Raja Yoga

Raja Yoga, known as the king of yogas, is one of the six branches of the overall system of yoga. The other branches are Karma Yoga, the yoga of action, Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of faith in and love of the Divine, Jnana Yoga, the yoga of knowledge, Tantra Yoga, the yoga of ceremony and Hatha Yoga, perhaps the best known of all in the West, the yoga of exercise. All are means of achieving spiritual enlightenment, but each caters for different temperaments in the aspirants.

Raja Yoga is the yoga of meditation, in which the aspirant strives for enlightenment primarily through the practice of meditation. It is best for those of a contemplative nature. Meditation is a means of stilling the mind and so opening it to cosmic or divine energy. It consists of the repetition of a mantra, which is a sound or a series of sounds, which have spiritual power. This article will be examining the purpose of Raja Yoga and the states of mind involved. It should consequently show the great benefits, both in the material and in the spiritual worlds, of Raja Yoga.

Purpose of Raja Yoga

Raja Yoga, formed into a definite system by Patanjali 5,000 years ago, concerns itself primarily with the stilling of the mind to allow for Cosmic openness. This is achieved by sitting in a cross-legged position repeating a mantra, a word or words having spiritual power. This can be as simple as the word "Om", through the more complex "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare Hare" to the Guyatri mantra, which is several lines long. At first, one is aware of many thoughts in the mind, but if one does not become attached to them, does not concentrate on them, but, instead concentrates on the mantra, gradually one will find that the thoughts become less and less forceful until it is the mantra which occupies the mind. At this point, the practitioner achieves detachment and can watch any more thoughts, which bubble up in the mind but not become attached to them. After a while, the thoughts are stilled and the yogi can begin to feel the first glimmerings of being at one with the Creator.

States of The Mind

Raja Yoga deals primarily with the modification and control of the mind. It posits that there are 5 states of mind, ranging from the primarily material to the primarily spiritual state. These are:

- the Kshipta state, in which the mind is chasing all over the place. That is the state in which most people live their lives and one in which the mind isn't centered in the present, but is continually dealing with past and future situations as well.

- the Mudha state, in which the mind is less unsettled, but is still forgetful and foolish in a spiritual sense.

- the Vikshipta state, in which the mind often gets distracted when concentration of the mind in meditation is attempted

- the Ekagra state, stemming from the Sanskrit word "ek" meaning "one', which is when the mind becomes one-pointed as a result of the repeated practice of concentration

- the Niruddha state in which the mind is fully controlled and in which spiritual enlightenment, called "Samadhi", is reached and one is fully conscious of one's unity with the Creator.

Reaching the Niruddha state is the primary purpose of Raja Yoga, but it has practical benefits in the material world as well. Practitioners experience much greater mind control and can work more efficiently because they can better concentrate on the task at hand. In addition, everyday life becomes more pleasant, because they are much more aware of the here and now and much less distracted by thoughts of the future or of the past.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to [http://yoga.tips-and-gear.com/]Yoga
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