8 limbs of Yoga

I love the physical practise of Yoga but the truth is, it is just a fraction of my Yoga practice and only a small part of what it means to live a Yogic life. My goal here is to share with you a gilmpse to my personal practice as well as my take on Yoga philosophy and how it relates to the modern-day life. Read more to learn about the 8 limbs of Yoga!

You might have already heard your Yoga teacher mentioning Patanjali and The Yoga Sutras. The Yoga Sutras is kind of like an ancient self-help manual in which the writer, Patanjali, explains what Yoga is all about. He talks about the goals and challenges of Yoga, and lays out a step by step method to achieve enlightenment. This method is called The 8-limb path. The 8-limb method is supposed to be applied in a top to bottom order since, according to Patanjali, only by mastering the first parts one can achieve the ones that come after.

1. Yama

The Yamas are the ethics of Yoga. They guide how yogis should behave and conduct themselves in life. At first glance these guidelines might seem obvious but once you dive deeper you can see how they really make a difference in how we relate to ourselves, our environment and the people around us. 

Ahimsa = Non-violence, not causing pain whether it’s by actions, words or thoughts

Satya = Truthfulness, not lying

Asteya = Non-stealing, not taking what doesn’t belong to us

Brahmacharya = Preserving energy, setting healthy boundaries

Aparigraha = Non-greed, not hoarding or taking more than we need

2.Niyama

The Niyamas are Yogi’s habits and personal practices. They are reflective tools that allow us to deepen our self-awareness. Where as the Yamas have a focus on how we function in the outside world, the Niyamas focus on our internal lives. 

Sauca = Purification of the body and the heart, cleanliness. Being pure in thought, word and need.

Santosha = Contentment, being ok with where we are at each moment

Tapas = Accepting that pain is a part of life and that only through suffering one can evolve

Svadhyaya = Study of spiritual scriptures or study of self

Isvara pranidhana = Self-surrender, doing everything with the intention of serving humanity

3.Asana 

The most commonly known form of Yoga is the practice of asana, the physical postures of Yoga. Practising yoga postures makes the body supple, steady and strong and it helps us to remove toxins and tension. With continuous practise, we become more disciplined and the ability to concentrate improves. Together with the breath and a focused mind, the asana practice can become a movement meditation in itself or alternatively, the asana practice can serve as a preparation for seated meditation.

How we inhabit our bodies makes a massive difference in how we feel. When the body is strong and flexible it is easier for the mind to be strong and flexible as well. Just think about being hangry: the anger happens because of hunger. Or think about all the worries, sadness and frustration that come when your body is sick or injured. This is why asana is one of the first sutras. First, we prepare the body, the gross, external and more tangible part of ourselves and then, we can move inwards. 

4.Pranayama

Pranayama can be translated as breath awareness or breath control. Controlling the inhalations and the exhalations in different patterns depending on what effect we want to cultivate. By using specific breathing techniques it is possible, for example, to make ourselves feel calmer or energised. In sanskrit prana means life force and ayama means extending so pranayama literally means extending the life force. Transferring the energy in and out from the body pranayama can also be seen as the bridge between the external practices (previous three limbs) and the internal practices (the last four limbs). 

5.Pratyahara

In the practice of pratyahara we draw the senses inwards to observe the inner world instead of focusing so much on what's happening in the world around us. We are so used to directing our attention and energy outwards. We are constantly hearing, seeing, smelling, touching or tasting something. Through our senses, we observe and experience the world around us. However, when the senses are stimulated information travels from the sense organs to the brain and thoughts are born. This is great and vital for our survival but this can also be distracting when we are trying to quiet down, connect with ourselves and listen to the voice of wisdom that is inside us. Through the practice of pratyahara we are trying to strengthen that inner voice by focusing our senses and our energy inwards rather than outwards.

6.Dharana

Dharana, concentration, is the first stage of meditation. Normally, the mind is busy running around, jumping from one thought to another creating stories and impressions about everything and anything that is and isn’t happening around us. Dharana is the practice in which we train our concentration. This can happen by focusing on an object (for example your breath) and always bringing the focus back to the object once we notice that the mind has escaped somewhere else. The mind is running, you are bringing it back, the mind starts running again, you are bringing it back again. With practice, we become better at directing our focus. Over time we can choose which thoughts to follow and this is when things start to shift.

7.Dhyana

According to the sutras, dhyana is the actual practice of meditation. The Hindu scriptures describe meditating as pouring oil from one pot to another. The oil runs in a continuous string without ever breaking. Instead of focusing the mind into an object and always bringing the mind back, we let go of the object of focus. The mind becomes still. There is no more thinking. Dhyana, this state of meditation happens as a spontaneous result of practising the previous six limbs. When we practice concentration (dhrana) we are still putting in effort whereas in dhyana we let go of all the effort. Some people describe this meditative state as sleeping while being awake, some people describe it as a feeling of lightness or stillness.

8.Samadhi

After sorting out our relationships with the world as well as our inner lives we arrive at the last stop: realisation that we are all one, we are all connected. According to Patanjali at this point, the mind is calm, there are no desires, no likes or dislikes, no more judgement or expectations. We just see the world as it is. The Yoga Sutras describe samadi as this blissful state in which we become one with the universe. However, there is a catch, according to the Yoga sutras samadhi is not a permanent state. So even if we get to experience a glimpse of the state of samadhi, it’s still not a done deal. A permanent state of samadhi is called moksha or mukti which means liberation. This state can be achieved only once the mind is completely pure. 

There are so many different translations and interpretations of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. If this post inspired you to learn more about Yoga philosophy I would recommend picking up one of these translations:

Yoga sutras of Patanjali - Sri Swami Satchidananda

Yoga sutras of Patanjali - Edwin F. Bryant

Thanks for reading! 

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