A talk delivered by renowned philosopher and teacher of Raja Yoga, Gerrit Janssen at the Naturopathic Convention 1967 Sydney NSW

I have been asked to say a few things about the training of the mind or Raja Yoga. It is known as the Royal Path because for its noble purpose in seeking to develop human excellence and apply self control in the most difficult area of self discipline- the personality.

Throughout thousands of years Gurus or spiritual teachers have maintained that man is a spiritual being. This spiritual nature or being expresses itself through a set of vehicles known as the personality. The object of our incarnation in the flesh is spoken of in the Biblical language of “bringing the Kingdom of God upon this Earth” or, in the language of the Yogi, of spiritualizing the physical or material vehicle.

We may hear the accusation that Christians and other adherents to particular religions only adhere to their religious observances on Sundays or special days and that during other days they serve their own purely materialistic purposes.  This may be caused by the Soul or Inner Self not having sufficient grip upon the personality.  The soul and outer nature are not yet integrated. When the mind is being stilled by the practical science and techniques of Raja Yoga it will then reflect whatever the Soul or Inner Self wants to express more closely. Dissolving inner conflicts allows the personality to begin to reflect the deeper attributes and understanding of the Soul.

Now the ideas of the true Yogi perceives the Soul is that part of our being in much closer contact with God  and the spiritual Laws and energies of the Universe. When the mind is stilled it will become a clearer channel through what is known as ‘ the practice of the Presence of God’ or as the scientist says:  ‘The Presence always and everywhere of Law Universal.”

It is not only for the ultimate link with God that Raja Yoga is practised but every step along the way of disciplining the mind leads to more self awareness and ability to control  the thoughts that issue from the brain. The quality of these thoughts can and do affect the health of the body and our general well being. To develop a healthy mind and inhabit a healthy body is to practise Raja Yoga in principle.

When once the bloodstream is clear and sufficient nutrients nourish the brain, healthy thought becomes possible. We can conceive positive, constructive and harmonious thoughts and give birth to creative new ideas.

Then we will have realized the first stages of the long journey we have embarked upon under the guiding wisdom and practical knowledge of Gurus – those who have already achieved the spiritual goal and ultimate fulfilment of the human potential.

Such great and noble Souls are our spiritual guides and leaders recognized by their nobility of Soul and Royal dignity that expresses loving kindness, truth and great wisdom born of life experience.

Yoga is well known to involve personal undertakings regarding self culture of body, emotions and mind. In concert these represents our whole outer personality. The purpose aims at excellence – a concept determined by the individual’s perception of the ideal.

Once we understand and can govern the personality we are better able to demonstrate the deeper expressions of our soul. As we further aspire to spiritual understanding we open our consciousness to the limitless spheres beyond – the Universal Consciousness or God.

Various methods of concern for physical health and fitness have been developed over the many ages of human civilization. That branch of the ancient Vedic system is that known as Hatha Yoga. The way to reduce selfish emotions and to open our hearts towards loving Life itself is called Bhakti Yoga.

Beyond good health and emotional happiness there are further rewards for practising Raja Yoga in learning to develop the skills of a healthy intellect and a clear, creative mind. The follower of RajaYoga chooses the most difficult path but one made lighter by intensity of aspiration.

The first exercise in our personal trials to obtain a degree of conscious control over our restless thoughts involves attaining mental quietude by reducing the superficial activity of our mind and creating a state of stillness of both body and mind in meditation. The more actively one uses the mind, the more difficult this exercise will prove to be at first but as with all things, practise makes perfect.

So much of our life story is associated with the way we think. Father Dechanet, a Catholic priest who has written several books on Yoga explains how he found that Yoga can train a Christian to align his feelings and mind to such an extent that he becomes more capable of devoting himself exclusively to what he believes is in the service of God. This is true as in every other religion or philosophy.  Traditional methods present us with a well trodden path.  The acceptance of our personal tool of self discipline enables each of us to achieve in our aspiration to become a better person.

Disciplining the physical body is difficult enough as we all will agree. Emotional self control is subtler and more difficult still. Those who achieve self mastery of the mind are exceptional and understandably scattered less obviously through society. Because of the high level of difficulty in controlling our own mind, this path is named as the Royal Path. However, the principles are integral  in the beginner’s programme as in any advanced level of training.

Yoga practice begins with the practice of stillness. This allows negative energies to drain away and provide a fresh opportunity to re-establish the link with one’s deeper soul self, capable of reflecting our essential wisdom and in time, the light of greater spiritual Intelligence than our own. If the mind can be made to be still it will allow what the mystic describes as…..‘the practice of the Presence of God’  or as the scientist asserts ‘The presence always and everywhere of Law universal.’

