtions, 2004. The quotations from Vijnanabhairava arefrom this edition.

Monistic Theism in the Tirumandiram and KashmirShaivism, Ebook by T.N. Ganapathy, available in severallanguages at www.babajiskriyayoga.net ecommercebookstore.

The Practice of Integral Yoga (of Sri Aurobindo), J.K.Mukherjee. Available at www.babajiskriyayoga.net ecom-merce bookstore.

Opposite Doing: the Five Keys to Good Social Relation-ships, Ebook by M. Govindan, available in several lan-guages at www.babajiskriyayoga.net ecommercebookstore.

Tirumandiram: A Classic of Yoga and Tantra, edited byM. Govindan, available from www.babajiskriyayoga.netecommerce bookstore in a three-volume 1992 edition anda five-volume 2010 edition.

Fall and rise continued


“Recognizing your

essential oneness

with all and in love,

you seek to avoid

causing suffering to

others and to

yourself.”

The answer to this question depends on which Godyou are thinking of: the cosmic mystery or the worldlylawgiver. Sometimes discussions about God refer to amysterious God about which we know almost nothing.Referring to this God, we may try to explain the deepestenigmas. Why does the world exist? What is the sourceof physics’ fundamental laws? What is consciousness?

Because we cannot answer these questions, we callour ignorance “God.” We are unable to say anything con-crete about this mysterious God. This is the God ofphilosophers and mystics. This God inspires us to wonderabout the mystery of life with all of its awesome beauty.Mystics and philosophers may even describe themselvesas “spiritual, but not religious.”

Sometimes people refer to God as the lawgiver. Weknow a lot about Him and what he thinks about sex, fash-ion, politics, intoxicants, and what he likes and dislikes.This is the God of the Ten Commandments, the Koran,and other religious scriptures.

When people of religious faith are asked if God reallyexists, they often begin by referring to the mysterious,enigmatic God who cannot be known because of the lim-its of human understanding. But then they quote a holybook to justify their condemnation of divorce, gay mar-riage, bikinis, dietary restrictions, and temple rituals. Butthere is no evidence that any holy scripture was com-posed by the force that determines the laws of physics.The best of our scientific knowledge indicates that all ofthese texts were written by imaginative persons, in-vented probably to justify social norms and politicalstructures.

Ethics and moralityMorality does not require that one follow God’s com-

mands. It actually means “reduce suffering.” Therefore,to act morally, you do not need to believe in any religioustext or even in the existence of God as a lawgiver. You doneed to develop a deep appreciation of the sources of suf-fering. The Yoga Siddhas, including Patanjali, emphasizedthat your highest authority is your own experience. Ifyou really understand how you cause unnecessary suf-fering to yourself and others, you will naturally abstainfrom doing so. Hurting others always also hurts you your-self. Every hurtful action or word begins in someone’smind, which disturbs that person’s peace.

People usually do not steal unless they first develop agreat deal of greed, envy, or resentment. Murder usuallyoccurs only after someone cultivates anger and hatred.Such emotions are very unpleasant and even harmfulphysically to yourself. You might even nurture anger foryears without hurting anyone but yourself. It is thereforeyour own self-interest, not the command of some god,that should motivate you to do something about youranger or greed. Letting go of them, you will feel far betterthan acting on them.

After defining Kriya Yoga, and its purpose – to weaken

the five sources of suffering, the kleshas, namely, igno-rance of our true identity, egoism, attachment, aversion,and fear of death – in Yoga Sutras II.1–3, Patanjali pre-scribes social restraints, the yamas, to reduce suffering.These are non-harming, truthfulness, not stealing,chastity, and greedlessness (Yoga Sutra II.30). Their pur-pose is to help you avoid the suffering that may arise inyour relations with other people. Although they are sim-ilar to the ethical codes found in many religions, they arenot God’s commandments.

They are the product of the wisdom of the Yoga Siddhas,born of experience. Like all ethical codes, they are an idealto aspire to rather than a social reality. They embody thevalues of modern scientific and democratic liberal institu-tions: truth, compassion, equality, freedom, courage, andresponsibility. Our liberal secular democracy is foundedon the principle that each individual’s experience is thehighest source of authority, expressed collectively throughfree and fair elections, rather than the edicts of some king,God’s delegate, as in the Middle Ages.

