The philosophy of yoga, as elucidated in the ancient sutras by Patanjali, is a transformative journey of eight limbs, known as Ashtanga. These limbs, when explored and practiced, have the power to lead the practitioner to a state of “blissfulness”. While the Western practice of yoga often focuses on the physical aspect of the asana limb, there is a wealth of knowledge and benefits to be gained from understanding and incorporating the other seven limbs of yoga.

1. Yamas – Guidance for conduct towards others

2. Niyamas - Guidance for conduct towards yourself

3. Asanas – Postures that help maintain the body and prepare for spiritualgrowth

4. Pranayama – Managing the breath to modulate the state of being

5. Pratyahara – Withdrawal of the senses to begin the further journey to meditation

6. Dharana – Concentration to quiet the monkey-mind

7. Dhyana - Focussed meditation to connect with oneness.

8. Samadhi - Bliss, oneness.

Yamas

Conduct Towards Others

It is rare to hear the Yamas mentioned in a yoga class, but they are considered a crucial part of the Patanjali Sutras.

The Yamas help us understand how to conduct ourselves and guide our actions towards others.

There are five Yamas:

• ahimsa (non-harming)

• satya (truthfulness)

• asteya (non-stealing)

• brahmacharya (moderation)

• aparigraha (non-possessive)

Ahimsa

This is the most commonly referred to Yama. Himsa comes from Sanskrit and means harm or injury. The A in front is the opposite of harm. It means not to harm in thought, word, or deed and is considered the highest virtue. The concept of ahimsa has evolved to mean many different levels of not harming. This includes doing no harm to any being and often includes not harming or eating animals or taking their products.

Satya

The direct translation of Satya is truth. Like ahimsa, it embodies truth through word, thought, and deed. It is not just about avoiding lying but also resisting the distortion of reality, which is a part of keeping Satya.

But Satya goes way beyond this. After all, where is the line between reality and truth, fact and observation, illusion and scientific observation? So, it is essential to take the time to craft what we think and say to find the closest proximity to Satya.

Asteya

Asteya is non-stealing. In our culture, we judge the act of stealing by someone physically taking something from another. To some extent, we also judge that someone has stolen when an idea or invention is stolen, but this is somewhat problematic due to legal minutia. With Asteya, it is not just the act of stealing but also the thought or allusion to possessing something possessed by someone else.

Brahmacharya

Brahmacharya was once considered to mean celibacy or abstinence. Perhaps this is because Brahma translates to God or creation, and Acharya translates to “one who is established in.”

In Yoga Sutra 2.38, Patanjali highlights the benefits of brahmacharya by stating, "When one is firmly established in Brahmacharya, vitality and vigor are gained" (Brahmacharya-pratisthayam virya-labhah).

Aparigraha

Aparigraha is non-possessive and non-greedy. It means keeping only what you need at your current stage of life. Aparigraha can also be seen as an attachment. It means letting go of what is not essential to your life, including emotions, people, things, and outcomes.

Niyamas

Inward Disciplines and Virtuous Habits

The Niymas is an essential limb in the yoga path as it brings the daily internal disciplines and habits to promote the goal of ultimate bliss. They are focused more on how you act towards yourself.

The Niyamas are:

• Saucha (cleanliness/purity)

• Santosha (contentment)

• Tapas (self-discipline)

• Svadhyaya (self-reflection)

• Ishvarapranidhana (surrender to a higher power)

Saucha

Saucha is the engagement of cleanliness or purity in mind, body, emotions, and communication. It also refers to keeping your home and workplace tidy and organized. Cleanliness is associated with purity, facilitating deeper meditation and more profound states of consciousness. Simplify your life, avoid toxic relationships, speak clearly, and act with pure intention.

Santosha

Santosha is acceptance of what is without judgment. It is the inner contentment of what is. We can gain contentment by accepting the present moment, learning gratitude, simplifying needs and desires, practicing self-acceptance, practicing mindfulness, and letting go of attachments.

Tapas

Tapas are self-discipline, persistence, perseverance with austerity, and even asceticism. Tapas means to generate heat or to burn. It is through discipline that we drive away the things that create distractions and temptations from our practice. Start with the basic physical choices for diet, exercise, sleep, and sunshine.

Svadhyaya

Svadhyaya is the study of yogic writings, the study of the Self, and the self-reflection of thoughts, words, and deeds. The study of sacred scriptures and reflection on one's own behavior and thought patterns purifies the mind and leads to self-realization. Traditionally, Svadhyaya involves the study of spiritual texts like the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, or other scriptures that guide the practitioner towards higher truths.

Ishvarapranidhana

Ishvarapranidhana is the surrender of the ego to a higher power. This devotion provides the practitioner with a sense of purpose and connection to something larger than themselves. Devotion doesn’t have to be tied to a specific religion or deity; it can also mean offering one’s actions, thoughts, and life toward the greater good or a higher ideal.

Asana

The physical postures

The word asana means posture. You find the ending of every posture in Sanskrit to end with this word. So adho mukha svanasana is the posture of the downward-facing dog. The original yogic teachings intended for postures to be comfortable ways to hold a position for an extended period for meditation. Only a few basic poses were initially prescribed, most importantly Sukhasana, which means a comfortable seated position.

Pranayama

Breath Control

The only continuous activity humans have is breathing. We mostly breathe without thinking. Breathing is an unusual system in the human body because it is controlled voluntarily and involuntarily. We can volunteer to stop breathing, but when we do so, we pass out and start involuntarily breathing again.

Pranayama comes from the Sanskrit words “prana” (life force or vital energy) and “ayama” (control or regulation), meaning the regulation or control of the breath. According to Patanjali, Pranayama is not just breath control but a means of managing and channeling life energy.

Pratyhara

Withdrawal of the Senses

Pratyahara is the first non-physical step on the path to bliss. Once we have better control of our bodies and breath, the next task is to remove ourselves from external stimulation.

Any novice to meditation will attest to the distractions of sound, sight, smell, and temperature interfering with concentration. While one can begin by blocking the distractions out, the ultimate goal is to find detachment from the distraction. So, while you may hear your roommate practicing the drums, you do not react to the sound. You listen to it without forming judgment or action.

Dhrana

Concentration

Once we have achieved a level of Pratyahara and can withdraw from the distraction of external stimulation, we can more easily work on concentration. The monkey mind is always in motion and very difficult to tame. Concentration is the next step towards our path to bliss, which involves corralling all those monkeys.

One of the exercises we can do in our sitting practice to begin the monkey-taming practice is to focus on an object. That object can be the flame of a candle, rock, or mandala.

Dhyana

Focused Meditation

Dhyana is the seventh limb of yoga and, in some sense, the ultimate goal of yoga as we master each of the prior limbs. It is referred to as meditation. The challenge of describing meditation is problematic because it is a concept that lacks form you can sense. In fact, it would be the empty space and time between thoughts that would define the meditative state.

Samadhi

Bliss

How do you describe the absence of something with something?
Here are some descriptions of Samadhi:

• The highest state of mental concentration.

• The self, mind, and object of meditation become one reaching a state of enlightenment.

• A deep meditative contemplation that leads to higher consciousness.

• A spiritual state of completion.

• Full, clear, and equanimous state of mind.

• Ecstatic Consciousness

• Meditative Absorption

• “Chitta vritti nirodha,” the stopping, or aggregation of, the turning wheel of thoughts

• Non-duality, where the self and the world are perceived as one.

• Union

• Bliss