raja-yoga (rāja-yoga)
(Language: Sanskrit)
Short Description: The principal system of yoga as taught by Patañjali consisting of eight steps
Long Description: The principal system of yoga as taught by Patañjali, consisting of eight steps: (1) yama (self-control, by the practice of ahiṃsā [non-injury], satya [truth], asteya [non-stealing], brahmacarya [celibacy], and aparigraha [non-acceptance of gifts]); (2) niyama (restraint, by the practice of ṣauca [cleanliness], saṃtoṣa [contentment], tapas [austerity], svādhyāya [self-study of the scriptures], and īśvara-praṇidhāna [devotion and surrender to the personal God]); (3) āsana (bodily postures); (4) prāṇāyāma (breath control); (5) pratyāhāra (withdrawal of the senses); (6) dhāraṇā (concentration of the mind); (7) dhyāna (meditation); and (8) samādhi (non-dual consciousness of Brahman); equivalent to aṣṭāṅga-yoga.
Sources: Lamp of Non-Dual Knowledge, Cream of Liberation Translated by Swami Sri Ramanananda Saraswathi
