The 8 Limbs of Yoga
Published March 2025
When you say, “I practice yoga.” Did you know that this means more than just the physical class you drive to the studio for? True yoga is a combination of various aspects and resources to become more aware of your internal state of being as a part of the whole. These 8 limbs are the pathway to self realization and give the ability to harmonize inner and outer worlds, bringing in a state of enlightenment. Simultaneously stages stand alone and are interwoven - one flowing into the other. Yoga is a state of being one can achieve at any and every moment, regardless of being on your mat.
1. Yama
Yamas, from ‘Yam’ meaning “to hold or ”to restrain” actions that are unhelpful tendencies or behaviors. Yamas are ethical practices directed towards relationships with others, while still maintaining an element of internal integrity.
The yama that sings to my heart the loudest is Satya.
Satya is truth, authenticity, one’s ability to not only speak, but act in accordance to the truth. Thoughts, intentions, spells (words), and actions all must align. This also involves accepting what is true in the present moment - not resisting, but embracing. Knowing when to hold one’s tongue follows another Yama of Ahimsa - to cause no suffering.
2. Niyama
Niyamas are personal practices and observances to help achieve optimal health and harmony within oneself. There are some physical practices referred to as Saucha which help cultivate purity, along with inner and outer cleanliness, including personal hygiene techniques, enabling one’s senses to be refreshed, bringing new energy and perspective to observe life. Shatkarmas, or purification techniques, are a part of this as well. You probably have heard of ‘Neti’, which flushes the nasal passages, stimulating dormant nerves in the brain, said to help awaken the third eye chakra.
Ideal health embraces one’s mental health as well. Santosha is the concept of sincere contentment. One’s ability to be joyful, fully in the present moment, without any particular reason to be. ‘Hakuna Matata’ the phrase we know as, “No worries” meshes well with Santosha. Also encompassing commitment to experience the radiance of purely being, choosing to be happy with what is, realizing that everything brings an opportunity for growth, and that all timing is Divine.
3. Asana
The ‘yoga’ practice we know and cherish. Asana is Sanskrit for ‘seat’. Asana is the physical practice of yoga postures that helps prepare the body and spirit for more mindfulness, awareness of oneself, and paves the way for deeper meditation. The term is nowadays extended to all of the postures - seated, standing, sitting. Out of Patanjali’s 106 Yoga Sutras, there is only 3-4 that mention the physical practice.
Why do we engage with so often? Asana can be seen as a gateway to greater enlightenment, allowing individuals to ground themselves in their bodies. This fosters a sense of embodiment and discipline within both body and mind, enabling the mind to settle and achieve deeper focus in meditation.
4. Pranayama
Intentional and conscious breathing techniques to expand and increase one’s life force, or ‘prana’. By removing restrictions on the prana and utilizing methods dating back to 5th and 6th centuries B.C.E you can strengthen your body - improving lung functionality, calm your mind - increasing concentration and focus, and bring spiritual growth - forging deeper connection to one’s true divine self and self mastery. Some techniques are to help calm, while others bring stimulation. Nadi shodhana or alternate nostril breath is a common method balancing the right and left sides of the brain, clears toxins, and reduces stress.
5. Pratyahara
The conscious withdrawal from the senses, while neither indulging in what you experience through them nor pushes experiences away. This cultivates an internal focus, allowing you to observe your own thoughts and feelings without getting carried away by external stimuli. Even though you have awareness of the senses and experience, you do not allow outside happenings to disrupt your mental state.
Pratyahara creates the foundation for deeper meditative practices - the next two Limbs - Dharana and Dhyana.
6. Dharana
Dharana is the practice of focused concentration. The goal of dharana is to train the mind to sustain a single point of focus. Committing to this practice helps to strengthen your mind, causing you to be less prone to distractions. One’s focus point could be internal - such as a mantra or specific chakra meditation, or external - such as sounds, a symbol, image, or deity.
Tip: Start small! If you aren’t used to these types of meditation, you don’t need to try to sit for 30 minutes. Begin with 5-10 minutes, even 2. Once you practice and feel progress add on more time gradually.
7. Dhyana
A deep state of meditation where the practitioner curates an easy state of being, concentrating on the infinite Divine nature of all beings and objects. This brings awareness to the meditator, choosing to perceive reality with clarity.
8. Samadhi
Samadhi is considered to be the highest state of consciousness that is cultivated through the practice of all previous 7 Limbs of Yoga. When the practitioner surrenders to a sense of oneness, the individual consciousness merges with the universal consciousness or the Divine, releasing ‘self’ and ‘other’ into a state of oneness. There are traditions that recognize three levels of samadhi.
Laja - the initial stage of deep joy and tranquility
Savikalpa - thought of as a temporary state. Savikapa meaning “with distractions” the yogi still is aware of the external world and distractions, but glimpses of bliss are revealed
Asamprajnyata - the final state of profound absorption where the mind is completely still, free from thoughts and mental activity, and the practitioner is beyond the ordinary sense of self and the world