On the spiritual path, enthusiasm often gives way to what one teacher called “the icky middle”—that in-between place where the excitement of beginning meets the challenge of transformation. It’s here that we learn: awakening isn’t just about peace or bliss. It’s about endurance, sincerity, and courage to live in the truth of the present moment.

To experience what’s real, we must let go of the small, familiar self. The process can feel raw—like peeling off layers of identity that have clung to us for years. At first, it may even hurt. But that sensitivity marks the beginning of true presence.

Just as Plato’s cave-dweller must adjust to sunlight after a lifetime of shadows, we too must learn to bear the brilliance of awareness. Many retreat back into the dark, but those who stay discover a new world waiting in the light—a world of clarity, love, and direct experience.

Letting go of old patterns, relationships, and self-images brings a natural grief. Yet this too is sacred. We honor what we’ve outgrown without turning back. In that surrender, space opens for joy and freshness—the pulse of Spirit in the present moment.

In Kriya Yoga, our practices—breath, mantra, meditation—are the steady work of freeing ourselves from the cave. When the chains fall away, we begin to sense freedom not as an idea, but as a living awareness. The invitation then is simple but profound:

Stay with the light. Live in the burning present moment where Spirit is always now.

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🌟 Stay Connected & Deepen Your Practice

If you’d like to participate in future live sessions, consider joining the Kriya Yoga Online Patreon Community or applying to the Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Program.

📘 For continued inspiration and instruction, check out Ryan Kurczak’s latest book:

🧘‍♂️ Your host, Ryan Kurczak, is a Kriya Yoga meditation teacher and author, authorized to teach in 2005 by Roy Eugene Davis, a direct student of Paramahansa Yogananda.

🔗 Explore more resources:

Patreon Community: Support the work & access live sessions

Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship, blog posts & books:

Online Classes for All Levels:

Hundreds of free videos on YouTube:

Thank you for listening, and may your path be filled with clarity, strength, and peace.

This episode of the Kriya Yoga Podcast features an in-depth conversation with Asha Nayaswami, a spiritual director from Ananda Palo Alto and a longtime disciple of Swami Kriyananda since 1969.

Asha shares her early quest for truth, her transformative encounter with Kriyananda, and her subsequent journey in the Ananda community.

She discusses the importance of good company, patience, and internal transformation on the spiritual path. Asha offers practical advice for beginners and seasoned practitioners, emphasizing the necessity of continuous inspiration, the integration of spirituality into daily life, and the profound understanding that real security and happiness come from within. The discussion also covers the challenges of maintaining spiritual practices amidst worldly distractions and the importance of finding a balance between spiritual and material pursuits.

For more information on Asha Nayaswami's offerings, please visit: https://www.ashajoy.org/

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🌟 Stay Connected & Deepen Your Practice

If you’d like to participate in future live sessions, consider joining the Kriya Yoga Online Patreon Community or applying to the Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Program.

📘 For continued inspiration and instruction, check out Ryan Kurczak’s latest book:

🧘‍♂️ Your host, Ryan Kurczak, is a Kriya Yoga meditation teacher and author, authorized to teach in 2005 by Roy Eugene Davis, a direct student of Paramahansa Yogananda.

🔗 Explore more resources:

Patreon Community: Support the work & access live sessions

Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship, blog posts & books:

Online Classes for All Levels:

Hundreds of free videos on YouTube:

Thank you for listening, and may your path be filled with clarity, strength, and peace.

Experiencing and understanding Chitta, what Chitta is, how to know it, and its relevance to your yoga meditation practice is necessary for the promise of yoga to give its final fruits. 

In this episode, we continue on from episode 7 and explore the nature of Chitta.

Advised Reference Material Can be Found:

Free Class on Chapter 1 (Pada 1) of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

The American Sanskrit Institute

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🌟 Stay Connected & Deepen Your Practice

If you’d like to participate in future live sessions, consider joining the Kriya Yoga Online Patreon Community or applying to the Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Program.

📘 For continued inspiration and instruction, check out Ryan Kurczak’s latest book:

🧘‍♂️ Your host, Ryan Kurczak, is a Kriya Yoga meditation teacher and author, authorized to teach in 2005 by Roy Eugene Davis, a direct student of Paramahansa Yogananda.

