Yoga Kriya

What Is Yoga Kriya?

Yoga Kriya is a purification technique.  Kriyas can be active or passive, each providing a method of energetic cleansing, gently releasing what has gathered and become stuck, returning you to a more natural, open and relaxed state.

Yoga kriya can be safely practised at any age and is broadly accessible. As with any practice please do listen to your body and if at any point something feels triggering or uncomfortable rest in a restorative position.  Child’s pose or any seated posture where your head is gently lowered and your upper body softens forward can offer real comfort in the moment. Resting your forehead in your hands, whether seated at a chair or on the floor, gives the nervous system a little space to settle. For anything more persistent, I always encourage you to consult your healthcare practitioner.

The Body Remembers

We carry more than we realise.
Tension, stress, and unprocessed emotion don’t simply pass through us — they settle. They find their way into our cells, fascia and muscles, affecting the way we feel, move and breathe. Many people aren’t aware of how much they are holding until given the opportunity of release.  Our bodies are great at adapting and protecting us, but without release we leave ourselves prone to illness or burnout. 

It creates the conditions for the body to let go naturally. Movement (if incorporated into the practice) is gentle and deliberate. The breath leads the way and the release, when it comes, often feels less like effort and more like relief.  Visualisation enhances the impact of Kriya, which can be partnered with specific mudras for an even richer experience.

What Happens in a Session

A yoga kriya session with me typically takes one of two forms depending on the needs and preferences of the group. Either movement led or passive, both combining powerful visualisations and breath practice.

When movement is preferred, it looks like a series of guided, coordinated movements — breath and body working together in a slow, intentional rhythm designed to be safe, somatic, and deeply kind to the body.

I love offering Nadi Jnanam Kriya, a gentle and genuinely effective Kriya focusing on visualising letting go of anything that’s not serving you well.  It’s a great partner to Ksepana mudra.

You are always in control. If something doesn’t feel right, you are free to pause, to modify, or simply to rest and breathe. There is no performance here — only presence. I have guided people through kriyas who had never stepped on a yoga mat before, I have also watched long-time practitioners discover something genuinely new in the softness of this practice.

Why Breathwork Matters

Breath is at the heart of every kriya. It is the thread that connects movement to awareness — body to mind, sensation to stillness.

In yoga, we call conscious breath practice pranayama and it is one of the most effective tools we have for shifting the state of the nervous system. When we breathe slowly and with intention we gently activate the parasympathetic nervous system — the body’s natural rest-and-restore response. Your heart rate slows,  your muscles begin to release, your mind follows, this is why we say the breath is the link between the body and the mind.

This is not something you have to believe in or work hard to achieve. It is simply how the body is designed to respond.

A Gateway to Deeper Stillness

One of the things I love most about yoga kriya is where it leads.

After moving through gentle, intentional release, the whole system is beautifully prepared for stillness. This is why yoga kriya makes such a natural companion to Yoga Nidra — the guided practice of yogic sleep that brings you to a place of deep, conscious rest and over time, deepens your capacity for rest and inner clarity. 

Yoga kriya is also a wonderful way to prepare for a sound bath. When the body has already begun to soften and release, the vibrations of Trevor’s crystal singing bowls can settle more freely — resonating through tissue and breath, reaching into the spaces that have opened. People regularly tell us that sessions combining kriya, with sound healing feel like the deepest rest they have experienced in a long time.

Who Is This For?

Honestly? Just about anyone.

Yoga kriya is not about performing poses. It is about turning attention inward, moving with care, and letting the breath do much of the work. Whatever your age, your background, or your relationship with your body, there is a place for you here.

If you’d like to experience yoga kriya — as a standalone session, woven into a Yoga Nidra journey, or as the opening to a sound bath — I would love to welcome you. Get in touch and we can talk through what might work for you.

Namaste, Penelope.