Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.
– The Bhagavad Gita

The word yoga means “Oneness” or “Union”, In spiritual terminology, it can be defined as union between Individual-Consciousness and Universal Consciousness. At a practical level, Yoga can be defined as a set of practices which can bring harmony between Mind, Body and Soul creating a healthy relationship with the self and the world.

This extraordinary ancient Art and Science called “Yoga” was developed, practiced and perfected thousands of years ago in India for all human beings for Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual well-being. Its proof lies in yoga philosophy written down as Yoga Sutras by Sage Patanjali.  This sacred text describes a clear pathway for eliminating suffering so that we can enjoy ever lasting peace. 

8 Limbs of Yoga as Per Yoga Sutras

• Yama
  Five Ethical Guidelines and attitude towards people and things outside

  • **Ahimsa:  **Nonviolence, Compassion for all living things.Ahimsa is, however, more than just lack of violence. Ahimsa implies that in every situation we should adopt a considerate attitude and do no harm.

  • ***Satya: ***Commitment to Truthfulness, Being sincere, considerate and honest
    Satya means "to speak the truth," yet it is not always desirable to speak the truth, for it could harm someone unnecessarily. Sometimes it is better not to say anything.

  • Asteya: Non-stealing, Honoring other’s trust in us

    Asteya means "Not to steal” and take nothing that does not belong to us. This also means that if we are in a situation where someone entrusts something to us or confides in us, we do not take advantage of him or her.

  • Brahmacharya:  Moderation and self-control in sex and the senses

    Brahmacharya does not necessarily imply celibacy. Rather, it means responsible behavior with respect to our goal of moving toward the truth. Practicing brahmacharya means that we use our sexual energy to regenerate our connection to our spiritual self. It also means that we don’t use this energy in any way that might harm others.

  • Aparigraha: Not hoarding and Not being greedy, Letting go of our attachments to things

    Aparigraha means to take only what is necessary and not being greedy. Aparigraha also implies letting go of our attachments to things and an understanding that impermanence and change are the only constants.  

• Niyama
  Moral Virtues and code of conduct for purposeful and higher living

  • Sauca: Purity of body and mind

    The first niyama is sauca, meaning purity and cleanliness at inner and outer level. Outer cleanliness simply means clean and organized living and Inner cleanliness is to have a pure mind without the clouding of hatred, passion, anger, lust, greed, delusion and pride. When we clear the clutter from our personal environment and mind, we are more able to remain focused on the higher aspects of living consciously.  

  • Santosa:   Contentment*,* being happy with what we have rather than being unhappy about what we don't have.

    Santosa is the feeling of being content with the divine flow of life, even while experiencing its challenges. When we accept that life is a process for growth and all of the circumstances and experiences we create for ourselves are to take us towards our highest nature. we can cultivate contentment and compassion, for ourselves and for others.  

  • Tapas: Conserving our energies and great efforts to reach self-realization.

    Tapas Literally it means to heat the body and cleanse it. So we must toil hard with great energy and enthusiasm to achieve our ultimate goal of creating union with the Divine. Tapas helps us burn up all the desires that stand in our way of this goal.  

  • Svadhyaya: Self Study and observation Cultivating self-awareness

    Sva means “self” adhyaya means "inquiry" or "study". Any activity that cultivates self-reflective consciousness can be considered svadhyaya. It means to intentionally find self-awareness in all our activities and efforts, even to the point of welcoming and accepting our own limitations. It teaches us to be centered and non-reactive to the dualities of being both human and divine at the same time.

  • Ishvarapranidhana:   Connecting to our Divine core

    Isvarapranidhana means offering every action of ours to our Divine existence.  It is the contemplation on Ishvara or Divine Core within us. Only when we feel the divine presence in everyone and everything around us, the veil of duality can be lifted.

• Asana:
  The physical aspect of yoga is the third step on the path to freedom, Here Asana means ‘seat’ - specifically the seat you would take for the practice of meditation. The only alignment instruction Patanjali gives for the asana is *“sthira sukham asanam”, *the posture should be steady and comfortable. 

