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2018 Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Introduction

You are taking the first steps to realizing the greatest work of humankind. The same
fortitude, focus, concentration, dedication, patience, discipline and devotion to complete this
task is known only to such people at the top tier of their professions. Consider world-class
Olympians, surgeons, musicians, self-made millionaires, stay-at-home mothers, and military
specialists or similar successful individuals. Consider the time and perseverance required for
their success. If you’re longing to know your Self, to know your true relationship to the
divine, is as motivating as the drive and ambition of the world’s most successful people, you
will succeed.

If you have the capacity to make the personal sacrifices, to endure the tedious inner work, to
get up day after day, and year after year, to master your consciousness without any promise
of glory or acknowledgement from the world, then you will succeed. If you are willing to
seek out spiritual experts when you need them, avoid the grandiose claims of those who
promise an easy, quick method, and acknowledge it will be your own Self-effort that
completes the task of Self-realization, you will be successful. (Always remember, grace and
Self-effort are synonymous.)

Through the eons, your consciousness has been changing, evolving, awakening out of a long
slumber. You have experienced the consciousness of rocks, plants, mountains, trees, lakes,
insects, reptiles and mammals. You have been humans who cared only for violence and petty
fortunes. You have been great men and women, as well as the lowest beggar and thief.
Throughout each experience, your consciousness has been maturing. Like an oak grows from
a seed to a sapling and into a great awesome tree, your consciousness has been expanding.

The maturation can be seen in the development of a healthy human being. At first, there is
no sense of self, only a body that eats, sleeps and eliminates. As time passes, the child realizes
it has needs and can get those needs met. The ego develops and with it comes craving and
desires. As the child matures into an adult, a sense of duty and dedication to something
greater may dawn — not always, but it might. In the proper environment, the human
consciousness will then blossom free of the mortal concerns it had as a dutiful adult and
release itself into the contemplation of the greater mysteries. When death comes, it is
prepared. It has grown through this particular stage and now enters the next.

Most people in the current era can be seen to exist in the consciousness of a child, only
searching to have its cravings and desires fulfilled. Some will be at the level of duty and
dedication to society and humankind in general. Few will truly consider the mysteries and
prepare themselves for the next phase of consciousness.
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There is no judgment in this. It is natural. It is as silly to judge a two-year-old for throwing a

tantrum as it is to judge anyone at their current stage of development. It is just as useful to
condemn an oak seed for not being a tree as it is to expect anyone to be anything other than
what they are. It is a continuum that we all must go through.

So you see, human consciousness is a stage, a step in the greater process of the universe. The
stage of exploring meditation and yoga sincerely is just part of the recipe required to
complete the maturation process of consciousness. You are now at, or close to that stage.

As with all endeavors, there are plenty of ways to complete the task. There are plenty of
pitfalls, plenty of fantasies to avoid, and plenty of help, as well. The method you have chosen
is that of Kriya Yoga and Self-inquiry. One prepares you for the other. Both together provide
all the tools and structure necessary for success in the realization of Self-knowledge.

Although there will be plenty of moments of ecstasy and peace, actualizing this process will
not always be easy, nor will it always be enjoyable. Yet once realized, it is the most fulfilling
undertaking you ever could have hoped to be engaged in. If this is acceptable, then let us
begin…

The Self, the undivided infinite consciousness, is ever present and timeless. It is
simultaneously the objects of experience, the capacity to experience, and the witness of all
phenomena. It is both the ever-changing world of form and the changeless being in which
the world of form rises and falls. It is the work of Kriya Yoga to reveal this reality through
direct experience.

Spiritual practice returns our capacity to exist in and as a pure being, allowing us to know
our infinite existence, while relating appropriately to the world of form. The world of form
includes the roles we have chosen to play in time and space, and the temporary imagined
limitations required to play those roles. Spiritual practice enables us to reconcile our infinite
being with our temporal form. A spiritually advanced individual can withdraw attention into
the pure being of Self in meditation as easily as he or she can live a normal, unassuming life.