🔗 Explore more resources:

Patreon Community: Support the work & access live sessions

Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship, blog posts & books:

Online Classes for All Levels:

Hundreds of free videos on YouTube:

Thank you for listening, and may your path be filled with clarity, strength, and peace.

One of the most fascinating ideas in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is the subtle inner transformation that happens as the mind becomes still.

What Is Nirodha?

Patanjali defines yoga as:

“Yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ” (Yoga Sutra 1.2)

But how do we actually reach that state? It doesn’t happen all at once — it’s a gradual transformation where the restless patterns of thought are replaced by inner stillness.

The Two Competing Tendencies

In Sutra 3.9, Patanjali describes two forces in the mind:

Vyutthāna Saṁskāra: the tendency toward distraction and mental chatter

Nirodha Saṁskāra: the tendency toward silence and restraint

As we meditate and practice, the nirodha-saṁskāras grow stronger, and the vyutthāna-saṁskāras fade away. This shift is called nirodha-pariṇāma, or the transformation toward inner stillness.

The mind doesn’t go silent all at once. It moves through many moments of stillness, where restraint begins to dominate. Over time, these moments string together into a deep, sustained state of peace.

Understanding nirodha-saṁskāra helps us see that meditation isn’t about forcing the mind, but about training it gently, allowing new patterns of stillness to take root. Every time we sit in awareness, we’re imprinting peace into the mind itself.

Yoga is about replacing mental noise with inner clarity. Patanjali’s wisdom reminds us that transformation comes not from struggle, but from consistent practice and subtle inner change.

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🌟 Stay Connected & Deepen Your Practice

If you’d like to participate in future live sessions, consider joining the Kriya Yoga Online Patreon Community or applying to the Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Program.

📘 For continued inspiration and instruction, check out Ryan Kurczak’s latest book:

🧘‍♂️ Your host, Ryan Kurczak, is a Kriya Yoga meditation teacher and author, authorized to teach in 2005 by Roy Eugene Davis, a direct student of Paramahansa Yogananda.

🔗 Explore more resources:

Patreon Community: Support the work & access live sessions

Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship, blog posts & books:

Online Classes for All Levels:

Hundreds of free videos on YouTube:

Thank you for listening, and may your path be filled with clarity, strength, and peace.

This episode of the Kriya Yoga Podcast is recording from our annual June Kriya Yoga Solstice Retreat.  Kriya Yoga teacher Ryan Kurczak explores ways to access the mystical state and what it is like to function and experience that state.

Topics include:

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🌟 Stay Connected & Deepen Your Practice

If you’d like to participate in future live sessions, consider joining the Kriya Yoga Online Patreon Community or applying to the Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Program.

📘 For continued inspiration and instruction, check out Ryan Kurczak’s latest book:

🧘‍♂️ Your host, Ryan Kurczak, is a Kriya Yoga meditation teacher and author, authorized to teach in 2005 by Roy Eugene Davis, a direct student of Paramahansa Yogananda.

🔗 Explore more resources:

Patreon Community: Support the work & access live sessions

Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship, blog posts & books:

Online Classes for All Levels:

Hundreds of free videos on YouTube:

Thank you for listening, and may your path be filled with clarity, strength, and peace.

This episode of The Kriya Yoga Podcast is an excerpt from a talk given during the 2025 summer annual Kriya Yoga week-long retreat in Rochester, NY. In this discussion we explore the power of Sattva as grace and an essential component of our enlightenment practice. 

For a full explanation of this topic, please see Ryan Kurczak's book,

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🌟 Stay Connected & Deepen Your Practice

If you’d like to participate in future live sessions, consider joining the Kriya Yoga Online Patreon Community or applying to the Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Program.

📘 For continued inspiration and instruction, check out Ryan Kurczak’s latest book:

🧘‍♂️ Your host, Ryan Kurczak, is a Kriya Yoga meditation teacher and author, authorized to teach in 2005 by Roy Eugene Davis, a direct student of Paramahansa Yogananda.

🔗 Explore more resources:

Patreon Community: Support the work & access live sessions

Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship, blog posts & books:

Online Classes for All Levels:

Hundreds of free videos on YouTube:

Thank you for listening, and may your path be filled with clarity, strength, and peace.

