Raja Yoga
by
Mitch Hall, PhD
Commentary on The First Steps (Vivekananda, 2007)
In his essay, The First Steps, Swami Vivekananda defined raja yoga and distinguished it from the practice of hatha yoga, which was in his day and still is more widely known and practiced in the West. Raja yoga entails the entire eight steps, or limbs, of yoga codified by Patanjali. Vivekananda emphasized that without the practice of the moral principles, the five yamas and five niyamas, “no practice of yoga will succeed” (p. 19).
Regarding asanas, or postures, Vivekananda advocated simplicity in finding an easy posture that can be sustained for a significant length of time, that allows the spine to be maintained well aligned, and that frees the head, neck, and chest for balance above the torso. Such a posture was important for him because he believed that “you cannot think very high thoughts with the chest in” (p. 20).
The goal of raja yoga is spiritual growth, which he contrasted with the goal of hatha yoga, which is to “make the physical body very strong” (p. 20), to make practitioners “live long” (p. 21) and to be healthy. He believed such practices “do not lead to much spiritual growth” (p. 20) and are difficult to learn. He was in favor of a couple of practices from hatha yoga, such as alternate nostril breathing for purification of the nerves.
He admonished readers that only practice can bring results, not listening to theories. He enumerated obstructions to practice, such as an unhealthy body and doubt regarding the efficacy of the practice. Concerning the latter, he indicated that within some months of diligent practice, glimpses of the benefits of raja yoga will begin to emerge with experiences of psychic phenomena such as telepathy and clairvoyance. However, just as a healthy body is not the goal of raja yoga neither is development of psychic powers. Rather, the goal is “liberation of the soul” (p. 24). The soul, or Self, is not the body, the vital force, or the mind, all of which change and ultimately perish. Rather, the soul is without beginning or end and has qualities that Vivekananda expressed in such grand terms as immovable, intangible, omniscient, and omnipotent. He believed that few humans were interested to listen to teachings about how to liberate their souls, and fewer still were willing to practice steadfastly to achieve this goal.
Nonetheless, he saw human beings as the greatest creations in the universe and asserted that only through incarnation in a human body can one achieve salvation of the soul. Among humans, he thought that those most likely to attain freedom are from the middle classes, rather than from the poor or wealthy classes.
Regarding the reason that pranayama is so important, Vivekananda asserted that “breath is that fly-wheel supplying and regulating the motive power to everything in this body” (pp. 27-28). He told a parable to indicate that control of the breath leads, in turn, to control of the nerve currents, the thoughts, and the prana, ultimately producing liberation. Breath awareness can induce subtler and subtler perceptions of the body and mind.
He recommended a minimum of two periods of daily practice, ideally at dawn and dusk because he viewed these as “the two periods of calmness” (p. 30) in the diurnal cycle. Practicing during these periods will calm the body. He advised not to eat but rather to bathe before practicing and, if affordable, to consecrate a separate room at home for spiritual practice alone. In this room, one is advised to place flowers, pleasing pictures, and to burn fragrant incense. The room is to be a sanctuary where no arguing, anger, or impure thoughts are to be permitted. Only people of similar spiritual intentions are to enter the room. Eventually, he affirmed, “there will be an atmosphere of holiness in the room, so that when you are miserable, sorrowful, doubtful, or your mind is disturbed, the very fact of entering the room will make you calm” (p. 31).
Since he recognized that not all people could afford a separate room for spiritual practice, he recommended sitting peacefully anywhere and mentally reciting wishes of universal blessing: “Let all things be happy; let all beings be peaceful; let all beings be blissful” (p. 32). He advocated sending this blessing to the four cardinal directions of the compass. He affirmed that such altruism is the best pathway to our own health and happiness. For those who believe in God, he said the wishes for universal well-being can be followed by unselfish prayers to God for “knowledge and light” (p. 32).
Following this spiritual practice, Vivekananda advised attending to bodily needs, so that the body is maintained in strength and health because “it is the best instrument you have” (p. 32). He invited practitioners to affirm to themselves the strength of their bodies and minds so that they could “cross the ocean of life” and “have unbounded faith and hope” in their potentials for liberation.
This essay by Swami Vivekananda is relevant to this day because it shows the importance and feasibility of establishing a daily spiritual practice with high intent and through simple means. It is not necessary for us to become super-acrobats or contortionists with complicated asanas to display. Rather, we can follow the eight steps of raja yoga with a pure and humble purpose to fulfill our inborn potential as human beings.
Personally, I like the priorities he set in this essay and the practical guidelines he gave. I would like to consecrate an area of my apartment just for spiritual practice and to embellish it simply along the lines he recommended. I already practice a silent period of altruistic well-wishing in the evening, and I will add one in the morning as well. I agree with his focus that the cultivation of bodily health and mental clarity are to be in service for the benefit of others and that altruism is the key to one’s own soul-realization.
Reference
Swami Vivekananda. (2007, 34th Impression). Raja-yoga: Conquering the internal nature. Kolkata, India: Advaita Ashrama