Pain, suffering and confusion can arise if all we can perceive is the ever-changing
phenomena of the limited existence of our current personality and life situation. It is like
being trapped in a dream. When we dream, we often forget that we are the dreamer and
every person, place and thing we see, feel, touch, hear and smell within the dream is a
projection of our own consciousness. When a dreamer becomes lucid, the dream is
experienced for what it is, a play of the many and varied components of consciousness that
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have been accumulated or created while engaged in time and space. A lucid dream loses its
sense of immediacy, because the dreamer then sees everything clearly and in perspective.

Kriya Yoga does not make life better. It gives proper perspective on what life is. Kriya Yoga
removes the obstacles that allow us to see the Self-shining nature of spirit in all people,
places, times and circumstances. When this is obvious, stress, pain and frustration melt into
contentment, peace, love and knowledge.

To make life better may require a shift in attitude, a change of associations, counseling to
deal with unresolved trauma and mental stress or a change in diet and lifestyle routines. All
of these actions are supports for our advanced spiritual practice. They enable us to derive the
full benefit of an intensive and intelligent application of the Kriya Yoga techniques and
principles.

The teachings shared through this Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship assumes that you have either
successfully dealt with the mundane problems of your life or are actively working on them
and are at the point where they cease to be a distraction. Self-realization requires energy,
dedication, discipline and time. The more of that we have to dedicate to our inner work, the
quicker will be the results.

-excerpt from Kriya Yoga Vichara

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What is Kriya Yoga?

Kriya Yoga is the path of effective living and intentional meditation practice. Based mainly
on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Kriya Yoga utilizes lifestyle guidelines common to all
authentic spiritual traditions intent on realizing enlightenment. It includes specific
meditation techniques that quickly and effectively cleanse awareness of debilitating
thoughts, memories and energetic patterns that prevent the realization of our essence as pure
consciousness.

The term “Kriya” is generally translated as a cleansing action. “Yoga” in this context refers to
unification with our essence. Any action that carries us closer to the realization of our
essence as pure consciousness is considered to be Kriya Yoga. Kriya Yoga embraces all
enlightening traditions. In this regard, the devotional methods of any religious practice that
functions to support the unification of our present state with our spiritual origins can easily
be practiced along with the methods of Kriya Yoga outlined in this text.

Kriya Yoga is a method that effectively quickens our spiritual realizations regardless of our
religious preference. Also note that these methods do not need to be labeled “spiritual”. An
atheist can realize the true essence of being. Reality remains ever what it is. Labels such as
spiritual do not change it.

The scope of Kriya Yoga is broad. As mentioned earlier, the term “Yoga” by itself generally
refers to any practice that serves to unite the ordinarily fragmented awareness. There are
many paths of Yoga. Each path provides a route of reunification suitable to a particular
temperament. For the intellectually discriminating yogi there is the way of knowledge, or
Jnana Yoga. The person of a devotional temperament may choose Bhakti Yoga. Service
oriented individuals can offer up their work for the world as a method of Karma Yoga. The
physically inclined who are able to purify and strengthen their bodies through
psychophysiological efforts can practice Hatha Yoga. The culmination and synthesis of all
these paths to oneness constitute the body of Kriya Yoga.

Jnana Yoga methodically clarifies awareness through discernment. Through inquiry into the
true nature of existence, all that is not truth is cast aside. As the practice deepens, the
shining light of wholeness reveals itself through the intellect of the yogi. Inquiry is mainly
practiced through meditation and delving into questions such as “What am I?” The
difference between Jnana Yoga and philosophical speculation is that the questioning process
is given total concentration until the truth is revealed from within.
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Of all the branches of Yoga this may be the least theistic. An idea of the divine is not
necessary to practice Jnana Yoga; although it is possible that inner realizations may lead to
this concept. Ultimately, through Jnana Yoga all concepts are dissolved. Then there is only
the reality of being.

Bhakti Yoga invites the presence of divine love to gracefully mend our fragmented
awareness. By devotional worship, song, meditation, and service, the Bhakti yogi directs all
attention towards the form of the divine most beloved to the heart. The energy of their love
and attention clears the way for clearer states of consciousness to emerge. Just as the Jnana
yogis masters their attention and direct it to the goal of realization through inquiry, the
Bhakti yogi does so through intense devotion. Separately, both routes lead to the same state
of consciousness. Together the combination is unbeatable.

