Kriya serpent yoga

Kriya Serpent Yoga is an ancient yoga with unique origins. Long ago, before written history, a similar practice was used by Shamans to help their tribes connect with the Divine spirit for healing, guidance, and illumination. That practice was lost in time until now. It is making a return because humanity is on the brink of a transformation, and all humans need to awaken, reconnect with the Divine spirit, and seek guidance. Once I awoke through the Kundalini from my Kriya Yoga practice, I was beset with visions of my purpose, one of which was to awaken the new humans manifesting on this world today so they could connect with the Divine and find their purpose.

This practice was then given to me in subsequent visions from a master in the mystical arts. He told me it would quickly elicit the Kundalini in the practitioner which would connect them with the Divine spirit within. This Divine spirit within is better known as our Soul, a fractional piece of the Universal Consciousness many refer to as God. It is through our inner Soul that we connect with this Divine Consciousness and receive guidance, illumination and love.

The very essence of this practice is to awaken the practitioner and connect them with the Divine within so that they can find their purpose. Once they have their purpose, the practice will continue to connect them with higher wisdoms from which they will learn how to harness their innate psychic abilities to apply to their purpose. It will turn ordinary people into extraordinary humans who will connect with the Universe and transform themselves as they help transform our world. Each practitioner will expand their awareness, activate their psychic abilities, find inner peace and happiness, and enjoy an improved life state as they pursue their purpose in this lifetime.

This practice blends various techniques from Buddhism, Hinduism, and Esotercism with the core Kriya Serpent techniques. The practice is broken into four (4) different levels, each one with a specific focus and objectives:

Introductory Level 1 – The basics of meditation and an introduction to chakras while enhancing mental focus and visualization.
Beginner Level 2 – Moving energy through chakras using Kriya Serpent to stimulate Kundalini.
Intermediate Level 3 – Intensifying energy work and Kundalini to connect with the Divine to find your purpose.
Advanced Level 4 – Accessing higher dimensional realms and wisdom to pursue your purpose and your evolution.

Introductory Level 1 is provided below free of charge so you can experience this transformative practice for yourself without any commitment. Start with this introduction to the world of transcendental meditation, and you will gain great benefit even at this initial level. Should you want to move on to the subsequent three (3) levels or you tested into a higher level, then please refer to the book, The Kriya Serpent Yogi, for instructions on those later levels. The book provides not only instruction but enlightenment through the philosophical musings within. There is an incredible Universe out there, and the Kriya Serpent Yoga practice is your gateway into that higher realm of reality. Supplemental material can be found on the Kriya Serpent Yoga Youtube Channel: @KriyaSerpentYogi

Introductory Level 1 (6 - 18 months)

“If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl, but by all means, keep moving.” – Dr. Martin King Jr.

This level is the very starting point of a spiritual path. You may find yourself here at this point in time, but that does not preclude you from achieving higher levels sooner than you might think. Again, it has to do with where you are on your path across many lifetimes, not just the here and now.

One of the most fundamental aspects of Buddhism is the premise that suffering is caused by ourselves, rather than by external things. It is how we react to the external world that causes our suffering. With Kriya Serpent Yoga, how you react will shift dramatically, and from that shift, you will find happiness emerging within your life. Real, unadulterated happiness. If that is not worth it, I guess I don’t know what is.

Please read through all sections in each level before starting the actual practice. It will give you an overall introduction to the practice and present recommended daily regimens to make the most of your efforts. This will inform you of the potential side effects which may manifest and how to address them.

Objective Skills

It is assumed you have a good working knowledge of each of the objective skills, if not mastery, before moving to higher levels. If you have not mastered or used these techniques before, please do so before proceeding. It is important you have prepared yourself before you move to the higher levels. Let’s look at the main objective skills you need to achieve before you move onward into those higher levels of Kriya Serpent Yoga:

Skill	Description	Mastery
Sit in meditation	Basic sitting technique for all meditation practices.	Sit without moving or discomfort.
Counting beads	Counting is an important part of all the techniques.	Use Mala beads to count repetitions.
Quiet monkey mind	The human mind is a thought generator, and silencing the monkey chatter permits us to meditate.	Sustained 15 minutes of no thoughts.
Focus	Focus and visualization go hand in hand as requisite skills to enter transcendental states.	Visualize a detailed object and properties for 10 minutes.
Identify chakras	Identify main chakras and locate them within your body. This is critical to stimulating Kundalini.	Place focus on each individual chakra and feel it.
Breath control	Breathing is an integral part of meditation.	Properly perform each breathing technique.
Basic Kriya Serpent	Learn the symbols, sounds and meanings of Kriya Serpent Yoga.	Intone all sounds while visualizing the symbols.