SecularismSecularism is sometimes, and wrongly, defined as the

negation of religion, and secularists are sometimes char-acterized by what they don’t believe and don’t do. Accord-ing to this definition, secularists do not believe in anygods or angels, do not go to temples or churches, and donot participate in religious rituals. As such, the secularworld is characterized wrongly as hollow and amoral.

Self-professing secularists view secularism as very pos-itive and active, defined by a coherent code of valuesrather than opposition to this or that religion. Many sec-ular values are shared by various religious traditions. Un-like some religious sects that insist that they alone havea monopoly on truth, wisdom, and goodness, one of thechief characteristics of secularists is that they claim nosuch monopoly. They do not believe that morality andwisdom came down from God at a particular place andtime. They view morality and wisdom as the naturallegacy of all humans.

This view is very close to that of the Yoga Siddhas, whoalso refused to sanctify any group, person, book, or reli-gious institution as if it alone had sole custody of truth.Secularists and the Yoga Siddhas sanctify truth whereverit may reveal itself, whether it is within ourselves or inscientific research.

The other chief commitment of secularists is to com-passion. Like the Yoga Siddhas, secular ethical behaviorrelies not upon obeying the edicts of God, but rather ona deep understanding of human suffering. Ignoring sec-ular ethical behavior, or the yamas of Yoga, inflicts im-mense suffering. There is something troubling anddangerous about people who avoid killing just because“God says so.” Such people are motivated by obedience

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Does our morality depend on our belief in the existence of God?By M. G. Satchidananda


Does morality require God continued

rather than compassion, and what will they do if theycome to believe that their god commands them to kill for-eigners, unbelievers, adulterers, or even mystics?

In the absence of absolute divine commandments, sec-ular ethics requires deep reflection on difficult dilemmaswhen the same action hurts one person but helps an-other. For example, in the case of abortion. In the case oflevying high taxes on the rich to help the poor. Or in thecase of waging a bloody war to remove a brutal dictator.Should an unlimited number of economic refugees be al-lowed into our country? Secular persons do not ask whatGod wants. Rather, they carefully evaluate the feelings ofall concerned, examine a wide range of observations andpossible solutions, and search for a middle path that willcause as little harm and suffering as possible. This is alsowhy secularists cherish the results of scientific investiga-tion, from research on the climate to psychological stud-ies, which can illuminate one’s compassion.

Our institutional shadowsJust as every individual has a shadow – negative be-

havior, attitudes, and conditioning that is ignored – everyreligion, ideology, and creed has its shadow. These arethe effects that cause suffering to people, animals, andthe environment. Religion, communism, fascism, andcapitalism have all been responsible for the death of mil-lions of people, despite their lofty promises. But secularscience has one big advantage over religion: It is not in-herently afraid of its shadow. The Catholic Church, forexample, has made every effort to hide its shadow, thesexual abuse perpetrated by hundreds of priests in NorthAmerica alone during the past decades.

If you believe in an absolute truth revealed by a tran-scendent power, you cannot admit to error, because itwould negate your whole story. But if you believe in aquest for truth by fallible humans, as scientific secularistsdo, admitting blunders is part of the accepted process, al-though even this may be corrupted by the need to satisfyshareholders or the need to win votes.

This is also why reformers of “the system” tend tomake relatively modest promises, unlike populist dema-gogues. Aware of their imperfections, they hope to effect

small, incremental changes, such as raising the mini-mum wage a few dollars or reducing child mortality by afew percentage points. Dogmatic ideologies routinelypromise the impossible.

For example, Joseph Kennedy, III, a rising U.S. Con-gressman is advocating for a “moral capitalism” thatwould be “judged not just by how much it produces, buthow widely it shares; how good it does for how many;and how well it takes care of all of us.” He believes it’simperative that House Democrats use their newfoundmajority to craft an agenda that “lets our businessesthrive but our people breathe … Our people need an al-ternative to the trickle-down, feed-the-top, if-you’re-strug-gling-try-harder narrative that conservatives havemasterfully entrenched in American consciousness, butfor years, the left has failed to offer a competing – com-pelling – economic vision,” said Kennedy. “We’ll have todo more than tax the rich to meet our needs in infrastruc-ture, childcare, health care, college, and climate change.”

