Book Review: The Yoga of Jesus by Paramahansa Yogananda

In The Yoga of Jesus: Understanding the Hidden Teachings of the Gospels, Paramahansa Yogananda bridges the worlds of Eastern mysticism and Western Christianity with luminous clarity. First published posthumously from his collected writings and talks, this work unveils the esoteric essence of Jesus’s message—the universal science of communion with God known as Yoga. 

Yogananda, one of the most influential spiritual teachers of the 20th century and author of Autobiography of a Yogi, invites readers to look beyond dogma and literalism to experience Christ consciousness directly.

At its core, The Yoga of Jesus is not a theological treatise, but a spiritual revelation. Yogananda argues that Jesus was not merely a moral reformer or a historical figure, but a fully realized master, one who taught a timeless path of inner transformation. 

According to Yogananda, the teachings of Jesus align perfectly with the ancient science of Raja Yoga, which aims to still the mind and awaken the soul’s divine nature. “Be still, and know that I am God,” he writes, is not just poetic counsel but an instruction in meditation, the same inner stillness cultivated by yogis seeking union with Spirit.

One of the most striking aspects of this book is how Yogananda reinterprets familiar Gospel passages through the lens of yogic philosophy. When Jesus says, “The kingdom of God is within you,” Yogananda insists he is pointing not to a distant heaven, but to a state of expanded awareness available to all. 

The “second birth” that Jesus speaks of—being “born of water and the Spirit”—is, Yogananda explains, the awakening of the soul through the inner baptism of divine energy that occurs in deep meditation. In this way, salvation is not an external event or the exclusive reward for belief, but the direct realization of one’s own oneness with God.

Yogananda’s commentary elegantly dissolves the artificial boundaries between East and West. He shows that Yoga and Christianity share a common spiritual core: the ascent of human consciousness toward divine unity. Both traditions speak of divine incarnation (Avatara or Christ Consciousness), inner purification, and the transformative power of meditation and prayer. 

By translating Jesus’s teachings into the language of Yoga, Yogananda does not diminish Christianity—he restores its mystical foundation. He reminds the reader that Christ consciousness is not confined to one man or religion, but is a universal potential inherent in all souls.

The tone of The Yoga of Jesus is both devotional and intellectually satisfying. Yogananda’s prose is radiant with reverence yet grounded in reason. He speaks with the authority of one who has experienced the truths he describes. 

His insights come not from speculation or comparative study alone, but from a deep inner communion with the same divine presence that inspired both Krishna and Christ. The result is a text that feels both timeless and urgent, a reminder that the essence of religion lies in realization rather than ritual.

A compelling section explores the “science of Kriya Yoga,” which Yogananda identifies as the key to experiencing the higher states of consciousness Jesus himself attained. Through Kriya, the life force is consciously directed upward through the spine, purifying the nervous system and allowing the devotee to perceive the inner light and sound of God. 

Though the book does not offer the technical details of Kriya (which are reserved for formal initiation), it provides a compelling philosophical and spiritual context for why such a discipline is necessary. Yogananda’s claim that Jesus himself and his closest disciples practiced this inner communion is bold, yet supported by mystical logic rather than historical literalism.

The Yoga of Jesus is especially valuable for readers who sense that traditional Christianity has lost its mystical heart.

 Yogananda’s message does not attack religion but seeks to heal it—to restore the living experience of God beyond creed and ceremony. His vision is profoundly inclusive. He sees Christ not as a founder of a sect, but as a world savior who embodied the same divine consciousness expressed through the great avatars of all ages.

 In doing so, Yogananda invites Christians, yogis, and seekers of every background to reclaim the “lost yoga of Christ”, a path of direct inner communion through meditation, love, and self-realization.

For those unfamiliar with Yogananda’s broader teachings, this book serves as a concise and accessible introduction. For longtime students of his work, it offers distilled wisdom that deepens one’s understanding of the harmony between Yoga and Christianity. Each chapter unfolds like a meditation—clear, poetic, and transformative.

Ultimately, The Yoga of Jesus is a call to awaken the sleeping Christ within. It reminds the reader that divine realization is not reserved for saints or mystics but is the destiny of every soul. In an age marked by religious division and spiritual confusion, Yogananda’s synthesis of East and West stands as a luminous bridge—inviting humanity to rediscover the oneness behind all paths to God.