Why Meditation at All?

– Aditi Ajeet Chordiya, a fellow seeker

Many of us reach a point where the pace of life, the uncertainty of decisions, and the quiet weight of anxiety make us pause and ask, “Is there a better way to live?”
This article is written with the simple intention of supporting anyone seeking a more grounded, peaceful relationship with life. We are often expected to navigate challenges without guidance, and it is understandable that this leaves many feeling unsteady or overwhelmed.

My own journey began with a sincere desire to understand myself and find clarity. Over the years, I explored various practices — Vipassana, Shambhavi Mahamudra, Reiki, Self-Inquiry, and other methods. Each brought insight, yet something in me continued searching. The longing for a deeper, more transformative practice remained quietly present.

In 2020, I read Autobiography of a Yogi. The depth and authenticity of the teachings stirred something profound within me and sparked an interest in Kriya Yoga. However, due to the circumstances of the covid period, I felt guided to wait rather than pursue training online. At the time, I did not realize that this pause was the beginning of a much larger unfolding.

In 2024, I joined Ananda Sangha’s “How to Meditate” course at Ahmedabad center, kept on practicing the technique of Hong-Sau and teachings from Raja Yoga classes, and took discipleship in the month of November. Later in 2025, received initiation into Kriya Yoga. Looking back, I recognize that the intention I set in 2020 after reading Autobiography, matured at the right and ripe time. Life was preparing my inner soil to receive the techniques and teachings. My prayer for growth, for a better version of myself was heard and answered by grace, offering me a spiritual family, a sangha to walk this path with. For this, I remain eternally grateful.

Kriya Yoga, as taught in the lineage of Master Paramhansa Yogananda, offers a systematic and experiential approach to meditation. It is a scientific method for uplifting prana — our inner life-force — from the lower energy centers to higher states of awareness. As our energy rises, the restlessness of the mind gradually settles. With the gaze lifted to the spiritual eye (ajna chakra), clarity and intuition become more accessible. Meditation shifts from being a concept to becoming an inner experience.

The Kriya path is holistic and thoughtfully structured. It includes Energization Exercises to harmonize the body, the Hong-Sau technique to quiet the mind, the AUM technique to interiorize awareness, and finally, Kriya Pranayama to accelerate spiritual growth. Each step is designed to support the practitioner at multiple levels — physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

Along this journey, one realization has stayed with me:
We do not need to be perfect to grow spiritually. We only need to be open, humble, and sincere.

There is a story that reflects this process beautifully. A young lion, separated from his mother, was raised among sheep and grew up believing he was one of them. One day, an elder lion guided him to a still pond and asked him to look at his reflection. For the first time, the young lion saw who he truly was. With gentle encouragement, he found his own voice — and his identity transformed from fear to recognition.

In many ways, meditation is that reflective pond. It helps us see beyond conditioned identities and reconnect with the deeper calm, clarity, and strength that already exist within us. Over time, we begin to remember who we truly are beneath external roles and internal restlessness.

Meditation is not an escape from life. It is a disciplined and compassionate return to our center — a place from which we can meet life with greater steadiness, insight, and resilience. It is the path from confusion to clarity, from reactivity to awareness, and from fragmentation to inner wholeness.

This journey continues to unfold for me, one sincere effort at a time. And if you are reading this with curiosity or hope, perhaps it is beginning for you as well.