Raja Yoga: Yoga off the Mat

Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Problems

Yoga has much more to offer than what happens on the mat.

Many people first discover Yoga through the physical practices of Hatha Yoga — the postures, breathing practices, and deep relaxation that help create a healthier body and a calmer mind.

But what happens when we roll up the mat and return to everyday life?

How do we maintain that peaceful mind when we are worried about something? When someone upsets us? When life doesn’t go according to plan? When old habits and thought patterns keep repeating themselves?

This is where Raja Yoga can help.

Often called the psychology of Yoga, Raja Yoga offers a remarkably practical understanding of the human mind. Its teachings help us recognize the patterns that disturb our peace and develop the awareness and inner tools that allow us to respond to life more consciously.

Ancient Teachings for Everyday Life

At the heart of Raja Yoga are the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, an ancient collection of teachings about the mind, human behavior, meditation, and spiritual realization.

Although written many centuries ago, the questions they address sound surprisingly modern:

Why is the mind so difficult to quiet?

Why do we repeat behaviors even when we know they aren’t helpful?

Why do some experiences create fear, anger, anxiety, or attachment?

How do our thoughts influence the way we experience the world?

Can we change habitual patterns of thinking?

And is there something within us that remains peaceful even when our thoughts and circumstances are constantly changing?

Throughout this series, we will explore these questions not simply as philosophy, but as teachings we can actually practice in our daily lives.

What We’ll Explore

Among the Raja Yoga teachings we’ll discover are:

• Understanding the nature of the mind and why it becomes disturbed
• Recognizing habits and thought patterns that influence our behavior
• Learning how to replace unhelpful thoughts with healthier ones
• Cultivating attitudes that support peaceful relationships
• Developing greater awareness before automatically reacting
• Understanding attachment, aversion, fear, and other causes of mental suffering
• Using concentration and meditation to strengthen and steady the mind
• Bringing greater mindfulness into ordinary activities and relationships
• Exploring the Eight Limbs of Raja Yoga as a practical guide for living
• Discovering how these teachings can lead us toward greater inner freedom

For Daily Life — and for the Spiritual Journey

You do not have to consider yourself spiritual, and you do not need any previous knowledge of Yoga philosophy to benefit from Raja Yoga.

These teachings can simply help us understand ourselves better, make more conscious choices, navigate life’s challenges with greater equanimity, and cultivate a more peaceful mind.

And for those who wish to go deeper, Raja Yoga offers something more.

It teaches that beneath the changing thoughts, emotions, roles, and circumstances of our lives is our True Self — the peaceful, unchanging awareness of who we really are.

The same practices that help us live more peacefully in everyday life can therefore also become steps along a spiritual path.

Raja Yoga meets us wherever we are — and invites us to discover how much more Yoga has to offer.

No previous study of Raja Yoga or Yoga philosophy is necessary.

Saturdays, 1:00 – 3:00 pm   

To keep our discussions intimate, we are limiting online participation to 4 students and in-person participation to 4 people. 

Sept. 12: Getting to know each other. What is Integral Yoga How Yoga Heals
Raja Yoga: Introduction to The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali + Book 1:1-5  The Goal Yoga & Understanding the Mind

Sept. 19: Yoga Sutras – Book 1: 6-11   Exploring the Mind further

Oct 3. Yoga Sutras – Book I: 11-16  Practice and Non-attachment

Oct 12 Yoga Sutras – Book I: 33 Locks & Keys

Oct 17 Yoga Sutras – Book II. Sutras 1-4 Yoga in Practice & Klesas; Book II: 28-34
Introduction to Eight Limbs of Yoga & Pratypaksha Bhavanam

Nov 7 Raja Yoga – Book II: Sutras 35 – 40 Yama / Universal Restraints

Nov 14 Raja Yoga – Book II: 41-45 Niyama / Optimal Observances

Nov 21 Raja Yoga – Book II: 46-55 Limbs 3-5

Nov 28 Raja Yoga – Book III: Sutra 1-3 Limbs 6-8

Weekly reading, contemplation, practice, journaling, and shared discussion will help bring the teachings to life, making this offering a meaningful and enriching experience.

If Payment is not accepted, we apologize for the inconvenience,  a new website is being built for us. You can enroll by donating $300 (or $100 per month) at:   iyinj.org/donate