This is the ultimate link with God that motivates the Raja Yogi. It comes through a gradual spiritual growth that diminishes the importance of the petty or lesser personal ego that is transitory as it simultaneously increases our wider understanding and consciousness of our immortal nature and of Life itself.

Most of us when young first undertake to focus upon cultivating our earthly personality ego and talents. As we grow older it is usual to have a growing sense of our participation in an ongoing subtler journey as we await the final revelation of our spiritual identity. Within the natural law of growth we come to vibrate in synergy with the Universe just as the lotus soul opens in the sunshine to become aware of the great expanses of Life above and beyond radiating around us yet secure in our own place and purpose in that existence.

We await the simple destiny of each individual human being – the wondrous spiritual realization of the Oneness of all life – the final spiritual truth.

Gerrit Janssen, Spiritual Teacher – address to the Naturopathic Convention, Sydney, Australia 1967.

When the mind is peaceful there is no room for negative thoughts.

Depression melts away when our mental waves and restless thought is stilled.

We learn to take pleasure in making no conscious effort.

We find that we enjoy periods of just Being.

And find that it is Good.

To lead the instinctive life of the animal would be to live in the true innocence of what is referred to in the story before the Fall of Man.

It would seem that with the gift of free will and spiritual intelligence come the trials, difficulties, queries, disturbances and the responsibilities of human life. We are banished from the purely instinctive life experienced by other creatures, to become an adventurer along a seemingly endless pathway of human experience as we develop our intelligence and seek to understand life. We are inspired to cultivate the refinement that comes to advancing human nature as we aspire to know our Creator and in turn become creative.

We all come to value the power of thought and appreciate our freedom to grow through exercising our capacity to choose. As we think, so we behave and so we become.  Accordingly we seek to make our character as we wish it and achieve with our lifetime the things to which we aspire.  Should we follow this simple philosophy, our guidelines in the art of living become simple, strong and balanced and capable of supporting us in times of difficulty.

However, we generally stumble into certain complexity by asserting our personal will over our wisdom. Along with other factors, we are inclined to exaggerate the importance of our own ego. In addition we fail to accommodate with our good intentions, the vagaries of circumstances, people and events beyond our personal control.

To match aspiration with our actions and so avoid hypocrisy is difficult and not always obvious to us. For example, a person claiming to be an animal lover would not easily in the same breath, sit down to a meal and eat the carcass of one. This is not consistent nor could it be argued as logical.

Either the ‘animal lover’ is deluding himself and must re-phrase his statements or must, alternatively, cease the action which brands him hypocrite.  But old habits die hard. It may be more convenient to follow old habits and tastes than to match actions with ideas by a practical demonstration regarding the welfare of animals.

No one of us who genuinely has affection for animals and is aware of the responsibility of humans to care for them can condone what we do in social animal abuses when using them for chemical experimentation and cruel medical ‘tests’. We may not like all the methods used in animal husbandry, methods of their transportation, or will approve of their fear prior to their mass slaughter for the purpose of ultimate presentation of their flesh on the plates of consumers. At this point thought about what we are eating becomes paralysed and subordinate to sensory appetite.

Yet we can shudder at the thought of eating our pet dog or even roasting our own pet chicken. Once such inappropriate divides between thought and action are bridged we have a chance to live with true integrity, without conflict between our minds and our actions.

This is one of the exercises of Raja Yoga.

Yama, the first stage in Ashtanga Yoga, represents the end of the old ways and the first positive stage in the practice of self discipline by the elimination of bad habits relating both to health and character. The practices are to clear the way and demand the application of physical methods for inner body hygiene as well as the eradication of any layers of emotional and mental stress that may inhibit one’s progress to health and happiness.

For eliminating stress we have the practice of relaxation which releases strain from the whole psyche. There are many and various methods used in teaching relaxation but in Yoga, traditional preparation for practising what is known as Yoga Nidra remains constant.

We first assume the body position or asana called Savasana by lying flat on the floor along the north/south polarity if possible, arms down by the sides with eyes closed. The asana translates as the ‘Corpse’ or ‘Dead man Posture’ in which we obviously assume an immobile pose. However, we remain aware and sensitive towards our surroundings, our body sensations and energies and also become more aware of our emotional and mental states of being.

