The Eight Limbs of the Yogic Path

“What is being taught (in America today) under the name of Yoga is a minute part of this great tradition, a microscopic focus on the physical. Yoga in its completeness is a way of life that allows for total transformation. But the physical postures, or asanas, can serve as an introduction to this distinguished wisdom tradition. Asanas reintroduce us to our bodies. Once we become friends with the physical, going inward to the spiritual becomes easier. Yoga in its completeness is a way of life that allows for total transformation.”

  ~ Nischala Joy Devi

The application of yogic wisdom is found in eight facets of practice, (also known as Asthaanga Yoga (astha meaning eight and anga meaning limbs). The one that most people today are familiar with, as stated above, is “asana” or postures. However it is the interconnection of all eight that leads us to a place of inner peace and joy. It is said that through these eight limbs, intuitive wisdom dawns and we may realize our inner radiance.

 These practices are described in the Yoga Sutras, the sacred texts which describe the nature of consciousness and the path to liberation. It is assumed that these were compiled by the sage Patanjali over 2500 years ago in India. They offer us myriad possibilities for improving our state of being.

 There are many translations of the Yoga Sutras. One that I find most beautiful is  The Secret Power of Yoga by Nischala Joy Devi, a venerated yogini that I had the blessing of sitting with in May, 2007. Her approach is full of joy, like her name, and compassion for the challenges we all face on the “path.” The reason I especially like this translation is it does not, as many do, lay out the first two limbs, (the Yamas and Niyamas) as commands, but rather as affirmations of our Divine beingness, and ways that we can honor our lives as such. What follows is a summary of Devi's writings on the 8 limbs.

 It probably behooves us to define “Divine” since it is a word you’ll be reading often in this text. Coming from whatever religious background and experience you do, I hope that you can accept that when in yoga, we speak of “Divine” it means whatever is highest in your heart, whatever holds highest value. However you wish to name this…Source, God, Spirit, the Oneness, the Creative Force. It doesn’t matter. The Yogic teachings offer us a non-sectarian path which we can travel beyond suffering towards realization.

 The eight limbs of the Yogic path are…

 Yama…reflection of our true nature

Niyama…evolution toward harmony

Asana…comfort in our physical being

Pranayama…enhancement and guidance of energy (prana)

Pratyahara…encouraging the senses to draw within

Dharana…focusing of consciousness inward

Dhyana…meditation, the continuous inward flow of consciousness

Samadhi…bliss, the union with Divine consciousness

Limb #1  YAMA

Our natural state of being. Our original essence. Our freedom to be who we truly are. 

Sutra 11.30 states that Yama is the reflection of our true nature, experienced through:

 Ahimsa….reverence, love and compassion for all beings

 “Embracing reverence and love for all (Ahimsa) we experience Oneness.”

The Yamas are often translated as “restraints.” This first one provides a good example of the difference between the restraint of Ahimsa as “non-violence” versus the active, practical cultivation of Ahimsa as peace and reverence for all beings. Reverence holds big energy. Who do you revere? Could you start to revere yourself a bit more? How would you change if you could? 

As Gandhi said, “There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.” And peace begins within. How we hold ourself. 

 Do you treat your body with reverence?

Do you hold yourself in peace and compassion in your thoughts and emotions?

Is there someone in your life that you could embrace with more peace?

 Satya…truthfulness, integrity

 “Dedicated to truth and integrity (Satya), our thoughts, words and actions gain the power to manifest.”

 “If thinking brought us to the truth, we’d all be great sages by     now because we’ve done all the thinking we can stand,” says Stephen Levine.

Sometimes we need to let go of what we “think” is true, stop defending our beliefs and striving for control, in order to experience a deeper level of wisdom and truth.  Listen inwardly and identify your deepest level of truth. Step courageously into living from that authentic place.

Can you “feel” truth and untruth? Where in your body do you sense this?

Have you ever “known” something was true even before your could “prove it?”

How does telling the truth set you free?

Astheya…generosity

 “Abiding in generosity and honesty (Astheya), material and spiritual prosperity is bestowed.”

There is a big energetic difference between “not stealing” as Astheya is sometimes translated, and giving with the fullness of your heart.

Would you rather receive an expensive gift or a gift from the heart?

If you really trusted the flow of abundance, how could you give more freely of yourself?

Brahmacharya…balance and moderation of the vital life force

 “Devoted to living a balanced and moderate life (Brahmacharya) the scope of one’s life force becomes boundless.”