Karma Yoga provides a route of practice for people inclined toward assisting the world to
reach a more harmonious state of affairs. Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and
Mother Theresa are excellent examples of Karma Yogis. Through their work and service
performed as spiritual practice, the world was uplifted. In a sense, all branches of yoga fall
under the category of Karma Yoga. As each individual undertakes the task of uplifting and
clarifying his or her awareness in whatever way best suites them, the awareness of the whole
is uplifted and clarified as well. Any effort to improve the individual improves the whole
and vice versa. As you will learn through the practice of Yoga, there is no real boundary
between yourself, the world and anyone else.

The most widely known form of Yoga in the West is Hatha Yoga. More precisely this can be
called “asana” yoga. An asana is a bodily posture held to strengthen the body and improve
the quality of the life force. When the body is strong and the life force flows without
disturbance the foundation for profound meditation is set. Hatha Yoga primarily is a
preparatory practice for higher realization. Although, practiced with alert attention hatha
yoga can also produce a powerful form of moving meditation.

To practice Kriya Yoga means to engage all our capacities by enlisting all four branches of
Yoga in a surrendered effort to realize the purpose of incarnated life. As Paramahansa
Yogananda has said, “You are in this world for but a little while. The ultimate purpose for
being here is much different than what most people imagine it to be.”

-excerpt from Kriya Yoga: Continuing the Lineage of Enlightenment

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Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Program Structure

• The Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship consists of two years of online instruction, each
concluding with a week-long in-person retreat.
• Year One is eight months long, consisting of 27 audio and/or video classes. One live
Q&A webinar will occur each month between January and August.
• Year Two is six months long, consisting of 24 audio and video classes. One live Q&A
webinar will occur each month between January and June.
• Course material is expected to be studied, contemplated and applied as the program
proceeds.
• Each year of study will conclude with an in-person week long retreat. Retreat dates
will be announced 4-6 months in advance to allow plenty of time for proper travel
arrangements to be made. Retreat participation is encouraged. This retreat is limited
to 25 participants.
• During the course of study, video and/or audio recordings will be sent on a weekly
basis.
• Email questions can be sent in throughout the duration of the courses. Answers will
be given by email or covered at the beginning of the next week’s class.
• Participants will be required to submit a meditation log/journal for review bimonthly.
• This Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship is on a donation basis.
• Required previous study includes the 11-Hour Downloadable Kriya Yoga Training
Course from http://kriyayogaonline.com/downloadable-courses/introduction-to-
kriya-yoga/ . It is also advised that you have listened to and studied the Kriya Yoga
Meditation Beginners Guide and the Introduction to Modern Kriya Yoga
Spirituality available at https://www.youtube.com/user/KriyaYogaOnline/playlists.
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Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Year 1 Syllabus

Section 1 - Introduction to Kriya Yoga Philosophy

Section 2 - Building an Effective Meditation Practice

Section 3 - Necessary Supportive Lifestyle Habits

Section 4 - Changing to a Yogic Worldview
Section 5 - Introduction to the Yamas and Niyamas
Section 6 - Exploration and Application of the Yamas

Section 7 - Exploration and Application of the Niyamas

Section 8 - The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita as a Blue Print for Spiritual Realization
Section 9-26 - Study and Contemplation on the Bhagavad Gita
Section 27 - Continuing Your Private Inner Work
Required reading material
Kriya Yoga: Continuing the Lineage of Enlightenment by Ryan Kurczak
The Eternal Way by Roy Eugene Davis
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Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Year 2 Syllabus

Section 1 - How to Benefit from Reading Autobiography of a Yogi

Section 2 - Effectively Extending and Deepening Your Meditation Practice

Section 3 - Carrying Your Meditation into Daily Life

Section 4 - The Importance of Service as Spiritual Practice
Section 5 - Making Peace in a World of Change
Section 6 - Developing the Power of Spiritual Devotion

Section 7 - The Value of Contemplative Meditation

Section 8 - The Essence of the Yoga Sutras as a Formula for Spiritual Realization
Section 9-21 - Study and Contemplation on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Section 22 - The Theory and Practice of Prayer
Section 23 - Considering Your Will-power as an Extension of Divine Will
Section 24 - The Surrendered Life
Required reading material
Kriya Yoga Vichara by Ryan Kurczak
Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda
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Donations

You may make a donation of any amount you choose, depending on the value you place
upon this work. Consider the value you place on the time and effort put into this project.
Consider your means. I do not set a recommended donation because some have very little,
while others have a great abundance. You must decide what this work is worth to you and
what you can give comfortably and happily to support this endeavor.

