"Om purna madaha purna midam
purnat purna mudachaty
purnasya purna madaya
purna miwa vishusatay"

Isha Upanishad, is a sacred yogic text.

Kriyananda says this mantra "conveys the truth that everything is as it should be. All is perfect because all comes from God who is perfect. It is only our inability to see the whole that gives a distorted view."

The Chakras and Karma

"Every soul is at a level in the chakras where the lesson needs to be learned. No one goes straight up. Each goes through a mystical patterning before reaching the sun (ajna) chakra." What does Kriyananda mean by this? Each and every person starts at the chakra that will most benefit them in learning their intended lesson, not only in this life, but fore each stage of your current life time, and as well as for future life times. No one begins at the base (root) chakra then move up to the sacral chakra and so on. Each person, with their own karmic patterns, their own life and soul lessons to learn, are exactly where they should be.

By understanding where you are within the chakra system, you begin to move up toward freedom and enlightenment. Through the regular practice of yoga poses (asanas) you modify this flow of energy (prana) in each chakra. Through self-study, meditation, and observing the patterns in your own life you will find where you are. From knowing where you are, without judgment, you gain greater self-awareness thus working toward greater balance. It is your responsibility to figure ou where you are and to begin moving upward. Regular and consistent yoga practice and meditation will help you on your journey, moving toward freedom.

There are three keys which will help, in addition to yoga and meditation. The first is to stop the sway of your inner emotions. How? "To neutralize karma you must first learn to smile and live with it." So, SMILE, even when life throws a wrench in your plans. Meditate as to why this happened, look inward and upward, and smile every chance you get. Next keep up with your self-awareness. Do not let your karma have its way and allow your self to get lost in the sea of emotionality. So again, SMILE, to soften and neutralize that karma! Finally, keep one foot firmly planted on your spiritual break. Your karma will not stop immediately, but don't think that what you are doing isn't working. Just like a car speeding on the highway, when the brake is applied properly it will slow down and come to a complete stop. You do need to be aware that your car may hit a slick spot and spin out of control, so you do need to look ahead and be prepared.

One way to find out about your karmic tendencies is to check with an astrologer. With the help of a reputable astrologer you can find where your weaknesses and strengths lie. Once you know where you are, you can begin working on strengthening those strengths and eliminating those weak areas. Karma is just karma, neither bad nor good. It is what it is and is the only place where you can begin making positive changes in your life.

The Chakras

Chakras are energy centers located with in the body. There are seven chakras recognized and used in kriya yoga. These centers activate and control your body and mind. The chakras are located along the spine beginning from the base of the spine up through the top of the head. Life force energy or prana enters at the back of the head near the medulla as we breathe. This is called the moon center (chandra chakra) which is the female center or the mouth of God. When we breathe in prana (life force energy) enters through the moon center then moves down through the five lower chakras, along the spine, moves back up through the same chakras, but on the other side, then moves out through the sun center, which is the masculine center.

Yoga poses (asanas) help to modify the energy flowing through each chakra. You want to have a balance of energy with in each of the chakras. If you have excessive energy you want to restrict the flow, if you have deficient energy in a particular chakra you want to expand the chakra so more energy will flow in. When yoga poses are done they will help to either open or close a chakra, bringing balance. When doing the pose(s) where you feel pressure is where the energy is being directed. Yoga poses increase self-awareness. As self-awareness increases, your awareness of you body increases, thus taking better care of it. The increased awareness of your body will cause you to become more aware of your mind, and you will take better care of it. As this continues the energy moves to the higher chakras and this will bring about higher awareness and a balanced self-awareness with in. Ultimately, you are working toward transcending body awareness, but in the beginning body awareness is where you want to start, especially if you tend to be ungrounded. With the practice of kriya yoga we begin to re-balance the flow of energy, moving it upward.

The seven main chakras are, beginning from the lowest, mulahdara (root or base chakra), svadhisthana (sacral chakra), manipura (solar plexus chakra), anahata (heart chakra), vissudha (throat chakra), ajna (third eye chakra), sahaswara (crown chakra or thousand petal lotus). Each chakra has specific qualities when balanced, deficient or excessive in energy, lessons, physical location, corresponding color, sound and stone(s). Through the study of chakras, even basic knowledge, will help you gain insight and awareness of your self and through this awareness doors you have never seen will open, you will have greater love and bliss in your life.

This excerpt was taken from The Laws of Karma by GoSwami Kriyananda, chapter 11, How To Attract Good Karma, pgs. 128 - 131

There are forks in the road of everyone’s life. Most miss the wiser fork because of their unawareness. You must make yourself more aware…. Here are a few simple things that can be done to improve your ability to extract positive karma from your life.

1. Expect opportunities to come your way. Expectation is a powerful spiritual magnet. By conceiving that the doorway of your unconscious is open to greater perceptiveness of opportunities, you allow good karma to flow out. Expect good karma to come your way. Expect positive karma to flow into your life. Expectation is literally a lifting of the karma from the cellar of your unconsciousness. There are three subdivisions to this expectation:
   a. You need to believe in yourself, and you must believe in your life. This is a difficult spiritual task for most people.
   b. Believe in your good karma.
   c. Take nothing in the world for granted.

