The Eight Limbs of Yoga

Understanding Yoga Philosophy and Spirituality Through the Eight Limbs of Yoga

By Dennis Bluthardt, Namaste Studios

Yoga philosophy is not separate from spirituality. It is spirituality with a holistic and DIY approach to self-discovery and personal evolution. All these ideas are summarized in a system/framework called the Eight Limbs of Yoga, which we’re covering this week.

The Eight Limbs of Yoga is a process or system for personal development. Think of it as a roadmap to self-discovery devised by the sage Patanjali and outlined in the Yoga Sutras (book two, verses 29 and 34).

The Eight Limbs consist of Yama (ethical standards), Niyama (self-discipline), Asana (physical postures), Pranayama (breath control), Pratyahara (withdrawal of senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation), and Samadhi (bliss). In these steps, one limb leads to another, starting with (more or less) how we live and progress to the ultimate experience of oneness. Without the first two limbs, we could quickly devolve into locker room spirituality, and our approach to yoga is considered strictly a physical phenomenon.

My life is a primer on limb three (Asanas) through eight (Samadhi).

An undertone of intention in yamas and niyamas changes how we approach our physical yoga practice.

A personal practice of pranayama and pratyahara changes or enhances our meditation experience. Being able to isolate or withdraw our senses makes focus much less, “woo”-y and much more, simply life.

I will argue against the specificity of the order of operations described; yoga isn’t a diverse practice. When we think of the Eight Limbs, we commonly focus on asanas or meditation. From there, a personal transformation will slowly incorporate these life shifts.

What is Yoga Philosophy?

Yoga is more than a physical practice: It is a science of philosophy that began in ancient India more than 3,000 years ago.

Throughout the history of yoga, various schools of Indian philosophy have been assimilated, including Vedanta, Samkhya, and even Buddhism. These schools investigate our connection with reality, our very existence. Saved for our discussion here, however, is that the yoga community in ancient India most likely wanted to perform a particular asana that would accomplish a “yoking” operation with a spiritual body of “higher” intelligence or energy. That is why specific asanas, such as the headstand, exist.

The history of yoga sheds light on yoga philosophy, which transforms modern yoga. The Samkhya Yoga School describes roughly 24-26 principles that cover dharma (duty), yoga, and moksha (liberation yoga). Alone, the philosophy does not offer a complete solution to the human condition in comparison to the philosophies of our day (an exercise often left to the reader); however, in-depth discussion and written composition on these three principles can lead to developing the highest mode of reflective thinking and open new avenues into spiritual evolution. Our task of researching the meaning of “dharma” (for instance) sent us on a fantastic journey into karma yoga, defining the karmic space and its impact on our daily interaction with life’s spiritual bodies.

Introduction to the Eight Limbs of Yoga

The Eight Limbs of Yoga is a holistic personal growth and spiritual development approach. Known in Sanskrit as Ashtanga, the Eight Limbs of Yoga include Yama (ethical standards), Niyama (self-discipline and spiritual observances), Asana (postures), Pranayama (breath control), Pratyahara (withdrawal of senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation), and Samadhi (the superconscious state). In yoga, ashtanga refers not to a “dynamic series of postures” but to these eight (ashtau) limbs or parts.

Each Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi is a stepping stone on the royal road to self-realization and unity with the universe.

The Eight Limbs Explained

The sage Patanjali outlined yoga’s eight limbs (steps, stages) in the Yoga Sutras. These eight limbs form a structural framework for a comprehensive personal and spiritual personal development program. The first two limbs, Yama and Niyama, consist of ethics and personal observances. Yama means moral conduct and includes principles such as nonviolence and truthfulness. Niyama refers to personal observance, including self-discipline, cleanliness, and spiritual practices like contentment. Many consider self-study to be a Niyama, too. Thus, Yama and Niyama serve as a preparation “set-up” for the rest or as a foundation for a harmonious life and promote a growing global consciousness that most people on the planet now view favorably.

Asana is the third limb. Asana refers to “seat,” meaning the physical yoga postures. The postures we moderns need emphasize postural alignment, optimized circulation into every cell of our bodies, and structural strengthening. These postures prepare the body for meditation by making it strong and flexible enough to sit for long periods.

Pranayama is the fourth limb. Pranayama refers to breath control, how life force can be activated, increased, or directed to regulate and control energy flow. Pranayama practices are essential for experiencing the deeper awareness that light and breath bring to meditation [more profound meditation, yes, and the means to the increasingly more profound meditative experiences leading to the meditative ripening in living 8 Limbed Yoga].

