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The Eight (8) Limbs of Yoga comes directly from The Yoga Sutras - Sutra II.29, meaning Book 2 - Verse 29, which you can find on this website by clicking the link.
In the pic you will see the 8 Limbs of Yoga surrounding a Lotus Flower. In the middle of the Lotus Flower is the symbol in Hindi for the ‘Sound of the Universe’ . . Om aka Aum, which you can hear the chant in the 3rd Eye (Brow Cakra). Scroll down on that page and you can hear the chant.
The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali is a collection of Sanskrit sutras (aphorisms) on the theory and practice of yoga.
There are 196 Yoga Sutras written in four (4) books in a collection under one book called ‘The Yoga Sutras’ with the second book addressing the eight (8) limbs.
The word sutra means “stitch” or “thread” in Sanskrit and much like a stitch or a thread in a piece of clothing, once you pull on it, there is an unraveling and revealing that takes place.
The eight (8) limbs of yoga (described below in detail) and as stated in Sutra II.29, each offer counsel and guidance on how to live a meaningful and purposeful Life with the goal of that being enlightenment (samadhi). It is the goal of the yogi to learn about each limb and then incorporate each of the eight (8) limbs into practice both on and off the mat; therefore, Life and mat should reflect each other with preferably Life reflecting mat, rather than mat reflecting Life. We take what we learn on the mat, into our activities of daily living (ADLs) off the mat.
In a 200 Hour YTT (yoga teacher training) it is very common to have the ‘Yamas & Niyamas’ book by Deborah Adele as required reading. Keep in mind this book covers only the ‘Yamas’ and ‘Niyamas’ (as the name implies) and does not include the detail of the other six (6) limbs of yoga. The other six (6) limbs are typically gone into more in-depth study during a 300 Hour YTT, although may be brushed, glossed or touched on during a 200 Hour YTT depending on the training.
Keep reading as this writing e-x-p-a-n-d-s from Sutra II.29 to even fuller, yet simple explanations.
The initials below are the interpretations by well-known yogi’s.
[HA]: Hariharananda Aranya
[SP]: Swami Prabhavananda
[SS]: Swami Satchidananda
[SV]: Swami Vivekananda
Sutra II.29
Sanskrit - यमनियमासनप्राणायामप्रत्याहारधारणाध्यानसमाधयोऽष्टावङ्गानि॥२९॥
Pronounced - yama niyama-āsana prāṇāyāma pratyāhāra dhāraṇā dhyāna samādhayo-‘ṣṭāvaṅgāni ॥29॥
[HA]: Yama (Restraint), Niyama (Observance), Asana (Posture), Pranayama (Regulation Of Breath), Pratyahara (Withholding of Senses), Dharana (Fixity), Dhyana (Meditation) And Samadhi (Perfect Concentration) Are The Eight Means Of Attaining Yoga.
[SP]: The eight limbs of yoga are: the various forms of abstention from evil-doing (yama), the various observances (niyamas), posture (asana), control of the prana (pranayams), withdrawal of the mind from sense objects (pratyahara), concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana) and absorption in the Atman (samadhi).
[SS]: The eight limbs of Yoga are:
1) yama (abstinence)
2) niyama (observance)
3) asana (posture)
4) pranayama (breath control)
5) pratyahara (sense withdrawal)
6) dharana (concentration)
7) dhyana (meditation)
8) samadhi (contemplation, absorption or super-conscious state)
[SV]: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi, are the limbs of Yoga.
8 Limbs of Yoga Explained
*Note how each limb prepares us for the next limb.
As you learn (grow) the 8 limbs are like climbing a tree.
1. Yama (abstinence)
The first limb has us addressing, contemplating and studying our ethical standards and sense or level of integrity. The Yamas challenge us to look at our own behavior and how we conduct ourselves. The Yamas are pretty much like the Golden Rule as stated in Biblical Scripture,
“Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets.” ~Matthew 7:12
or most popularly interpreted as, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
THE FIVE YAMAS ARE - 1) Ahimsa: non-violence 2) Satya: truthfulness 3) Asteya: non-stealing 4) Brahmacharya: non-excess 5) Aparigraha: non-possessive or non-covetous
2. Niyama (observance)
Niyama - the second limb has to do with duties and observances that require self-discipline. The niyamas are often associated with habitual-ritual with that being spiritual practices that an individual might associate with worship, services, temple, etc., but not necessarily, as this could very well be your own meditation practice and quiet walk with God.
THE FIVE NIYAMA ARE - 1) Saucha: cleanliness, purity 2) Santosha: contentment 3) Tapas: heat; spiritual discipline (austerities) 4) Svadhyaya: study of the self and sacred scriptures 5) Isvara pranidhana: surrender to God through devotion and trust
3. Asana (posture or pose)
The third limb is asana. Asanas are the poses aka postures that are practiced in yoga. In view is that the body is a temple of Spirit/spirit (that of God and of oneself) so the care of the physical body is an important part of our spiritual growth. It’s the physical gift we were given at birth with innate instruction to take care of this gift, just as you would take care of any gift given to you by someone you Love. In this case, the gift of the physical body was given by God. Through asana we take care of and recognize the body as a temple of Spirit/spirit. It is through our asana practice that we develop a daily disciplined habitual-ritual where we learn to sit in contemplation and meditation and connect our spirit with Spirit.