Traditional Techniques

Sitting in Meditation

When sitting in meditation, wear loose-fitting clothes. Anything which binds or restricts blood flow makes it impossible to achieve relaxed states which are necessary in meditation.
Sit on a zabuton or chair covered by a wool blanket. If sitting on zabuton, cross legs as you normally would, or sit in a half or full lotus position. Lotus positions are unnecessary in Kriya Serpent Yoga. Over time, any of these sitting positions will become easier for you as your body stretches. On a chair, sit with feet flat on floor on top of the wool blanket.
Hold Mala Beads in both hands with a curled forefinger on bottom and thumb on top, resting in the gap between the guru bead and the first bead on the left and right.
Straighten back (don’t slump), and tilt head down slightly as though staring at a distant object on the floor.
Close your eyes and relax all tension from your body while maintaining a straight back. Stare inwardly up at the point of your forehead between your eyes. This point is called Bhrumadhya and is the focal point during your meditation.
If you feel any discomfort, adjust your seating before practice. If you cannot eliminate the discomfort, you may need a different sitting position or place to sit.

Switch to a chair if you cannot sit on a zabuton in a cross-legged position. You can always switch back to the zabuton after stretching exercises to help you achieve the floor positions. The key word here is comfort. Without that, you will probably have a difficult time focusing or relaxing in meditation as your body screams in pain.

At the start of your practice, assess your current energy state. Note the energy feelings within you. Are they low, high, anxious, sleepy? What about your emotions? You want to establish a baseline of your spiritual energy and emotions so you can properly observe them after your practice. This provides feedback on your spiritual progress. Over time, you will feel an increased energy and emotional stability after each practice.

Once you have completed your meditation session and before you get up from your seated position, assess your energy and emotions again. What is different? How do they make you feel? What are you thinking about? Monitoring these changes in each session can not only help you monitor your spiritual progress, but can be a huge motivator to continue your practice when life is trying to stop it. I can tell you what you may experience, but you must truly experience it.

Counting Up and Down

Sit in meditation.
Using either your left or right hand, use the opposite hand to slide the beads through your thumb and forefinger counting each gap you go through. Stop when you count up to the desired number.
Place the opposite hand in position between your start bead and the next bead after it.
Using the fingers you counted up with, inhale normally and then exhale, clawing back one bead at a time, counting verbally or mentally until you get back to the guru bead where you started the count. Obviously, the count should end with the same number you started with.

Beginner	Intermediate	Advanced
12 count	24 count	48 count

The following exercise helps you learn to use bead counting to keep track of repetitions while meditating. You want this to be automatic when you meditate, because if it is not, you will constantly fiddle with the beads and count instead of focusing on the meditation techniques.

With practice, counting down becomes easier as your fingers learn to claw back each bead. Over time, it becomes automatic, and your mind will not think about it or the count. Start at beginner and integrate into your daily practice, increasing the count as it becomes more automatic. If your count down does not match your count up, it isn’t the end of the world, but attempt to make them match. All counts are multiples of twelve. The exception is Nadi Sodhana Pranayama, where a starting count of six is acceptable in daily meditation.

Focused Breathing

Sit in meditation.
Count up beads.
Inhale deeply through your nose while focusing on the tip of your nose and the sensations you feel there. Hold breath for two counts before proceeding.
Exhale through mouth while focusing on the breath as it is released. Hold after exhalation for two counts while counting down your beads by one.
Repeat steps 3-4 until total count down is complete.

Beginner	Intermediate	Advanced
12 count	24 count	36 count

As you focus on your nose during inhalations and exhalations, you will quiet the mind. Over time, you will see a subsequent decrease in the chatter. Move up through the counts as you achieve a marked decrease in the chatter for the current count. This technique is excellent for quieting the monkey mind and increasing focus.

Emptiness

To quiet the monkey mind, you will attempt to achieve a state of emptiness. That is a mind with no thoughts. For me, the best method is visualizing a black void in my mind’s eye.

