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Ancient Yogis had a belief that in order for man to be in harmony
with himself and his environment, he has to integrate the body, the mind, and the spirit. For these three to be integrated, emotion, action, and intelligence must be in balance. The Yogis formulated a way to achieve and maintain this balance and it is done through exercise, breathing, and Meditation – the three main Yoga structures.

Raja Yoga practice is to focus the mind, which is the “king” of one’s psycho-physical structure. Since the whole body is interconnected with each other, with the mind ruling one’s every thought and action, practicing hatha yoga
will be an essential first step to prepare oneself in yoga meditation. Furthermore, other forms of self-discipline and purification of the physical self also includes getting rid of old addictions such as alcohol and cigarettes, and paying close attention to your actions, thoughts, and speech. Through practicing all these, one can be fit to engage in a deeper form of yoga, which is meditation.

The objective of Raja Yoga is to control all forms of thought waves and mental modifications. It starts its Sadhana with the mind, and may also involve minimum asanas and pranayamas.

Raja Yoga is also called Ashtanga, or eight limbed yoga. It refers to the eight aspects to the path one must undergo. The eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga are the following:
In Yoga, the body is treated with care and respect for it is the primary instrument in man’s work and growth. Yoga Exercises improve circulation, stimulate the abdominal organs, and put pressure on the glandular system of the body, which can generally result to better health.

Breathing techniques were developed based on the concept that breath is the source of life. In Yoga, students gain breathing control as they slowly increase their breathing. By focusing on their breathing, they prepare their minds for the next step – Meditation.

There is a general misconception that in Meditation, your mind has to go blank. It doesn’t have to be so. In Meditation, students bring the activities of the mind into focus resulting in a ‘quiet’ mind.
the King of Yoga and this may be due to the fact that most of its practitioners are members of religious and spiritual orders. Raja Yoga is based on the teachings of the Eight Limbs of Yoga found in the Yoga sutras.

A Raja Yogi sees the self as central, and as such, respect to oneself and for all creation are vital to this path. They achieve self-respect by first learning to be masters of themselves.

If you wish to learn discipline, then Raja Yoga would perfectly suit that need.

Jnana Yoga or Yoga of the Mind
Jnana Yoga is the path of Yoga that basically deals with the mind, and as such, it focuses on man’s intelligence. Jnana Yogis consider wisdom and intellect as important and they aim to unify the two to surpass limitations. Since they wish to gain knowledge, they are open to other philosophies and religion for they believe that an open and rational mind is crucial in knowing the spirit.

Karma Yoga or Yoga of Service
Karma Yoga is the path of service for in this path, it is believed that your present situation is based on your past actions. So by doing selfless service now, you are choosing a future that is free from negativity and selfishness. Karma Yogis change their attitude towards the good and in the process, change their souls, which leads to a change in their destiny.

Tantra Yoga or Yoga of Rituals
Perhaps the most misunderstood of all the paths, Tantra Yoga is about using rituals to experience what is sacred. Although sex is a part of it, sex is not the whole of it since this path aims to find what is sacred in everything we do. Tantra Yogis must possess certain qualities like purity, humility, devotion, dedication to his Guru, cosmic love, and truthfulness among other things.the cultivation of the mind using meditation= dhyana to further one’s acquaintance with reality and finally achieve liberation.

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the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, one of the ancient texts that is the basis for the philosophy behind yoga, there are eight parts of yoga. Each limb relates to an aspect of achieving a healthy and fulfilling life, and each builds upon the one before it. You may be surprised to hear that only one of the limbs involves the performance of yoga postures. Here is a description of the eight limbs.

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1. Asana:
Practice of yoga postures.

2. Dharana:
Concentration, meaning the ability to focus on something uninterrupted by external or internal distractions.

3. Yama:
Five ethical guidelines regarding moral behavior towards others:

Ahimsa: Nonviolence

Satya: Truthfulness

Asteya: Nonstealing

Brahmacharya: Nonlust

Aparigraha: Noncovetesness

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4. Niyama:
Five ethical guidelines regarding moral behavior towards oneself:

Saucha: Cleanliness

Santosa: Contentment

Tapas: Sustained practice

Svadhyaya: Self study

Isvara pranidhana: Surrender to God

5. Pranayama:
Practice of breathing exercises.

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6. Pratyahara:
Withdrawal of the senses, meaning that the exterior world is not a distraction from the interior world within oneself.

7. Dhyana:
Meditation. Building upon Dharana, the concentration is no longer focused on a single thing but is all encompassing.
8. Samadhi:
Bliss. Building upon Dhyana, the transcendence of the self through meditation. The merging of the self with the universe. Sometimes translated as enlightenment.