raja yoga

Raja Yoga is the royal road to freedom from misery.

Though Raja Yoga is a dualistic philosophy and treats of Prakriti and Purusha, it helps the student in Advaitic Advaitic Realization of oneness eventually.

While a Hatha Yogi starts his Sadhana with Asanas and Pranayama, a Raja Yogi starts his Sadhana with the mind, although a certain minimum of asanas and pranayamas are usually included as a preparation for the meditation and concentration. Raja yoga is concerned principally with the cultivation of the mind using meditation to further one’s acquaintance with reality and finally achieve liberation. Raja Yoga is so-called because it is primarily concerned with the mind. They are sometimes divided into the lower and the upper four limbs, the lower ones - from yama to pranayama - being parallel to the lower limbs of Hatha Yoga, while the upper ones - from pratyahara to samadhi - being specific for the Raja yoga. Raja Yoga is sometimes called A”"”nga yoga because there are eight aspects to the path to which one must attend.

From the gross to the subtle, all the chords that bind the Purusha to Prakriti are cut asunder. To the Adhama Adhikari, lowest kind of aspirant, Raja Yoga prescribes Ashtanga Yoga or the eightfold Sadhana - Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. Even if you are really a first-class aspirant, think you are an aspirant of the lowest class and practice the eightfold Sadhana prescribed by Raja Yoga. Ashtanga Yoga Patanjali’s Raja Yoga is generally termed the Ashtanga Yoga or the Yoga of Eight Limbs, through the practice of which freedom is achieved. The practice of the methods prescribed in Raja Yoga leads to the cessation of all miseries and attainment of eternal bliss. Raja Yoga gives you a most practical method of bringing about this exalted state.

There are no Hatha Yogic Kriyas. He stills the mind, restraints the thought-waves and enters into the thoughtless state or Asamprajnata Asamprajnata Samadhi Samadhi, Hence the name Raja Yoga. Raja Yoga is mainly concerned with the mind, its modifications and its control. Raja Yoga is the king of Yogas. Further Reading \ Raja Yoga Raja Yoga Text, Word-To-Word Meaning, Translation And Commentary of Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Maharshi by Swami Sivananda. To the Madhyama Adhikari Raja Yoga prescribes the Kriya Yoga - Tapas, Svadhyaya and Ishvarapranidhana. According to Raja Yoga, there are three types of aspirants - Uttama, Madhyama and Adhama Adhikaris.

The Path of Meditation: Raja Yoga Raja yoga, is the royal path of meditation. Raja yoga is, however, an essential component of all other spiritual paths since meditation is involved in the loving recollection of God, mental discrimination, and is an essential balance to selfless action.

The basic premise of raja yoga is that our perception of the divine Self is obscured by the disturbances of the mind. In raja yoga we use our mental powers to realize the Atman through the process of psychological control.

Raja Yoga Meditation is a method of relaxing, refreshing and clearing the mind and heart. Raja Yoga meditation is the process whereby the practitioner concentrates upon one point in order to integrate discontinuous, diffused attention, thus holding attention steady.

This page is part of the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center Web site and details the eight limbs of the Raja Yoga system, one of the four main paths four main paths of Yoga.