Sit in meditation.
Visualize a black void in your mind’s eye.
As thoughts slide into view, imagine them sliding back out, replaced by the black void. Ignore the thought, don’t get frustrated because it appeared, or rush it away in anger. Quiet all emotions surrounding the thought, for it is an independent object rather than something of yours.

Beginner	Intermediate	Advanced
5 min	10 min	15 min

As you practice this earnestly, you will see a significant slowdown in the thoughts that appear. Keep the focus on the black void you created and keeping it black by removing the thoughts. Eventually, you find that stillness where only you exist and your thoughts have dissipated. It will take time, but so worth it to the future of your meditation practice. Be patient.

Some may view the black void as something negative, but nothing could be further from the truth. We are trying to eliminate sensory stimulus, thus darkness or black is the absence of light stimulating our eyes. When you first close your eyes, you see colors and shades of brightness based on a residual image within your optic sensors. We want to eliminate that residual image and all other sources of stimulation, thus black is the absence of that. It is not negative, just the removal of everything.

It is a wondrous moment in your practice when the monkey chatter really subsides. You feel a release of stress, a connection to your inner self and the beginnings of establishing a connection with your Soul. It is baby steps, but the beginning of something beautiful.

Visualization

Visualization is a fundamental aspect of meditation and mystical practices. It is used throughout guided meditations and often included in therapeutic techniques intended to alter negative thinking into positive thoughts. We use it to increase our focus, which is needed later in more advanced practices.

Sit in meditation.
Create the black void in your mind’s eye.
Picture a small seedling tree constantly growing into a large tree that eventually towers over you in the blackness.
Once the tree is fully grown, look down at the roots sinking into the blackness below you. Focus on the texture of the bark, its color, the shape of the root and its size. Circle the tree looking at each root in the same way until you have fully analyzed each one, and the picture of those roots in your mind’s eye has crystalized into something tangible and clear.
Lift your eyes and look at the enormous trunk of the tree. Notice the texture of its bark, the color, any knots or inconsistencies. Estimate how wide the trunk is and then follow it up slowly until you reach the first branches. How far up have you looked? Has the trunk crystalized into something tangible in your mind’s eye?
Look at the branches. Count how many there are. Pick one branch and follow it up and out, choosing another branch when it splits, making a path up into the canopy. Count how many times your path splits.
Look into the canopy and notice the color and shape of the leaves. Estimate how many leaves you can actually see and estimate how many the tree may have in total. Imagine a slight breeze making the leaves move and flutter. Can you feel the breeze?
Move your focus slowly back until you can see the entire tree from your perspective. Do you know what kind of tree it is?
Imagine the tree is growing in reverse, shrinking down as branches and leaves disappear. Once it has shrunk to a seedling, imagine it disappears, leaving only you in the void.

A tree is a great visualization, as most know this shape well. It doesn’t matter which kind of tree it is, but the more complex, the better. While doing this visualization, you are forcing your mind to recall aspects of trees you have seen in your life and construct one with those attributes.

This is powerful brain entrainment and increases your focus as it increases the power of your imagination. The details are important, and over time, the tree will take on more and more realistic visualizations as you do this exercise. It may be difficult at first, but over time, you will see steady progress until you can visualize incredibly vivid objects as though you are actually seeing them.

Albert Einstein was famous for his visualizations. He claimed to use visualization to imagine chasing after a beam of light. It was an integral part of his process for developing special relativity. Mystics have known for thousands of years our thoughts are powerful creations that under the right circumstances, can be made manifest.

When done correctly, this exercise should take around ten minutes. If you find you are rushing, slow down and think of other details on the tree you can analyze. Creation of something complex should take time to fully imagine. More effort put in will equal more focus you get out.

Sensing the Present

Focus isn’t just within our imagination, but is also a part of our waking reality. We have five (5) senses to perceive the world, and honing those perceptions is all about focus. Not only will we be more focused and attentive to the world, but our overall thoughts will become more focused and less random.

