The 8 Limbs of Holistic Yoga
Whenever I think of eight limbs, I immediately think of an octopus. I have always had an affinity for magical creatures, and more so after watching My Octopus Teacher **ugly cries**. However, the eight limbs of yoga are a way of comprehending the eight different and remarkable practices that define yoga, and yes, they just might turn you into a magical creature.
Only one of those limbs has made it into our mainstream minds as yoga; however, there is so much living and learning to do within the holistic realm of yoga philosophy. Learning more about the eight limbs of yoga has profoundly impacted my yoga practice and life in general. I have a very dysfunctional background in religion, which adversely affects the work I do now.
The day that I stepped away from dogmatic beliefs was the most liberating day of my life. However, it also embedded an apprehension of returning to anything that resembled dogma or a hierarchical worship structure. I am grateful for this heightened awareness, but I am still dealing with the uncertainty of my purpose and feeling inspired by the beauty that principled living offers.
For me, the eight limbs of yoga represent a way to identify with the beauty of ethical thought, moral guidance, and spiritual intelligence. The eight limbs highlight a healthy framework for a mystic connection in which I relate and create a practice of action that is profound and dogma-free. In yoga, I don’t see a structure where one has to give up one’s power to adhere to these ideas. Although I am aware that there are sects and practices where imbalanced power relationships exist, they aren’t necessarily unique to yoga. For me, that is liberation.
While my yoga journey has been through the practice of asana, my journey began to truly evolve a few years ago. The eight limbs of yoga give guidance on how to live and coexist in an authentic and intuitive way. The good news is that we can develop the other limbs of yoga over time and cultivate a holistic yoga practice.
I am at the beginning of some of the principles but energized by how they are opening different channels of intuitive thought, challenging old habits that no longer serve me, and guiding me towards a more expansive way of being.
Yamas
While this may sound like a set of twin sisters or a pair of star-crossed lovers or soulmates, the Yamas and Niyamas are the basis and foundation for a holistic yoga practice. They are not the asanas that we have come to identify as being yoga. However, without them, the poses that we define as yoga are reduced to acrobatics.
There is a more profound spirituality to yoga, a reason, a purpose, and an overarching goal of unity with the Paramatma, the Universal Spirit, God. Yama, Niyama, and Asana are the outward expressions of the Eight Limbs of Yoga and help establish a foundation in harmony with each other and our physical selves.
Yamas are the universal earthly ways of how we live and interact with each other. The Wise Characteristics are:
Ahimsa – Compassion for all living things
Satya – Commitment to the truth
Asteya – Not Stealing
Brahmacharya – Merging with the Universal Spirit
Aparigraha – Not Coveting
Niyamas
Niyamas focus on individual purposes. They help develop character and self-care:
Saucha – Purity
Santosa – Contentment
Tapas – Burning enthusiasm
Swadhyaya – Study of self
Isvarapranidhana – Celebration of spirituality
The above are two of the eight yoga limbs. Each is worthy of attention for the yogi. It is easy to practice yoga from a Western-minded worldview, which takes from yoga what works and leaves the rest behind. What’s left is primarily the physical exercise of yoga.
We often close our ears and hearts to the wisdom that other schools of spirituality have to offer. In my spiritual journey, I feel that I have developed to a point where I see a through-line that resonates in all forms of faith and worship. The minor differences are the colors in an infinite and universal palette designed to decorate and distinguish the faithful, not to divide.
“I have learned so much from God that I can no longer call myself a Christian, a Hindu, a Muslim, a Buddhist, a Jew.” ~Hafez
Asana – Steady, relaxed posture
Asana is often where the practice ends and begins when practicing yoga, although most of the eight-limbed yoga practices center around the nonphysical. The mind-body-spirit connection is an essential element to holistic yoga practice. Asana and pranayama require the most learning and outside instruction to master. The other limbs are more of a mindset shift, so the emphasis often tends toward asana.