Pratyahara is the fifth limb. It refers to turning off one’s senses. In this case, we might say “turning off” our peripheral senses to every environmental distraction that does not fit our spiritual perspectives and practices. In terms of modern yoga, most practicing modern yogis and yoginis turn away some from selected previous distractions in life.

Dharana is the sixth limb. It refers to focused attention, “worship,” or Raj. One-pointedness of mind allows us to delve further into meditation and yoga. The widespread mindfulness practice is inked in elements of both Dharana and Dhyana (mindfulness is often a type of Dharana and Dhyana blend that was cooked up in the mid-twentieth century by practitioners in Burma), and of course, it is about yoga.

Dhyana is the seventh limb. Dhyana refers to meditation. Attention is maintained. What a valuable lifetime cleaning-up and consciousness-raising experience it is, becoming more coherent with each passing day and thereby less generally distracted as you focus attention for increased lengths of time. And yoga lives on.

Samadhi is the eighth limb. Samadhi refers to what many call “bliss.” Samadhi represents the wow experience of “super papaya-juicy” ecstasy, the prime directive to find God in every heart, to the recognition and understanding of the “dissipated functioning diverse elements of the mindfield” ending in blessed rest, to our more direct autonomic relationships with this earth; the worlds; and the universe; to running our life from a clear consciousness undistracted by nerve pathways pulled by the lower animal mind; to brainwave mastery; to astrophysical consciousness; to the wisdom of the heart.

Integrating the Eight Limbs into Daily Practice

Inserting the Eight Limbs of Yoga practice and philosophy into your daily life and routines can be life-changing on mental, energetic, and physical levels.

The first limb, the Yama, is all about ethical standards and moral disciplines. Practicing these virtues (like nonviolence, truthfulness, and no stealing) in your relations to others can drastically affect your immediate communities. Imagine if everyone chose to be kinder to each other and if you specifically chose to talk about current events lovingly and encouragingly.

The Niyama, or the second limb, involves practices for self-discipline and spiritual observances. If you worked on your actual character and how you like yourself while applying the lessons from the Yama, the impact would be incredible. Everyone needs a little Niyama daily because they’re the “WHAT’S GOING ON” principles. Access these principles of self-study and contentment by adding five or ten minutes of reflection or journaling into your routine.

As for the poses, let’s weave the principles and ideas of the other various Yama into your practice of Asana (poses and postures). For instance, while focusing on your Niyama in your Asana, you can apply the Pranayama (breath control) principle for life and positive energy. Then, you’re multitasking by utilizing your breath and energy to connect with everything in life.

Lastly, if you combine the Yama and Niyama muscles with the body toning, strength, tone, and balance of Asana, plus the life-breath philosophy of Pranayama, your lifestyle and meditation routines will be in fantastic shape! All you need to do is open the place in your mat and let things go around you. You achieve Pratyahara, which is the darkening and excess of stimuli.

Then, you can bring even more focus into your practice, where you have dedicated the attention (well, breathe, and hopefully also a great outfit) to looking and feeling good. Enjoy the path! Yoga is looking in, not out, or the practice of attention.

Focus on the practice of Dhyana, centered meditation, for the most successful journey. Next time you feel out of balance because you have been “creating straight lines from curved shapes” all day, grab your mat, even if it is just for five minutes or the length of a song. Repeat this for as many times as you need. Be prepared to sweat and have fun! Find balance and life.

Repetition is the key. Do this and spend time here focusing on these principles in your everyday life, and Samadhi follows. Also known as spiritual enlightenment.

The “Eight Limbs” of Yoga are a complex framework for yoga philosophy and spirituality. They include Yama (ethical disciplines), Niyama (self-disciplines), Asana (posture), Pranayama (breath control), Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation), and Samadhi (absorption). These serve as a comprehensive guide for developing a yoga practice to integrate physical, mental, and spiritual elements, with each subsequent limb building onto the last.

When you explore the Eight Limbs in your yoga practice, the focus can finally go beyond the Asana or the practice of the postures. Without the ethics of Yama and the self-discipline of Niyama, the postures of the Asana are devoid of their spiritual foundation, which makes them a physical practice and nothing more. It’s like making a cake but not eating it. The full realization of the benefits of a comprehensive yoga practice can bring us peace of mind where the ingredients blend perfectly; the Asana mixed with the ethics can help us glad-handily face the issues of modern society with grace and poise and live in this world.