Essence and Purpose of Yoga

Yoga is now a household word, but what does it really denote?

What are its philosophical, spiritual, and practical aspects?

The essence of yoga is the absorption of individualised consciousness into universal consciousness. It is an experiential vision, with theoretical and practical aspects which need to be integrated to give the right result.

Raphael here presents a cognitive and operative synthesis of the various paths of yoga, because seekers of truth need to know their own constitutions and dominant energy complexes in order to be able to choose the most congenial type of yoga and enjoy maximum benefits from yogic training.

Man goes in search of the Unknown because his present position of consciousness is incomplete and in conflict. In moments of great tension, he wonders, 'When shall I be able to find peace and serenity, the joy and beauty of accord? When shall I be able to be happy?'

It is clear that such questions imply that the individual has not found happiness, or peace, or harmony. And this 'unfulfilled consciousness' is bound to lead irresistibly to the search for complete fullness, such that all individual problems can eventually be solved.

If we acknowledge that the being is in conflict, fragmentary, and incomplete, two questions arise:

1.   What is the nature of that serenity which can provide fulfilment?

2.   What is the nature of the practical means for realising that serenity?

There is no doubt that the individual has always directed his steps towards attaining happiness and existential freedom. Happiness constitutes a psychological aspect of enjoyment; it is an effect, and so it presupposes an action, a movement, a relationship with things/events which can actually produce the state of happiness.

This, then, is a valuable book, both for those who recognise the need to be correctly informed about the essence and purpose of yoga and for those who feel the 'call' to self-comprehension. Yoga is the science of knowing oneself in order to be.