At the conclusion of each month you will be sent an email with link to send a donation
through Paypal or an address to mail a Money Order. To affirm your participation in the
course, a donation of some amount must be received within 10 days of the donation request.

Monthly Online Webinar Q&A Sessions

At the beginning of each month an announcement will be sent indicating the day and time
of the monthly live online Q&A session. These sessions will generally occur on a Wednesday
evening or Sunday afternoon. The times will be in EASTERN TIME ZONE.

The purpose of these sessions is to have live discussion with Ryan Kurczak about meditation
and the topics covered, to date, in the Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Course.

You will be emailed a login information at least 90 minutes before each session.

You will be invited to participate in the Webinar through Zoom (https://www.zoom.us/).

If you do not receive a login email, please be sure to check your BULK or SPAM folders.
Please login 10 minutes before each session.

If you have trouble logging in, please contact the hosting provider ZOOM directly.

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362003-Zoom-Technical-Support

Do not email us or ask for help with login once the meeting time has started. We are not
experts with login problems. ZOOM staff are. Also, we cannot stop the entire webinar for
one login problem.

Be aware of your time zone. The time for each meeting is Eastern Time Zone. Do research
ahead of time to determine how your time zone matches up. You can use this link to determine
what time it is in Asheville, NC.

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/usa/asheville

When that time matches our session time, login.

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Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Course Intention and Mission

Since the Autumn of 2000 I have been practicing Kriya Yoga. In the Summer of 2005 I was
authorized to teach and ordained as a minister of Center for Spiritual Awareness, a Kriya Yoga
organization founded by a student of Paramahansa Yogananda. Since that time, I have
remained committed to the same practice. I have also endeavored to remain conscious of the
changes that have occurred in my mind and awareness due to living a life centered in the Kriya
Yoga philosophy. Through this awareness I have done my best remember the lessons learned,
so that through the mistakes, challenges and successes that have occurred during the practice
of a Kriya Yoga lifestyle I may pass on the results of those lessons. Ideally you can learn from
my own process, and go more deeply into your personal relationship with Self and God.

This is a profoundly personal and subjective process. Your relationship with Self and God will
be like no one else's. You are a unique expression of this one infinite consciousness. Your path
will also be a unique expression of this same consciousness. Because of this, the Kriya Yoga
Apprenticeship course is specifically intended to support you on your private journey. By
participating in this course you will not be distracted by organizational politics or dramas. You
will not be distracted by the lives or ideas of others, who are also on their solitary path. You
will have little opportunity to fall into a false sense of security that any person, alive or
transcendent, can do the work for you to realize Self and God. You will be guided. Knowledge
of how to proceed will be shared with you. But this adventure, which encompasses both Spirit
and Nature, will require your own discipline and fortitude. The clarity of awareness and inner
joy that this path can reveal will be your own to find and ultimately accept, as your very Self.

Let us take some time to consider who is best suited to this Kriya Yoga Learning
Apprenticeship. We will start by considering who this particular program is not for:

• If you have fallen in love with the ideas shared in Autobiography of a Yogi, and you
feel that you are destined to teach these processes to others, this course is not for you.
Experience has shown me that those whose goal is to teach, heal, or educate others in
any process before they've actually experienced the process themselves, reveals other
psychological issues that need resolved. And there are very few, that successfully
work through the Kriya Process, that actually feel compelled to take on the role of
teacher. Your focus needs to be first and foremost on doing whatever it takes to
experience Self and God-realization. Intending to teach anything before then is
putting the cart in front of the horse.
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• If you think that the Kriya Yoga meditation techniques are a magical formula to
enlightenment, this course is not for you. Kriya Yoga is more than just meditation
techniques. It is a philosophy, a lifestyle and a commitment to a way of being. It
usually requires a radical reassessment of one's priorities, of which committing to
meditate with a particular procedure is but a small fraction.
• If you are intending to heal mental, emotional, physical, psychic or psychological
issues through this work, this program is not for you. The practice of Yoga with the
intention of Self-realization, requires a student to already possess a certain level of
emotional and physical well-being. This is not to say these processes cannot be
practiced alongside a regimen intended to bring you to wholistic well-being, but they
are for the purpose of Self-realization. This is very different than what is often
required for healing. If you suffer from psychological issues, those will need to be
attended to by a professional in that field. If you suffer from physical issues, again,
only a professional in that field can help you. When you are not overly distracted by
maintaining consistent well-being, you have a greater capacity to focus on cultivating
your Self and God-realization.
• If you are looking for a group to belong to, or if you are simply wanting to trade your
old definition of self in for a new definition of self as Kriya Yogi, this program is not
for you. To seek out spiritual work like this for the sake of filling a deep-seated need
to belong, or to feel better about yourself by calling yourself a spiritual person (or a
Kriya Yogi), reveals other psychological issues that need resolved.

