Find Your Inner Yogi

A beginner’s guide to the noble Eight Fold Path

Yoga Basics – The Eight Limbs of Yoga by Patanjali

Yoga is a tool of the soul, a pathway to wholeness, a way to achieve ‘union’ which is Yoga’s meaning in the sacred, vibrational language Sanskrit.

There are many yogic texts but one of the seminal Sanskrit texts is The Yoga Sutra by Patanjali (c. 150 BCE). The sutras are guidelines for life, a little like a yoga bible, and according to Patanjali there are eight ‘limbs’ or steps to achieving wholeness. This path to wholeness is sometimes called the Noble Eightfold Path.

In the West, yoga is often limited to asana practice, however for true wholeness, we cannot ‘do’ yoga. We live yoga. We are yoga. We have to engage in the other limbs for our asana to actually make a difference.

The Eight Limbs of Yoga (Ashtanga):

Many people say ‘I can’t do yoga, I’m not flexible enough.’ Chances are if you're not flexible, you’re strong. Asana practice helps us to develop the strength and concentration to sit for long periods of time so we can turn inward, meditate and access the bliss of enlightenment, so if you have strength, you are halfway there. If you think you are not flexible enough, reevaluate why you have such self limiting beliefs. Our beliefs can often manifest themselves in the physical realm. Do you exhibit inflexibility in other areas of your life?

Conversely, if you are flexible, evaluate your strength. Are there areas of your life where you need to be steadier, stronger or more assertive?

Yoga is for everybody. Anybody and everybody can practice a yogic way of life regardless of age, sex, religion, or physical capability.

Yoga is not all about movement, it’s also about stillness. In fact, most of the other limbs focus on cultivating cultivating stillness and inner reflection.

Yama and Niyama

Now let’s have a look at the Eight Limbs in detail:

Yama

The first limb, yama, deals with one's ethical standards and sense of integrity, focusing on our behaviour and how we conduct ourselves in life. Yamas are universal practices that relate best to what we know as the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

The five yamas are:

Ahimsa: nonviolence

Satya: truthfulness

Asteya: nonstealing

Brahmacharya: consciously direct your energy, be mindful

Aparigraha: avoid hoarding and greed

Niyama

Niyama, the second limb, has to do with self-discipline and spiritual observances. Regularly attending temple or church services, saying grace before meals, developing your own personal meditation practices, or making a habit of taking contemplative walks alone are all examples of niyamas in practice.

The five niyamas are:

Saucha: cleanliness

Santosha: contentment

Tapas: doing your best and living your passion

Svadhyaya: study of the sacred scriptures and of one's self

Isvara pranidhana: staying humble, surrendering to a greater power

Asana

Asanas, the postures practiced in yoga, comprise the third limb. In the yogic view, the body is a temple of spirit, the care of which is an important stage of our spiritual growth. Through the practice of asanas, we develop the habit of discipline and the ability to concentrate, both of which are necessary for meditation.

Pranayama

Generally translated as ‘breath control‘, this fourth stage consists of techniques designed to gain mastery over the respiratory process while recognizing the connection between the breath, the mind, and the emotions. As implied by the literal translation of pranayama, "life force extension," yogis believe that it not only rejuvenates the body but actually extends life itself. You can practice pranayama as an isolated technique (i.e., simply sitting and performing a number of breathing exercises), or integrate it into your daily hatha yoga routine. These first four stages of Patanjali's ashtanga yoga concentrate on refining our personalities, gaining mastery over the body, and developing an energetic awareness of ourselves, all of which prepares us for the second half of this journey, which deals with the senses, the mind, and attaining a higher state of consciousness.

Pratyahara

Pratyahara, the fifth limb, means withdrawal or sensory transcendence. It is during this stage that we make the conscious effort to draw our awareness away from the external world and outside stimuli. Keenly aware of, yet cultivating a detachment from, our senses, we direct our attention internally. The practice of pratyahara provides us with an opportunity to step back and take a look at ourselves. This withdrawal allows us to objectively observe our cravings: habits that are perhaps detrimental to our health and which likely interfere with our inner growth.

Dharana

As each stage prepares us for the next, the practice of pratyahara creates the setting for dharana, or concentration. Having relieved ourselves of outside distractions, we can now deal with the distractions of the mind itself. No easy task! In the practice of concentration, which precedes meditation, we learn how to slow down the thinking process by concentrating on a single mental object: a specific energetic center in the body, an image of a deity, or the silent repetition of a sound. We, of course, have already begun to develop our powers of concentration in the previous three stages of posture, breath control, and withdrawal of the senses. In asana and pranayama, although we pay attention to our actions, our attention travels. Our focus constantly shifts as we fine-tune the many nuances of any particular posture or breathing technique. In pratyahara we become self-observant; now, in dharana, we focus our attention on a single point. Extended periods of concentration naturally lead to meditation.

Dhyana

Meditation or contemplation, the seventh stage of ashtanga, is the uninterrupted flow of concentration. Although concentration (dharana) and meditation (dhyana) may appear to be one and the same, a fine line of distinction exists between these two stages. Where dharana practices one-pointed attention, dhyana is ultimately a state of being keenly aware without focus. At this stage, the mind has been quieted, and in the stillness it produces few or no thoughts at all. The strength and stamina it takes to reach this state of stillness is quite impressive. But don't give up. While this may seem a difficult if not impossible task, remember that yoga is a process. Even though we may not attain the "picture perfect" pose, or the ideal state of consciousness, we benefit at every stage of our progress.

Samadhi

Patanjali describes this eighth and final stage of ashtanga as a state of ecstasy. At this stage, the meditator merges with his or her point of focus and transcends the Self altogether. The meditator comes to realize a profound connection to the Divine, an interconnectedness with all living things. With this realization comes the "peace that passeth all understanding"; the experience of bliss and being at one with the Universe. On the surface, this may seem to be a rather lofty, "holier than thou" kind of goal. However, if we pause to examine what we really want to get out of life, would not joy, fulfillment, and freedom somehow find their way onto our list of hopes, wishes, and desires? What Patanjali has described as the completion of the yogic path is what, deep down, all human beings aspire to: peace.

We also might give some thought to the fact that this ultimate stage of yoga—enlightenment—can neither be bought nor possessed. It can only be experienced, the price of which is the continual devotion of the yogi.

Find your Inner Yogi

Yogis don’t just bust out the Sun salutations, they live a life in search of purity and truth. So if you’ve steppped away from your asana practice for a while or even not started it yet, don’t be too hard on yourself.

Take the following quiz to evaluate your yoga practice. Answer yes or no to the following questions:

1. Do you practice non violence?

2. Do you always tell the truth?

3. Do you refrain from stealing?

4. Do you walk in nature and think deeply about life and the Earth?

5. Do you attend church or temple?

6. Do you meditate?

7. Do you exercise, keeping your body supple?

8. Are you happy with your life?

9. Have you read spiritual books or scripture?

10. Do you seek self development? (If you’re here reading this, then the answer is yes)

11. Do you ever sit and breathe deeply hoping to affect your mind, body, mood and attitude to situations?

12. Do you practice detachment?

13. Can you concentrate on a single point, calming the mind for a sustained period of

time?

14. Do you have a love of all living creatures?

15. Are you veggie?

16. Can you happily sit and just ‘be’?

17. Can you let go?

18. Can you access ecstasy or bliss through asana or meditation?

If you answered ‘Yes’ to any of the above questions, you are already a yogi on the Noble Eightfold Path. How far you want to travel on the path is really up to you.