Yoga 101: The Eight Limbs

Some time again, I posted a weblog that sketched out a really primary define of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. In fact, we will’t probably seize the essence of the sutras in a single weblog publish, or perhaps a sequence of them. It’s greatest after we digest them over time. And it’s even higher after we contemplate them within the context of our personal lives. At present’s publish will define the Eight Limbs of Yoga.

The sutras are divided into 4 padas (chapters). The second pada is the one which yoga academics and practitioners most frequently discuss with. It is because the second pada consists of the Eight Limbs of Yoga. The Eight Limbs present a scaffolding for the entire system of yoga, in response to the sutras.

Whereas the sutras record the limbs in a specific order, they aren’t hierarchical. They’re not like a ladder with eight steps. As an alternative, all of the limbs feed into the entire, form of just like the limbs on a tree. Working towards any one of many limbs helps all of the others.

The Eight Limbs of Yoga

Right here’s a brief synopsis of the limbs:

1. Yama: Yama means “restraint.” The yamas are moral or ethical precepts for dwelling peacefully on the planet. They embody ahimsa (non-harming), satya (truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (sensible use of sexual vitality), and aparigraha (non-greed).
2. Niyama: The niyamas are private practices that assist us create a wholesome basis for our every day lives. They embody saucha (cleanliness), santosha (contentment), tapas (vitality or dedication to apply), svadhyaya (self-study and examine of inspiring texts) and isvara pranidhana (dedicating our apply to one thing bigger than ourselves).
3. Asana: That is the limb we most frequently affiliate with yoga—the bodily postures.
4. Pranayama: Pranayama is the apply of controlling and increasing the breath.
5. Pratyahara: The most typical 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 gathering of the thoughts onto a single object.
7. Dhyana: Dhyana is meditation. It’s the flexibility of thoughts to remain current it doesn’t matter what we’re experiencing by our senses.
8. Samadhi: Samadhi is the utterly settled, expansive thoughts.

That is only a bite-sized description of the framework for yoga apply. Any of the limbs—and even any a part of the limbs, say one of many yamas—may very well be fodder for years of apply.

In the event you’re fascinated by studying extra, my guide Conscious Yoga, Conscious Life: A Information for On a regular basis Apply, outlines the Eight Limbs and goes into element about each. There are additionally solutions for methods to apply each.

About Charlotte Bell

Charlotte Bell found yoga in 1982 and commenced educating in 1986. Charlotte is the creator of Conscious Yoga, Conscious Life: A Information for On a regular basis Apply and Yoga for Meditators, each printed by Rodmell Press. Her third guide is titled Hip-Wholesome Asana: The Yoga Practitioner’s Information 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 within the Salt Lake Symphony and folks sextet Purple Rock Rondo, whose DVD gained two Emmy awards in 2010.