Raja Yoga

Raja Yoga, literally means Royal or Kingly Yoga, is the system of yoga by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras. It is primarily concerned with the cultivation of the mind and bringing balance to one's life through meditation or focusing directly to the Lord.

The concept of the Raja Yoga practice is to focus the mind, which is the “king” of one's psycho-physical structure. Since the whole body is interconnected with each other, with the mind ruling one's every thought and action, practicing hatha yoga will be an essential first step to prepare oneself in yoga meditation. Furthermore, other forms of self-discipline and purification of the physical self also includes getting rid of old addictions such as alcohol and cigarettes, and paying close attention to your actions, thoughts, and speech. Through practicing all these, one can be fit to engage in a deeper form of yoga, which is meditation.

The objective of Raja Yoga is to control all forms of thought-waves and mental modifications. It starts its Sadhana with the mind, and may also involve minimum asanas and pranayamas.

Raja Yoga is also called Ashtanga, or eight-limbed yoga. It refers to the eight aspects to the path one must undergo. The eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga are the following:

1. Yama - taking away man's nature of brutality through self-restraint and practicing the code of conduct. Yama has five parts, including Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truth), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (celibacy or continence), and Aparigraha (non-covetousness or non-avariciousness).
2. Niyama - or observances, is practicing meditation with ethical perfection. Niyama is the commitment to the practice and observance of the five canons which are the Saucha (internal and external purity), Santosha (contentment), Tapas (austerities), Svadhyaya (study of religious books and repetitions of Mantras), and Ishvarapranidhana (self-surrender to God, and His worship) to attain the fruits of yoga meditation.
3. Asana - physical activity and firm yoga-meditation postures to take away one's tension and prolongs concentration during meditation.
4. Pranayama - the proper breathing used in yoga to regulate the vital force by being aware of one's taking in and out of air to maintain harmony between body and mind.
5. Pratyahara - enables concentration, and takes away distractions. Through inner spiritual strength and will-power, the senses and mind withraws from the outside world, focuses more in the meditation activity.
6. Dharana - controlling the mind by focusing on the Trikuti (the space between the two eyebrows).
7. Dhayana - is meditation. Too much desires and exertion of force and effort can disrupt meditation. Acquire dispassion, and practice yoga meditation regularly. Dhayana is meditation, a quiet activity leading to Samadhi.
8. Samadhi - the state of bliss and superconsciousness. Destroys the five Kleshas or afflictions, which are Avidya (ignorance), Asmita (egoism), Raga-Dvesha (likes and dislikes), Abhinivesha (clinging to mundane life), to attain Samadhi.

These scientifically arranged eight limbs are the upward steps that a person goes through to reach the real divine nature, which is the actual goal of Raja Yoga.

Raja Yoga may also require a teacher or a mentor to aide you during the process, and so as to guide you when you have easily shifted your thoughts, or are merely experiencing hallucinations. But if you're on the right track, Raja Yoga will take your focus up towards your third eye, or the ajna, which is situated in the center of your lower forehead. Through Raja Yoga, the body and mind will be balanced, until your thoughts become free of worries, converting these into pure consciousness, freedom, awareness and perfect bliss and union with the Almighty.

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