What are kriyās?
The word 'kriyā' comes from the sanskrit root ‘kr’ which denotes action. Kriyas are activities which create the right conditions for the experience of yoga to take place. Kriyās are cleansing and purify the yogin. Modern society, whilst being blessed with many wonderful technologies & medical advances is also an incredibly toxic environment to inhabit. We all know that the air is polluted, the water we drink sterile but full of chemicals, the food we eat is often loaded with additives, preservatives and genetic modifications. On top of that, many get by with a judicious use of tea & coffee, refined sugar, alcohol and/or illicit & prescription drugs.
Combine this with insufficient physical exercise, stress and poor sleep and we have a recipe for a toxic soup guaranteed to slow us down and impair out health and well being. Yoga kriyās offer a systematic, holistic method by which we can start to rid ourselves of toxicity, recharge our energy levels and enjoy increased vitality and good health. You do not need to be flexible or strong to learn the kriyās and they can be practised by almost anybody regardless of age, mobility or previous experience.
