What Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga mean?

Ha and Tha are two Sanskrit words that mean the Sun and the Moon and represent the two polarities, positive and negative. 

This name aims to underline the importance that should be given to the balance, that is that state of union that brings to the harmony of the opposites, as we said previously , that means the elimination of conflict of any kind.
Raja, also from Sanskrit, means Royal. This name emphasizes the importance of these systems and therefore it was given the name of the highest existing office at that time, the king.
Both systems are indivisible to each other (just as like the other systems that later had been called Karma, Jnana, Mantra, Kundalini, etc.).

Unfortunately, the passing of time has done nothing more than producing subdivisions and make the system less effective because it has been fragmented: the proposals more and more had to move away from its original set. So Yoga was linked to cults and religions, philosophies, lifestyles, traditions, ..... until today, when it is reduced to a semi-acrobatic gymnastics or a kind of stretching or a prenatal method.
The resume of the effective techniques from ancient systems is not evil: it can be useful, but they are not what Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga are, i.e. methods for improvement and evolution of body and inner growth, inseparably together.
Therefore it is essential to remember that the methods for Yoga have their beginning with the use of the body through exercises called Asana, which must be applied simultaneously with all the inner mechanisms that make up the complex machine that is the human being .

Do you know What Asana is? Some guidances in the next Post.

Why Yoga also means "subjugation"?

In modern languages we would say that the word "subjugation" means "a state in which something becomes used to be managed". Therefore the ancient methods for reaching the Yoga state are finely processed in the view that all our components (physical, mental, character, psychological, emotional, conscious and unconscious , energetic and all subtle means) could be put, in any proposed exercises, in action at the same time, so that all of them are used in synchrony. What happens afterwards? That, by this wise manner, all the components blend together, since they are put in action at the same time; all our components are trained to work together at the same level, creating the conditions to form harmonic states. How could be possible to have dis-harmonic states if we get used to "manage" all our components in parallel to each other?

It would be like saying that a centipede has been used to move his feet each on its own, everything seems difficult for him, he gets angry and nervous, unable to go anywhere, finalizing quite nothing... When patiently he begins to manage his feet moving synchronously, one after the other, all begins to work at the best. It happens the same in a business company... if the owner says to do something, the director does something else and finally each employee does what he wants, this company will risk the bankrupt; but if among all the components there is harmony of purposes, there is a good team and that will bring the company to be successful.
This happens for any condition in ourselves and in our lives. Therefore it is necessary to take care of ourselves globally speaking, learning to manage all harmoniously!
 

As a result of "union, conjunction and subjugation" we could move to speak a few words on: What is a harmonious and balanced state? In the next post we will introduce you our opinion about!

What is this state of "union" for?

The state of "union" is explainable as a state of non-separation ... obvious and logical, isn't it? It's a state that the ancient methods of Yoga permit to achieve.
We will make an example - choosing among the so many factors on which the state of union is effective: the relation between the state of the conscious mind and that of the unconscious mind. Our unconscious is often called a mischievous little boy who behaves as he wants, escaping to our management. So often it happens that unconscious and conscious point in different directions, creating a state of disharmony in the person, which is also called conflict.
 

Some examples: I'm going to an exam, I know the subject quite well, but anyway my unconscious makes me have fear that sometimes could undermine what I know; or I find a streak on the bodywork of my car and I immediately know - consciously – that there is anything I can do, but my subconscious gives me uncontrollable anger and frustration which, by the way, I consciously know that are useless and make me feel bad (maybe you are asking yourself: is my unconscious working against me? Because it is not acting productively!); or I see from far away my girlfriend coming along with another guy: suddenly I feel a wave of jealousy within me, although I know consciously that she is really in love with me (and by the way I consciously know that if she had chosen another guy I could not do anything about it... but in any case my subconscious makes me sick!), or I get angry when a person makes a comment negative on my dress, when I consciously recognize that the other person may just have a different taste. And so there are a thousand examples that occur in our everyday life....

Too often we are accustomed to think that anger is dependent on external factors, but we do not think that largely depends on a conflict (state of no-union, which represents a no-harmonic condition) between conscious and unconscious.
Thanks to the ancient Yoga techniques, it is possible to get the unconscious to be collaborative and not reactive.
And how is possible to explain the concept: Why Yoga is a state of"conjunction" ? We suggest you some ideas on the next post!

How many times...

Knowing how to drive ourselves at all levels means knowing how to manage ourselves in all points of view; it is what lead us to overcome the so called obstacles of life, and to live the events without damages or any unpleasant consequence.
So it is easier, although it still requires commitment to go towards the results that you desire, to achieve our goals without breakages.

In our life how many accidents, I would say countless, can be avoid or overcome without suffering deeply. How many times we do not feeling good, feeling like having certain types of disorders; how many times we do not feel happy or have unpleasant reactions or do not interacting positively; how many times we feel having a bad character, living disturbing sensations; how many times we are not aware of ourselves, feeling often drains, with just a little enthusiasm; how many times we are in a bad mood and struggling with the outside world, ... and a lot more.
The methods of Yoga are the driving school to simply acquire the ability to handle the complexity of ourselves, to be aware of the mechanisms of life and to be able to live in balance and in harmony !

Why this Blog?

This blog is written for those who are interested in Yoga.

For those who feel the desire to approach to it and either for those who are already practicing some methods (or even teach them to someone else).

Most of the time when you attend a Yoga class, a little bit or nothing is explained. It is often suggested to just copy what the teacher performs.
 
I kindly ask you to follow me in this simple example: if you want to learn how to drive a car, the driving school does not tell you just only to copy what the teacher does, but you must learn a large number of things related to the car itself and also the driving principles;
all of this is usually explained thoroughly, thus everybody listen and then learn. Just to name a few, you are told how to use the equipment, the foot pedals, how the engine works, such as fuel use, what the signs mean, which are the traffic rules, how to have a safe driving, etc.. Then you are brought ​to familiarize yourself with a gradual and direct experience of what you have previously learned in theory.

With regard to the Yoga practice, it is curiously believed that the ability to manage better yourself at all levels (physical, psychological, emotional, character, energy, mental and spiritual) – i.e. the ability to acquire the know how in order to perfectly drive the super complex machine that we actually are (that is by the way one of the main purposes of the Yoga techniques) – could be achieved just copying some exercises, sometimes weird, executed by some people.

To understand the Yoga techniques and to gradually acquire the benefits at all levels are needed many theoretical explanations and experiments on ourselves, done with our body but not only; at the same time many other mechanisms that are part of our complexity can and should be put in action.
Just only so there is knowledge, progress and deep benefits!