The ancient practice of yoga extends beyond improved physical fitness. In yoga philosophy, mind, body and spirit are one. The word raja means "royal" or "kingly" and raja yoga is a form of meditative practice. The goal of raja meditation is to bring the mind and emotions into balance in order to focus on God. In Hindu philosophy, raja yoga is known simply as yoga. As a yoga teacher, studying raja enhances your own practice and helps better communicate the meditative benefits of yoga to students.
Raja History
Raja yoga is based on the eight limbs of yoga as described in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. The limbs of yoga focus on such aspects as self-discipline, posture, breath control and meditation. Raja yoga appeals to individuals looking for a more meditative yoga practice. Raja yoga teaches you to still the mind and enter into a thoughtless state, reaching higher consciousness.
Integral Yoga Institute
Integral yoga offers raja teacher training to instructors with a 200-hour Yoga Alliance certification. This teacher training focuses on self-mastery and a deeper study of yoga philosophy through the reading of "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali." Teachers will learn the skills necessary to teach yoga philosophy and how to incorporate raja yoga into all yoga instruction. This course runs from January through March and meets three times per week at the Integral Yoga Institute in San Francisco. Teachers earn 90 Yoga Alliance hours and a certificate to teach raja yoga. As of 2011, the cost to attend training is $900.
Yoga Matrix Teacher Training
Yoga Matrix offers a 200-hour yoga training. The program is designed for individuals interested in deepening personal practice or teaching. The Yoga Matrix program focuses on hatha yoga and the underlying theories of hatha yoga; raja and jnana yoga. Teachers learn the five branches of yoga, breathing, chakras, mantra, raja yoga -- eight limbs of patanjali, and jnana yoga -- yoga of knowledge. Courses are offered two weeks at a time or over the course of four weekends. At the completion of certification requirements, a 200-hour Yoga Alliance certificate will be issued. As of 2011, the cost to participate in the two-week training is $1,500 and the cost for the weekend training is $1,380. Classes are offered at the Yoga Matrix studio in Orlando, Fla.
Ananda Teacher Training
The Ananda Institute of Living Yoga offers a 200-hour teacher certification in Seattle and Bothell, Wash. This certification teaches basic hatha yoga with emphasis on breathing, yoga postures, and posture modifications. This certification provides a strong foundation in raja yoga instead of offering a raja yoga certification. The course runs Friday through Sunday over 11 weekends. As of 2011, the cost for training is $2,995. Ananda also offers a raja intensive workshop January through April in Seattle and Bothell. This course covers meditation, philosphy of the Bhagavad Gita, the philosophy of Karma, and Patanjali's eight-fold path of ashtanga yoga. The cost of this intensive workshop is $395. The raja course is an intensive study and does not provide a teacher training certificate.
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