Raja Yoga

Ancient Raja Yoga Still Benefits Modern Practitioners

There are many systems of yoga, the ancient Indian discipline of finding your place in the universe through teaching your body a series of positions. Yoga is like the horse you ride to get from one place in your life to another. But there are many different kinds of horses.

There is a big difference from riding a crossbred pony gelding to riding an Arabian stallion. And in yoga, you choose your school or yoga as you would pick the horse best for you to ride – what mount suits your level of experience, which one is big enough (or small enough) for you, and can the horse get you to where you want to go?

The King Of Yoga

Raja yoga is also called the King of Yoga, as raja means king. Raja yoga is also called “Classical yoga” or “Astanga yoga”, but raja yoga is easier for Westerners to remember. Why is raja yoga the Yoga King? Because it concerns the stimulation and harmonization of your mind through yoga positions. If you want to get just the physical benefits of yoga, then hatha yoga might suit you best. Raja yoga is best for those who wish to help control their emotions just as they can control their bodies into raja yoga positions. In the Indian culture, the mind is considered the ruler of the body, hence the name “raja yoga”.

Eight Limbed Yoga

“Astanga” means eight-limbed. This name was given to raja yoga because there are eight steps or goals in order to become a raja yoga master:

Yama: the practice of being a moral person.
Niyama: the practice of being true to your own spirituality. In India, this is usually thought of as the observance of religious customs and festivals
Asana: the practice of putting your body through poses in order to make it more relaxed and supple
Pranayama: the practice of right breathing, including not dwelling on past hurts that can make you breath shallow. “Prana” means “life force” in Hindu.
Pratayahara: the practice of developing your own will power and not being distracted from what you have to do.
Dharana: the practice of meditation.
Dhyana: the practice of non-attachment. This is perhaps the hardest part of raja yoga to explain. Ideally, you should not need anything in order to be in harmony with God and your place in the Universe, even food, sleep or oxygen. As your body gets flexible, so do your wants and expectations.
Samadhi: this is becoming one with God-consciousness, called Nirvana.