Although the abuses and limitations of capitalism arewell known, one can easily demonstrate that it has suc-ceeded in freeing the vast majority of humanity fromgrinding poverty. Therefore, curbing its effects throughreform, with an aim to reducing suffering, is a goal to beaccomplished incrementally. All of us, secularist andyogis, can apply ourselves to removing imperfectionsboth in our human nature and in society, without blam-ing God and without ignoring our shadow sides. Many ofyou may find your life’s purpose in doing so. Arrupadai,showing the path to free oneself of suffering, is what theSiddhas continue to do.

I personally would put more trust in those who admitignorance than in those who claim infallibility. If youwant your religion, ideology, or worldview to lead theworld, my first question to you is: What was the biggestmistake your religion, ideology, or worldview has com-mitted? What did it get wrong? If you cannot reply witha serious example, I would not trust you.

For further reading on Yogic morality: Opposite Doing:the Five Keys to Good Social Relationships, Ebook by M.Govindan, available in several languages at www.baba-jiskriyayoga.net ecommerce bookstore.


An invitation to you

Babaji’s Kriya Hatha Yoga teacher training - working at the edge

Babaji’s Kriya Yoga is a system of awareness training.You are taught how powerful it is to observe whateverarises in your mind, without needing to push it away orescape from it. You learn to take care of yourself by em-bracing and befriending whatever you are feeling withinyour awareness. You grow by suffusing awareness withthe qualities of kindness and a gentle openness, and in-terest in, what is arising within you, whatever it may be.

Awareness encourages release. Awareness begins withattention.

Let’s take for instance sitting meditation, where youwill likely experience a certain degree of discomfort. Itis not easy being still for an extended period of time,while sitting cross-legged on the floor. Your knees, back,neck or shoulders might begin to ache, or your mind maybegin to bore or engage you in negative thinking. Onceyou have settled your body into a state of physical still-ness through pranayama and shuddhi – observing and

By Durga Ahlund

Continued on Page 6

Working at the edge continued


detaching from the thoughts that move through the spaceof the mind – your awareness may be drawn to a pointof physical discomfort. The mind will routinely be dis-tracted by these feelings of tightness, poor range of mo-tion, or poor circulation or articulation of a joint, or theaching in a muscle. We refer to this experience as an edgebecause it may cause you to stop what you are doing.

If you gently bring your focus to and hold your atten-tion on the rise of that sensation (where there is an“edge” of intensity, just short of pain), the sensation willnot increase, even if your initial reaction is strong aver-sion. In fact, by befriending the experience of sensation,by turning toward it and opening up to whatever is pres-ent, you can often even relieve or release it. You will dis-cover that if your attention is repeatedly drawn to anuncomfortable physical sensation and if you are able toaccept it moment-to-moment, your awareness can dis-solve it. Physical discomfort will disappear, and mentaldiversions will no longer break meditation as long as youdon’t engage it.

Being able to observe your edges requires balance. Theedge is a portal to the flow of prana. Yoga’s challenge isto find balance in body and mind in order to connect withand increase this flow of energy. Being out of balance,that is not centered, not present and aware separates youfrom the potential flow of increased energy. Workingwith the edge opens the flow of shakti, the stream of di-vine energy within you. Meditation and asana provide abridge from the physical to the spiritual realms of yourbeing. The edge is one pathway, expanding inward andoutward into uncharted regions of your being. By work-ing your edges, while practicing postures you will alsogain the awareness, energy and confidence to work withedges in your life, i.e. wherever you feel fear or anxiety,lack of confidence or stress.

Working at the edge utilizes awareness to address thesource of what is causing tension to settle into your bodyor mind and of letting it go. It offers you a means of gen-tly, compassionately zeroing in on your boundaries andlimitations, by moving into and embracing the sensationsthat occur around them, in the moment. This practice al-lows you to discover different ways to stay in relationshipwith your inner experience, even when it is unpleasantor difficult.

Observing your edges help you to find balance. Youlearn when to back off and shift your attention from anyarea in which there is too great an intensity to handle inthe moment. Yet it offers you also a strategy to return toit when you have gathered yourself and regrouped yourenergy. You might do this in a number of ways.

1. One possibility is to shift attention within the gen-eral region of intensity… rather than focusing on the re-gion of maximum intensity, (i.e. the knee) focus on anarea of lesser intensity (the upper thigh).

2. Another is to breathe into the discomfort, holdingawareness of the intense sensations together with aware-ness of the breath in the background.

3. If the intensity becomes overwhelming, shift atten-

tion totally on the breath - using ujjayi matreiekapranayama.

