In my last post, I briefly mentioned the eight limbs of yoga. Today I’m going to talk a little more about that.
Origin
The eight limbs of yoga were born within ancient yogi Patanjali’s book The Yoga Sutras. I will provide you with a brief and light-hearted outline of each of the limbs and will go into more depth later.
Limb #1: The Yamas
The yamas are “restraints,” or “ideals of conduct” in regards to our relationship with ourselves and the outer world. They are not concrete, defined rules, but rather they involve a conscious practice of awareness of oneself and the behavior of oneself. They are things that ought to be restrained or controlled, or at least have some attention drawn to making sure one is continuing a conscientious and balanced upholding of their manner. The yamas include the following five philosophies:
- Ahimsa, non-violence. Ahimsa is considered to be the most important of the four Yamas. At the center of non-violence is the effort to embrace all sentient beings with compassion.
- Satya, truthfulness. Satya focuses on practicing not lying, “right speech,” and communicating honestly with others.
- Asteya, non-stealing. Believe it or not, “non-stealing” means a lot more than just not pocketing a souvenir from your local department store. You can steal someone’s time, emotional and intellectual energy, or their space.
- Brachmacharya, non-sensuality. Often described as celibacy, brachmacharya is becoming the master of your sensual and creative force. There are many ways to interpret this; some are old fashioned, most are relatable. We’ll delve into it deeper later.
- Aparigrapha, non-greed. Also translated as “non-grasping.”
Limb #2: The Niyamas
The Niyamas are “observances,” windows through which we can look at ourselves and strive to live a better life.
- Saucha, the first, represents “purity,” regarding our choices and how they affect us and our environment.
- Santosha is all about contentment. And there’s a difference between being happy and being content.
- Tapas are the motivating force behind our energy. They can be directly translated as “enthusiasm.”
- Svadhyaya represents Self-study. Which is, in my opinion, at the heart of yoga itself. Really, all of the yamas and niyamas are each integral parts of the philosophical practice of yoga. However, the ability to practice and grow in your awareness of yourself is an irreplaceable component of the actual footwork.
- Ishvara Pranidhana is “divine connection,” or the ability to see spirituality in everything, even the mundane things.
Limb #3: Asana
Asana is the physical practice we have all come to widely recognize as “yoga.” All those physical postures.. just one small part of yoga as it was created to be.
Limb #4: Pranayama
Pranayama is the study of and attention to your breath. “Prana” refers to your actual life force, that in you which distiguishes you from what is not living. “Yama,” as we discovered earlier, is the restraint or regulation of a certain quality. So pranayama is practicing awareness of and regulating your breath.
Limb #5: Pratyahara
This is withdrawing from our external senses and stimulants. Often this subject is left at “creating a quiet space and calm environment,” but there’s a lot more to it than that. We shall revisit.
Limb #6: Dharana
Concentration. Mine is wearing thin as the length of this post increases. I blame my ADHD.
Limb #7: Dhyana
Meditation. Think about that for a second..
Limb #8: Samadhi
Enlightenment. Total Absorption. Just like your interest in this post, right? ;)
Congratulations! You (and I) made it to the end of our first little dip into the Lake of The Eight Limbs of Yoga. I don’t know why the limbs are in a lake now, but I’m rolling with it. Can you see what I mean now when I say that what most of us know as yoga is really just the tip of the iceberg? All of those postures hardly any of us even know the real names of- much less how to do them- is ALL JUST THE BEGINING, MY FRIENDS!
Can’t wait to see you next time when we get into our first limb, the Yamas.
