Kriya Yoga: Meaning, Traditions and Getting Started

Styles of yoga 3 illustrations Updated 2 Nov 2026

Kriya yoga means the yoga of action, and the name is used in two main ways. In Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, kriya yoga is a simple three part discipline: steady effort, self study and surrender. In a later tradition, kriya yoga is a set of breath and meditation techniques passed directly from teacher to student, often after a formal initiation.

This page explains both, clears up the separate meaning of kriyas in hatha yoga, and shows how to begin practising the spirit of kriya yoga at home without needing secret techniques.

Meaning: Kriya: action, practice
Patanjali's version: Tapas, svadhyaya, ishvara pranidhana
Later tradition: Breath and meditation methods, taught by initiation
Hatha kriyas: The six cleansing practices, shatkarma
Main focus: Breath, attention, inner discipline
Start with: Daily breathing and meditation

What is kriya yoga in the Yoga Sutras?

The second chapter of the Yoga Sutras opens by defining kriya yoga as three things practised together:

Tapas: disciplined effort, the willingness to keep going when it is hard.
Svadhyaya: self study, including reflection and the study of wise texts.
Ishvara pranidhana: surrender, offering the results of effort to something larger.

These are also the last three of the five niyamas in the eight limbs. Patanjali presents kriya yoga as a practical starting point that reduces the causes of suffering.

Kriya yoga in pictures

Kriya yoga practice: seated with a straight spine and attention moving along the back — Level
Intermediate
Hold
10 to 20 minutes
Works on
Breath, attention
Many kriya methods move attention up and down the spine with the breath. A straight, relaxed seat is essential.
**Teacher's cue:** Feel the inhale rise along the back and the exhale settle down it.

Self study as part of kriya yoga, a figure writing reflections in a notebook — Level
All levels
Hold
5 minutes
Works on
Reflection
Svadhyaya, self study, can be as simple as a few honest lines in a notebook after practice.
**Teacher's cue:** Write one thing you noticed about your mind today.

Tapas, steady discipline, shown as a figure unrolling a yoga mat before sunrise — Level
All levels
Hold
Daily
Works on
Discipline
Tapas is steady effort: turning up on the mat each morning, especially on days you would rather not.
**Teacher's cue:** Make the habit small enough that you never skip it.

Kriya yoga as a meditation tradition

In the last two centuries, kriya yoga also became the name of a lineage of breath and meditation techniques. These usually involve slow breathing with attention moving along the spine, specific mudras and long periods of meditation. Students typically learn them from an authorised teacher after a preparatory course, and the details are traditionally not published. Various organisations teach versions under the kriya name, and some modern breathing programmes use similar words; they are separate from classical kriya yoga and from each other.

Kriyas in yoga: the cleansing practices

In hatha yoga, kriya also refers to cleansing techniques, the shatkarma: neti, dhauti, nauli, basti, trataka and kapalabhati. In kundalini yoga, a kriya means a set routine of postures, breath and sound. So when someone asks about kriyas in yoga, check which meaning they intend.

How to do kriya yoga and how to practice kriya yoga at home

You can practise Patanjali's kriya yoga without any initiation:

Tapas: keep a small daily practice, 20 minutes of asana and breathing, every day.
Svadhyaya: read one sutra or a page from a good text, then write a few lines of reflection.
Ishvara pranidhana: end practice by letting go of how it went, with a moment of gratitude.

For breath work, nadi shodhana and slow ujjayi are safe foundations. If you want the lineage techniques, seek a qualified teacher.

Kriya yoga poses and the body

Kriya yoga poses are mostly seated meditation postures, such as padmasana, sukhasana or siddhasana, chosen so the spine stays straight for long sitting. Some teachers recommend a short asana practice before meditation to release stiffness, with surya namaskar and gentle twists.

Cautions

Intensive breath and meditation practice can bring up strong emotions or physical sensations. Build up slowly, and leave out lengthy breath retention in pregnancy or with a heart or blood pressure condition. If psychiatric illness is part of your history, involve both a teacher and your doctor before going deeper.

Practise on an empty stomach, move slowly into each position and stop at any sharp pain. If you have an injury, a health condition or are pregnant, check with a doctor or an experienced teacher first.

Questions people ask

What is kriya yoga in simple words?

The yoga of action. In Patanjali's text it means discipline, self study and surrender. In a later tradition it is a set of breath and meditation techniques taught by a teacher.