Walk into a room in your home.
Scan all the objects visible within the room, counting how many there are.
What sounds do you hear? Count and identify as many sounds as you hear.
What smells do you detect? Count and identify as many smells as possible.
Walk over to an object. Close your eyes and feel the object gently with your fingers. What textures do you feel? Does the feeling evoke an emotion or a memory? Are there multiple touch sensations you feel? What does the boundary from one sensation to the other feel like? Can you visualize the boundary?
Lean over or into the object, or pick it up if it is small enough, and with eyes closed, smell it slowly, trying to pick up what scents you can detect. Does it smell pleasant? Is there more than one smell? What does it smell like?
Open your eyes and leave the room. Now sit somewhere comfortable, close your eyes and imagine you are walking back into the room you just left. Visualize all the objects in their respective places within the room. Notice their color and textures. Do you detect the same smells? Do you hear the same sounds?
In your mind’s eye, go back to the object you felt before and imagine feeling it again. Does it feel the same? Does it smell the same?
When you have a clear visualization of that room and its objects, you may stop.

This exercise may seem frivolous at first glance, but it is an important part of your spiritual journey. You must not only be able to imagine aspects of the world around you, but you must be attentive to the present. How many times have you walked into a room and left remembering nothing about it? You are purposely filtering out the world around you. Live in the present and take in all the sounds, sights, smells and touch you can. When eating, enjoy every flavor and nuance you taste.

There is energy everywhere, not only within. Our sensory systems detect this energy, and to detect that energy is to tune those systems. Many foolishly believe attaining enlightenment is foregoing all sensory stimulations on the physical plane. But enlightenment is experiencing all sensorial energies on all planes of existence simultaneously. You know the saying, “Stop and smell the roses”. You came here for these experiences. Do not ignore them.

Om Japa

This exercise is intended for you to become familiar with your chakras, locate them within your body, and activate them through a simple sound. You will move through the first and fifth chakras going up from the 1^st and then back down from the 5^th.

Let’s familiarize ourselves one more time with our chakras. The following table lists each chakra with its location and its associated color. If you ever get a chance, have an Aura photo taken to see which of your chakras are the most active within you. It affects who you are and is quite interesting.

Number	Chakra	Location	Color
1st	Base	Base of spine near tailbone.	Red
2nd	Sacral	Below belly button above the pubic area.	Orange
3rd	Solar plexus	Upper abdomen near stomach.	Yellow
4th	Heart	Center of chest above heart.	Green
5th	Throat	Throat	Blue
6th	Third Eye	Center brain behind eyes.	Indigo
7th	Crown	Top of head.	Violet or White

Sit in meditation.
Count up beads.
Chant “Ohm” verbally while focusing on your 1^st chakra’s location. Feel the vibrations and adjust your focus to locate the sweet spot of the chakra as though tuning a stringed instrument. Draw out the “O” in Ohm before sounding the “m” sound.
Repeat the previous step for chakras 2-5. After the 5^th chakra, repeat the process again except reversing order moving from the 5^th down to the 1^st You should verbalize the Ohm sound in each chakra for about 2-4 seconds. Going up and back down is one cycle.
After completing three cycles, complete three more cycles except sound Ohm mentally rather than verbally.
After a month of this, switch to only sounding Ohm mentally.

Again, we are trying to locate each of your chakras, activate them through the Ohm sound, and stimulate energy to move up and down your etheric channel through these chakras. This is preliminary work for future Kriya Serpent Yoga, so take the time and patience to locate the sweet spot on each chakra. The sweet spot is called the root of the chakra.

Over time, you will feel each chakra open, and then the difference between the sweet spot and just around the sweet spot becomes clearer. Eventually, you will hit the sweet spot with little effort.

You are developing your focus and quieting your monkey mind while doing this exercise. If your mind is truly devoted to this task, it will not have room for other thoughts. If you find your mind wandering at all during this exercise, return your focus and continue the exercise.

It takes time to entrain the grooves of this practice into your mind, so please practice daily as prescribed later in this chapter and with earnest effort. You will be richly rewarded later in higher levels of Kriya Serpent Yoga.

Deep Breathing

There is a lot written about breathing and dedicated breathing yoga exercises have been developed to improve overall health and spiritual wellbeing. Of course, we are only concerned with Kriya Serpent Yoga in this book, so we do not delve deep into the yoga of breathing.

However, it is an important part of all yoga practices and integral to Kriya Serpent Yoga. Because of that, we spend some time practicing breath work. Deep Breathing is a simple exercise intended to further develop your breath control for future techniques.