4. Pranayama (breath control)
The fourth limb is pranayama. Most popularly translated as ‘breath control’ pranayama consists of different breathing techniques used to gain mastery over respiration (the action of breathing) while acknowledging the close connection of the breath, the body, the mind and the emotions. Pranayama is also defined as “Life force extension” because the breath extends Life itself. It is common to practice pranayama as a breathing technique by sitting and doing breathing exercises, or use it in your daily yoga practice.
5. Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses)
The fifth limb is pratyahara, which means to withdrawal from the senses or to transcend the senses also known as ‘sensory transcendence’. This means we are taking our experience beyond what is normal physical world. This is where we make a conscious and deliberate effort to draw our awareness away from the outside world and external stimuli. Still, we remain aware, yet detached from our senses, while our attention is directed inwardly. In this way we are able to step behind ourselves to get a Good look at who we are as in the quote by Eckhart Tolle, which is observation of the self or self-observance. “What a liberation to realize that the ‘voice in my head’ is not who I am. Who am I then? The one who sees that.” The practice of pratyahara allows us to objectively and dispassionately observe our habits, cravings, longings, desires, thirsts, hungers and wants that may prove to be detri-’mental’ to our temple (body and mind), which could easily stunt our growth.
6. Dharana (concentration)
The sixth limb is dharana, which is the practice of concentration. As stated under the header for this section - *Note how each limb prepares us for the next limb. After we have relieved our minds of pratyahara (the senses) and we have come into our breath and our breath has come into us through pranayama, we are now ready to take on the practice of dharana (concentration), which comes before meditation. We slow ourselves down by concentrating on a focal point with eyes opened or closed. If the focal point is within with eyes closed, then this might be third eye, which is 30 degrees up-and-in between the eyebrows (Ajna or Brow Cakra). Keep in mind, we have already been coming into ourselves and our power of concentration through the previous limbs. Maintaining extended periods of concentration leads to meditation.
7. Dhyana (meditation)
The seventh limb is dhyana and leads us to meditation without any work. I have sat with this limb many times to bring myself to an understanding. This is an emptying of the mind, not a loading of the mind. If we are in reflection and contemplation, then we are not emptying the mind, we would be loading it with thought. In reflection we are thinking, in contemplation we are figuring out, which is similar to deliberation and pondering as the mind begins ‘kicking things around’. The closest word I could come to align with meditation was cognition, which is a state of being aware and not necessarily thinking, reasoning, learning or solving. Just cognition (awareness). This limb is about the uninterrupted flow of concentration on nothing, an empty mind.
I Love the mindfulness and meditative state of Lahiri Mahasaya who always had his eyes squinted in order to keep out stimuli. He was very protective over what went into his being. Paramahansa Yogananda quoted Lahiri Mahasaya in his book Autobiography of a Yogi: “He who has attained a state of calmness wherein his eyelids do not blink, has achieved Sambhabi (Shambhavi) Mudra.”
Dhyana (meditation) is commonly defined as a state of being keenly aware without focus because at the height of meditation, the mind has been stilled and quietened, wherein it produces very little to thoughts at all. So you see, reflection and contemplation do not still the mind, instead they cause the mind to work, to think and to do anything but be quiet and still.
To get to Dhyana takes an incredible amount of patience, stillness, endurance, strength and stamina to say the least. As you have no doubt experienced in your yoga practice, every few seconds you may be reminding yourself to “let go”. And so goes yoga, it is the process of a practice, not a perfection, but a practice as we strive to move closer and closer to that ideal state of consciousness called Dhyana.
8. Samadhi (enLightenment, super-conscious state)
The eighth and final limb is samadhi, which is the point at which the meditator (yogi) transcends the self altogether. The self realizes a profound connection to God, Creator, the Divine, Source, Spirit, and an interconnectedness with all Living things that would be considered alive, but not necessarily breathing things. Coupled with this realization is a peace that surpasses understanding and an experience of bliss as having been at one with the Universe.
I actually achieved this profound state back in 1999 during my first round of practicing yoga. I had three (3) rounds of practicing yoga (starting and stopping) before the third time actually stuck in 2017 and now I’m a yoga teacher and yoga studio owner. After that experience I innately knew that I could not stay there and that I may never experience that heightened state of awareness again. I knew this because I know myself, and that if I continued to chase down that state of awareness and attempt to experience that heightened state every single day, I might not accomplish anything else in Life and I would never be who I am today. I had to register it as experience and understanding in order to continue on and become who I am today. I still had a lot of work to do in order to get myself to today, so returning to the place over-and-over again would not come easy. I knew this.
Years later here I am typing the understanding to you, without sharing the entire experience so I can honor it and keep it sacred to myself.
It is my personal experience and understanding that Samadhi is something that cannot be purchased or possessed. The richest on the planet could never purchase Samadhi and the most greedy would never even have an opportunity to possess it. Samadhi is completely and absolutely ‘priceless’ and out-of-reach for purchase and possession. Even after experiencing it myself, I knew I could not hold on to it and stay there, much less travel there with ease or quickness. Samadhi is that precious and rare, at the same time it is near and accessible to everyone.
Samadhi has to be the most rare gem and treasured experience one could ever hope to achieve or attain in this Lifetime.