Kriya Vajra Yoga is a multi-leveled path which offers the practitioner a complete spiritual training. I have distilled what I feel to be the most relevant teachings and practices from the traditions of Shambhala, Vajrayana Buddhism, Kriya Yoga and Western Psychology into an accessible and potent path in which one learns to awaken to authentic presence, open the heart, experience the transformational power of lineage, and abide in the bliss of one's ultimate nature.

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Note that in each intensive, certain foundational themes remain the same, while other elements, including the psycho- spiritual workings done, as well as secondary emphases, change continuously. Therefore all intensives can be repeated without redundancy.

 

Discovering Authentic Presence

 

Through the practice of meditation, we learn to be completely grounded in reality.

We begin to discover that we can be with ourselves, right now, just as we are.

 

All chaos in the world is a direct expression of inner disharmony. As we battle with our bodies, our emotions, and the natural movement of our mind, so we battle in our domestic life, in society, and in the world at large. Outer and inner conflict mirror one another, and the way to peace begins by cultivating an attitude of basic openness to whatever arises.

 

The practice of meditation is a tool that can help us develop this attitude of openness, known as authentic presence. Normally we reject what we don’t like, and latch on to what attracts us. Based on hope and fear, this habit keeps us in a constant state of tension, which can only be resolved by learning to be with our experience, as it is. It is impossible to experience authentic presence intellectually- we must feel it, live it, and breathe it. Meditation gradually frees us from the grip of dualistic fixation and supports our ability to live fully in the present moment.

 

In addition to an in- depth exploration of the path of sitting meditation, we will engage in a psycho- spiritual inquiry process. This process trains us to bring meditative awareness and compassion to our conditioned patterns, facilitating the integration and embodiment of spiritual realization.

 

Awakening the Heart

 

All human beings are innate warriors. Our bravery is expressed through our capacity to open ourselves in the face of discomfort, and love fiercely in the face of aggression.

 

We have been trained to believe that comfort is good, and discomfort is to be avoided. We're medicated so as not to feel. We welcome hypnotic happiness, and reject pain. However, as we all know, suffering is inevitable. Given that that is the case, how are we going to transform it? Most of us contract whenever our comfort zone is threatened. Over time, this habit leads us to shut down our heart, undermining our natural ability to love deeply and live fully. That is perhaps the single greatest tragedy that can befall a human being, yet most live with protected hearts.

 

In this intensive, we learn specific practices that support us in opening our hearts fully. We first establish the foundation of sitting meditation. We then integrate the practice of tonglen, a powerful technique found in the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism, in which the meditator learns to open to pain and offer love through breath and intention. We then learn to bring this practice into our daily lives. Through meeting all aspects of our life with wakeful compassion, we open our hearts and free ourselves from unnecessary suffering.

 

Invoking Lineage- Initiation in Kriya Kundalini Pranayam

 

Unconditional love is our origin and blissful birthright. It is our destiny to come home. Through total freedom love finds its truest expression.

 

Most of us believe we are existentially alone. Through invocation of lineage, we discover connection with an unconditionally loving force of energy that supports our evolution. The truth of our aloneness co- exists with this energetic protection which, through open- hearted attunement, is available to be experienced by anyone. Lineage is not religion, and requires no belief. There is no dogma or set of rules to follow. The human consciousness can be tuned to any frequency or wavelength. Many wavelengths exist. When we love, we vibrate at a certain frequency, when we are angry, our vibration changes. Invoking lineage teaches us to attune ourselves to a specific wavelength whose sole purpose is to support us in our journey.

 

Through the practice of Kriya Kundalini Pranayam, we dramatically accelerate our spiritual progress. Not only are we a physical body, we are also a subtle body with subtle nerves and channels through which our energy or ch'i flows. Through the practice of Kriya Kundalini Pranayam, we learn to guide universal energy into specific subtle channels that, when activated, lead us to experience expanded states of consciousness. Through daily practice, we free limiting mental and emotional habits, and develop the capacity to abide in the bliss of our ultimate nature.

 

 

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