• The idea is to be able to sit in comfort so we’re not ‘pulled’ by aches and pains of the body, or restlessness due to an uncomfortable position. Perhaps this is something to consider in your next yoga class if you always tend to choose the ‘advanced’ posture offered, rather than the one your body is able to attain: “In how many poses are we really comfortable and steady?”

• While traditional texts like the Hatha Yoga Pradipika list many postures such as Padmasana (lotus pose) and Virasana (hero pose) suitable for meditation, this text also tells us that the most important posture is in fact *sthirasukhasana – *meaning, ‘a posture the practitioner can hold comfortably and motionlessness’.

• Pranayam

  The word Prana refers to ‘energy’ or ‘life source’. It can be used to describe the very essence that keeps us alive, as well as the energy in the universe around us. Prana also often describes the breath, and by working with the way we breathe, we affect the mind in a very real way. Pranayama can be understood as either ‘prana-yama’ which would mean ‘breath – control’ or ‘breath restraint’, or it could be understood as ‘prana-ayama’ which would translate as ‘freedom of breath’, ‘breath expansion’ or ‘breath liberation’. 

• Pratyahar

  Pratya means to ‘withdraw’, ‘draw in’ or ‘draw back’, and the second part ahara refers to anything we ‘take in’ by ourselves, such as the various sights, sounds and* *smells our senses take in continuously. When sitting for a formal meditation practice, this is likely to be the first thing we do when we think we’re meditating; we focus on ‘drawing in’. The practice of drawing inward may include focussing on the way we’re breathing, so this limb would relate directly to the practice of pranayama too. 

  The phrase ‘sense withdrawal’ could conjure up images of the ability to actually switch our senses ‘off’ through concentration, which is why this aspect of practice is often misunderstood. 

  Instead of actually losing the ability to hear and smell, to see and feel, the practice of pratyahara changes our state of mind so that we become so absorbed in what it is we’re focusing on, that the things outside of ourselves no longer bother us and we’re able to meditate without becoming easily distracted. Experienced practitioners may be able to translate pratyahara into every day life – being so concentrated and present to the moment at hand, that things like sensations and sounds don’t easily distract the mind.

• Dharana

  Dharana means ‘focused concentration’. *Dha *means ‘holding or maintaining’, and *Ana *means ‘other’ or ‘something else’. Closely linked to the previous two limbs; dharana and pratyahara are essential part of the same aspect. In order to focus on something, the senses must withdraw so that all attention is put on that point of concentration, and in order to draw our senses in, we must focus and concentrate intently.  Tratak (candle gazing), visualisation, and focusing on the breath are all practices of dharana, and it’s this stage many of us get to when we think we’re ‘meditating’.    

• Dhyana

• The seventh limb is ‘meditative absorption’ - when we become completely absorbed in the focus of our meditation, and *this *is when we’re really meditating. All the things we may learn in a class, online or from a teacher are merely techniques offered to each person in order to help them settle, focus and concentrate, the actual practice of meditation is definitely not something we can actively ‘do’, rather it describes the spontaneous action of something that happens as a result of everything else. Essentially; if you are really meditating, you won’t have the thought ‘oh, I’m meditating!’…. (sound familiar?)

• Samadhi

Many of us know the word samadhi as meaning ‘bliss’ or ‘enlightenment’, and this is the final step of the journey of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. After we’ve re-organised our relationships with the outside world and our own inner world, we come to the finale of bliss. 
Breaking the word in half, we see that this final stage is made up of two words; ‘sama’ meaning ‘same’ or ‘equal’, and ‘dhi’ meaning ‘to see’. There’s a reason it’s called *realisation – *and it’s because reaching Samadhi is not about escapism, floating away or being abundantly joyful; it’s about *realizing *the very life that lies in front of us. 
The ability to ‘see equally’ and without disturbance from the mind, without our experience being conditioned by likes, dislikes or habits, without a need to judge or become attached to any particular aspect; *that *is bliss.
Once the mind is pure and we truly do experience a state of Samadhi we can keep hold of, we attain *moksha, *also known as *mukti, *meaning a permanent state of being liberated, released and free.