The Kriya Yoga Podcast

In episode 26 of The Kriya Yoga Podcast, host Ryan Kurczak reflects on what it means to be with a guru. Drawing from the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, Roy Eugene Davis, and his own years of spiritual practice, Ryan explores the guru as a dispeller of darkness and a living access point to wisdom, clarity, and spiritual freedom. He discusses how a sincere relationship with a teacher can suppor...

Kriya Yoga teacher Donelle Mason from New Zealand joins Ryan Kurczak for a thoughtful conversation on insight, Self-realization, lineage, Sanskrit, renunciation, ritual, and spiritual maturity. This episode explores the difference between genuine spiritual insight and mental understanding, the gradual or sudden recognition of Purusha, and how to understand the many branches and variations of Kriya...

In this episode of The Kriya Yoga Podcast, we explore Yoga Sutra 1.38 and the practice of clarifying awareness through knowledge of dreams and sleep. Building on the previous Preparation for Samadhi teachings from Sutras 1.33–1.37, we examine how serenity, breath awareness, balanced prana, inner sensitivity, sorrowless luminosity, and freedom from attachment prepare the practitioner to remain awar...

In this episode, “The Spiritual Importance of a Human Life,” we explore why human birth is considered so sacred within the yoga tradition. Human life holds a unique place in creation because it gives us the capacity for self-awareness, moral choice, spiritual discipline, and direct realization of the Divine. We carry instinctual forces within us, yet we also have the ability to refine the mind, aw...

In this episode of The Kriya Yoga Podcast, Bryan Crigler shares a practical and insightful exploration of breathwork, pranayama, and their role in deepening meditation. This talk was recorded during the Kriya Yoga March Equinox Retreat and focuses on how the breath serves as a bridge between the physical body and the subtle experience of prana. Bryan combines traditional yogic teachings with moder...

In this episode of The Kriya Yoga Podcast, Kriya Yoga teacher Donelle Mason offers a comprehensive introduction to Samadhi, the highest state of meditation described in classical yoga. This talk was recorded during the Online Kriya Yoga Equinox Retreat and presents a clear, practical understanding of how Samadhi develops through consistent spiritual practice. Donelle explains the eight limbs of yo...

In this episode of The Kriya Yoga Podcast, Ryan Kurczak is interviewed by student and Kriya practitioner Pushya Mistry in a thoughtful, in-depth conversation that explores the inner mechanics of spiritual practice and the realities of walking the Kriya Yoga path. Drawing from his own sincere inquiry, Pushya brings forward questions that many practitioners quietly carry—about technique, imagination...

In this episode of The Kriya Yoga Podcast, we explore a question many meditators quietly wrestle with: Why does life sometimes feel less interesting as meditation deepens? As spiritual practice grows, interests, motivations, and relationships can begin to shift. Activities that once felt exciting may lose their pull, while inner life becomes richer and more compelling. Is this a healthy sign of sp...

In this episode of The Kriya Yoga Podcast, Ryan Kurczak sits down with Bryan Crigler for a grounded, wide-ranging conversation on what it actually looks like to build a mature Kriya Yoga practice over time. Bryan shares his winding spiritual path—from early curiosity, martial arts, pranayama, and psychedelic exploration, to discovering Kriya Yoga as a steady, embodied way of realization. Together,...

In this episode of the Kriya Yoga Podcast, Ryan Kurczak responds to a thoughtful question many sincere practitioners ask. What happens when we enter the Kriya path through clarity, discrimination, and philosophical coherence—yet feel hesitant around devotion? When Sāṃkhya’s precision builds trust in the process, the Bhagavad Gita offers a first glimpse of theistic meaning, and Krishna appears as a...

In this episode of The Kriya Yoga Podcast, Bryan Crigler sits down with Kriya Yoga Teacher Ryan Kurczak for a wide-ranging, candid conversation that blends practical technique, experience, and the deeper questions that naturally arise on a committed spiritual path. This episode unfolds as a thoughtful dialogue shaped by Bryan’s real questions—many of them drawn directly from his own meditation pra...

In this opening Kriya Yoga Online Sunday Service of the year, we explore a question that sits at the heart of the spiritual path: What part of us doesn’t feel pain? While pain is an unavoidable part of human life—experienced through the body, emotions, relationships, and changing circumstances—yogic wisdom points to something within us that remains untouched by suffering. This episode reflects on...

In this episode of the Kriya Yoga Podcast, we explore how Internal Family Systems (IFS) can support deeper meditation, psychological integration, and an authentic experience of divine communion. Drawing from yogic philosophy, contemplative practice, and modern therapeutic insight, this talk examines why sincere meditation and devotion sometimes feel blocked—even after years of practice. The core i...

