Raja Yoga - The Royal path of meditation

“You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.”? Swami Vivekananda

Yoga comes from the Sanskrit root yuj which means ‘Yoke’ or ‘united’ and often translated as "connection." Dedicated yoga practitioners seek association between body, mind and spirit, and also with the greater world. Raja Yoga is one of the six branches of Yoga which focuses on meditation.

What is Raja Yoga?

Raja means royal or kingly and is usually based on directing one’s life strength to bring the mind and emotions into equilibrium that the attention may be easily focused on the object of meditation, or the Lord directly.

Origin

The term Raja Yoga is a retronym, it was introduced in the 15th-century Hatha Yoga Pradipika to discriminate the school based on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali from the more current school of Hatha Yoga expounded by Yogi Swatmarama. The term is also used to explain the meditation practice of the Brahma Kumaris.

Practice

Raja Yoga is the royal path to yoga. It encompasses most of the types of yoga we see today: hatha, ashtanga, kundalini, vinyasa, Bikram Yoga and many forms of meditation. The Raja yogi or yogini (the feminine form) uses physical asanas, breathing exercises and meditation to find the union of yoga. The focus is on the last two steps: the mind, meditation and diving into the inner universe. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali delineate eight limbs of yoga that form the foundation of raja yoga.

Benefits of Raja Yoga

The teachings of Raja Yoga are a golden key to unlock all health, happiness, peace, and joy, so benefits of practicing Raja Yoga meditation are massive.

Soothes our mind and body.
Has the most important ability to replenish mental and poignant energy.
Gives freedom from stress, anxiety and fear
enables you to create new attitudes and responses to life and giving you a clear spiritual understanding of yourself
One of the most well-known benefits of Raj Yoga is that it heals a person from the inside.
Enhances focus and concentration

About Sonia Sharma

I am presently functioning as a Yoga instructor for Fitness republic where I can continue feeding my yoga passion everyday in a different format through my writing and make people able to develop their personality at all levels – physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. And yes I am always open to feedback and suggestions.