Customer Reviews

The Essence and Purpose of Yoga: The Initiatory Pathways to the Transcendent

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Besides a fundamental introduction to Yoga, Raphael describes (successive chapter by chapter) the essential types of Yoga like Hathayoga, Karmayoga, Rajayoga etc. & last not least the Asparsayoga (teaching of Non-Duality) that addresses directly to absoluteness, the Unconditioned. This book is instrumental in finding out which spiritual path to choose, which practice matches best with the own personality, the gunas, preferences and living circumstances. Moreover, you find suggestions and helpful advice for your spiritual practice in all the chapters.
"Yoga is a practical discipline although it has its own philosophy. It is not a technicality ... for solving psychological conflicts; it is not simply a means by which to attain peace of mind or the improvement of mental and bodily health. It is a `raft' which, if employed wisely, carries the soul from the unreal to the real, from death to immortality, from darkness to light. ... The aim of yoga is to lead the soul that is in us back to the divine Soul whereas to practise physical exercise to keep the body fit or to simply talk theories about the yoga philosophy does not mean practising yoga. To practise yoga we must thirst for Liberation, aspire to reach our divine counterpart." (p. 13 f.)
I am especially fond of the last chapter 'Realization and Psychological Comfort' (p 105 ff.). There I find myself out and at the same time catch up again (relieved) with the right track.
"As long as this individuality or this illusory second nature simply goes to conferences and listens to words, or satisfies itself with reading, with yoga postures or singing, it accepts, gratifies itself and comforts itself, but when consciousness is nailed down to return within itself by means of adequate techniques or processes, then comes the moment of refusal. The majority do not seek `initiatory death' but, paradoxically, seek to escape conflict while at the same time wishing to remain in conflict " (p. 117).