More than poses

8 Limb Path

I’ve been practicing yoga for over 10 years. This practice included attending classes, practicing poses, and enjoying savasana as the most amazing opportunity for rest and relaxation. Little did I know the amazing world of yoga beyond the western representation of yoga as a form of exercise until I jumped into my yoga teacher training in 2022.

The 8 Limb Path - yep, the asanas or yoga poses are one of eight parts of the yoga philosophy. Who knew?!?! There’s so much we can explore, but for today, enjoy a brief overview of the 8 Limb Path and all that yoga can offer to our lives.

What are the 8 limbs?

1. Yamas - I think of these as external ethics. Our moral code and ways in which we are disciplined in our lives. There are 5 yamas:

   • Ahimsa (nonviolence, non-harming)

   • Satya (truthfulness)

   • Asteya (non-stealing)

   • Brahmacharya (abstinence or ‘right use of energy’)

   • Aparigraha (non-accumulation, non-greed, non-excess)

2. Niyamas - These would be the ethical companion to the Yamas, considering our internal ethics, the ways in which we show up for ourselves and live our lives.

   • Soucha (cleanliness)

   • Santosha (contentment)

   • Tapas (disipline)

   • Swadhyaya (self-study)

   • Ishvarapranidhana (surrender or contemplation of a higher power)

3. Asana - The poses we’ve come to know as yoga.

4. Pranayama - Breathing techniques

5. Pratyahara - This is often translated as withdrawal of the senses. In the true embodiment of pratyahara, we are so focused that we are no longer distracted, and are able to control your reaction to external stimulus. This is the foundation for meditation.

6. Dharana - Focused concentration

7. Dhyana - Meditative Absorption

8. Samadhi - Bliss or Enlightenment

I love that we call yoga a practice, because we show up each day and in each moment differently that we were before. I always tell my students that the hardest part of yoga is rolling out your mat, but when I truly embody the 8 Limb Path, I realize that I am practicing yoga on and off my mat. As my teachers taught me, “As long as you’re breathing, you’re practicing yoga.”