Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda born as born Narendranath Datta in Calcutta in 1863 is considered to be a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world. He is considered as one of the most influential people of modern India and Hinduism.
Raja Yoga is a book by Swami Vivekananda about “Raja Yoga”, his interpretation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. The book was published in July 1896. It became an instant success and was highly influential in the global understanding of yoga.
Raja Yoga contains transcripts of lectures by Swami Vivekananda & his interpretation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, and his commentaries. It presents Vivekananda’s understanding and interpretation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, “and a selection of Hatha yoga teachings on the basis of the beliefs that he shared with his students.
Swami Vivekananda’s other notable literary works include Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Jnana Yoga.
Latest Posts on Swami Vivekananda
Latest on Swami Vivekananda
Bhakti Yoga 2: Philosophy of Ishvara – Swami Vivekananda
This is the 2nd chapter of the series on Bhakti Yoga by Swami Vivekananda. Bhakti Yoga is one of the key literary works by Swami Vivekananda, where he has discussed the path of devotion (bhakti) in detail. Who …
Bhakti Yoga 2: Philosophy of Ishvara – Swami Vivekananda Read More »
Bhakti Yoga 1: Prayer – Swami Vivekananda
This is the 1st chapter of the series on Bhakti Yoga by Swami Vivekananda. Bhakti Yoga is one of the key literary works by Swami Vivekananda, where he has discussed the path of devotion (bhakti) …
Independence – Swami Vivekananda
This is the last and final part of the series by Swami Vivekananda from his work – Raja Yoga. The work of Raja Yoga is essentially an explanation of the Yoga Sutras (aphorisms) by Patanjali. …
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Key Literary Works by Swami Vivekananda
Raja Yoga
Raja Yoga
Raja Yoga is Swami Vivekananda‘s interpretation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. It has been a seminal work on Yoga and has helped spread the ancient knowledge of Yoga.
The book is comprised of multiple chapters, which introduce the practice of yoga, and then subsequently explain the sutras (aphorisms) by Patanjali. At its core Raja Yoga has 4 chapters, which explain the 195 Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
All articles on Raja Yoga – Swami Vivekananda
Mystic Powers Of The Yogi – Swami Vivekananda
We have now come to the chapter in which the Mystic Powers of the Yogi have been described. This is the 3rd part of the Yoga Sutras (aphorisms) of Patanjali as explained by Swami Vivekananda.…
Read more on World Yoga ForumConcentration: Its Practice – Swami Vivekananda
The practice of concentration is the second part in Swami Vivekananda’s Raja Yoga and a continuation of the first part, which describes the spiritual uses of concentration. The first part has the first 51 sutras…
Read more on World Yoga ForumConcentration: It’s Spiritual Uses
This post is from Swami Vivekananda’s Raja Yoga and includes the first segment of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras interpreted and translated by Swami Vivekananda. This chapter from Raja Yoga essentially lists the first 51 Yoga Sutras…
Read more on World Yoga ForumGoing Back To The Absolute – Swami Vivekananda
The theory of eternal progression is untenable, for destruction is the goal of everything earthly. All our struggles and hopes and fears and joys, what will they lead to? We shall all end in death.…
Read more on World Yoga ForumWhy Should You Never Hate & the Importance of Love – SwamiVivekananda
Swami Vivekananda in his book Raja Yoga discusses the nature of creation and beautifully describes the positive effects of love and the problem with hate. This is an excerpt from one of the chapters. It…
Read more on World Yoga ForumRaja Yoga in Brief by Swami Vivekananda
The following is a summary of Raja-Yoga freely translated from the Kurma-Purana by Swami Vivekananda in his book Raja Yoga. The fire of Yoga burns the cage of sin that is around a man. Knowledge…
Read more on World Yoga ForumSuperconsciousness Explained by Swami Vivekananda
Superconsciousness and a means to achieve it have been beautifully explained by Swami Vivekananda in his book Raja Yoga. We see, as human beings, that all our knowledge which is called rational is referred to…
Read more on World Yoga ForumDharana Basics by Swami Vivekananda
After you have practised Pratyahara for a time, take the next step, the Dharana, holding the mind to certain points. What is meant by holding the mind to certain points? Forcing the mind to feel…
Read more on World Yoga ForumPratyahara Basics – Withdrawal of Senses by Swami Vivekananda
You know how perceptions come. First of all there are the external instruments, then the internal organs acting in the body through the brain centres, and there is the mind. When these come together and…
Read more on World Yoga ForumThe Monkey Mind – Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda in his classic Raja Yoga compares the mind to a mad monkey. There was a monkey, restless by his own nature, as all monkeys are. As if that were not enough some one…
Read more on World Yoga ForumPranayama Exercises and Rising of Kundalini – Swami Vivekananda
The exercises in Pranayama have been detailed out in the chapter titled The Control Of The Psychic Prana in the book Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda. We have seen that the first step, according to…
Read more on World Yoga ForumKundalini Basics – Swami Vivekananda
Kundalini is a coiled up energy at the base of the spine. According to the Yogis, there are two nerve currents in the spinal column, called Pingala and Ida, and a hollow canal called Sushumna…
Read more on World Yoga ForumBhakti Yoga
Bhakti Yoga
Bhakti yoga, also called the bhakti marga or the path of devotion is a spiritual practice within Hinduism focused on loving devotion towards any personal deity. It is one of the three paths in Hinduism which lead to Moksha (salvation), the other paths being Jnana yoga and Karma yoga. It has been discussed in detail by the Bhagvad Gita.
Bhakti Yoga is one of the key literary works by Swami Vivekananda, where he has discussed the path of devotion (bhakti) in detail.
5 Must Do Yoga Poses if you Sit for Long Hours
If your job requires you to sit for long hours perhaps in front of a computer, it can lead to many issues including poor blood circulation, pain in the back, and poor posture. According to research, total sitting time is associated with a higher risk for cardiometabolic disease and mortality. There are multiple approaches that you can use to counter it. In this article, we’ll discuss 5 Yoga Poses if you Sit for Long Hours that can be of great help. 1. Paschimottanasana Paschimottanasana (back stretching pose) is a part of the Forward bending yoga poses . stretches the hamstring muscles and …
5 Yoga Postures for Relaxation
In most yoga sequences, you’ll find yoga postures, which help the body relax. These generally are at the start of the sequence, after intense yoga poses, and at the end of the sequence. They are also done generally before you begin meditation to help the body relax. After the body is worked out, stretched and opened, the body has to let go of all the tension. Constant postural abnormalities put excess strain on the muscles of the back and just lying down does not relieve it. This is where poses for relaxation or relaxation asanas come in. These relaxation practices, …
Pranayama in the Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita in the fourth chapter has beautifully indicated pranayama as a method to reach the goal of realization of the self. The 29th verse of the fourth chapter mentions अपाने जुह्वति प्राणं प्राणेऽपानं तथापरे |प्राणापानगती रुद्ध्वा प्राणायामपरायणा: || Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 verse 29 apāne juhvati prāṇaṁ prāṇe ’pānaṁ tathāpareprāṇāpāna-gatī ruddhvā prāṇāyāma-parāyaṇāḥ Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 verse 29 The verse translates to “Others offer as sacrifice the out-going breath in the incoming, and the in-coming in the out-going, restraining the courses of the out-going and in-coming breaths, solely absorbed in the restraint of breath.“ In this verse we …