An Intro To The Eight Limbs of Yoga

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In last week’s post, I wrote about how yoga is not (solely) about the pose, but how asana, or postures, are just one of the Eight Limbs of Yoga. For further clarification, even Asana isn’t really about the pose, in that it’s not about getting into the perfect handstand or being able to fold in half to touch your toes. It’s about how we use the physical practice as a way to connect back with ourselves - physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. Personally, and this isn’t yoga philosophy as written in books but my own thoughts and experience, it’s also the piece that most easily allows us to see and feel ourselves as part of the collective, as part of something bigger. When you take a yoga class, and you’re all moving and breathing and flowing together, the individual self can seem to fade, even if just a tiny bit. Whether it’s simply a sense of community or it helps you connect to something bigger on a deeper, more spiritual level, it’s there. And while you can certainly access this with the other limbs, asana - especially in the form of group classes (even virtual ones)- feels like it makes this especially accessible, at least to me. 

So with that said, Asana or poses, as much as we enjoy them, are just one limb of the Eight-Limb Path of Yoga detailed in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra. As I begin to weave yoga philosophy and the roots of yoga more into my work as a teacher, I thought that introducing the other seven limbs was a good place to start. In fact, I’ve introduced two of the limbs previously in my blog here, and if you have been following along for a while, you may recognize them. 

1. Yamas: I learned Yamas as “restraints with others”, but if that sounds a little too negative/severe for you, they’re basically guidelines for how we interact with others and the world around us. The five Yamas are:

  • Ahimsa - Non-harming or non-violence

  • Satya - Truthfulness

  • Asteya - Non-stealing

  • Brahmacharya - Right use of energy, often translated as right use of sexual energy 

  • Aparigraha - Non-grasping

2. Niyamas: Loosely translated as “restraints with self”, or practices with the self. 

  • Sauca - Purity or cleanliness, both inside and out

  • Santosha - Contentment

  • Tapas - Discipline or practice

  • Svadhyaya -  Self-study through ancient texts

  • Ishvara Pranidhana - Becoming attuned to your version of god/creator/spirit

3. Pranayama: Breathwork or breath control. Prana is actually translated as energy, and breath is the vehicle for prana. 

4. Asana: Physical postures. This is where the yoga poses come in. 

5. Pratyahara. Withdrawal or control of the senses. Examples of this would be a blindfold or ear plugs, to lessen/withdraw vision or hearing and allowing yourself to focus internally instead of on the senses. 

6. Dhyana: Focused concentration. For instance, staring at the flame of a candle, letting everything else fade into the background. 

7. Dharana: Loosely translated as meditation.

8. Samadhi: I’ve learned several definitions. One is “bliss”. Samadhi literally translates into “to bring together”, which is actually quite close to the definition for yoga, which is “to yoke”. Samadhi is when we no longer can differentiate between ourselves as an individual, and ourselves as part of the whole.  

Please know that these are simplified translations to try to make it as accessible as possible. Also know that these are topics that we covered throughout 200 hours/approximately nine months of yoga teacher training, and I don’t expect anyone to read this and think “ah ok, the eight-fold path, now I get it!”. I will delve into these deeper in future posts on this blog, on social media, or both. I have already done some blogs on my personal experiences with the yamas and niyamas (you’re welcome to read back, or if you’re interested in any in particular, reach out and I’ll send you the link).  I plan to address them again in relation not just to myself and my life, but how we can use them in accordance with current societal issues and life in the 21st century in general. The main reason for this post was to bring to light the other seven limbs of yoga, for those that may not have been familiar with them, and to give a starting point to explore these further. If you have any questions, as always, feel free to reach out!