The Eight Limbs of Yoga

When people think of yoga, they most likely think of the physical exercise, or a set of contortions performed by only the most flexible of people. It is also difficult not to associate yoga with a huge marketing machine, churning out images of picture-perfect people wearing very cool and expensive yoga clothes, and going to the trendiest yoga studios.

It can be difficult to associate those glossy images with yoga as an ancient science, which comprises eight aspects, commonly known as the eight limbs of yoga. The physical aspect of yoga - known as asana - is only one of the eight.

These eight limbs were explained in the classic Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as far back as 100 AD, and really it was all about the understanding and complete mastery of the mind. The idea is that all eight aspects are practiced, to achieve "the cessation of the modifications of the mind".

Here's a short summary of the eight limbs of yoga:

1. Yama - Ethical disciplines
2. Niyama - Self observations
3. Asana - Physical poses
4. Pranayama - Breath control
5. Pratyahara - Sense withdrawal
6. Dharana - Concentration
7. Dhyana - Meditation
8. Samadhi - A state of freedom, joy and peace

The first two limbs, yama and niyama, serve as the foundation of practice. Within each of these limbs, there are five qualities, which I will cover in a future post. An example would be non-violence as one of the yamas and self-study as one of the niyamas. It is very important to note that yoga doesn't say you must follow these rules, like a sort of Ten Commandments, but it is suggesting that following these are helpful if you wish to steady the mind.

Limbs three to five, asana, pranayama and pratyahara, are what people may be most familiar with, as these are commonly encountered in yoga classes. These aspects prepare the practitioner for the deeper practices where some steadiness of the mind is required.

The last three limbs are a little more difficult to explain, but simply put, it can be said that a practice of concentration (dharana) will lead the way to meditation (dhyana) and eventually to states of joy and peace (samadhi).

In order to get the most benefit from a physical yoga practice, it is useful to understand the context in which it was created, and the system of which it is a part. Often these more subtle aspects are not covered in classes, and much of this rich knowledge is not shared, so this is my attempt to ensure that students have an overview of the system.

I'll write another post soon explaining the yamas and niyamas in more detail, the styles and paths of yoga, as well as give some suggestions for how you might take your yoga study further.

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Struggling with the monkey mind? Find out about how the Eight Limbs can help in this article I wrote for Zen Monkey.