The Eight Limbs of Yoga
How does one attain ultimate liberation through yoga? Does it come at the cost of the latest athleisure styles from luluyogapants? Can you reach it by signing up for an all-inclusive exotic yoga retreat? Does ultimate universal self-realization come when you can touch your toes? Does everything become clear and one-pointed when you finish yoga teacher training? Maybe, but probably not!
There's more to yoga than just poses, yoga mats, and essential oils. The Eight Limbs, also called Ashtanga (not to be confused with K. Pattabhi Jois' Ashtanga vinyasa yoga) come from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Compiled about 2,000 years ago, by the sage Patanjali, the Yoga Sutras are Sanskrit verses on the theory and practice of yoga that act as a set of guidelines on how to live life ethically, restrain the activities of the mind and reach a state of Samadhi (ultimate liberation). The eight limbs form just a small -but important- fraction of the text in the sutras and are a great starting point to delve deeper into a well-rounded yoga practice.
1. Yama - The first limb, the Yama-s, essentially set forth guidelines that tell us how to be good to others. The five Yama-s are:
Ahimsa: non-harming – I relate this quite often in my classes as practicing with the intention not to hurt yourself – not over-challenging yourself so that you get injured
Satya: Communications with others should be truthful and productive
Asteya: non-stealing
Brahmacharya: Some translate this as celibacy. I remember asking a teacher about this while in college. Their response was Brahmacharya just means to, “be efficient - this one is just a guideline”
Aparigraha: non-covetousness (don’t be greedy!)
2. Niyama, the second limb, is about detachments from the world. The five niyama-s are:
Saucha: cleanliness – both in body and in thought
Santosa: be ok with what you have
Tapah: avoidance of temporary gratification. Also, that it’s important to tolerate discomfort while you perform your job or duty
Svadhyaya: self-study
Isvara pranidhana: surrender to the divine
3. Asana literally means ‘seat’ and is the overtly physical aspect of the eight limbs of yoga. What it describes is how one sits while in meditation.In Patanjali’s yogic view, meditation is the path to liberation. To be able to sit for hours in meditation, the body has to be strong. Practicing Asana-s develop the mental and physical strength to sit in meditation but more so, it forces us to form a habit of discipline and the ability to concentrate, both of which are necessary for meditation. Note: most of the yoga that we practice in the West is Hatha yoga – physical techniques of Pranayama (breathing) and Asana (postures).
4. Pranayama means “life force extension,” This is where Ashtanga yoga makes its way into a more inward-facing practice. Pranayama is all about breath control and using it to nourish the body while in deep meditation.
5. Pratyahara, the fifth limb, describes the withdrawal of the senses. It allows the yogi to take an introspective look at themself without the interference of the outside world. BKS Iyengar wrote in ‘Light on Yoga’ that both Pranayama and Pratyahara, “teach the aspirant to regulate the breathing, and thereby control the mind. This helps to free the senses from the thralldom of the objects of desire.”
6. Dharana - As each stage prepares us for the next, the practice of Pratyahara prepares the yogi for Dharana or concentration. Having relieved ourselves of outside stimuli through Pratyahara, we can control our thoughts. Easy, right?! Here, we begin the journey to meditation and concentrate on a single thought, mantra, image, or sound. In Vinyasa, Hatha, or Yin yoga classes, our concentration shifts as we feel what is happening in our bodies, and listen to queues from the teacher. The practice of Pratyahara teaches us to shut things off on the outside so we can look at what’s happening in the mind, and in Dharana, we focus our attention. This act of concentration may end up becoming full-on meditation.
7. Dhyana is the uninterrupted flow of concentration, aka meditation. This differs from Dhayana in that Dharana leads to a meditative state. For me, fully meditative states are rare. I am a terrible practitioner of meditation…and as I see it, most of my time is spent in a state of Dharana, with short glimpses of Dhyana – attention without focus. The mind is quiet, and not many thoughts arise. The discipline and concentration needed to get to this state is very difficult! Remember not to give up – yoga is a practice.
8. Samadhi – This is a state of deep concentration. This state happens during meditation when mental activity is restrained and the yogis rise above their consciousness. This is the ultimate goal of yoga.
If you’re interested in learning more about the sutras and reading about some of their interpretation, and applications to daily life, I recommend ‘Living the Sutras’ by Kelly DiNardo and ‘The Path of the Yoga Sutras’ by Nicolai Bachman. For a heavier bit of academic reading, check out ‘the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali’ by Edwin F. Bryant.