There is often an impulse to grasp familiar things. Asana is rigorous and has many fitness benefits, so to the western mindset, exercise is joint. You will often hear people call it stretching, which downplays its significance.
The popularity of asana practice is understandable, but as more people are discovering yoga, exposure to the other eight limbs of yoga is unavoidable. It will hopefully lead to a broader acceptance of a holistic approach to yoga.
Pranayama – Expansion of Life Force
Prana is the name used to describe the energy or essence of life that we experience as sentient beings. In pranayama, we learn how to harness the life force through the breath. Using controlled, focused, and specific breathing techniques, we practice harnessing the prana life force and cultivate a deeper awareness of ourselves and our existence in the universe.
There are several different pranayama techniques. We are beginning to see simplified pranayama practices normalized in everyday lives and areas where this awareness is not the norm. As the mindfulness philosophies expand and are widely embraced, prana will take a prominent place in our collective being.
Pratyahara – Withdrawal of the Senses
In pratyahara, we are in a state of complete existence beyond our senses and surroundings as one seeks a deeper level of freedom. It has the potential to feel transcendental as the functions of mind and body sublimate, leaving the soul to exist beyond the physical nature of our bodies, which is how we generally navigate life. Through the practice of pratyahara, we experience an expansive shift in perspective, which draws us closer to true liberation.
Dharana – Concentration
Focusing on one thing right now has become increasingly difficult, as so many things vie for our attention. The virtual world has created algorithms designed to uncover and exploit our interests for their capital gain, as many of us working online physically distanced from others can attest. The goal of the media is to keep us clicking and swiping. As a result, we become accustomed to having our attention redirected continuously.
Maintaining focus is challenging in this environment, but it is also an opportunity to develop mental resilience. Our mind is the one space that we still have complete autonomy over and with choices of thought. Dharana can sound challenging but approaching this limb of yoga with a sense of intention and devotion can be a fulfilling way to find and maintain mental health and peace.
Dhyana – Meditation
My first experience with meditation was incredibly uncomfortable. I sat there waiting for something not to happen. The more I focused on this “not happening,” the farther away I felt from meditation. I read a book about it; I listened to a recording, I kept trying. After a few weeks of not meditating, I didn’t think I could do it. At the same time, I learned how to re-parent myself and give myself permission not to be perfect and absolve myself of shame. I wanted to allow the child-me to learn, mess up, explore, not get it right, play, and let that be okay.
Trial and error led me to a looser form of meditative practice. I gave myself permission to go in and out of meditation. If I lost focus, I would start again where I left off. Setting the timer for 20 minutes and releasing myself from expectations, I was able to sit longer. I lit incense, grabbed a pillow, and expectation-less meditation felt right to me. Thoughts still bubble up, and when they do, I give them space and then let them go as easily as they came. I kept this going, and joyfully embraced the moments where meditation was happening, and the ease that felt like distraction became an enjoyable part of my development. Letting go brought a sense of self-awareness, and that’s where I found dhyana.
Samadhi – Spiritual Union
We describe the eighth arm of yoga as a state of complete bliss or enlightenment. As yoga practitioners, we share moments of this state throughout our practice, but Samadhi sustains this consciousness over time.
Visualizing samadhi leads me to again think of a spectrum to define this state of being. To sustain and reach into samadhi at will, we experience samadhi to a more considerable degree or dose. As one of the eight limbs and my understanding as an esoteric pragmatist, I generally embrace the concept that we are all along a path of shared experience. The singular moment of “ah” or perfection is just as fleeting as breath. Only as we experience an awareness of its existence in our human understanding that it is revised.
Each yoga path will lead the yogini into a more profound sense of reflection and acknowledgment of the self and its position throughout society. The eight limbs of yoga provide the framework for social justice and equity that goes far beyond the mat. The true impact of yoga is found in finding the light within our relationship with ourselves, others, and the world around us.
