Raja Yoga: The Royal Path

Raja Yoga is one of the four paths towards God realization mentioned in the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita (Celestial Songs) and is considered the highest form of Yoga practice. The word "Yoga" is usually associated by the general public to a form of exercise involving very acrobatic postures. This form of Yoga is actually a subset of Raja Yoga, traditionally known as Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga consists of various preparatory practices involving breathing, dieting and physical exercises, which set the foundation for the higher attainments of Raja Yoga.

And nowhere is the practice of Raja Yoga more succinctly expounded than in the 196 aphorisms composed by the ancient mystic Patanjali, initially handed down orally from teacher to disciple. These Sanskrit aphorisms are terse, concise and sometimes cryptic, but deep in its richness of meaning. It contains the distilled essence of Raja Yoga and has been the bible, if you will, of Yoga practice for thousands of years.

An example of the economy and depth of its language is given in the second aphorism, where Yoga itself is defined:

Yoga citta vrtti nirrodha

(Variously translated as: Yoga is the cessation of the modifications of the mind, Yoga is the quelling of the waves of the mind or Yoga is the restraint of fluctuations of he mind).

Because of its terseness, the aphorisms of Raja Yoga have been widely interpreted in commentaries by many religious teachers, academics and practitioners. I first read a rather difficult intepretation of these aphorisms by a I.K. Taimni, entitled The Science of Yoga in 1991. Difficult as it was to me then, the book left a deep impression and laid the foundation for many of my current philosophical beliefs.

Years later I was able to get hold of an audio version of Vivekananda's commentaries on Patanjali's aphorisms. Vivekananda's style is free-flowing, conversational and lucid and it helped to further my understanding of Raja Yoga. This audiobook still remains as one of my all-time favourites. I listen to it even here in Jakarta - each listening unveiling deeper layers of meaning.

Yoga teachers often repeat the fact yoga is a way of life and not a religion. I personally see it as the art and science of living. Yoga is an art because it requires an intuitive feel of one's mental states and it is a science because it outlines systematic methods to achieve specific results, using the mind as the instrument of exploration and observation.

Raja Yoga is a path for leading life, laid out by the combined wisdom of the ages. And as its name implies, it is the royal path. A path that leads the practitioner ultimate to the jewel of the crown - spiritual salvation itself.