To be comfortable and able to relax completely in stillness is regarded as the first stage in control of the body. It is a discipline of equal or greater importance and difficulty than skills in body exercise or movement. A passive peaceful body is required as a prelude to passive, peaceful states of mind known in the stillness of meditation.

Stillness of the body in Yoga Nidra is designed to help us become receptive, first to outward sounds and impressions and then free of the distractions of others, to become inwardly aware of our whole being.

Relaxation in classwork is generally limited to a specific period of time, such as fifteen or sometimes thirty minutes.

Relaxation rewards us by encouraging a state of freedom, even from our own thoughts, as we enter degrees of consciousness related to feeling awareness. We remain conscious of our surroundings, yet with a sense of acceptance, embracing the fact that although we are just a single life unit, we are able to sense life’s wholeness. It is a refreshing and pleasant experience. Various subtle states of consciousness are rediscovered, sometimes for the first time since our infancy, as we find refreshment in the magical realm between sleeping and waking.

Raja Yoga assists us in all these areas offering a sound system of self culture of our mind.

To improve and maintain our mental health we need to follow the natural principles that we keenly observe in relation to physical health. They equally apply to our whole psychological nature.

We also need to identify any early symptoms of irregularity in our thoughts and feelings so that these do not magnify to become mental illness.

In addition we need to have self confidence and know that we can change our psychological states and patterns of behaviour to better suit our own ideal self image. And most importantly we must have a vision of what constitutes true mental health that can serve to inspire our personal efforts and disciplines.

Training begins with the difficult but necessary requirement of being able to relax the mind, much as we must do for physical health of our bodies.

Then we must learn mental hygiene to be able to clear unwanted thoughts from our mind before establishing mental exercise programmes.

Improved concentration is the main focus as a means of strengthening our intellect. Stretching our mental muscles is accomplished through developing our various mental faculties including that of imagination.

As we make personal effort in these avenues, so we improve in our quiet contemplation and meditative ability when we are rewarded with new and refreshing experiences in consciousness.

These are uplifting, positive and often powerful influences that help us to grow in understanding of all facets of life according to our soul’s interests. A mind that is mentally fit and healthy can transform difficulties into positives to help you overcome difficulties in your life.

If you find you cannot keep your mind still – if unwelcome thoughts become a concern – if your concentration is poor and faculties not as sharp as before – if you seem unable to relax – if you are anxious and do not feel secure and contented then  you will certainly find that Raja Yoga will help you greatly.

And if you find that your mind is less than creative lately, and you have not had a recent ‘new’ idea it is certain that you need to find greater satisfaction in improved mental vitality.

This avenue towards mental fitness should be seriously considered in natural sequence after practising Hatha Yoga.

The Yamas/Niyamas represent the basic ethical commencement of Yoga – where we begin our symbolic climb from the lowest levels to the summit of human excellence.

From here, we begin to follow the further 6 classical steps of the eight-fold method established by Patanjali.

Asanas – body posture 84 classic ones to teach mastery of both strength and flexibility, balance and will. The system of the physical asanas represented the evolutionary build up of musculature from elementary life forms to man . The psychological aspect acknowledges the link between mind and body. The basic mastery required is  a comfortable seated pose in which to practise pranayama and meditation. Asanas are based upon attitude, both physical and mental.

Pranayama – control of energy and the life force through development, direction and control of the breathing. The yogic system, specializing as it does in this particular area, has knowledge which is unique regarding the awareness, the direction and the controls of the various energies which flow in human body and in human personality.

Pratyahara – sensory control through development and withdrawal. The senses must be able to be trained before concentration can be accomplished. This stage is the sensitising of oneself and each of the senses before learning to control each and that one’s perceptions function well but under direction of the mind rather than being enslaved by the senses. Proper use of each of the five senses sense means not under use, over use, or abuse of any of them. Natural enjoyment through the harmoniously developed senses ensures contentment and non –deviant expressions and this was also related of course to sexuality. There was a clear moral stance here. Those yogis who were householders were married and a pure and faithful sexual life was incorporated in their disciplines. Those who elected to become celibate were to have no sexual life at all.  Those who deviated into perversions and homosexuality became outcasts from spiritual schools.

Dharana – Concentration – focusing the power of the mind. This is one -pointedness of thought . We are free to choose anything which our minds can conceive with absolute freedom to develop the mind according to our own programming. The need to control the mind through simple image making and symbols, simple ideas and consciously directed, formulated concepts are included in Dharana.  Thought is the Power and our will is its generator. It is concentration which enable us to succeed in any undertaking. This is cultivated through defined, progressive exercises.