This episode of The Kriya Yoga Podcast is an excerpt from a talk given by Kriya Yoga Teacher Ryan Kurczak during the 2025 Kriya Yoga Online Solstice Retreat.

The Discussion includes:

Patanjali offers auxiliary methods to stabilize the mind in Sutras I.33–I.39, forming a meditative ladder:

I.33 – Cultivating attitudes of friendliness (toward the happy), compassion (toward the suffering), joy (toward the virtuous), and equanimity (toward the non-virtuous).

I.34 – Focusing on the exhalation and natural pause of breath.

I.35 – Meditating on subtle sensory experiences (such as inner energy or warmth).

I.36 – Contemplating a state free from sorrow and full of inner light.

I.37 – Meditating on the consciousness of one who is spiritually free.

I.38 – Contemplating dream and deep sleep states.

I.39 – Meditating on any object suitable to one’s disposition.

These are not arbitrary suggestions, but a progressive structure. For example, I.33 helps remove emotional and psychological obstacles; I.34–I.35 deepen bodily and energetic awareness; I.36–I.37 open the door to spiritual radiance and guru consciousness; I.38–I.39 reflect the ultimate flexibility and maturity of the practitioner.

The culmination of sustained meditative practice is Samadhi, described not as an escape from the world but as union with reality. The deeper forms of samadhi signify the dissolution of ego and personal identity, allowing pure consciousness to shine through. As described in Sutra IV.33–IV.34, transformation is a transmutation of form, as the field of consciousness evolves from gross (human) to subtle (divine).

This spiritual evolution requires the practitioner to surrender personal likes, dislikes, and egoic narratives—attaining Vairagya (detachment) and Abhyasa (consistent practice), referenced in Sutra I.12.

-

🌟 Stay Connected & Deepen Your Practice

If you’d like to participate in future live sessions, consider joining the Kriya Yoga Online Patreon Community or applying to the Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Program.

📘 For continued inspiration and instruction, check out Ryan Kurczak’s latest book:

🧘‍♂️ Your host, Ryan Kurczak, is a Kriya Yoga meditation teacher and author, authorized to teach in 2005 by Roy Eugene Davis, a direct student of Paramahansa Yogananda.

🔗 Explore more resources:

Patreon Community: Support the work & access live sessions

Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship, blog posts & books:

Online Classes for All Levels:

Hundreds of free videos on YouTube:

Thank you for listening, and may your path be filled with clarity, strength, and peace.

This episode of The Kriya Yoga Podcast, When You Know Samadhi explores the philosophical and practical aspects of meditation within the framework of Kriya Yoga and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The main topics include:

The Purpose of Meditation

Commitment to Practice

Letting Go of the Ego

Outer and Inner Limbs of Yoga

The Mechanics of Meditation

Modern Distractions and Spiritual Focus

Spiritual Transformation and Evolution

One-Pointedness and Daily Practice

🌟 Stay Connected & Deepen Your Practice

If you’d like to participate in future live sessions, consider joining the Kriya Yoga Online Patreon Community or applying to the Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Program.

📘 For continued inspiration and instruction, check out Ryan Kurczak’s latest book:

🧘‍♂️ Your host, Ryan Kurczak, is a Kriya Yoga meditation teacher and author, authorized to teach in 2005 by Roy Eugene Davis, a direct student of Paramahansa Yogananda.

🔗 Explore more resources:

Patreon Community: Support the work & access live sessions

Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship, blog posts & books:

Online Classes for All Levels:

Hundreds of free videos on YouTube:

Thank you for listening, and may your path be filled with clarity, strength, and peace.

In this episode of The Kriya Yoga Podcast Ryan reflects on a conversation with yoga retreat attendees struggling to understand or experience what is "sacred." This sparks a broader exploration of how modern life—especially overthinking, distractions, and unresolved inner conflicts—prevents many from recognizing sacredness in daily life.

Key Points:

Invitation to Reflect: Listeners are asked to consider what "sacred" means to them personally—how it feels, and what blocks them from experiencing it.

Modern Distractions & Impurities: Our technology-saturated, overly scheduled lives (including spiritual "doom scrolling") clutter the mind, making sacred experiences harder to access.

