What is Raja Yoga Meditation | Spritual and Positive Yoga

Raja Yoga is one of the most popular forms of yoga that has got huge benefits. It helps in controlling your mind and also helps in achieving salvation. It involves the thought process. Raja yoga was practiced by the Rajas or the kings and hence the name. It was used for the sole purpose in the ancient times to groom the princess of royal families.

Raja yoga is also known as Ashtanga Yoga. It can be practiced by you according to your disposition and essential nature. It should be practiced very carefully as any wrong step can lead you to wrong effects. It is to be remembered that if you wish to perform any type of yoga then you should try to concentrate on your breathing. It is also important to know that there are some yoga practitioners that can help you to get all the idea on how to perform the right steps in yoga. When it comes to Raja Yoga, it follows the entity of Prakriti (Nature).  You are able to control the influence of prakriti (Nature) and you can unite with Ishvara (God) and you can also try to go for merging with the divine consciousness. You would be able to understand that your existence solely depends upon the prakriti.

Raja yoga depends on methodology of attainment or salvation. You can try to do the following kinds of pupils while performing Raja Yoga:

Uttama Adhikari:

This is considered as the first class aspirant. It starts with Abhyasa and Vairagya and finally attains Samadhi.  It helps in your modification and also in the control of your thought process.

Madhyama Adhikari:

This is considered to be the middle class aspirant. It helps in raising your level to the aspirant of first class. It helps in attaining Samadhi and if you are able to do in the right manner you would be able to feel relaxed.

Tapas:

Here you would find that people follow all his actions and without any self interest. It is practiced with complete egoless nature.

Svadhayay:

It relates to the study of literature as well as scriptures. It helps a lot in calming the mind and gaining good wisdom. It also goes a long way in gaining knowledge about the self and divine.

Ishvara pranihana:

It is considered to be the surrendering completely to the will of God. This is done by beleivinag and admitting the mind and spirit.

Adhama Adhikari:

Raja Yoga is also referred to as the Mental Yoga, or the Yoga of the Mind, because of its emphasis on awareness of one’s state of mind. It is through this practice of concentration that one learns to calm the mind and bring it to one point of focus. It is at this point that we direct our attention inwardly, toward our true nature, which is Divine. This is considered to be the lowest kind of aspirant and it has eight different practices of yoga. They are Yama (Abstentions), Niyama (Moral Observations), Asana (Steady pose, posture or seat), Pranayama (control of vital energy through breathwork), Pratyahara (Withdrawal of the senses), Dharana(concentration of the mind), Dhyana(Meditation) and Samadhi(Enlightenment, union with the Divine).

1. Yamas (Abstentions): Ahimsa (non-injury), Satya (truth), Asetya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (chastity), Apragraha (non-greed)
2. Niyamas (Moral Observations): Susha (purity), Santosha (contentment), Tapas (austerity), Svadhaya (study of the scriptures), Ishvara Pranidhana (surrender to God)
3. Asana: Steady pose, posture or seat
4. Pranayama: control of vital energy through breathwork
5. Pratyahara: Withdrawal of the senses
6. Dharana: concentration of the mind
7. Dhyana: Meditation
8. Samadhi: Enlightenment, union with the Divine

Raja Yoga for Everyone

Raja yoga is an art and science, utilizing the laboratory of our mind and body to harmonize with Spirit. The concepts and methods of raja yoga are practical, easy to understand, and easy to practice. Results from practice are most often immediate, very apparent, and after short time, life changing.

Immediate results from Raja Yoga may be, stress and anxiety relief, increased energy, mental and emotional clarity, mental centeredness and happiness. Vibrant strength and a newfound vitality pulsating through the body like never felt before are other gains one may find with just a little practice of raja yoga.

Raja Yoga Optimizes Health

It is more and more recognized and proven that bodily malfunctions and disease, many times, manifest from repeated mental and emotional habit patterns that have gotten out of control. They may get to the point where they control us and our behavior. By utilizing raja yoga practices, many habitual emotions that feed malfunctions and disease will naturally neutralize, as well, bring the body’s energetic physiology back in equilibrium that supports optimum health and longevity.

For example, many of us know or have known one who is angry all the time. The emotion of anger generates an energetic current in the body and invites anger back to a similar circumstance. As impulses of anger arise, they are strengthened by acting out in anger, and the energetic current builds. The person will then get angry in more circumstances. As the energetic current continues to build, many times the person gets to a point where the slightest circumstance will set off anger. Then, at a point, when there is nothing to be angry about, the person will find something to be angry about. In yogic science, anger is associated with the heart. Notice that when people get to this point, heart imbalances such as hypertension may manifest. With just a little bit of practice of raja yoga, emotional imbalances and the physical representations they support begin to clear up and become replaced with a healthy mind and body. I have seen this first-hand many times.

Meditation: The Power-house of Raja Yoga

The main practice of raja yoga is associated with meditation. There are many types of meditation practices available and it may seem difficult which type of meditation to choose from. There are many versions of meditation that work on superficial levels. They have affect though they are limited in comparison unless they are composed of techniques and understandings of raja yoga.

With raja yoga, meditation utilizes a system with varying techniques suitable to your personal needs that evolves the mind and body, allowing for a longer, more youthful and more magnetic life. With technique, one finds the fastest progression under the care of a master. Finding a qualified teacher is great and can get you off to a very good start, however being receptive when a master finds you can take you further than you ever imagined.

Raja Yoga and Spirituality

Raja yoga is fascinating, beautiful, and totally amazing. There is no limit to which the practice of raja yoga can take you. People that are religious and spiritual especially do well with raja yoga, mainly because they want to evolve spiritually. They want to please God. People with religious or spiritual affiliation feel they understand God better and become a brighter light with their affiliation. Raja yoga is not a religion; it is an art and a science. Billions of people over a period of several thousand years have practiced raja yoga. One should be aware that many have expressed the practice far from a graceful place. We have seen some swamis and Guru, who claim to be ambassadors of raja yoga, express that raja yoga is only for certain individuals or spiritual or religious types. Don’t let this steer you away. Yogic masters on the other hand will say that raja yoga is for everyone and for all traditions. All faiths lead to the Infinite. Raja Yoga helps reveal the Infinite within you.

If you are really serious in performing different yogas then you should try to get some time to understand how to do it in the right way. You would really feel very happy after you get the maximum health benefits when you perform yoga regularly.

BrahmaKumaries:
Human life is like a beautiful flower. When this flower is filled with the fragrance of divine virtues we become deities. When it is filled with the obnoxious smell of the vices of lust, anger, greed, attachment and arrogance we become devils. In order to make our lives happy and peaceful we should first have true knowledge about ourselves. Human being is a combination of two entities – Human + Being, or Body and Soul. The psychobiological diagram of Human Being shows four mortal bodies and the immortal soul in its embodied and body-less states.

~Om Shanti !

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