The yin and the yang, the balance of all things, brings peace and contentment. Self and other, Divine and human, day and night, work and play. In our crazy modern lives, balance is often hard to achieve.

How well do you allow for the natural rhythms and cycles in your life?

How could you honor yourself on this retreat through more balance?

Aparigraha…awareness of abundance, fulfillment

"Acknowledging abundance (Aparigraha) we recognize the blessings in everything and gain insights into the purpose for our worldly existence.”

How often do you “count your blessings”?

Do you hold a mentality of limitation or abundance?

Can you release as freely as you receive?

The Yamas are great truths, inherent to our very essence, the more we express them through our thoughts, words and actions, the more aligned we are with our true selves. How aligned are you with these qualities of being? How could you cultivate them more  in your life?

Limb #2 NIYAMA

 We can live in peace not pain. We can live in trust not doubt. We can live in hope not remorse. We can face the future with curiosity not anxiety. 

The nature of the human path is that there will always be challenges to face and problems to solve, but we can discover tools within to deal with them. These tools help us lighten our load of negativity and doubt, so we can experience the ecstasy of love and life.  The Niyamas are some of these tools.

 It is the moment when we CHOOSE something new, that the magic begins.  With each breath, of each moment of each day, we choose our possibilities. All of the ancient prophecies indicate that multiple potential futures exist right now, and it is in fact through the choices that individually and collectively we make, that the path of our lives and the very human race is determined.

 Hugh Everett III, a quantum physicist from Princeton, is the one who developed the idea of “parallel universes.” He named the moments in time where the course of events may be changed “choice points,” windows of opportunity to shift from one path to another. The tools that make these quantum leaps, in our lives or for humanity, possible are the thoughts, feelings and emotions that the new reality is already in place. Imagination!!!!!

 The Niyamas ask us to imagine something better and to STEP IN to it NOW.

 Although the body may have symptoms that because of years of chronic holding will not release,  a deeper level of well being and healing fills us as we become empowered, peaceful and more in communion with all of life.

“What you are is what you have been, what you will be

 is what you do now.” ~ Buddha

As we enter our second limb of the Yogic path, Niyama, we embrace a noble way of being in the world, with ourselves and others.

“Become the change you want to see in the world.” ~ Gandhi

 Sutra 11.32  Niyama, or the evolution toward harmony, encompasses:

 Saucha…simplicity, purity, refinement

“Through simplicity and continual refinement (Saucha), the body, thoughts, and emotions become clear reflections of the Self within. Saucha reveals our joyful nature, and the yearning for knowing the Self blossoms.”

 To choose simplicity in our complex, overcrowded, overstimulated world is one of the most challenging choices we are faced with. Yet as we have all experienced, it is in the simplest moments that we receive the most pleasure. A much needed hug, eye contact and a listening ear, someone holding a door when our hands are full….all bring us simple Joy. When we slow down enough, we realize that less brings us more.

Opportunities abound for embracing pure simplicity.

 What is the simplest pleasure you can imagine?

What choices can you make this week to honor simplicity?

Santosha….contentment, being at peace with oneself and others

 “When at peace and content with oneself and others (Santosha), supreme joy is celebrated.”

To actively choose peace and contentment at every turn, internally and externally, no matter what we encounter is mindfulness practice at its finest. The hurt ego is so quick to react, or the tired mind so quick to snap. Santosha asks that we apply deep non-reactivity and acceptance of things just as they are right now, not waiting for them to improve or change. Again, simplifying, slowing down, helps us prepare the way for the choice of peace.

Nischala Joy Devi writes of this practice, “Santosha is an agreement of faith we make with our Divine Self. This faith fastens us to the peace which abides in our hearts, no matter what the fates bring. By this affirmation, we firmly identify with our inner essence, rather than with external objects. Our identification then travels with gratitude, appreciating how much we have rather than how much we want. With this attitude, all things that come and go do not have the opportunity to override our joy. Instead, they metamorphose into stillness and peace.”

Our truest nature is JOY.  And we begin reclaiming an awareness of this joy within by accepting what is, right now, this moment. Anything we cannot wrap acceptance around causes us suffering.

In south India, instead of saying thank you, they say “santosha” meaning “I am content.”

Look for ways this week to actively “choose peace” in your thoughts about yourself and others.

Practice the gratitude that comes with contentment and acceptance, even if something is not exactly to your liking.

Tapas…igniting the purifying flame

“Living life with zeal and sincerity, the purifying flame is ignited (Tapas), revealing the inner light.”