Sit in meditation.
Count up beads.
Inhale through your nose deeply for a count of 8 and then hold the breath for a count of 5.
Exhale through your mouth for a count of 8 and then hold for a count of 5.
In and out is one cycle so count 1 on your beads before repeating steps 3-5 again until you have completed your total count.

Beginner	Intermediate	Advanced
6 count	12 count	24 count

Nadi Sodhana

This technique is part of my daily regimen and will be yours eventually as you move up into the higher levels. For me, it is a way to calm my mind to prepare for meditation, so it is the first exercise I complete in my daily routine. Nadi Sodhana Pranayama is also known as Alternate Nostril Breathing. It helps clear each side of your nasal cavities to help you breathe better during your regular practice. As I noted above, it begins calming the mind, bringing it into focus for your meditation efforts.

Since you must use one of your hands for alternating a hold on the nostrils, you will use the opposite hand that is not counting (claw back). Using this non-counting hand, you will form a “V” with your fingers by curling your index and middle fingers into your palm while letting your thumb and other fingers extend up and out. This will form a “V” with your hand.

Your thumb and the finger next to your pinky finger will pinch each nostril shut as you alternate. Applying pressure to the outside of your nostril with the finger should be enough to “close” that nostril to inhibit airflow. You will start with your right side nostril first, so press your finger against it to close it. When you switch, you will simply roll your wrist to open the one side and close the other with the opposite finger.

Sit in meditation.
Count up beads.
Close right nostril and inhale through left nostril for a count of 6 or 8. Hold breath for 2 seconds.
While holding breath roll your wrist to close left nostril and open the right nostril. Exhale through right nostril for count of 6 or 8. Hold for 2 seconds.
Inhale through right nostril for count of 6 or 8. Hold breath for 2 seconds.
While holding breath, roll your wrist to close the right nostril and open the left nostril. Exhale through left nostril for count of 6 or 8. Hold for 2 seconds.
Inhale through left nostril for count of 6 or 8. Hold breath for 2 seconds.
You have completed one cycle of this breathing so count 1 on beads. Return to step 4 and repeat through step 7 until you have completed total counts.

Beginner	Intermediate	Advanced
3 cycles	6 cycles	12 cycles

The key here is to ensure your inhalation and exhalation counts are identical. If you have trouble breathing, count 6, but if you are fine doing it longer, then count 8. Some have recommended a count of 10, but for my practice, that seems long and makes it too much of a chore. I am older, so shorter breathing is a natural consequence of that. Adjust based on your own body, but make sure in and out are the same count.

Kriya Serpent Techniques

Since this is the introductory level, it is assumed you will not raise your Kundalini yet. That doesn’t mean it can’t happen, but it is not likely. However, this is the start of your Kriya Serpent journey. The following technique is what you did in the test earlier. The goal is to learn the sounds of Kriya Serpent so you can internalize the vocalization, visualizing it precisely as practiced here. The sound is important, even when only mentally intoning.

Let’s look at the Kriya Serpent symbols, sounds and meanings:

In this technique, we want to experience all the symbols by intoning the sound verbally while mentally visualizing the symbol and its meaning.

Sit in meditation.
Count up beads.
Inhale through your nose slowly.
Exhale as you intone the symbol’s sound verbally while picturing the symbol and its meaning. Intone a consistent sound as long as you have breath. Return to step three and repeat, doing it once for each symbol in the following order:
- Ah
- Ee
- Ohm
- Uh
Once you do all four (4) sounds, you have completed one cycle. Count up one on your beads and repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have completed your count.

Beginner	Intermediate	Advanced
6 cycles	12 cycles	24 cycles

This will energize your body so that the etheric energy flows through you. It is possible this could stimulate your Kundalini, so if it does, do not be shocked or afraid, but allow it to flow up through you and direct it through your crown chakra. Some shaking and muscle tightening is possible if this occurs so do not panic.

It is unlikely this will occur, but I want you to be prepared in the event it does. In the event it does, stop practicing immediately once the Kundalini subsides. Since you are not yet prepared for it, it would be prudent for to you discontinue this exercise as it may further stimulate the Kundalini.

I realize you are thinking, but isn’t this what we want? Yes, that is our ultimate goal, but if you are not ready, it can be unpleasant and may hold you back spiritually. If it continues every time you use this technique, then you are ready to proceed to the next level after mastering the other techniques within this introductory level.

