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It should come as no surprise that Westerners (almost) exclusively associate yoga with physical movement.  Cirque du Soleil-style contortionism (is that a word?), pretzel-ing yourself into weird shapes (hope there are no fire drills!), and the stereotype of skinny white chicks in over-priced leggings seems to overshadow the philosophical aspects of yoga.  But yoga is based on much, much more.

The eight limbs of yoga were set forth by Patanjali, the sage who wrote the Yoga Sutras. The eight limbs consist of yamas, niyamas, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi. I thought I’d write this quickie description since I write a lot (and plan to write more) on yogic philosophy. Deepen your practice with the eight limbs of yoga - here it is, your crash course!

1. yamas - the roots

Think of the yamas as ways in which we interact with the world around us. Commonly referred to as restraints, you can think of them as a set of ethical guidelines.  

There are five yamas:

• ahimsa (non-violence)
• satya (truthfulness)
• asteya (non-stealing)
• brahmacharya (energy moderation)
• and aparigraha (non-hoarding/non-coveting)

Essentially, the yamas encompass these basic tenets of being a decent human being: don’t hurt anyone else or anything else - yourself included, tell the truth, don’t take things that aren’t yours, honor yourself and others in intimate relationships, and don’t hold on to things you no longer need.

2. niyamas - the trunk

While the yamas dictate how you interact with the world, the niyamas set forth guidelines as to how to take care of and interact with yourself.  Think of the niyamas as a set of observances to build one’s own character.

The five niyamas:

• saucha (purity)
• santosa (contentment)
• tapas (austerity)
• svadhyaya (self-study)
• and isvara pranidhana (dedication to the divine) 

In a nutshell: maintain purity of body and mind, be content regardless of the situation, exert your self-discipline to shape your body and mind, be aware of your bad habits instead of ignoring them, and accept the connectivity of the universe.

I’ll cover each of the yamas and niyamas more thoroughly in separate posts.

3. asana - the branches

Here is the one that everyone is familiar with - asana.  The poses. The physical practice. You’ll notice that asana is third on this list, and there’s a reason for that.  The eight limbs are meant to be mastered one at a time before moving on to the next. So, in order to begin an asana practice one should first establish competence and practice of the yamas and niyamas.  

Of course, this isn’t the case, especially in the west.  

4. pranayama - the leaves

prana = life force

ayama = creation/distribution/maintenance

The creation, distribution or maintenance of the life force, the breath.

“All that vibrates is prana - heat, light, gravity, magnetism, vigor, power, vitality, electricity, life, breath, spirit, all are forms of prana.”

B.K.S. Iyengar

With this limb comes the practice of harnessing the breath and stilling the breath when necessary.  Since breath and consciousness are interconnected, stilling the breath stills the mind. Those thoughts that arise and interrupt, or cause you to feel shitty, can be eased by the ability to still the breath.

deepen your practice:  the eight limbs of yoga

5. pratyahara

Pratyahara means withdrawal of the senses.  Since humans are naturally drawn to and distracted by external stimuli, this is a great tool to still the mind.  

Proficiency in the practice of pratyahara allows you to internalize consciousness and remain equanimous regardless of the circumstances surrounding you.  It allows you to ignore the piece of hair tickling your forehead as you practice sun salutations, for instance. It allows you to tune out the crying baby on the plane (I’m still working on this one).  

As you progress through the eight limbs, the practice requires you to tune into more and more subtle aspects of consciousness.  And pratyahara is where this transition begins.

6. dharana - the sap

Dharana means intense concentration or complete attention.  Honing all of your attentions and energies on one single thing, such as reading or creating some type of art.  In other words, the feeling of getting in the zone. Dharana allows you to ‘turn on’ this state of being without having to wait for it to come on naturally.

7. dhyana - the flower

Dhyana is meditation.  Meditation, to me, is an integration of every aspect of being - body, breath, mind, ego.  Where dharana is intense concentration on a fixed thing, dhyana is intense concentration on everything and nothing, all at once.  

8. samadhi - the fruit

Samdahi is the final limb of yoga.  It means complete bliss or enlightenment.  I’d feel like a total sham trying to explain or teach something I’ve never experienced, but what I imagine is a sense of total connectivity and oneness with the universe.

“…the tree of yoga needs to be carefully followed through its various stages if we are to experience its results. Yama cultivates the organs of action so that they may act for the right ends; niyama civilizes the senses and organs of perception; asanas irrigate each and every cell of the human body and nourish it through copious blood supply; pranayama channels the energy; pratyahara controls the mind and cleanses it of all its impurities; dharana clears the veil that covers the intelligence, and sharpens it to grow sensitive as it acts as a bridge between the mind and the inner consciousness; dhyana integrates intelligence, and in samadhi the rivers of intelligence and consciousness flow together and merge in the sea of the soul, so that the soul may shine in its own glory.

Thus, the tree of yoga leads us by its practice through layer after layer of our being, till we come to live and experience the ambrosia of the fruit of yoga, which is the sight of the soul.”

B.K.S. Iyengar