Yoga 101: The Eight Limbs

A while once more, I posted a weblog that sketched out a extremely elementary outline of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. In spite of everything, we’re capable of’t in all probability seize the essence of the sutras in a single weblog put up, or maybe a group of them. It’s best after we digest them over time. And it’s even larger after we take note of them throughout the context of our private lives. Instantly’s put up will outline the Eight Limbs of Yoga.

The sutras are divided into 4 padas (chapters). The second pada is the one which yoga lecturers and practitioners most steadily search recommendation from. It’s as a result of the second pada consists of the Eight Limbs of Yoga. The Eight Limbs current a scaffolding for the complete system of yoga, based mostly on the sutras.

Whereas the sutras itemizing the limbs in a specific order, they don’t appear to be hierarchical. They’re not like a ladder with eight steps. Instead, all the limbs feed into the complete, type of similar to the limbs on a tree. Practising any certainly one of many limbs helps all the others.

The Eight Limbs of Yoga

Proper right here’s a quick synopsis of the limbs:

1. Yama: Yama means “restraint.” The yamas are ethical or moral precepts for residing peacefully on the earth. They embrace ahimsa (non-harming), satya (truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (good use of sexual energy), and aparigraha (non-greed).
2. Niyama: The niyamas are personal practices that help us create a healthful foundation for our day-to-day lives. They embrace saucha (cleanliness), santosha (contentment), tapas (energy or dedication to comply with), svadhyaya (self-study and look at of inspiring texts) and isvara pranidhana (dedicating our comply with to 1 factor larger than ourselves).
3. Asana: That’s the limb we most steadily affiliate with yoga—the bodily postures.
4. Pranayama: Pranayama is the comply with of controlling and growing the breath.
5. Pratyahara: The commonest description of this limb is “withdrawal from the senses.” I interpret it as a refinement of our relationship with our senses.
6. Dharana: Dharana is focus. It’s the amassing of the ideas onto a single object.
7. Dhyana: Dhyana is meditation. It’s the flexibleness of ideas to stay present it doesn’t matter what we’re experiencing by the use of our senses.
8. Samadhi: Samadhi is the absolutely settled, expansive ideas.

That’s solely a bite-sized description of the framework for yoga comply with. Any of the limbs—and even any part of the limbs, say certainly one of many yamas—could be fodder for years of comply with.

In case you’re excited by learning additional, my book Aware Yoga, Aware Life: A Info for Regularly Observe, outlines the Eight Limbs and goes into ingredient about every. There are moreover suggestions for techniques to comply with every.

About Charlotte Bell

Charlotte Bell discovered yoga in 1982 and began instructing in 1986. Charlotte is the author of Aware Yoga, Aware Life: A Info for Regularly Observe and Yoga for Meditators, every revealed by Rodmell Press. Her third book is titled Hip-Healthful Asana: The Yoga Practitioner’s Info to Defending the Hips and Avoiding SI Joint Ache (Shambhala Publications). She writes a month-to-month column for CATALYST Journal and serves as editor for Yoga U On-line. Charlotte is a founding board member for GreenTREE Yoga, a non-profit that brings yoga to underserved populations. A lifelong musician, Charlotte performs oboe and English horn throughout the Salt Lake Symphony and other people sextet Pink Rock Rondo, whose DVD gained two Emmy awards in 2010.