Raja Yoga is a dual practice in self-awareness and self-control.
It prompts you to rethink life in a “What in the world am I doing here?!” manner, and to see it in a “WOW, this is awesome!!!” kind of way. It’s a practice in letting go of the notion that you are only your body/mind, and realizing with the same certainty that you have a brain and a heart, that you also have a distinct and equally amazing consciousness. This is the self-awareness portion of the practice.
However, in order to get to that point, you must learn to meditate, and while that’s clearly a mental practice, you can’t meditate an unsettled mind, and you can’t settle your mind if your body isn’t settled physically and energetically. So while the goal here is controlling your mind, there are conduct and physical exercise components to the practice of mental Yoga! This is the self-control portion of the practice.
