Kriya Yoga International · Greater Portland Center
Kriya Yoga — Frequently Asked Questions
In short
Common questions about Kriya Yoga, initiation, and practising with the Greater Portland Center of Kriya Yoga International in Portland, Oregon. Kriya Yoga is a breath-based meditation technique transmitted in person by an authorized teacher. The next Portland initiation program is October 2–4, 2026.
About Kriya Yoga
Kriya Yoga is a breath-based meditation technique — described by this tradition as the science of breath and a path to freedom. Practised sincerely, it is intended to calm the mind, steady the body, and deepen spiritual awareness, with calmness, peace, joy, love, and compassion described as the fruits of practice. It is the technique the masters of this lineage brought to the West in the twentieth century.
Not in the way a yoga studio means it. The practice does include some postures, but they serve meditation rather than exercise — they settle the body so attention can rest on the breath. Kriya Yoga is centred on breath and inner awareness, so you do not need flexibility, athletic ability, or prior yoga-studio experience. You sit comfortably and work with the breath under the guidance of an authorized teacher.
It draws all three together. Karma Yoga is releasing attachment to the results of action; Jnana Yoga is cultivating spiritual knowledge through a disciplined intellect; Bhakti Yoga is awakening unconditional love and gratitude. Kriya Yoga integrates them into a single daily practice rather than treating them as separate paths.
No. Kriya Yoga is practised by people of every faith and of none, and it does not ask you to leave your own tradition. The public introductory talks at the Greater Portland Center are open to everyone, of any faith or none, with no experience needed and no age restriction.
Not the book itself. Kriya Yoga is far older than Autobiography of a Yogi and is not drawn from it. The connection is its author, Paramahamsa Yogananda, who was the first to bring Kriya Yoga to the West and who is one of the masters of this lineage. The lineage continues through Paramahamsa Hariharananda and Paramahamsa Prajnanananda, its present spiritual head.
Initiation
Initiation is the ceremony in which an authorized teacher transmits the Kriya Yoga technique directly to a student. The tradition describes the initiate experiencing the inner light of the soul, hearing divine sound, and feeling divine movement throughout the body. The ceremony includes purification, the infusion of divine qualities, flower blessings, breath oblations, affirmation, offerings, and the sprinkling of holy water.
Kriya Yoga Initiation at Kriya Yoga International (opens at kriya.org)
No. The technique is transmitted in person by Paramahamsa Prajnanananda or one of his authorized yogacharyas. Kriya Yoga International offers no correspondence courses or mail-order lessons for this lineage’s teachings. This is why initiation programs are held in person at centers such as the Greater Portland Center.
See the next initiation program · Kriya Yoga Initiation at Kriya Yoga International (opens at kriya.org)
Three parts:
- an introductory lecture open to everyone
- initiation by an approved yogacharya
- a minimum of three follow-up group guided meditations supervised by the yogacharya
In Portland this is generally held as a single weekend program — the public talk first, then initiation and the technique class, then a technique review with further guided meditations. The schedule for the next program gives the days and times.
See the full program schedule · Kriya Yoga Initiation at Kriya Yoga International (opens at kriya.org)
The seeker offers three symbolic gifts to God and the masters at the initiation ceremony:
- five fruits, representing the fruits gained from activities throughout life
- five flowers, representing the five senses
- a financial offering of $200.00 — cash, or a check payable to Kriya Yoga Institute — representing the gross body
Yes — the minimum age for Kriya Yoga initiation is 13. There is no age restriction on the public introductory lecture, which anyone may attend, whatever their age and whether or not they intend to be initiated.
Prospective initiates are encouraged to prepare the field — becoming familiar with the teachings of Paramahamsa Hariharananda and Paramahamsa Prajnanananda through their books, recorded talks, and lectures beforehand. Attending the introductory talk is a natural first step, and the Greater Portland Center can suggest reading and listening.
Kriya Yoga Initiation at Kriya Yoga International (opens at kriya.org)
Attend at least three follow-up meditation sessions with the instructor, practise daily, and — where possible — join the group meditations at a nearby center. Initiates are also asked not to teach or share the technique with others, so that the teaching stays intact as it is passed down.
Weekend group meditation · Kriya Yoga Initiation at Kriya Yoga International (opens at kriya.org)
No. The public introductory lectures held before the initiation are open to everyone, whatever your background and whether or not you intend to be initiated. The initiation itself, and the technique sessions that follow it, are for those receiving initiation at the program and for those already initiated in the lineage of Paramahamsa Hariharananda and Paramahamsa Prajnanananda.
Practice
Initiates can bring questions to the yogacharya at the follow-up sessions and the question-and-answer sessions during a program, and to the Greater Portland Center at any time by email. Lifelong support through a worldwide community of practitioners is part of what initiation offers.
Visiting the Greater Portland Center
No. Group meditation sessions are for those who have received Kriya Yoga initiation in this lineage, whether many years ago or at the most recent program. If you have not been initiated, the introductory talks are the place to start: they are open to everyone, of any age, with no prior experience needed.
Group meditation meets at venues around the Greater Portland area. Neither the venue nor the day is fixed: both can change from one session to the next, and the schedule is not published on this site — the center sends each session’s date, time and venue to Portland Center initiates by email and in its WhatsApp group. If you have moved to the area and would like to attend, please contact us. Initiation programs are held at their own venue, with the full address, the room and a directions link on the events page.
Contact us about attending · Where the next initiation program meets
The next program is Master Your Life with Kriya Yoga, October 2–4, 2026, led by Yogacharya Swami Atmavidyananda Giri. The Friday evening introductory talk is open to everyone; Saturday and Sunday are for those taking initiation and for those already initiated in this lineage. Register at https://www.kriya.org/online-registration/8898/en or email portland-or@kriya.org.
It depends on the event. Introductory talks are sometimes held online as well as in person and sometimes online only — each event page says which, and the meeting invitation is sent by email to those who register. Kriya Yoga initiation and the technique review that follows it are in person only, because the technique is transmitted directly by an authorized teacher. Group meditation and the center’s other regular activities meet in person.
Email portland-or@kriya.org, or call Sadhna at 360-261-4777 or Kailash at 971-238-6269. The center is run by volunteers, so a reply may take a few days. If you are coming to a session for the first time, say so — someone will meet you.
The lineage
Eight, in order:
- Mahavatar Babaji Maharaj
- Shri Lahiri Mahashaya
- Swami Shriyukteshwar Giri
- Shrimat Bhupendranath Sanyal Mahashaya
- Paramahamsa Yogananda
- Swami Satyananda Giri
- Paramahamsa Hariharananda
- Paramahamsa Prajnanananda
Paramahamsa Prajnanananda is the present spiritual head.
The tradition traces to ancient seers, and Mahavatar Babaji reintroduced Kriya Yoga in 1861 through his disciple Shri Lahiri Mahashaya. It has been passed from teacher to student ever since, which is why the technique is still given in person rather than published.
It is one of the 300+ meditation centers of Kriya Yoga International, whose spiritual head is Paramahamsa Prajnanananda and whose USA institute is based in Homestead, Florida. Initiations here are given by yogacharyas authorized by Paramahamsa Prajnanananda.
Our center listing at Kriya Yoga International (opens at kriya.org)
Not answered here? Some questions — how much time daily practice takes, what to bring, and practising with a health condition — are ones the center prefers to answer in its own words rather than have a website guess at. Ask us and we will reply.
Still have a question?
Email the center, or call — someone will get back to you. If you are coming to a session for the first time, say so and we will meet you.
Sadhna 360-261-4777
Kailash 971-238-6269