Patanjali's 8 Limbs of Yoga

Did you know that there is more to yoga than the posture and movement? In fact, yoga asana is just ONE limb of yoga, and what many people don't realise is that even though we work with the body, it is actually a practice that we do for our mind.

 

If we remember what the name 'yoga' means in Sanskrit - it is 'union'. This practice is therefore about the unification of mind to body to spirit. The term 'spirit' is also used interchangeably with 'inspirit' or inspiration, and therefore correlates to breath. We work with the breath at the fourth limb of yoga called Pranayama. 

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Below I have shared an infographic from The Art of Living which tells us about the 8 limbs. Pay particular attention to the first two: Yamas and Niyamas. These are one and two for a reason. They form the very basis of the way we must approach our practice, which is then taken off the mat and into the world.

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The yamas and niyamas offer us so much wisdom. They essentially are a universal moral code which are appropriate for everyone regardless of race or religion. They help align us to universal truth. And when we align with universal truth, we feel Lighter in our bodies, experience more joy and aliveness. We then radiate this to the world and have a ripple effect upon all those who surround us. 

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If you wish to explore these in more depth, I am happy to offer 1:1 coaching. 

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