Overthinking as a Barrier: Many overthink spiritual matters to the point of paralysis. Seeking intellectual proof or control keeps us from directly experiencing the sacred, which transcends logic.

Importance of Simplicity & Stillness: Like in meditation, we must learn to let go of distractions to become receptive. Sacredness arises not through analysis, but through presence and quiet attention.

Trust in Practice Over Proof: Spiritual traditions exist because they offer tested pathways to sacred experience. Rather than demanding proof (e.g., levitating yogis), one must engage the process sincerely and consistently.

Skepticism vs. Surrender: While questioning is natural, endlessly asking “why” is a trap. Faith, curiosity, and practice are needed to move past doubt into lived experience.

Sacredness in Relationship & Practice: True presence—whether with a child, an instrument, or in meditation—creates sacred moments. It’s not about doing more, but about being more present.

Mystics Weren’t Lazy: Saints and mystics across traditions achieved spiritual insight through rigorous and consistent practice, not casual dabbling.

Realization is Beyond the Mind: True spiritual awakening can't be fully described or proven intellectually. It must be experienced directly.

Curiosity Over Control: Rather than trying to control or understand everything, approach the spiritual path with wonder, awe, and dedication.

Final Message: To experience the sacred, stop overthinking. Trust a well-worn path, stay curious, be present, and practice sincerely over time. Sacredness is found not through intellectual mastery, but through lived, open-hearted experience.

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🌟 Stay Connected & Deepen Your Practice

If you’d like to participate in future live sessions, consider joining the Kriya Yoga Online Patreon Community or applying to the Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Program.

📘 For continued inspiration and instruction, check out Ryan Kurczak’s latest book:

🧘‍♂️ Your host, Ryan Kurczak, is a Kriya Yoga meditation teacher and author, authorized to teach in 2005 by Roy Eugene Davis, a direct student of Paramahansa Yogananda.

🔗 Explore more resources:

Patreon Community: Support the work & access live sessions

Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship, blog posts & books:

Online Classes for All Levels:

Hundreds of free videos on YouTube:

Thank you for listening, and may your path be filled with clarity, strength, and peace.

In this episode of The Kriya Yoga Podcast, we explore the Foundations of Authentic Spiritual Realization.

In this insightful episode of the Kriya Yoga Podcast, host Ryan Kurczak welcomes Isha Das, the spiritual director of the Assisi Institute, for a profound conversation on the vital connection between mental health and the deeper practice of Kriya Yoga.

Together, they explore why cultivating a balanced psychological state is not just beneficial but essential before diving into the transformative depths of spiritual practice. Isha Das brings a compassionate and grounded perspective, emphasizing that spiritual paths should never be used to escape our emotional or psychological challenges. Instead, true spiritual work involves courageously facing and healing the inner wounds we carry—preparing the soul for authentic self-realization.

This episode also delves into:

The importance of a stable foundation in life for lasting spiritual growth

Why emotional maturity and self-awareness enhance meditation and Kriya practice

The sacred role of the teacher-student relationship in guiding aspirants toward deeper understanding

How integrating psychological healing with spiritual discipline leads to wholeness

The conversation concludes with a special invitation to the upcoming week-long Kriya Yoga Immersion Retreat in July, a powerful opportunity for spiritual seekers to connect in community and deepen their practice in a supportive, transformative environment.

🎟️ To learn more or register for the retreat, visit:

Whether you're a long-time practitioner or new to the path, this episode offers valuable insights into how emotional and spiritual wellness are inseparable on the road to enlightenment.

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🌟 Stay Connected & Deepen Your Practice

If you’d like to participate in future live sessions, consider joining the Kriya Yoga Online Patreon Community or applying to the Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Program.

📘 For continued inspiration and instruction, check out Ryan Kurczak’s latest book:

🧘‍♂️ Your host, Ryan Kurczak, is a Kriya Yoga meditation teacher and author, authorized to teach in 2005 by Roy Eugene Davis, a direct student of Paramahansa Yogananda.

🔗 Explore more resources:

Patreon Community: Support the work & access live sessions

Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship, blog posts & books:

Online Classes for All Levels:

Hundreds of free videos on YouTube:

Thank you for listening, and may your path be filled with clarity, strength, and peace.