4. You can shift your position, moving or supportingyour body to release tension. Just be aware that you areshifting your posture, so that there is continuity of aware-ness.

At the Kriya Hatha Yoga Teacher Training thisSummer 2019, we will introduce students to the conceptof “working at the edge’ using the 18-posture series. Work-ing with the concept of the edge asana practice is ameans of increasing physical and vital purification andof reaching heightened states of consciousness.

What is the edge of a posture?These edges have to do with flexibility, strength, bal-

ance, endurance, fear and pain. Working with the edgeis not just remaining at your maximum stretch. The edgeembraces the evolution of working with an asana. Work-ing with edges involves working with many differenttypes and levels of tension and release. The edge itself iscreated whenever the whole body participates and is con-centrating on experiencing the physical posture withenough extension to create intensity, with a mild tolera-ble discomfort. The edge as an asana practice is, the placein each stretch where you can really “feel” it.

Asana deals directly with the material part of our phys-ical totality, but it can be a total hygiene for the wholeorganism. The body can be purified of physical irregu-larities, but also of mental and emotional irregularities.You will explore the 18-postures as deeply as you can.You will learn how to stimulate and experience energymoving through subtle channels in your body, by con-sciously and safely moving beyond your ordinary degreeof flexibility, strength or endurance. You will release ten-sion and contraction that otherwise is never reached anddissolve the emotional components attached to it.

Through disciplined attention and extended holdings,you learn to utilize your asana practice as a safe place tobecome aware of and release trauma, emotional hin-drance or subconscious influence causing you pain inyour body. You can break through some addiction orshatter some fear-based restriction controlling your life.By accepting the effort required and working with con-centration and intensity at the edge, you create a safeand sacred opportunity to become aware of and thenchange what is not working for you. This work requiresdetachment, but it can also develop detachment.

In Yoga, we know that by doing something repeatedly,by exerting yourself repeatedly you can make anythinga definite part of your mind and personality. With the in-tention and discipline of a daily practice to eliminate neg-ative habits of the mind and emotions, i.e. laziness,addiction, anger, pain, envy…change is possible. Whenyou undertake an intentional practice utilizing concen-tration, awareness, and effort and choose to work on theedges of the asana you can eliminate influences that

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Jay Shiozawa and Jamie Bright join Babaji’s KriyaYoga Order of Acharyas. Jay joined the Order during aceremony in the Badrinath ashram October 1st and re-ceived the spiritual name “Vasudeva”. Jamie joined theOrder during a ceremony at the Quebec ashram on Oc-tober 21, 2018 and received the name “Krishna”.

Acharya Vasudeva writes: “I started my career with amajor Japanese trading firm. I was doing fairly well fornearly 20 years and was nominated as a CEO of one ofsubsidiary companies inmy early forties. How-ever, it did not take melong time to realize themeaning of ‘Ye cannotserve God and mam-mon’ because I soon suf-fered from autonomicimbalance. I searchedfor a more realistic ca-reer for myself withinthe same company andobtained professionalcertifications in InternalAudit and as a computerauditor. In mid-fifties. Ireceived the first initia-tion in Babaji’s KriyaYoga in 2010, and thesecond and the third ini-tiations in 2011. I also re-ceived the teachertraining course in 2012in Quebec and startedteaching Kriya Hatha yoga classes in Tokyo in 2013. Aftermy retirement from the trading company in 2014, I con-sidered farming while practicing yoga. But in order tohelp as many people as possible and to make the rest ofmy life an offering to Babaji, I accepted M. G. Satchi-dananda’s invitation to fulfill the requirements to becomean Acharya of Babaji’s Kriya Yoga. In recent years, I wasalso one of the main members of a team which translatedthe book The Voice of Babaji into Japanese. I am marriedand have two daughters. I am a graduate of Tokyo Uni-versity.

Krishna was born in 1981in New York City to parentswho followed the yogic spiritual path lead by one of themany Indian gurus who arrived in the 1970’s in America.It is not surprising, growing up in a household imbeddedwith that knowledge and practice, that he learned tomeditate at the age of nine. Throughout his youth andadult life, he has used the practices of yoga, pranayama,asana, and meditation for support and stability.

