The Gurus of This Kriya Yoga Lineage
Kriya Yoga is a living tradition that has been passed down from teacher to student for hundreds of years, and perhaps longer. This unbroken chain of consciousness creates a kind of momentum within the teachings that benefits both student and teacher alike. Attuning to this chain of consciousness can help one progress on their spiritual path. Contemplating the lives of the gurus in this lineage can help one better attune to the level of consciousness they passed on.
Mahavatar Babaji
Our lineage traces its roots back to Babaji, who initiated Lahiri Mahasaya into the Kriya Yoga tradition. Babaji was a renunciate yogi who lived in seclusion, or with a small group of very disciplined disciples, in the Himalayas. He is said to have revived the ancient techniques of Kriya Yoga and kept them alive through the Kali Yuga before passing them on to Lahiri to be taught in this new age of the Dwapara Yuga.
There is much mystery and many stories about Babaji. He is said to be a fully enlightened being who no longer accumulates karma or is affected by past karmas. Babaji’s age is unknown and many claim that he is an immortal yogi who has mastered many siddhis. Both Sri Yukteswar and Yogananda (as well as other kriya masters) also claim to have interacted with this saint, as is described in Yogananda’s book Autobiography of a Yogi.
The Kriya Yoga Podcast about Mahavatar Babaji – https://kriyayoga.podbean.com/e/mahavatar-babaji-kriya-yoga-podcast-episode-1/
Lahiri Mahasaya
Lahiri Mahasaya, who’s birth name was Shyma Charan Lahiri, met Babaji and was initiated into Kriya Yoga in 1862. Lahiri was a householder with a wife and family when he met Babaji. At that time, if one wanted to become initiated into a yogic tradition, they would have to become a renunciate or go to live at an ashram. Householders were not typically initiated into yogic traditions, but Babaji instructed Lahiri to teach householders as humanity was entering a new age and collective consciousness was shifting.
Lahiri became a very advanced yogic master while continuing to uphold his householder duties. During the day, Lahiri worked and attended to his family and at night he taught students. He is said to have taught Kriya Yoga to thousands of students in his lifetime. Lahiri shared the teachings freely to all sincere students regardless of gender, caste, race, or religious background.
The Kriya Yoga Podcast about Lahiri Mahasaya – https://kriyayoga.podbean.com/e/lahiri-mahasaya-kriya-yoga-podcast-episode-1/
Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri
Sri Yukteswar, born Priya Nath Karar, met Lahiri Mahasaya in 1884. Sri Yukteswar was also a householder with a family and a career. He became a Swami after the death of his wife. He was a devoted student of Lahiri and would later go on to establish 2 different Kriya Yoga ashrams. In addition to being a very advanced yogic master, Sri Yukteswar was also a very advanced vedic astrologer and ayurvedic practitioner. His astrological expertise allowed him to discover a miscalculation regarding the Yugas and correctly place our current time at the start of the Dwapara Yuga.
Sri Yukteswar also had an interest in Christianity and examining the parallels between spiritual paths. His seminal work The Holy Science, also known as Kaivalya Darsanam, explores a number of these parallels as well as the theory of the yugas and the Samkhya theory of manifestation.
The Kriya Yoga Podcast about Swami Sri Yukteswar – https://kriyayoga.podbean.com/e/swami-sri-yukteswar-the-kriya-yoga-podcast-episode-4/
Paramahansa Yogananda
Born Mukunda Lal Ghosh, Yogananda was called to the spiritual path at a very young age. He spent his youth exploring meditation and spirituality and seeking out various saints before meeting his guru, Sri Yukteswar in 1910. During his time in India, Yogananda worked to improve the educational system and founded a children’s school in Ranchi. Much of his life is well-documented in his most famous work, Autobiography of a Yogi.
Yogananda later brought Kriya Yoga to the West with the blessing and encouragement of Sri Yukteswar. He went on to write a number of books and formed a number of institutions including the Self Realization Fellowship and the Yogoda Satsanga Society of India. Yogananda taught thousands of people through his organizations and brought Kriya Yoga to a much larger audience. He also ordained a number of independent Kriya Yoga teachers who went on to continue the lineage outside of the organizations.
The Kriya Yoga Podcast about Paramahansa Yogananda – https://kriyayoga.podbean.com/e/paramahansa-yogananda-the-kriya-yoga-podcast-episode-5/
Roy Eugene Davis
Roy Eugene Davis grew up on a farm in Ohio in the 1930s. He was interested in spirituality in his teens and somehow was able to access a number of books about yoga at his local rural library. One of those books was Autobiography of a Yogi. After reading about Yogananda, Roy decided he wanted to go learn from him and so hitch-hiked across the country to the Self Realization Fellowship headquarters in California. He arrived and met Yogananda on December 23rd, 1949 and was accepted as his disciple. He was ordained as a Kriya Yoga Minister by Yogananda in 1951 and then ran the SRF center in Phoenix, AZ for a time.
Roy left SRF to serve in the US Army Medical Corps and when he finished his service went on to teach as an independent ministry. He took over a center in Georgia, renaming it Center for Spiritual Awareness, in the early 70s. Roy published the Truth Journal magazine for over 50 years and authored many books about Kriya Yoga. He spread the teachings of Kriya Yoga across multiple continents for over 70 years.
The Kriya Yoga Podcast about Roy Eugene Davis – https://kriyayoga.podbean.com/e/tkyp92-kriya-yoga-teacherguru-roy-eugene-davis/
Ryan Kurczak
Ryan met Roy Eugene Davis in 2000 and was initiated into the Kriya Yoga tradition. He was ordained to teach by Mr. Davis in 2005 and spent many years supporting the CSA ministry, including a few years running a CSA branch in Asheville, NC. With Roy’s blessing, Ryan started his own independent ministry years later and continues to teach today.
Ryan took the Kriya Yoga teachings to digital platforms via an online ashram, podcasts, videos, online classes, etc. and in this way has been able to reach a significantly larger global audience. He has also authored a number of books and leads in-person retreats throughout the year. While Ryan has many resources available for beginners and those new to the Kriya Yoga path, he also has a number of in-depth study programs for those wishing to deepen their understanding and practice. These include the 52-Week Kriya Yoga Discipleship Course, 2-year Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Program, and the Advanced Kriya Yoga Course. More information on these and other programs can be found at https://kriyayogaonline.com/.