ashtanga yoga

The Sanskrit word Aṣṭāṇga, is a compound comprising of two words: Aṣṭa (eight) and Aṇga (limbs). In his Yoga Sūtras, Patañjali lays out 8 steps that a seeker is ideally meant to follow in chronological order. The Sanskrit names for the 8 limbs are Yama, Niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇa, dhyāna, samādhi. According to Swami Satyananda Saraswati, the translation for the 8 limbs is as follows: Self-restraints, fixed rules, postures, breath-control, sense-withdrawal, concentration, meditation and samādhi. The first four limbs constitute the external aspects (bahiraṇga), whereas the last four limbs form the internal aspects (antaraṇga). Bahiranga refers to the aspects of yoga that is practiced in relation to the body, society and external things outside of oneself. In the final four stages, the seeker goes deeper within one’s Self and […]