Jamie is a trained musician who received a Degree inMusic Production and Engineering at Berklee College ofMusic. He decided to settle in Vermont amidst the beautyof the open-minded and spiritually conscious communi-

ties, he found there.While in India on hishoneymoon with hiswife Adena , a yoginiand Ayurvedic practi-tioner, he discovered thepath of Kriya Yoga andBabaji. Jamie followedhis June 2013 Initiationinto Babaji’s Kriya Yogaat the Quebec Ashramby performing KarmaYoga, in silence for 30days. A pledge to sur-render his own ego’s de-sires to Thy Will, has ledJamie, now, Krishna ona path to love and serveall. He has been dedi-cated many years toself-study and transfor-mation through devotion to Babaji and the Truth. Heseeks to fulfill his dharma and share these teachings withothers, who seek to evolve in mind, body and conscious-ness and for the benefit and upliftment of all life. You canlearn more about Krishna at his website:www.jamiebright.com

Om Guru Festival in Cunha, Brazil, November 14-20, 2018 Here is a photo album of our recent 20th An-niversary Celebration of activities in Brazil, by 108sadhaks:http://flordasaguas.net/galeria-de-fotos-festival-om-guru-om-2018/and more photos and a videoclip on the Order’s Facebookpage:www.facebook.com/BKYOAUSA/?ref=bookmarks

Silence Retreat at the Quebec Ashram with AcharyaAmman, December 26 to 31, 2018. Click on:www.babajiskriyayoga.net/english/pdfs/events/Silence-retreat-program-Dec-26-31-2018.pdf

Pilgrimage to the new Badrinath Ashram withAcharyas Kailash and Brahmananda: September 19 toOctober 7, 2019, Join them in a life changing, unforget-table pilgrimage to the place where Babaji attainedsoruba samadhi, the ultimate state of enlightenment. De-tails are here: www.babajiskriyayoga.net/english/Pilgrimages-himalayas.htm

Second level initiations will be given by M.G. Satchi-dananda in Quebec June 14-16 and October 11- 13, 2019.

Third level initiations will be offered with M. GovindanSatchidananda in Quebec July 18-28, 2019. They will also

News and Notes

Continued on Page 8


be offered in 2019 by Satyananda in Germany, byNityananda in Spain, by Sita Siddhananda in France, byIshvarananda in Estonia. Attain the goal of Self-realiza-tion with powerful kriyas to awaken the chakras and togo into the breathless state of samadhi.

Teacher Trainings in Kriya Hatha Yoga will be offeredin Quebec in English June 27 to July 12, and in FrenchAugust 5-16, 2019. www.babajiskriyayoga.net/english/hatha-yoga-teacher-training.htm

Annual Fundraising Drive for Babaji’s Kriya YogaOrder of Acharyas Please help us to bring Babaji’s KriyaYoga to persons like you around the world. We need yourhelp. Details: www.babajiskriyayoga.net/english/pdfs/Fundraising_2018-english.pdf

Enlightenment: It’s NotWhat You Think, our latestpublication, by MarshallGovindan, reveals how youcan replace the perspectiveof the ego – the habit of iden-tifying with the body, emo-tions, and thoughts – with anew perspective: the Witness,that of your soul … pure con-sciousness. With compellinglogic, practices for everydaylife, and guided meditations,the book explains how youcan free yourself from suffer-ing, enjoy inner peace, andfind intuitive guidance.. Enlightenment: It’s Not WhatYou Think is a must-read, for it is practical, simple, andmeaningful… It is a decisive tool we can use for findinglife’s purpose.” - Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Ph D, SpiritualHead, Himalayan Institute. 192 pages. US$14.95CN$18.75 Order your copy from our website:www.babajiskriyayoga.net/english/bookstore.htm#enlightenment_book

Visit our e-commerce site www.babajiskriyayoga.netfor purchasing with your VISA, American Express orMastercard all of the books and other products sold byBabaji’s Kriya Yoga Publications, or for donations to theOrder of Acharyas. Your credit card information is en-crypted and kept secure. Check it out!

