THE RAJA DHIRAJA YOGA ESSENTIALS
1) Origin of Rajadhiraja Yoga
2) Asanas
3) Benefits of asanas
4) Self-massage
5) Deep relaxation
6) Use of props
7) Astaunga Yoga – Raja Dhiraja
ad 1) Origin of Rajadhiraja Yoga
The techniques of yoga were systematized by Shiva 7000 years ago. Although Shiva is nowadays regarded as a "god" of Hinduism, he did actually live as a great master at that time.
Over time the original systematization of yoga was distorted and some aspects were misunderstood and lost. An attempt was made by Patainjali about 2100 years ago to reclassify the techniques into what he called Ashtanga ("eight-limbed") yoga. Swami Vivekananda more recently called it Raja Yoga (the yoga of kings), "raja" meaning "royal", implying that the yogi never feels subjugated by anyone.
There is, however, a more extensive and comprehensive form of Ashtanga Yoga (or correctly Astaunga Yoga) called Raja Dhiraja Yoga (the yoga of the king of kings). It was first named as such by Ashtavakra, a great saint who wrote the Ashtavakra Samhita over 2000 years ago.
The present day form uses Patainjali's eight-limbed structure as its basis, but includes techniques of the original system which were lost or overlooked - clarifying and correcting misinterpretations - and with recent additions brings the whole practice into relevancy for modern-day life and human psychology.
This Raja Dhiraja form is now the most complete; an all round systematic and scientific process for the development of the body, mind and soul.
Besides a system of yoga asanas, mudras and bandhas, it includes deep relaxation, self-massage and specific meditation lessons.
The asanas, or yoga postures not only tone the muscles, increase flexibility and improve the posture through alignment, but they also have a profound impact on the endocrine glands, balancing the secretion of hormones and restoring psychic and emotional well-being, hence the emphasis is not on vigour of execution, but on proper positioning, proper breathing and a quiet, but persistent flow of movement, which in turn applies pressure on the relevant glands and inner organs. Thus, in Raja Rhiraja Yoga one not only develops strength and flexibility, but achieves a general sense of well-being.
More advanced students are also introduced to a yogic lifestyle, a vegetarian sentient diet and meditation techniques.
ad 2) Asanas
In the West we have come to equate the term "yoga" with yogic postures, but in fact they form only a small - albeit important - part of the whole system. The term yoga in fact implies a whole way of life with yoga postures as one of its many facets.
In the sanskrit language, yoga postures are called asanas. Asana means "a posture producing physical comfort and mental composure".
Asanas affect the glands, nerves, muscles and all the organs of the body. There are many physical benefits, but the most important effect is on the mind. The practise of asanas places pressure on the endocrine glands and this results in the regulation of hormones secreted from those glands. The hormones are closely related to our emotions and the resultant emotional balance facilitates concentration.
3) Benefits of asanas, as practised in Raja Dhiraja yoga
- balance the hormone secretion from the endocrine glands
- increase flexibility of the body
- improve respiration as well as blood and lymph circulation
- massage the internal organs
- relax the nerves and muscles
- cure diseases
The deep relaxation performed at the end of a yoga session and in between certain yoga postures provides a chance to the body to assimilate the increased energy gained from their practise.
ad 4) Self-massage
After practicing asanas, a skin massage should be done before lying in deep relaxation (Shavasana) for at least two minutes. The skin massage helps in the absorption of sebaceous oils which are naturally secreted onto the skin surface, during the practise.
Skin massage:
- increases the lustre and suppleness of the skin
- relaxes and revitalizes the nerves
- increases the blood and lymph circulation
- harmonizes the vital energy (prana) of the body
ad 5) Deep Relaxation
- induces the "relaxation response" similar to hibernation
- relieves stress
- lowers the blood pressure
- strengthens the heart
- relaxes the nerves and muscles
- decreases the need for sleep
Deep relaxation is especially important for those who do a lot of mental work.
Whenever one feels mentally fatigued, even just a couple of minutes can be enough to rejuvenate and revive oneself. Deep relaxation gives the body a chance to assimilate the positive energy gained from the asanas. It also relieves stress, lowers the blood pressure, and decreases the need for sleep.
ad 6) Use of props
In this form of yoga props are used sparingly for the following reasons:
Props, even though fashionably used in most of the schools of the modified forms of yoga, often inhibit the full effect of the postures. They also postpone the mastery of certain poses, and the yoga students remain dependent on the use of "crutches" for long periods of time. Therefore props are helpful only in the execution of certain asanas.