If after reading this, you feel this program is not for you, do not worry. There are plenty of
other spiritual groups, Kriya Yoga Centers, and Self-help groups available to you.

Now let us consider the ideal participant in this Kriya Yoga Learning Apprenticeship Course:

• You have come to a place where you realize there may be more to life than this
constant wheel of repetitious experience and you have a strong pull to realize how
that might be so.
• You are self-motivated. You do not need a cheerleader.
• You realize that to experience any positive and lasting change requires a self-honest
look at the choices you make and a commitment to make choices that support your
intention for change.
• You have a sincere and abiding desire to know your relationship with the concept we
call God.
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• You can commit to daily meditation routines.

• You can commit to a regular study of philosophy.

• You realize this is a private path, and requires no validation of a group, friend, family
member, or anyone else.
• You can keep your inner work private. You meditate and study daily, but your social
interactions do not include discussing your spiritual life.
• You are not a fanatic about any particular lifestyle, health fad, or way of being.
• If you are a social person, you can get your social needs met by exploring enjoyable
hobbies with others. Having fun can also be good for the Spirit!
• You are financially comfortable. This means that you manage your finances well in
relationship to your needs. When you do have occasional financial troubles, you do
what it takes to correct them.
• For the most part you are physically and psychologically healthy, or you are working
with a professional to maintain this level of well-being.
• You are committed to applying what you learn until realization dawns.

Beginning a practice like Kriya Yoga is not for the casual participant. To actually experience
the fruits of the practice requires a great deal of courage, tenacity and adaptability. The
greatest joy of life comes from this practice. I take teaching these processes very seriously,
only because it is very intensive, for both the teacher and the student. I can confirm it is well
worth the effort, but nonetheless, I want to make sure we are very clear from the beginning
what to expect.

My ultimate goal and mission of this Kriya Yoga Learning Apprenticeship course is as
follows. I wish to share with you a realistic and effective path for practicing Kriya Yoga. My
aim is to speak directly to the most valuable practices that will enable you to calm your mind
and emotions, so you can begin to contemplate and directly experience your relationship
with the infinite. I do not intend to waste your time with flowery words or romantic ideas of
what it means to be a Yogi. I intend to talk directly to you about what does and does not
work, spiritually speaking. We will cut through to the heart of the matter. My goal is to
guide you, to the best of my ability, to go beyond your small sense of self so you can
experience life as wholistic expression of an infinite ocean of consciousness. This occurs
through proper application of particular meditation routines and lifestyle choices. My goal is
to teach you to practice contemplation on your chosen spiritual texts or ideals until you have
direct insight into the truth you are seeking. Through contemplation you can ultimately
learn to have a direct conversation with your Self and God. With persistence, in this way,
you eventually learn that every moment and every breath is a conversation between your
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Self and God. This all occurs, step-by-step, slowly and surely so long as one remains
committed to their inner work, every day of every year of one's life. My intention is to start
you off with the best information and practices to realize this possibility.
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And so, if after reviewing this document, you feel certainly inspired to participate in this
program, please email us:

• Your name
• Your birth date, time and location
• A statement of why you are interested in this work
• Your previous experience with meditation or spiritual practices
• Your likelihood of attendance at the meditation retreat.
• Most reliable email to contact you
• Mailing address

Once we have this information on file, your participation in this course will be reserved. We
will then begin sending course materials by January 7th.

Sincerely,

Ryan Kurczak