Image made and photographed by Margot Porter
Introduction to Patanjali's limbs of Yoga
The eight limbs of Yoga may appear to be ladder by which you climb towards the goal of self-realisation, however, because everyone is different I prefer the model of viewing the limbs as spokes on a wheel.
The eight limbs are as follows:
1. Yamas: guidelines for how we interact with others and the environment.
Ahimsa: non-harming
Satya: truthfulness
Asteya: non-stealing
Brahmacharya: wise use of energy
Aparigrapha: non-grasping
2. Niyamas: inner observances or restraints to create inner integrity
Saucha: purity
Santosha: contentment
Tapas: enthusiasm
Svadhyaya: self-study
Isvara-pranidhana: celebration of of life and surrender and devotion to the divine in everything
3. Asana: The physical postures where we work to harmonise and refine the body. The poses work to unblock and teach us how to circulate internal energy. These practices can help us to open the nadi channels through increasing strength, flexibility and relaxation.
4. Pranayama: Learning to breathe harmoniously that is sychronising the human movement of breath with that of the universe or cosmic consciousness.
5. Pratayahara: Often described as sensory withdrawal from objects of desire with the aim of releasing the mind from the power of the senses.
6. Dharana: Concentration or I like the way Donna Farhi puts it in her book, Bringing Yoga to Life: the everyday practice of enlightened living, ' focusing attention in one place through cultivating inner perceptual awareness'.
7. Dhyana: Sustaining concentration under all conditions. This is described as one directional flow of the mind 'ekatanata' whereby meditation will begin to flow naturally at any given time. The ancient sages said that meditation is yoking with nature.
8. Samadhi: This one is hard to explain, the Buddha describes this as the end of suffering whereas others say 'it is like a river merging with the ocean'. Farhi calls it 'the return of the mind to original silence'.