Subscribe to the correspondence course, The Graceof Babaji’s Kriya Yoga We invite you to join us in thisadventure of Self-exploration and discovery, drawn fromthe books dictated by Babaji in 1952 and 1953. Receiveby mail, each month, a lesson of 18-24 pages developinga specific theme, with practical exercises. For details gohere: www.babajiskriyayoga.net/english/bookstore.htm#grace_course

Visit Durga’s blogwww.seekingtheself.com

We offer our subscribers in the Euro currency zoneto send annual subscription payment of 12 Euros in acheque payable to “Marshall Govindan in a transfer, toDeutsche Bank, International, BLZ 50070024, account no.0723106, re. IBAN DE09500700240072310600, BIC/Swiftcode DEUTDEDBFRA. (Or in francophone countries ofEurope, le paiement doit être fait au nom de « MarshallGovindan » dans un transfert à la Banque Crédit Lyon-nais, Banque 30002, indicatif : 01853, numéro de compte0009237P80, re. IBAN FR75 3000 2018 5300 0000 9237P80, BIC CRLYFRPP or a cheque payable to “MarshallGovindan,” sent to Francoise Laumain, 50 rue Corvisart,75013 Paris, France. In Spain, send a cheque payable toNacho Albalat at c/ Ruzafa 43/2, Valencia 45006, Spainand inform him at: [email protected]. German speak-ing countries inform Prem at [email protected] to renewyour subscription.

To renew the English language edition of the KriyaYoga Journal, please do so via the bookstore section ofour website www.babajiskriyayoga.net or by sending acheck payable to Babaji’s Kriya Yoga, with the RenewalForm below.

News and notes continued


have been hindering you for decades.The edge is however, something that you must feel

positive about taking on. Whenever you are someplace,you’d rather not be, there is conflict in the body. Even ifyou are just not wholeheartedly involved in what you aredoing, parts of you will shut down and not participate.Your energy circulation will become constricted and cre-ative life force impeded. Your energy and vitality will godown and you may feel frustration, limitation and un-happiness. There will be pain.

On the other hand, whenever you are participatingfully, when you are wholeheartedly about something,when you are right where you want to be, you experi-ence a sense of aliveness, a surge of energy and renewedvigor because your energy is not constricted. There ismore energy flowing and more enthusiasm, more vitalityand few limitations because you are in harmony withyourself. This is the “right attitude” and surely the placeto be when you are practicing yoga at the edge, with un-divided attention, experiencing the truth about what ishappening in your body, conflict free, calm, dynamic,centered and interested.

“Right attitude” is something that must be developed.Consider these questions: when you practice asana doyou fully participate each moment, or is your mind onother things? Do you like some asana and practice themregularly, but dislike others and avoid doing them? Areyou a bit lazy and more attracted to physical comfortthan to doing what you most need to do for better health

and mental equanimity? Do you have concepts aboutwhat is safe and what is risky, about what you can andcan’t do? Mastering asana is not picture-book perform-ance of the asana; it is the experience of energy, buoy-ancy and lightness from being still and balanced in theasana. This can occur for any one of us, even in a modi-fied, simplified posture.

Students often hold onto inflexible beliefs and conceptsabout what they can and cannot do, believe or achieveregarding asana and meditation. What Yoga teaches is, itis your concepts that restrict and limit you. It is your con-cepts about things that make you unhappy. It is reallyquite fascinating. When you are unhappy or worried,some tightness happens in the body. If instead of gettinglost in sadness, apathy or concern, you would do someasana, concentrating on the physical sensation, whichthat dis-ease has created in your body, you may noticenot only the sensation lightening, but also your attitude.

The edge is a threshold of opportunity. It is an oppor-tunity to explore what is beyond what is familiar andsafe. Mastering the edges in the body create the confi-dence you need to approach the edges in your life.

Are you ready to master edges in your life? Considerjoining us for Babaji’s Kriya Yoga Teacher Training at theQuebec Ashram, June 27- July 12, in English or August6 to 18, 2019 in French. For more information check thewebsite:

www.babajiskriyayoga.net/english/hatha-yoga-teacher-training.htm

Working at the edge continued


Notice to SubscribersThe journal will be sent by email to everyone who has an email address. We re-quest that all of you inform us of the email address to which you would prefer wesend the journal, and if you are using an anti-spam blocker, to put our email ad-dress [email protected] on the exception list. It will be sent as a formattedwith the photographs in a PDF file attachment. This can be read using Adobe Acro-bat Reader. Otherwise it can be resent upon request in a Word file, unformattedwith no photographs. If you do not renew before the end of March 2019 you maynot receive the next issue.

Renewal FormPlease renew my one-year subscription to “Babaji’s KriyaYoga Journal”

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email

Enclosed is a check for US$12 or Canada: Cn$13.65 or Quebec:Cn$14.94 payable to “Babaji’s Kriya Yoga And Publications, Inc. “196 Mountain Road, P.O. Box 90, Eastman, Quebec, CanadaJ0E 1P0.

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