Raja yoga, when literally translated means ‘a royal union’. The discipline is used synonymously with yoga, and has meditation as its principal concern.  Also known as classical yoga, raja yoga was first described in the compilation known as the Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. It is believed that the sage Patanjali collected the nuances of yoga performed by god Siva, and incorporated the classical philosophy behind this method into his compilation.

Raja yoga is one of the many disciplines of yoga like tantra yoga, bhakti yoga, kundalini yoga, hatha yoga, jnana yoga, asthanga yoga, and karma yoga. Each of these disciplines has their own principles, some of which run common through all of them.

However, raja yoga specifically talks about the omnipresence of the consciousness, accepting it as a higher sensibility or God. The royal union that the yoga discipline talks about is the union between man and nature.

Yoga believes that the reason why no two humans are alike is because they are related to nature in different ways. This subjectivity is what makes humans fragile and mortal. The only way to free the consciousness from the bondage of mortality is to have a non-discriminating identification with nature, allowing oneself to become a part of the undying. The person who is able to adopt this non discriminating stance is the one who becomes superior and is allowed a rendezvous with the higher sensibilities or God. This is the attainment of moksha or final salvation from all the earthly bonds. Nature continues to guide and inspire such a man and what this man feels is pure enjoyment.

When practicing raja yoga, one should be concerned only with the mind and that which it controls. The mind is torn in different directions as countless thoughts keep passing through the mind. This state is not only described as forgetfulness but comes close
to foolishness. The mind in this state is easily distracted and lacks both concentration and focus. When you practice raja yoga, you try to pacify the mind and pull it back to its core from the various directions. The mind can then concentrate and focus, without being distracted. In other words, with continued practice of raja yoga, you get the ability to control your thoughts and have mastery over your mind. To make your mind peaceful and calm, certain virtues have to be adopted. These virtues are friendliness towards those around you, compassion to those who are in distress, complacency towards those superior to you, and indifference towards those who are wicked to you.