By the practice of Raja Yoga one becomes the ruler of his or her own mind. T he practice of Raja Yoga is not an esoteric science, nor is it an intellectual exercise. Though the practice of Raja Yoga has been indicated in the writings of Patanjali, Vyas, and others, the actual practice is a matter of practice and direct experience . Practice means to apply oneself diligently. Those who dabble in a particular pursuit or activity are not practicing.
Practice involves regular, determined, and directed effort.
P racticing Raja Yoga means to consistently make a determined effort to train our mind to emulate our real nature. Of course, to do this one needs to first know 'what is our real nature'. In other words, we need a benchmark, a model, an ideal. A guide, a preceptor, who has realized the true nature of the Self, gives us the guidelines for living an ideal life. O ur Real Nature is egoless.