Dhyana – Meditation – linking with the intuitive or higher mind and incorporating its energies with the lower rational mind in order to achieve integration of mind and intellect. To still the mind in contemplation and learn to subdue its constant activity is the necessary in preparation for meditation  Then begins the process of ‘tuning in’ by initial conscious thought, or even an emotional attunement, and then to listen to that which comes into our consciousness through our own ‘mental radio’. Through training in exercises to quieten and to still the mind, we not only find peace but we are able to hear ‘the still small voice’ of our intuition . We are capable at such times, of greater insights, extended perception, expansive emotions, increased confidence, and self knowledge or life understanding.

Samadhi – The previous 7 stages of disciplines require effort from the individual. The eighth stage of Ashtanga Yoga is known as Samadhi and is the result of spiritual grace.  It is the unknown factor which stimulates Enlightenment of the soul and brings with it the ineffable state of bliss. Samadhi is the state of at-one-ment with all. It is the accomplishment of the yogi who wishes to know what life is beyond his little self.

It is most likely to come to us after our own efforts to calm and elevate our minds and being or when we have been emotionally and deeply moved . However, when the Atma or our highest part of our nature assumes command, it makes its presence felt through a wonderful power beyond our usual range of consciousness and we no longer have to make effort but we are totally receptive.

Samadhi is the state of illumination -the state of consciousness where the ego dissolves into the greater life and we both Feel and Know in our experiencing, that all life is really One Ocean and that we are all interlinked in consciousness.

From samadhi the yogi emerges as the drop of consciousness that he knows so well, but with his consciousness extended and enriched by his experience. It brings us to balance, encourages our humility and reverence for all life and gives birth to wonderment about life which never ceases. In many cases such experiences transform the life of the individual who is confident that he has touched Truth itself.

It is a measure of success of the meditator – the pinnacle of his experience and can be known again many times throughout in his life before the final experience at the end of his life with Maha samadhi, or great Bliss of death itself when one’s being again merges with the Universal Spirit – his soul’s spiritual home.

Patanjali’s teaching aims at understanding and controlling the states of mind – in developing sensitivity of consciousness and stillness of one’s thoughts so that the mind is clear and capable of reflecting pure thought and the light of Truth.

Raja Yoga is the royal Yoga explaining higher development and discovery of our hidden powers resulting in complete inner harmony, concentration and meditation.

The eight-fold Path of Patanjali’s is a strong basis for one’s commencement of study and is common to all yoga margas or paths. Known as Ashtanga Yoga this 8-fold teaching has 7 stages of disciplines requiring effort from the individual. The eighth stage is known as Samadhi and is the result of spiritual grace following personal effort and aspiration towards God.  It is the reward of personal discipline and intensity of aspiration and devotion but it is also a mysterious factor beyond our conscious control that results in our spiritual enlightenment and with it, a state of ineffable bliss.

Samadhi is the state of at-one-ment with all. It is not by our thought, or by our emotion that we know this state, it is by a complete feeling sense entirely above and beyond what is usually understood of our emotional feelings.  We experience it through a totally new sense and one which allows us to expand outside our limits of the ego to be at one with All.

It represents the successful accomplishment of the yogi who disciplines himself that he will be better prepared to know and understand what life is beyond his little self and what are the answers to the questions of his soul.  Samadhi is a measure of success of the meditator – the pinnacle of his experience.  This prepares the individual for the eventual and final stage of Maha Samadhi or the great Bliss of death – his release from the material world and his birth into the spiritual Beyond when his individual being comes again to merge with the Universal One with the universal.

The Ashtanga System was accredited to Patanjali and is the 8 limbed system commonly embraced by the Raja Yoga method with its first two ethical principles having correspondence in the Christian 10 Commandments.
——————–
Yamas – represent the moral/ethical restraints
ahimsa = non violence
asteya = non-stealing
satya = non-lying, non hating
asteya =non stealing
brahmacharya = continence, non-wasting
aparigraha = non covetousness

One’s discipline is to eradicate these negatives or the ‘weeds’ of one’s character and physical purification  including kriyas or inner hygiene practices of the body.

Niyamas – represent the cultivation of the virtues
saucha = purity
santosha = contentment
tapas= austerity
swadhayasya  =  study of the scriptures
ishwara pranidhara self-analysis, devotion and building of the body temple

Together the Yamas/Niyamas represented the ethical and moral basis of yoga training, that is non-violent and only constructive in its expression. It was the basic exercise and reference guide for students in following their personal disciplines or Sadhana.