Although specific practices, like fasting, holding silence, controlling the breath are all forms of tapas, the essence is really our relationship to whatever activity we are engaging with, bringing our full attention to each moment. Whatever form of tapas we employ, each is meant to strengthen us so that we may break free of the habituated patterns of thought and behavior that keep us enslaved.

Whether working, interacting with our families, or practicing our yoga postures, when we bring our full body, mind and heart to our actions, with energy and presence, we transform even the mundane into spiritual practice.

Very simply…be present!

Observe the times you are not 100% present in the moment and gently guide yourself back.

Swadhaya…sacred study of the Divine

 “Sacred study of the Divine through scripture, nature, and introspection (Swadhaya) guides us to the Supreme Self.”

To embrace the study of anything new, requires time, focus and energy. We could certainly choose instead to pour another glass of wine and sit in front of the television. But engaging from a mental standpoint as well as a physical one, brings us great new self awareness. By drawing inspiration from teachers, texts and the natural world, we begin assessing where we are in any given moment and receiving the inspiration for upcoming choice points.

If we begin to use everything and everyone as mirrors through which we discover something about ourselves, we embrace a process which will take us to deep self understanding.

 Very simply… be reflective!

Ask yourself….

Am I headed in the right direction in life?

What are my priorities?

What choices do I need to make now in order to move toward where I wish to be?

How can I utilize my imagination more fully to conceive of already being in that new reality?

Iswara Pranidhana…wholehearted dedication to the Divine

 “Through wholehearted dedication (Iswara Pranidhana), we become intoxicated with the Divine.”

 Wholehearted dedication…That’s a big one. What are we whole-heartedly dedicated to? For the whole heart to come into anything, we must really love it. Discipline alone (which can be harsh) will take us only so far. What is required is devotion (which is always sweet)and devotion comes as we cultivate the qualities of openness, humility, availability, and gratitude.

To the Divine…Crafting a relationship to something higher than or beyond ourselves, whatever name or symbol we choose to call it. When we can surrender our own self importance (manifesting in any direction from pride and arrogance to self pity and low self esteem) then we can stand in awe of the Mystery of Life and prayer becomes a feeling of profound gratitude. How can you open more into the Mystery?

This sutra teaches us to accept that we are not in control of everything, that we cannot know what lies ahead, and that we can safely surrender (the illusion of) control and just stay open to whatever life brings us.

“Devotion is the key to unlocking our hearts. Faith allows us to trust in the present moment as we observe our part in the Divine plan,” writes Nischala.

In what part of your life or practice, could you shift from discipline to devotion?

This week, how can you open into the Mystery?

Limb #3 ASANA

 Sutra 11.46-47 The natural comfort and joy of our being is expressed when the body becomes steady (asana). As the body yields all efforts and holdings, the infinite within is revealed.

 The physical practice of yoga postures or asanas is referred to as Hatha Yoga and it supports the integration of energies. Ha represents the sun, and the masculine energy of heat and intellect. Tha represents the moon, and the feminine energy of cooling and emotion/intuition.

All energy is said to run through the body through thousands of nadis, or channels, which distribute energy, like blood vessels. The three most significant nadis are the Ida, Pingala, and the Shushumna.  The Shushumna is the central channel, running through the center of the body, from the root of the spine to the top of the head. From the Shushumna extend all the chakras.  

The Ida and the Pingala intertwine around the Shushumna. The Pingala carries the “Ha” energies and the Ida carries the “Tha” energies. These correspond to the right and left hemispheres of the brain. If there is too much or too little energy in either channel, the system will be unbalanced. When these are in harmony, the shushumna can carry all the needed energy out to the chakras. And of course, the more balanced we are, the better we feel. 

Unlike the physical fitness model of today which gauges health through measurements, muscle vs. fat, and performance, the yogic criteria of health are lightness and stability  in the body (strength, flexibility, endurance and range of motion), ability to withstand change, respiratory ease (pranic flow) and the ability to focus and calm the mind.

 As a physical practice, asanas strengthen and stretch muscles, support structural alignment, stabilize joints, increase range of motion, build energy, release tension, rehabilitate injury, strengthen the immune system and organ function, alleviate suffering in the body and soul, balance emotions, and create a state of being that is both energized and relaxed.