Daily Regimen

Since this level could take up to 18 months to complete, I want to specify a schedule and timeframe that will accommodate both the very beginning student and those who may pass through these exercises rapidly. I have broken it down into three (3) different phases, each phase working on a specific set of skills. Each phase should take anywhere between 2 to 6 months, longer if you are not advancing quickly. Remember, it is not a race.

While it is possible to interleave these daily regimens together, like every other day or something similar, I truly advise you to complete Phase 1 first, and then you can consider interleaving Phase 2 and Phase 3. Focusing on one phase at a time is the ideal, and I believe it is the best route to go for solid results, but some of you, especially new humans, may find the pace too slow as you see results more rapidly.

Since we are entering the age of the individual, I will leave it to you on how you will approach this. Following my advice is optional, but I really think you will see better results if you do. I get you are impatient, but this takes some time, especially when you are so new to meditation. Start out as I recommend, and see how it goes before deviating later if you choose.

Phase 1: Meditative Stillness (2 - 6 months)

We must quiet the monkey mind before we can really dive into meditation fully. This first phase is all about that. Every day, sit in meditation and complete the following techniques based on the count/time specified. I have broken it down into 3 different levels, each level taking 2 months to complete if you are new to this.

Use your inner intuition to feel how it is going and see if your results are good enough before moving to the next level.

Technique	Beginner	Intermediate	Advanced
Sitting in Meditation	Duration	Duration	Duration
Counting Beads	12 count	36 count	60 count
Focused Breathing	5 minutes	5 minutes	10 minutes
Emptiness	0 minutes	10 minutes	15 minutes
Total Time:	10 minutes	20 minutes	30 minutes

Phase 2: Chakras and Breathing (2 - 6 months)

In phase 2, we want to identify, locate and activate your main chakras. You will add another breathing technique into your practice and perform each visualization technique once a week. Your goal is to activate your chakras and develop that laser focus you’ll need later in this practice. Of course, this implies you have mastered Phase 1 and quieted your monkey mind.

Technique	Beginner	Intermediate	Advanced
Sitting in Meditation	Duration	Duration	Duration
Deep Breathing	6 count	12 count	12 count
Nadi Sodhana	6 count	12 count	12 count
Om Japa	6 count	12 count	24 count
Total Time:	15 minutes	25 minutes	40 minutes

As mentioned above, you will integrate the following two exercises into your weekly routine (not daily). I find the weekend perfect for these extra exercises to improve your focus:

Technique	Duration	Schedule
Visualization	5-10 minutes	Month 1-3
Sensing the Present	10-15 minutes	Month 4-6

As you begin this phase, it will seem like nothing is really happening, but somewhere between month 2 and 4 you will begin to open your chakras, feeling the energy flow around your body and up through the main chakras.

Your focus exercises may seem difficult at first. If your monkey mind is still chattering, go back and perform the Emptiness exercise before you attempt the focus exercises. Eventually, you will experience more vivid and focused exercises each week.

Phase 3: Kriya Serpent (2 - 6 months)

If you have followed the long timeline for these phases, you have practiced for one year, the same time I spent studying the Self Realization Fellowship’s course. Their lessons had a strong religious focus while developing the meditation techniques. We do not need this religious focus because once you connect to The Divine through Kriya Serpent Yoga, you will have all the religion you need.

This third phase introduces you to Kriya Serpent Yoga. Up to this point, you learned to quiet your monkey mind, sit in meditation, count repetitions with Mala Beads, develop focus through visualization, become more mindful of your present, and activate your main chakras by stimulating energy within your body.

That is a lot, but all are necessary for your spiritual growth. Now, you will learn the sounds, symbols and meanings of Kriya Serpent Yoga, training your mind to visualize the symbols while intoning the sounds. This further stimulates energy within.

Think about it. Since we are all energy and vibrations, stimulating this energetic body with sound and vibrations will build up energy within your energetic body as it flows through your chakras. That is what Kriya Serpent does. Eventually, this ignites the Kundalini within, taking you to higher planes of consciousness.

You will probably change both physically and psychologically in this third phase in ways you may not have expected. This is all positive and prepares you for the next level of this practice. Remain patient and enjoy the experience.