Instead, here, students are directed to use their common sense and practise the postures only as far as it feels comfortable and does not cause pain.
It is not expected that they execute the postures perfectly from the very beginning, but rather to listen to their bodies and practise according to their ability. As their abilities increase with the passage of time, they gradually master the postures while receiving the full benefit from them.
Due to this approach, they experience great progress within only a few months of their practise.
If you need to use props, use them sparingly – mostly with people who have very limited abilities.
Ad 7) Astaunga Yoga (also written as Ashtanga Yoga)
A short overview of the eight limbs of yoga (Ashtanga Yoga):
1. Yama
2. Niyama
(Yama and Niyama are the ten moral principles, the very foundation of the yogic way of life)
3. Asanas (yogic postures)
4. Pranayama (breath control)
5. Pratyahara (withdrawal of mind from external objects, in preparation for internal practices)
6. Dharana (concentration)
7. Dhyana (meditation)
8. Samadhi (complete absorption in the object of meditation)
In regular classes for beginners and intermediate students of yoga only the first three limbs are practised. The remaining five are taught only to serious students at advanced levels.
What is yoga all about?
There's a story that when a cockroach sees another insect trying to attack it, it becomes so mortified with fright that the image of that insect freezes in its mind. Due to the intense ideation of the form of its enemy, the enemy actually sees the cockroach as one of its own kind. In other words, the vibration emanating from the cockroach's mind influences its enemy's mind into thinking that it is a member of its own species. Thus the cockroach is saved from death, since the insect will not attack one of its own kind. You may well ask, "How has this got anything remotely to do with yoga?"
The fundamental meaning of the word "yoga" is to unify. Hence the English word "yoke." To mix sugar and sand means to unite the two. But it's more than that. True unification is like mixing sugar and water: the two become one. Yoga is the unification of the individual existence with the Cosmic existence; the individual sense of awareness with the Cosmic sense of awareness; the individual experience of limited pleasures and pains with the Cosmic experience of the unlimited: infinite happiness, perfect peace and contentment – bliss.
That's what we are all inextricably attracted to; it's the reason for all the things we do. We can never be satisfied with limited things. They may give us pleasure for a while, but never long-lasting satisfaction. So consciously or unconsciously, we all want bliss and we are all trying to achieve it. But how are we supposed to achieve it? The only way is to expand one's awareness to infinity; to transcend the mind and enter the realm of the Cosmic: endless and eternal. Like our friend the cockroach. "As one thinks, so one becomes." This powerful psychological principle is not only the lifesaver of our little friend; it is also the mainstay of yogic practice. By ideating regularly on infinite happiness, one's mind will gradually expand; and if that ideation becomes constant, the expansion will continue until eventually the merger of one's limited sense of individual existence into the Cosmic existence will transform one's experience of pleasure and pain into the constant experience of Cosmic bliss, just as a river attains total freedom when it merges with the sea.
We all want to expand; to become something greater than what we already are; to achieve something more than what we already have. "There is in the living being a thirst for limitlessness." It is the fundamental spirit of humanity. Since the beginning of human civilization people have been aspiring towards that, and it is this human yearning for supreme expansion that eventually led people to discover the techniques of yoga.
This Raja Dhiraja Yoga is today the most complete system available; an all-round systematic and scientific process for the development of the body, of the mind, and soul; leading to the total experience of the Infinite – what in yoga is called "self-realisation." It is a synthesis of processes for the evolution of mind towards the supreme spiritual flow, the essence being the practical and continual expansion of mind. Its goal is the all-round elevation of human beings, both individually and collectively. It is a comprehensive response to human longing and aspiration.
The eight limbs:
1. Yama and 2. Niyama (principles of morality) 3. Asana (yoga postures) 4. Pranayama (breath control) 5. Pratyahara (withdrawal of mind) 6. Dharana (concentration) 7. Dhyana (meditation) 8. Samadhi (suspension of mind in the goal)
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