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The Eight Limbs of Ashtanga

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4 Nov

Eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga

By Himanshu Joshi200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Rishikesh, yoga School in Rishikesh, Yoga Teacher Trainingashtanga yoga, The Eight Limbs of Ashtanga

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 […]

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11 May

The Eight Limbs of Ashtanga

By Himanshu JoshiYogaThe Eight Limbs of Ashtanga

  Patanjali’s  Classical Yoga refers to the “Eight-Limbed Path” of yoga practice. Like a tree with different branches that extend from the same trunk, the eight limbs are different forms of practice, but lead to the same goal of reunification with Consciousness. The consciousness with which we seek unification is our own true nature as embodied spirit. Although the imagery of branches on a tree implies a sequential approach, in practice the limbs can work simultaneously to draw us closer to our essential nature. A detailed description can be found in B.K.S. Iyengar’s “Light on Yoga.” The limbs are: Yamas The Yamas are universal ethical disciplines reffering to qualities that are supportive of yoga practice and which yoga practice cultivates: Non-violence, Truthfulness, Non-stealing, Self-restraint and Non-hoarding. A spontaneous practice of […]

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