Book Review: The Complete Book of Yoga By Swami Vivekananda

I’m sure you’ve at least heard of yoga before. It’s become extremely popular around the world, or at least one part of yoga has.

You may be thinking, do I really need to read a book about yoga? Isn’t it just a type of physical exercise that I can do learn in a studio somewhere?

Well it may surprise you but chances are you’ve never actually seen anyone teach traditional yoga.

Most people know it as a form of physical exercise consisting of stretches and postures. However, that is only one small fraction of what falls under the vast umbrella of yoga, and is only meant to be part of the process, not the entirety.

Yoga means union with God or to yoke with God. And that is the aim or goal of all teachings of yoga. To yoke yourself with God.

Yoga paths are specific sets of teachings meant to help bring people closer to God. There are countless paths of yoga but there are said to be four main paths: karma, jnāna, rāja, and bhakti. Karma yoga is the path of selfless work or action. Jnāna yoga is the path of knowledge. Rāja yoga is the path of psychology, or meditation. And Bhakti yoga is the path of loving devotion. And in this one beautiful little book you can get the complete collected teachings on all four of those yogic paths by Swami Vivekananda.

If you’re not familiar with Vivekanada, he was the most famous disciple of the Hindu saint/guru Ramakrishna Paramahansa who was considered by many to be an avatar or divine incarnation. Ramakrishna never left India but through his disciples, especially Vivekananda, he has been incredibly influential worldwide. Vivekananda was fluent in English and was a gifted and eloquent orator. His lectures drew huge crowds and earned standing ovations and many of those speeches were recorded, collected, and presented in this incredible book. Vivekananda was one of the first people to come from India and teach Vedanta and yoga in the West at the end of the 19th century. He traveled and spoke all across the United States and established the first Vedanta societies on both coasts. He is credited with bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion and his birthday is celebrated as a national holiday in India.

However, over the last century most of the core teachings of yoga have been forgotten. And that’s one of the reasons this book is so amazing. It’s like getting to travel back in time and learn from the original master. Vivekananda had a sharp mind and a talent for speaking and this definitely comes across in his writing. It’s clear, powerful, and inspiring.

The Complete Book of Yoga is broken up into four sections: Karma Yoga, which is “purifying the mind by means of work”; Bhakti Yoga, which is “a real, genuine search after the Lord, a search beginning, continuing, and ending in love”; Rāja Yoga, which is focused on meditation and is based on and contains an interpretation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras; and Jnāna Yoga, which is about realizing the truth intellectually or philosophically.

Since it covers all of these distinct paths to God the book as a whole provides an excellent and balanced entry point to learn about Hindu philosophy, Vedanta, and traditional yoga. He introduces a lot of traditional Sanskrit terminology but is always careful to define the terms and clear up any common misconceptions. It will also help you know yourself more deeply as you learn about the different yoga paths and the temperaments of people who are drawn to each.

So, if you’re interested in learning what yoga is really about, or learning about Vedanta or traditional Hindu philosophy this is probably the best place to start.

(Link to purchase: The Complete Book of Yoga)