2. The second point is not to sell yourself short. There are ways of removing the negativities from your life. Certain cycles pervade. Recognize that this lifetime of yours is not a chance event. You were born a humanoid, a very high form of earthly evolution. You came into this world with a purpose and that purpose cannot be defeated, but it can be improved. Recognize that everything is ruled by karmic law, and that you can change your karma. The law that works for one soul, works for all souls.

3. If you are emotional, it is very difficult to activate your good karma. Emotionality activates negative karma from your subconscious. So you must work to quiet your mind so that you can activate good karma. Work at becoming centered and at balancing your life so that extremely good karma can manifest. Whatever your goal is, you must balance out your emotionality. It is at this moment of balance that you can easily extract positive karma. Gain the habit of good karma outflow so that when you’re experiencing difficult karma, you can soften it.

4. How can you prepare yourself if you cannot remember the mistakes of last year, or of last month? When you don’t remember, what can you expect of life? Each and every one of us should prepare ourselves by becoming more stable emotionally so that we can remember and recall. This means we must get rid of biases and prejudices. Balance out your emotions and open the doorway of remembrance.

5. Understand the great spiritual law because it is the way to freedom: Find (see) a need in the world, and fulfill that need! Learn all you can about the spiritual life. Learn all you can about yoga, occultism, astrology and mystical philosophies.

6. Finally, don’t take anything for granted. We often succumb to the idea that “It hasn’t happened to me yet, therefore it won’t happen at all.” Don’t take for granted that everything will remain the same. It’s not enough to have the equipment you need to gain spiritual wealth. You need guts. You need daring. You need the courage to try something. Act. Whatever the temporary outcome of your action, you have won spiritually because you have become stronger. If the world hurts you, dust yourself off and begin anew! There are two other rules for intensifying your good karma:
   a. The seeds of karma can only take root and grow if they fall upon fertile soil.
   b. Make mental contact with positive karma seeds: spiritual textbooks, wise teachers and esoteric tools.

Your supply is equal to your demand. There is no lack of supply, only lack of demand. ~~Yogi Bhajan, master of Kundalini Yoga, quote from Yoga for Prosperity

One prosperous thought is more powerful than a thousand thoughts of failure. ~~Yogi Bhajan, master of Kundalini Yoga, quote from Yoga for Prosperity

Gratitude is the open door to abundance. ~~Yogi Bhajan, master of Kundalini Yoga, quote from Yoga for Prosperity

The rules of meditation and the meditation techniques are from the Spiritual Science of Kriya Yoga,  by Goswami Kriyananda

The Golden Rules of Meditation

1.. Meditation is an effortless movement of the mind. It is a function to be done without strain of the body or mind.

2.. In meditation there needs to be attention to the mind without tension in the mind.

3.. It does not matter how often the mind wanders during meditation, but how gently you bring it back to the object.

4.. It does not matter how long you meditate, but how deeply you meditate.  

Sit in a meditative pose, any comfortable seated position if you are unfamiliar with meditation. Center yourself in the Saturn center, which is located at the base of the spine. Feel as well as visualize a straight ray of light moving up to the thousand-petalled lotus, the crown of the head. Do this without any other thought. As you visualize the light moving up the thousand-petalled lotus, do not allow the light to bow to either side. The light must only move in a straight line, upward. Now, return the light to the Saturn chakra in the same manner.

I find these suggestions can be helpful for new students....from Victor Oppenheimer,  founder of Yoga.com

1. Yoga confers the benefits to the body, mind and spirit, and these benefits are best realized through a regular personal practice.

2. Maintaining a regular practice is helped if you put aside the same period or periods of time each day. It is more important than the duration of the practice. Yoga is done in bare feet.

3. Always practice and come to class with an empty stomach. Otherwise, some of the poses can interfere with digestion. Also, be sure to attend to personal hygiene prior to class.

4. Listen to your body, and if you feel burning sensations or otherwise injury, stop. Do not wait for the teachers' instructions.

5. Let go of your own ego, and desire to impress the teacher and other pupils in class. Use each class to maximize your learning.

6. Remember that an essence of a yoga practice is the study of self. Avoid observing other students and comparing yourself to them.

7. How deeply you go into a pose does not matter as much as how deeply you go within yourself. Use your inner attention and strength.

8. Every good practice should teach you something, and result in a sense of innocence and liberation for daily concerns.

9. In choosing a teacher, find a person who engenders your respect, appears to operate with compassion, has a deep knowledge of the subject, and with whom you connect.

10. Try to learn the yoga tradition including the yamas, niyamas, and Pantanjali’s Yoga Sutras and other seminal writing.

11. Don’t limit your practice to your best poses, but work on poses that are difficult as well. Try to have a well-rounded practice.

12. When beginning yoga, there is no substitute for working with a good teacher; a book or video cannot provide you with responsive feedback.

13. Be sure to inform your teacher of any physical problems that may be helped or made worse by doing yoga. Yoga can have great therapeutic effects, and an experienced and well-trained teacher can help pupils realize these benefits for their particular problems.