RAJA YOGA

-The Pathanjali Yoga

ॐ स॒ ह न ा॑ववतु । स॒ ह न ा॑ भन ा॑य
ु क्तु । स॒ ह व ॒र्-ङ्करव वहै ।
त॒ ज॒स्ववन ॒वध ा॑तमवत॒ ु म ववा॑द्ववष ॒वहै ।
ॐ श स््त॒ -श्श स््त॒ -श्श स््तता॑ ॥
Hari Om
I am M.Vishnu Chittan

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Agenda

◎ Yoga
◎ Raja Yoga- Objectives of Raja Yoga
◎ Methods
○ Bahiranga Yoga
○ Antaranga Yoga
◎ Conclusion

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Yoga

र्ोगस्श्ित्तववृ त्तननरोधत ॥ १.२॥

“Yoga is the restraint of mental activities”
Our minds are generally busy with one type of mental activity or
another. We are remembering events from the past, thinking
about current tasks, or theorizing about possible future events.
The practices of yoga are designed to enable us to eliminate
these mental activities altogether.

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 “
उद्धरद त्मन ऽऽत्म नं न त्म नमवस दर्त ्।
आत्मैव ह्र् त्मनो ब्धुर त्मैव ररपुर त्मनत।।6.5।।

Let the man raise himself by his own self; let him not
debase himself. For he is himself his friend, himself his
foe (आत्मैव ब्धुत आत्मैव ररपुत).

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 1.
Raja Yoga
What is Raja Yoga?
Raja Yoga is the path of WILLPOWER. It is also
called Patanjali Yoga because it was masterfully
systematized by the great sage Patanjali in his Yoga
Sutras.

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Objective of Raja Yoga

◎ Raja Yoga is mainly concerned with the mind, its

modifications, and its control. There are five states of
the mind —
➢ kshipta
➢ Mudha
➢ Vikshipta
➢ Ekagra
➢ niruddha.
Objective of Raja Yoga

◎ Usually, the mind is running in various directions; its rays are

scattered. This is the kshipta state. Sometimes it is self-forgetful,
it is full of foolishness (mudha). When you try to practice
concentration, the mind seems to get concentrated but gets
distracted often. This is vikshipta. But with prolonged and
repeated practice of concentration again and again, and
repeating Lord’s Name, it becomes one-pointed. This is called
the ekagra state. Later, it is fully controlled (niruddha). It is ready
to be dissolved in the Supreme Purusha, when you
get Asamprajnata samadhi.

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Methods of Raja Yoga

◎ Mainly it has been classified into

❖ Bahiranga Yoga
➢ Yama
➢ Niyama
➢ Asana
➢ Praanayama
➢ Prathyaahaara
❖ Antharanga Yoga
➢ Dhaarana
➢ Dhyaana
➢ Samaadhi
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Bahiranga Yoga – YAMA (Self Control)

◎ Yama is attained when one remains totally detached from

sensual pleasures of all kinds.
◎ It consists of five Principles:
○ Ahimsa (non–violence)
○ Satya (truthfulness)
○ Asteya (non-Stealing)
○ Brahmacharya (Celibacy)
○ Aparigraha ( Non- Covetousness)

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Bahiranga Yoga – NIYAMA (Discipline)

◎ How we interact with our internal world

◎ It consists of five Principles:
○ Soucha (Purity)
○ Santhosha ( Contentment)
○ Tapa (Austerity)
○ Swaadhyaaya (Self-Education)
○ Ishwara Pranidaana ( Surrender to the divine)
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 Bahiranga Yoga – Aasana

◎ Stira Sukhamaasanam (PYS- 2.46)

◎ The purpose of Aasanaas or Physical postures is to use the body to gain health
and mastery over the mind – Rishi Pathanjali.
○ Sthira – to make the asanas more stable
○ Chira-Slowly and steadily the duration is increased to a longer period.
○ Sukha-The stage of bliss
◎ Tato Dwandaanabhaghaatah (PYS-2.47)
◎ From the attainment of perfect posture, there arises an unassailable.
Unimpeded freedom from suffering due to the pairs of opposites.
◎ Yoga: starts working from the Body level→ Muscular level→breathing Level→
subtler level (Mind/Emotional)→ Ideal State (Ultimate merger)

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Bahiranga Yoga – Pranayama

◎ Tasminsati svaasaprasvaasayogati vichchedah praanaayamah (PYS- 2.49)

◎ To cut the speed of inhalation and exhalation is Pranayama.

◎ Prana is related to breathing- Controlling the breathing rate is pranayama.

◎ The normal speed is 15 to 18 breaths per minute.

◎ Good breathing habits harness the energies for the systematic development
of the Physique and Psyche.

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Bahiranga Yoga – Prathyaahaara

◎ Yogaschittavritti nirodah || ( PYS- 1.2)

◎ Yoga is to gain mastery over the mind.
◎ The essence of Prathyaahaara is to use the senses to gain mastery over the
mind.
◎ Prati and Ahaara mean denying the senses for their food which means
controlling the senses from rushing towards their objects and there by
controlling the mind.

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Antharanga Yoga – Dhaarana

◎ Deshabandhaschittasya Dhaarana || ( PYS- 3.1)

◎ Which is binding the mind to a single thought.
◎ Initially there were several subjects with umpteen thoughts floating in the
mind.
◎ With Concentration it is reduced to one subject with several thoughts and
thereby it is bought to a single subject and to a single thought.

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Antharanga Yoga – Dhyaana

◎ The next step of Dhaarana is Dhyaana ( meditation)

◎ If Dharana is Focussing , then Dhyaana is defocusing.
◎ Pathanjali rishi says Dhyana as an effortless Dhaarana.
◎ One cannot learn to meditate, just as we cannot “learn” to sleep. Sleep just
happens when our body becomes relaxed and quiet. Meditation happens
when the mind is quiet. In meditation there is no imagination, because
imagination arises from the intellect.
◎ Our human brain can only reproduce what has been fed into it. But in
meditation, we experience pure being. The moment the intellect is still and
the individual ego ceases to exist, Divine light shines within the heart and we
are one with it.
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Antharanga Yoga – Samaadhi

◎ Samyak adhiyate iti samaadhih||

◎ This means Deep absorption or super-consciousness
◎ The knower (i.e. the person practicing), knowledge (i.e. what is God) and the
object of knowledge (i.e. God) become one. This means that one unites with
the Divine consciousness.
◎ a Yogi arrives at the end of the path and becomes one with the Supreme
Consciousness. The Yogi's consciousness finds eternal quiet, peace and bliss -
the Yogi is liberated.

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Conclusion

◎ Tadaa drastuh swarupe’vasthaanam|| (PYS- 1.3)

◎ When he gets relieved from the bondages of all Prakritis (Tamas, Rajas and
Sattva), he merges to the swaroopa and attains kaivalya.

◎ Try to get established in Yama and niyama, and at the same time practice
asana, pranayama and meditation as much as you can. The two must go hand
in hand. Then success will be rapid. You will soon enter into nirvikalpa
samadhi and attain kaivalya moksha

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My Inspiration to start learning Yoga

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 ॐ सर्वे भर्वन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु ननरामयाः ।
सर्वे भद्राखि पश्यन्तु मा कश्श्िद्ःु िभाग्भर्वतत ।
ॐ शाश्न्तः शाश्न्तः शाश्न्तः ॥

Dhanyavaad
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