 To receive these benefits however, you must create appropriate goals in asana. That way you can adapt the practice to you not you to the practice. To create appropriate goals, you must know and listen to your body, your tendencies, your rhythms. Know which of the above benefits of physical practice is most important to you. Notice what happens for you while you are in your poses. Notice existing tendencies and choose the opposite in order to create balance. (For example...if you are big energy/type A the form of practice that will bring balance is a calm, slow, reflective one. If you tend toward low energy/depressive states, the form that will bring balance is one that creates fire, heat and motivation. 

Through our bodies, we express our minds and hearts. Our actions mirror outwardly the choices we have already made within. Asana is one more tool that can be used for self awareness and self transformation. We investigate through the laboratory of our own body. Find your personal balance between challenge and compassion. Find the balance between effort and surrender. If the breathing is compromised anywhere, anytime, you shouldn’t be there.

In general there are two ways to approach asana practice, repetition and holding. Postural repetition increases circulation and elimination and overcomes heaviness in body and mind. Postural holding promotes inner purification and calms the mind.

General Categories of Asana and their benefit:

 Backbending... Opens the chest and front of torso, energizes the system and allows increased inhalation

Forward bending...Opens the back, enhances elimination and digestion, calms the system

Twisting, and Asymmetric/lateral bending ...Addresses asymmetries in the body, tightness in shoulders and pelvic girdle, stimulates digestion and metabolism

Inversions...Strengthen the spine, deepen respiratory rhythms, reverse the effects of gravity on the system

 All postures can increase confidence, strength and concentration.

 We must watch for any tensing which occurs in asana for tensing holds pain, which increases the pain which increases the resistance to the pain.  Our reaction to pain in the body is the same as our reaction to pain anywhere in our life. If we tense up, we must apply acceptance. If we run and get distracted, we must apply deep focus until we can find the place of dynamic stillness, where we are balanced and at ease, where both motion and rest are in perfect harmony. We find the stillpoint between the inhale and the exhale, the still point of non-reactivity.  The ability to just be present with whatever is, with spaciousness, allows for an opening of the body and the mind . Asana is meant to prepare our often restless body and mind for meditation.

 Assess your well being in terms of the yogic criteria…lightness in the body, ability to withstand change, stability in the body and focus in the mind.  

Reflect on the most important benefits of yoga for you.

 Identify your predominant personality/energetic tendency.

Limb #4 PRANAYAMA

 Sutra 11.49…The universal life force (prana) is enhanced and guided through the harmonious rhythm of the breath. (pranayama)

 Prana activates, organizes and animates our physical bodies. As we pay attention to the quality and balance of prana, we have a general assessment of our health and vitality.

 Breath is our anchor, our stability. It is always there for us to return home to.

 Breath is considered the link between body, mind and spirit.  Conscious control of the breath lets us bring awareness to patterns of holding in the body and begin to release them, purifying the subtle energy channels.

As the body changes, like when we run, our breathing changes. So in reverse the same is true. If we can change our breath, we can  change our body. Like combing our hair in the morning, deep breathing combs our energy field, making the body feel calmer, more focused.

 Alone or used together with asana, pranayama or conscious breathing allows the parasympathetic nervous system to let down its vigilant guard allowing for the stillness needed for meditation.

 There are hundreds of practices of pranayama which effect different states of being depending on what needs balancing. It is good to know a variety of practices, like having a variety of tools in a tool box.

Limb #5 PRATYAHARA

 Sutra 11.54…Encouraging the senses to draw inward is pratyahara.

 Like the Niyama, Saucha, in which we choose simplicity in order to move towards joy, to practice Pratyahara, we must choose to unplug, leave external stimulation behind, and close down the windows to the outside world, turning our focus inward. We are affected by what we take in through all our senses. Making choices about the sensory stimulation we allow in on a daily basis, helps prepare us for Pratyahara. 

By closing and clearing the senses long enough we begin to listen to our internal voice and vibration, to see simply the ways we are and hear simply the way things are. Pure experience replaces thinking about experience.  

“If thinking brought us to the truth, we’d all be great sages by now because we’ve done all the thinking we can stand,” writes Stephen Levine, author of many books on mindfulness. “The difference between being in bondage and being liberated is the difference between thinking and recognizing thought as thought.”

 Most thought is wanting which will forever be unsatisfied. Bare attention with nothing added = freedom. With witness consciousness, we watch with distance. Distance offers clarity, perspective, calm. We waste a tremendous  amount of energy each day in useless, repetitive thinking.

 By disconnecting from limited sensory perception, we refine our awareness and open into perception beyond the five senses. Pratyahara teaches us how to develop dormant parts of ourselves, and develop skills and abilities within the subtle bodies.

