The Advantages of Traditional Raja Yoga for contemporary Practitioners
The traditional raja yoga is one of the many types of traditional Indian yoga practices that still have a place in our universe by subjecting your body to a sequence of poses. Yoga is similar to riding a horse to get you from one station in life to the next but there are lots of dissimilar types of horses. There is a major dissimilarity between riding a crossbred pony gelding from an Arabian stallion. In similar vein, you would pick the type of yoga like you were to choose a horse suitable for yourself; the horse that is right for you based on the level of your familiarity, the size of the horse and will it helps you to get to the destination. Raja Yoga is known as the King of Yoga Raja yoga is also known as the king of yoga since raja refers to king. Raja yoga is as well refers to "Classical yoga" or "Astanga yoga", but raja yoga is far easier to the lips of Westerners. Then why is raja yoga refers to as the king of yoga? Than main reason is concentrating on various yoga postures, it can provide stimuli to and bringing harmony to the mind. On the other hand, if the physical aspects concern you more, than hatha yoga is more appropriate. Raja yoga, by and large is more suitable for practitioners who prefer to be in commands of their emotion as well as getting their bodies into raja yoga postures. In ancient India civilization, the mind is deems to have power over the body, therefore giving rise to "raja yoga". The Eight Steps of Raja Yoga "Astanga" refers to eight-limbed. Raja Yoga was so called simply for the reason that you are required to clear eight objectives to realize your goals of being a raja yoga master and they are: 1. Yama - the application and observance of being moral. 2. Niyama - staying true to your own spirituality. The practice in India is believed to be abiding by religious traditions and festivals. 3. Asana - subjecting your body to the various poses to achieve relaxation and increase flexibility 4. Pranayama - keeping to a correct breathing technique by not constantly thinking about the past, as it results in superficial breath. "Prana" - generally refers to "life force" in Hindu. 5. Pratayahara - through forming your own strength of will and mind without subjecting to outside influence. 6. Dharana - observing of meditation. 7. Dhyana - to maintain self detachment. This is by far the most difficult objective of raja yoga to clarify. An absolute ideal is to be free of any emotional or materials attachment to be one and harmonize with the God and the Universe even depriving yourself of food, oxygen and sleep. Once your body attains flexibility, it will align with your needs and desires. 8. Samadhi - this is the highest state, to be one with God, the Nirvana state of raja yoga.
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