Kunglig förening: Den teosofiska raja yoga-pedagogiken och det tidiga 1900-talets yogareception

Research on the early 20th century European and American reception of yoga ha­ve revealed the significance of esoteric movements like the Theosophical Societyin creating the modern, global phenomenon of yoga. Alongside interpretations ofyoga as primarily a form of meditation which were common in the literature and,sometimes practice, of movements like Theosophy or Thelema there exist anotherphenomenon labeled yoga that have received less attention. A system of pedago­gy called raja yoga was for several decades among the foremost preoccupations ofone of the main global Theosophical movements, the Universal Brotherhood. Un­der its leader Katherine Tingley, the Universal Brotherhood strove to develop andpopularize raja yoga as the solution to the social and spiritual problems of huma­nity. Focusing on Swedish raja yoga literature of the Universal Brotherhood, thisarticle will explore how Swedish writers imagined and argued for this system ofeducation and spiritual development. Furthermore, the article will investigate so­me of the complicated connections between this form of pedagogy and the broadertrends of the early 20th century European reception of yoga.