The more we can maintain internal focus, the more we enjoy the blissfulness of our internal space and energy. Focusing within, we are free to relax and be at peace.

Limb #6 DHARANA

Sutra 111.1…Gathering consciousness and focusing it within is Dharana (contemplation).

 Up until now, we have been building active practices. Through the Yamas and Niyamas, we develop reverence, devotion and peace for ourselves and others and we begin to live more tranquilly in the world. Through Asana and Pranayama, we gather the life force and bring ease to the body and mind. As we keep our minds fixed on the sound of the breath our senses are encouraged to turn inward and Pratyahara manifests. As we improve at controlling the senses from wandering during practice, concentration, or Dharana develops.  Now we transform “doing” into “being.”

Dharana is an intense focusing of the mind, contemplation, or reflection. We gently call the mind back again and again to the chosen focal point, as though calling a small child to sit beside us. We watch thought arise and fall, and we rest in the breath.

Dharana, and the two limbs which follow, Dhyana and Samadhi, are not practices so much as they are states of being which develop from the earlier cultivated practices. 

 As we hold Dharana, we experience moments of peace and resting mind, sometimes just a few seconds.  With more practice, we experience an extended sense of inner tranquility and well being (Dhyana). Where Dharana is a drop, Dhyana is a flow…of joy, cheerfulness, energy and power.  We become able to observe everything as having a greater purpose, embracing all with an open heart.  

Choose carefully something sacred that will assist you in holding this deep inward focus. This could be a mantra, a quality you wish to cultivate, a prayer or sacred word, an image of a loved one, a chakra…whatever brings you joy. For wherever we place our concentrated attention, brings a new course of events into focus, releasing an old course which may no longer serve us.

 Limb # 7 DHAYANA  

Sutra 111.2…The continuous inward flow of consciousness is Dhyana (meditation). 

Meditation simply put is awareness. The ability to just be present with the moment exactly as it is…without desire running forward, or rumination running backward, with no internal dialog or story in the mind…just us as we are now.

 As a culture we are addicted to thinking…which is choosing, planning, assessing, judging, instead of directly experiencing…we must watch and see beyond the thinking mind. Watch the “train” of thoughts go by. On the other side of the tracks is Joy. It is already there…right now…we must just clear the way to see it. Like the sun’s light, always shining even when obscured by dark clouds, we are blocked from our natural light by thoughts of longing, fear, and the “hurricane of I am.”

 “As we begin to awaken, we see within us something opening like a flower. We notice that something is displacing our image of how things are. We discover we’re not so bent on always knowing who we are. It’s the experience that seems to matter the most, the being, that we find of value. It seems as we let go of possessing experience and just let experience unfold, the flower opens more and more, the heart opens more and more,” writes Stephen Levine. “And we somehow feel that everything will be all right, that things are working out just as they are supposed to. It’s painful sometimes; it’s ecstatic sometimes; but somehow it’s always perfect. As we penetrate deeper and deeper, it is evident that it is the clarity of the seeing that nurtures our opening, while the object observed matters little.”

 In time, we move further inward. With deeper concentration, we remain fully present longer and the meditative experience of Dhyana arises. We are able to switch to neutral observer mind at will, not blocking our connection to source by ego based thoughts and fears. We open to the openness. No agenda beyond being, just noticing the silence behind the noise.

 Limb #8 SAMADHI

 Eventually absorption into the realization of our Oneness with all beings occurs. This is Samadhi.

 Sutra 1.41…As a naturally pure crystal appears to take the color of everything around it yet remains unchanged, the yogi’s heart remains pure and unaffected by its surroundings while attaining a state of oneness with all.

 Sutra 111.3…When individual consciousness unites with the Divine Consciousness, the illusion of separateness dissolves; this is Samadhi.

 Samadhi is a space in which we know more than we know. We remember. We feel complete, endless, without suffering. There is no more resistance to what is, no more grasping, no more aversion. Just joy. Just bliss.

 It’s all about peace and joy! All of it, why we study, do body practices, pray, chant, meditate, seek self awareness. We seek to be free of ego illusions and attachments, which cause suffering, so that we may abide in our natural state of being, love and joy.

 So whatever you undertake, for purification, transformation, realization… remember…when we know our own Divine nature, we live in love and joy.

 May we all realize the LOVE and JOY that we truly ARE.

 Blessings and Namaste,

Jennie Lee