What are the 8 Limbs of Yoga? - Yoga Philosophy Basics: Part 1
Yoga is, at its heart, a philosophy on life and our journey deeper within ourselves. Many of us may think of yoga as a physical practice, with some mindfulness and breathwork to set it apart from a gym workout. But yoga postures (i.e. the physical practice) are just one part of this wider philosophy, and one ‘limb’ - or ‘petal’ - of the ‘8 Limbs of Yoga’.
The concept of the 8 Limbs of Yoga originates from The Yoga Sutras, written by Patanjali (a sage, mystic and yogi) around 500 BCE. They are sometimes translated to 8 ‘Petals’, which I think is beautiful and has a much softer, gentle feel. The Sutras are one of the first organised, written discussions of yoga and are considered ‘classical’ yogic philosophy. They represent a spiritual philosophy on life, and the 8 Limbs are a guide to bringing this philosophy into our lives. In Sanskrit, the original language of yoga, their name is Ashtanga, deriving from asta, which means eight, and anga, which means limb.
What are the 8 Limbs of Yoga?
The 8 Limbs, or Petals, of Yoga are as follows:
Yama - attitudes towards others, or our morals
Niyama - attitudes towards ourselves, or our duties
Asana - yoga postures
Pranayama - breathwork
Pratyahara - withdrawal of the senses, or turning inward
Dharana - concentration
Dhyana - meditation
Samadhi - bliss, enlightenment or integration
Together, they represent a holistic path, a full journey towards unity within ourselves and with the world. You don’t have to follow the limbs in that order, but you can do so if the structure will help you. Indeed, some of the earlier limbs can be ‘easier’ to master than the later ones. For instance, practising yoga postures is an important way to connect with your body before you can sit in silent meditation for long periods of time.
So, what does this mean to our daily lives? Well, firstly, it teaches us that yoga can be a wider and more rich experience than a 1-hour, physical class. We can deepen our lives and our connection to self by incorporating more breathwork and meditation into our practice, for instance. We can plan a weekly check in with ourselves as part of a yama practice to reflect on how we treat ourselves and what we believe about the world. Often, we’re too busy to think about these things. Maybe you’re leading your life based on beliefs that no longer resonate. This internal gaze can shed light on whether or not we’re living in true alignment.
Secondly, the 8 Limbs offer us a structured path of self-growth. Our journeys can sway, spiral and zig-zag, and we can get lost in the lack of linearity. The 8 Limbs can hold our journey together, though, of course, they will also spiral into each other and may ask us to revisit the same ideas again and again. As mentioned before, you can start by spending a week exploring the practice of yama; then, you can move onto niyama; on the third week, you can practice asana by going to different classes to explore your body; and so on. If there is a limb that particularly calls you, of course, you can start there. As yogic sage Desikachar writes in his book The Heart of Yoga, ‘all eight aspects develop concurrently and in an interrelated way’. Wherever you start, you will inevitably experience growth in every other area.
Lastly, each limb is full of guidance, teaching us lessons and inspiring us. There are 5 yamas and 5 niyamas, offering principles and standards for a life of integrity. The practice of breath work, or pranayama, gives us many options and tools for healing the mind, body and soul. You can do box breathing, or slowed breathing, or you can sound a mantra as you inhale and exhale (for instance, inhaling ‘Let’ and exhaling ‘Go’). Dhyana, too, can be a lot richer than simply silent meditation. You can add a mudra (hand gestures, e.g. prayer position), or go to a dhyana yoga class to be guided through this practice.
The 8 Limbs of Yoga can offer deep wisdom on improving our life, our wellbeing and our connection with who we are. They give us guidance for use beyond the yoga mat, and inspire us to make time for checking in with ourselves on a daily, weekly or even monthly basis. Through this, we gain insights into our inner world that we might not have otherwise amidst the business of life. This will look different to each of us, and this is why yoga is for everyone - its welcoming philosophy and breadth of practices means we can call upon what we need each and every day.
~~~
All parts of this series (more coming soon):
~~~
To dive deeper into the history of yoga philosophy, you can listen to this podcast episode.
If you’d like to learn more about how yoga can help you on your journey, you can find yoga classes on my YouTube, posts on my Instagram, or book a 1:1 yoga session with me here.
