Kriya Yoga

Use the heat of your attention to cleanse your consciousness: KRIYA YOGA
Kriya means "action", or "deed"; Kriya practice is the "divine action" of purifying your consciousness.
We are Pure Consciousness. But in the manifest world, as our consciousness mixes with the senses, it is influenced by the limits of those senses. The more the two mix, the more we begin to identify with and believe we are that limited perception of the world.
Now, the senses do of course mean the five physical means of perceiving life and the world around us. But it's important to remember the mind is also a sense. Memory, belief patterns and the like are all ways of filtering our experience and reducing our ability to fully experience our awareness and the universe. Kriya techniques purify our consciousness from the memories and patterns that mold and limit it, so it can become liberated and expand to experience full awareness: divine inspiration and all possibilities and forms.
Kriya techniques are designed to draw our consciousness in (pratyahara), in order to direct our attention internally to the areas of our locks and blocks. The catch is that as soon as your senses come in, there is an immediate impulse to proceed on the classical path of raja yoga, to dharana, dhyana and Samadhi.
To reap the full benefits of this practice, however, we wish to stay in the place of kriya, cleansing. Stay focused in your body. So we practice the kriya with eyes open and a fixed dristi, gaze, to actively purify deeper levels of the unconsciousness.
A note about the dristi: From the moment we open our eyes in the morning until we sleep at night, vision generally consumes 80% of our sensory awareness. It is our primary means of relating our inner selves to the outer world. So while keeping the eyes open is important to focus the energy in this practice, it is essential that you do not "look" at anything, but merely practice letting your eyes fall on a point downward. It is the sense of letting your eyes rest on a point, rather than looking at one. Do not let your eyes move upward, for that movement triggers the move from consciousness to superconsciousness. This is the practice of dristi to quiet down the mind and focus the senses' awareness.
There are three major kriyas:
First is the practice of Apa Japa, breath repetition awareness, from the throat to navel and navel to throat. On the inhale, feel surrender in throat and a drawing down to the navel; on the exhale, feel release at the navel and a lifting in the throat. If you are accustomed to practicing Apa Japa with closed eyes, notice the difference in the breath pattern! It will happen automatically as you keep your dristi down. Repeat 18 or 27x. This Kriya balances the emotions and helps clear the Rudra Granthi.
Next is the practice of Arawhon Awarahon. Practice the classic "figure 8" pattern of this pranayama several times, simply keeping your dristi: Inhale up the front line ofBrahma Nadi up to the sternum, then taking the inhale back to the bindu point and up to the crown; on the exhale, the breath moves from Ajna, the third eye point, back to the bindu and down the back gate of Brahma Nadi. This Kriya balances the aspects of past and future, Rajas and Tamas, bringing you into a state of Sattva and the Now.
Third is the practice of Ham Sa Kriya with eyes open. On the inhale, silently vibrate the mantra Ham as you draw the breath awareness up Brahma Nadi to the midbrain. On the exhale, feel Sah as you gently release it back down to the root (Mula).
Finally, close your eyes and continue Ham Sa Kriya for a few more rounds. Now, allow your awareness to naturally pursue the classical progression to Samadhi, and enjoy the bliss of full awareness!