In our lives, we all face manifestations of power. It is either dominance when someone is in control, or obedience, when they follow orders. Why is it that some people can manage others adeptly, run the government, operate the company, contributing to their prosperity and development? However, others can destroy even a successful venture. How can we develop our managerial skills?
These questions are answered by Raja Yoga — yoga of management, in translation — “Royal yoga”. But in order to understand the main points of Raja Yoga and learn how to apply them in your life, it is important to master the basic principles of Yoga.
Basic Principles of Yoga.
Yoga is the practical application of the Vedic knowledge. Vedas say that primarily there was the first cause of everything — the transcendental Absolute, free, omnipotent, omniscient, in a state of bliss. Through the will manifested by the Absolute it was divided into countless Higher “Selves”, but at the same time remained one. For analogy, one can imagine a polyhedron mirror ball. The ball is the Absolute, and each of us, with our own Higher “Self”, is a side of the Absolute.
Each Higher “Self”, being a part of the Absolute, is endowed with all its qualities. The Absolute created us to be free even from the knowledge that there is the Absolute, so that this knowledge does not limit our freedom. The only difference between us and the Absolute is that he is omnipotent and knows this, and we are omnipotent, but we do not know this. It turns out that the reverse side of freedom for us is our ignorance.
Will is a powerful tool in self-exploration.
The Absolute has endowed each of us with the will so that we can get rid of ignorance. Will is our primary ability. It does not need to be developed, it needs to be revealed from within. Our job is to understand and learn to exercise our will to make all our power manifest itself. There is a saying: “Where there is a will, there is a way!” If you are willing to reveal your own “Self”, you will do it.
Maya is a tool for realizing the Freedom of each Higher “Self”.
So that many living beings with different life concepts could communicate with each other in a single reality, the Absolute “invented” Maya. Maya makes one thing seem something else, but at the same time, Maya allows you to see all the incredible diversity of this world. Maya is completely controlled by the Absolute. We, being in the original ignorance, fall under its influence and consider ourselves not what we really are.
Any interaction with others must be brought into conformity with principles 1 and 2 of Yoga.
The first principle of Yoga is the principle of Kindness, the principle of not harming any living beings unless it is necessary, and if this is not possible, we should follow our duty.
The second principle of Yoga is the principle of Logic, not wasting our energy and consciousness on deeds and actions that do not correspond to our life goals.
Management principles.
Raja Yoga says: in order to control everything around you, you must learn to control yourself. And in order to control yourself, you need to have the foothold to command the body, the thoughts and the mind to obey. This foothold is our “Self”. First of all we need to understand that we are not our physical body. Physical types of yoga will help in this. Then, in the same way, we subdue the mind and feelings. Once we are out of the control of the body, mind, feelings, emotions, we begin to control them. As soon as we begin to control ourselves, we can control the minds, thoughts, emotions of the entire surrounding world.
Unlocking Will Through Raja Yoga Tool.
To perform any action in our life, including the subordination of our structures, we must first express our will. In Raja Yoga, there is a method for revealing the will: if you set a goal, go for it!
We must develop the habit of completing things, achieving victory, or realizing why this victory was impossible. Any action left without completing or learning a lesson confuses us. With each successfully fulfilled wish, our “Self” becomes more aware of its will and believes in its own power. Just like an army that believes in its own fighting efficiency has a better chance of winning. And even a single victory can multiply those chances tenfold.
At the very moment of expressing our will, we become similar to the Absolute, and we begin to create the world the way we want to see it. At the same time, we should remember the principle of Kindness: and our wishes should not cause any harm.
Working with Maya is a key factor in Raja Yoga
By getting rid of ignorance of not knowing who we are, we refine our Maya, become more powerful, charismatic, and bright. The ability to govern comes from this refinement. When less Maya revolves around one person, and more around another, the first has the ability to control the second. All the practices of Raja Yoga are built on this. However, there is an important principle to remember: if, by manipulating Maya, you cause even greater Maya for people, this is a deception that will return to you like a boomerang; if, on the contrary, deduce other people from the delusion — this is good governance.
Why is a strong chain of command important?
There must be a strong unity of command in governance at certain stages. There should be equality, but not at the level of processes, where there should be strict subordination, but at the level of mutual respect and acceptance of the transcendent essence of each member of this process. This is why management science is so important. It could be cruel to a certain degree, but this cruelty is necessary to prevent more cruelty. We should not harm any living beings unless it is necessary, but when it comes to survival, the spread of an epidemic, obscurantism, we must very clearly defend our position.
The logic of power over people is similar to body control. Each cell of our body has its own “Self”. Our “Self” governs these many “Selves” that not only accept this power, but also consider it good to fulfill our will. The reason for this is that the one in charge takes responsibility. Subordinate cells are given the opportunity to develop, and their freedom under your authority is higher than being on their own.
It’s the kind of law that applies in every single place. If we understand it, we would understand the principles of management with all the ensuing consequences of constant growth of the enterprise and dominance over competitors.
By giving our subordinates the opportunity not only to earn money, but also to grow spiritually, we will also rise to a qualitatively new level.
The methods of Raja yoga are aimed at working with Maya, the awareness of our will and our “Self”. They will allow us to eliminate ignorance, successfully realize all our desires, reveal our power, become bright and charismatic. Observing the principles of Yoga, we will come to effective and harmonious management of ourselves and other people.
Expand the degree of your freedom and the freedom of other living beings and be happy!
Article author: Eva Rati
Edited by: Kerigon, Mirra
Project curator: Kerigona
Translation: Elena Rebezova, Tatiana Sugrue
- If you want to study Yoga FREE OF CHARGE, at your own pace, please enroll in a free on-line Yoga course on our website OPENYOGACLASS.COM or YOGAOPENYOGA.COM .
- If you want to get an additional profession and become a yoga instructor and teach yoga both in English and Russian, please join our preparatory group of the yoga teacher training course. You can find all the details on our website: OPENYOGACLASS.COM
- If you don’t know what is yoga, but wish to learn, there are many review materials on over 30 types of Yoga on the website OPENYOGA.RU .
- The schedule of all Open Yoga projects is on the website OPENYOGA.RU under Calendar section.
- Here is the list of subjects for the articles (in Russian).
- If you want to SUPPORT popularisation of yoga, please sign up for our groups on social media and make re-posts to let the maximum number of people find out about Open Yoga.
● Address your questions to the email OpenYogaJournal@gmail.com