In this episode of the Kriya Yoga Podcast, Ryan Kurczak explores the essence of yoga as the practice of Samadhi—a theme that will guide all classes, retreats, and offerings throughout 2026 as we celebrate a “Year of Samadhi.” Ryan shares upcoming opportunities for study and practice, including a monthly Patreon series on the preparatory processes in the Yoga Sutras, a six-week Samadhi Yoga Book St...

In this episode of The Kriya Yoga Podcast we talked about Merchant to Mystic, Isha Das’ powerful re-telling of the life of Francis of Assisi—not as a distant saint, but as a true hero whose journey mirrors our own. We explored how this young, privileged pleasure-seeker from medieval Assisi transformed into one of history’s most beloved spiritual figures, and how failure, mission, community, medita...

In this episode of The Kriya Yoga Podcast I speak with David McGrath, author and Kriya Yoga teacher. David and I discuss his most excellent and engaging commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Pada 1.  David has written one of the most lucid and helpful modern commentaries on Patanjali's work. It is well worth the read for any serious student of yogic meditation.  You can find David's new book...

The Burning Present Moment On the spiritual path, enthusiasm often gives way to what one teacher called “the icky middle”—that in-between place where the excitement of beginning meets the challenge of transformation. It’s here that we learn: awakening isn’t just about peace or bliss. It’s about endurance, sincerity, and courage to live in the truth of the present moment. To experience what’s real,...

An Interview with Asha Nayaswami This episode of the Kriya Yoga Podcast features an in-depth conversation with Asha Nayaswami, a spiritual director from Ananda Palo Alto and a longtime disciple of Swami Kriyananda since 1969. Asha shares her early quest for truth, her transformative encounter with Kriyananda, and her subsequent journey in the Ananda community. The Importance of Dynamic Practice an...

Experiencing and understanding Chitta, what Chitta is, how to know it, and its relevance to your yoga meditation practice is necessary for the promise of yoga to give its final fruits.  In this episode, we continue on from episode 7 and explore the nature of Chitta. Advised Reference Material Can be Found: Free Class on Chapter 1 (Pada 1) of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali The American Sanskrit Insti...

Nirodha Saṁskāra: How the Mind Transforms in Deep Yoga One of the most fascinating ideas in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is the subtle inner transformation that happens as the mind becomes still. What Is Nirodha? Patanjali defines yoga as: “Yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ” (Yoga Sutra 1.2) Yoga is the cessation (nirodha) of the fluctuations of the mind. But how do we actually reach that state? It doesn’t ha...

This episode of the Kriya Yoga Podcast is recording from our annual June Kriya Yoga Solstice Retreat.  Kriya Yoga teacher Ryan Kurczak explores ways to access the mystical state and what it is like to function and experience that state. Topics include: Imagining the Mystical Experience Allowing Yourself to Experience a Mystical State Losing Yourself in Mystical Experience Extreme Techniques Don't...

This episode of The Kriya Yoga Podcast is an excerpt from a talk given during the 2025 summer annual Kriya Yoga week-long retreat in Rochester, NY. In this discussion we explore the power of Sattva as grace and an essential component of our enlightenment practice.  For a full explanation of this topic, please see Ryan Kurczak's book, Kriya Yoga and the Primordial Powers of Creation: A Guide to Sat...

This episode of The Kriya Yoga Podcast is an excerpt from a talk given by Kriya Yoga Teacher Ryan Kurczak during the 2025 Kriya Yoga Online Solstice Retreat. The Discussion includes: Supportive Techniques from Chapter I: Sutras I.33–I.39 Patanjali offers auxiliary methods to stabilize the mind in Sutras I.33–I.39, forming a meditative ladder: I.33 – Cultivating attitudes of friendliness (toward th...

This episode of The Kriya Yoga Podcast, When You Know Samadhi explores the philosophical and practical aspects of meditation within the framework of Kriya Yoga and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The main topics include: The Purpose of Meditation Meditation is presented not as a relaxation technique but as a means to access one's true, timeless essence. The goal is the cessation of mental fluctuatio...

In this episode of The Kriya Yoga Podcast Ryan reflects on a conversation with yoga retreat attendees struggling to understand or experience what is "sacred." This sparks a broader exploration of how modern life—especially overthinking, distractions, and unresolved inner conflicts—prevents many from recognizing sacredness in daily life. Key Points: Invitation to Reflect: Listeners are asked to con...