In classic yogic teaching and as outlined by the Advaita Yoga Ashrama, there are four paths of yoga you can follow to reach enlightenment or understanding of your true nature. These include raja yoga for control of the mind, bhakti yoga for the pursuit of spreading love and compassion, jnana yoga for the study of philosophy and scripture, and karma yoga for service to others. To train on the raja path, you focus primarily on meditative practices, often including a hatha or physical yoga practice.
Getting Started
As a student on the raja path, you can start by trying different yoga styles to find which most complement your meditation practice. A few popular styles which integrate raja yoga include Integral, Kundalini and Jivamukti. Ask yoga studios in your area about classes which specifically focus on meditation. Reading ancient texts like the Yoga Sutras, or any spiritual texts or meditation books that inspire you, can also cultivate your practice. Start with 10 to 15 minutes of quiet meditation each day, and then increase your time according to your inclination or the guidance of your teacher.
Meditation Techniques
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali outline eight limbs of yoga that are the basis for raja yoga. All of them in one way or another deal with meditation. These include self restraint, self observance, yoga poses, breathing exercises, sense withdrawal to break the mind from distractions, concentration on one thing, full concentration without interruption, and union or realization of your true nature. Meditation training almost always leads to learning from a guru or meditation teacher. Sitting on a bolster can make meditation more comfortable. As a beginner, you can try meditation while seated in a chair or lying on the floor.
Breathing Techniques
Breathing techniques are closely linked to both meditation practices and yoga poses. In meditation, one of the first things you will do is listen to and manipulate your breathing. Breathing also makes yoga poses more than just the act of holding your body in a position; the breathing accompanies the poses and helps you stay present and meditative. Some of the most widely practiced breathing techniques include alternate nostril breathing, complete breath and breath of fire.
Asanas or Yoga Poses
In raja yoga, poses are what allow you to train the body to sit in meditation for longer and longer periods of time. Sally Kempton, author of "The Heart of Meditation" and contributing writer to "Yoga Journal" says that yoga poses also breakdown barriers to understanding the true nature of the mind, heart and body. Most classes in yoga studios and gyms focus on yoga postures and include short opening and ending meditation sections of some kind.
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