Technique	Beginner	Intermediate	Advanced
Sitting in Meditation	Duration	Duration	Duration
Nadi Sodhana	6 count	6 count	6 count
Kriya Serpent	12 cycles	24 cycles	36 cycles
Total Time:	10 minutes	20 minutes	30 minutes

During this introductory level, we kept the amount of meditation under an hour. For most, finding the time to do meditation is a battle in our busy lives. In later levels, assume you will spend at least an hour meditating, sometimes longer. Don’t worry, with regular practice, you’ll be surprised how easy this becomes.

However, fitting it into your daily routine is not so easy. I recommend you do it either early in the morning or before bed. During the day is difficult since you are involved with so many activities and demands. I do my meditation in the early morning as a great way to start my day. Doing it at night, which I sometimes do, is also fantastic as it can lead to remarkable dreams and deep sleep. The risk of doing it before bed is the threat of falling asleep during the meditation. While sleep can be considered a significant form of meditation, you do not want that to replace your Kriya Serpent practice. Be mindful of what your body tells you and try both times to see which fits you better with your lifestyle.

You must be certain to do this every single day. It will be challenging for most early on, but as you progress and begin to experience the power of this practice, you will want to do it every day to gain the benefits it affords you. Whenever you do it, I must urge you to refrain from consuming stimulants before practice. Being under the influence of such substances deters your progress and slows your evolution. Over time, these cravings will diminish as the energy heals and improves your physical and mental life state.

You still have free will, but exercise it judiciously. Make positive life choices and you will experience positive life states. It is how we were designed to work.

Warnings, Suggestions and Side Effects

At the introductory level, we are not trying to raise the Kundalini, so there are not any serious side effects we have to consider. Having said that, there are a few things I will make a note of:

Sitting for long periods in a cross-legged position may put one or more of your lower extremities to sleep as blood flow is restricted. I recommend integrating stretching exercises into your routine to adjust for this new position you use daily. If you cannot prevent it, try softer materials for your zabuton or switch to a chair.
Allergies cause difficult breathing during meditation, and I know having suffered from them most of my life. Use over-the-counter remedies to clear sinuses so you can breathe your best. I use a daily 24 hour medication and typically have clear breathing in the mornings because of it. If you are simply too congested, I recommend holding off on your practice until you resume normal breathing.
Though it may seem reasonable to meditate while sick, I strongly urge you not to. Rehabilitate yourself from the illness first before resuming your daily practice.
Near the end of this level, you may discover you need less sleep than before you started. Keep in mind any good meditation can be viewed as similar to a cycle of sleep as you lower your brainwave patterns into different levels of consciousness. This is normal and welcome as it frees up time to meditate.
Sexual arousal is often stimulated, especially during Kriya Serpent techniques in the latter part of this level. I recommend easing these urges without resorting to sexual activities. This energy is good and a part of where you are headed. Don’t always lower your vibrational state through sexual release. I am not saying don’t have sex. I am saying don’t always do it after your meditation. You don’t want to entrain yourself with that association, as it will lead to troubling problems down the road.

Next Level

Once you have achieved the Advanced mastery levels in each of the three phases of Level 1, you will be ready to move onto Level 2. As mentioned before, it is important to master these techniques and train your body and mind for the mindfulness of meditation. You are laying the foundation of your future practice at this level and want to ensure it is solid before you take the next steps.

While the expectations are flexible, you really have to determine when and if you have achieved the results before moving on. In the latter levels of Kriya Serpent Yoga, you will develop your inner guru, who will lead you down the path as a regular guru would. It is a rather remarkable thing and part of the new age that is coming.

However, in these early stages, that inner voice is not developed, but you still have intuition. The best judge of you is you. Pay close attention to the physical feelings you experience in this practice, and your body’s changes will lead you to the next stages. If you believe you are ready to move on, then your Kriya Serpent technique, which is like the test at the beginning, should have stimulated far more within you than the very first time you took the test. Keep track of these and see where you fall based on the results of the test.

While for some, it may show a much higher level, if you started here, continue the linear path through the book from one level to the next. If you are more advanced, you will fly through the lower levels quickly. More than anything, rejoice in the beginning of a lifetime practice that will take you on a journey you can barely even imagine during these early stages. The Universe is a mysterious and magical place that offers more than we know or are prepared to accept. We are training you to be prepared for this unveiling so you benefit from all the Universe offers.