By Raquel Issenberg

Letting go of what the preconditioned mind wants to impose is one of the goals of yoga, especially if the practical intention is to make peace with life’s twists and turns.

The yogic triangle sums it all as Practice, Non-attachment, and the Eight Limbs, meaning that to effectively engage in yoga, and release the outcome, there is a clear and applicable path.

If the soul’s “vehicle” to drive through life is constituted by the body and the mind, then yoga’s “vehicle” into realization has also its special components.

According to Patanjali, the sage that codified the Yoga Sutras, these yogic “components” are just like the human limbs that allow the body to move in life. To progress in yoga, he proposed Eight Limbs to purify the mind as all suffering comes from avidya (ignorance, in Sanskrit).

Living in avidya is to be disconnected from the inner self and a Higher Consciousness, which is the ultimate truth. But it all starts with physical separation, such as the basic challenge to engage in adequate breathing.

And because the breath nourishes the body and the mind, and all three are connected, the Eight Limbs of Yoga involve practices that include breathwork, movement, and meditation.

In reality, we can effectively use these eight steps to obtain the best of yoga, even if the only desire is to have more flexibility and calmness.

YAMAS (Restraints) = The five restraints help us bring out the best in us through our social behavior. Non-Violence (Ahimsa), Truthfulness (Satya), Non-Stealing (Asteya), Abstinence (Brahmacharya), and Non-Possessiveness (Aparigraha). Review them in depth in September 2022’s article.
NIYAMAS (Observances) = The five observances are the spiritual base of the remaining limbs. Purity (Saucha), Contentment (Santosha), Austerity (Tapas), Self-Study (Svadhyaya), and Surrender/Dedication to Ishvara (Ishvarapranidhana). Review them in depth in September 2022’s article.
ASANA (Postural Yoga) = This popular limb proposes a stable and comfortable posture. Asana, which also means “seat” or “place”, is believed to be first proposed as a stable sit-up to meditate (the main purpose of yoga). Throughout the millennia, master yogis have studied techniques to foster stability and support to bring the mind into stillness. And within the journey of creating harmony between the body and the mind, they developed Hatha Yoga, the “mother” of postural practice that balances the individual’s solar (Ha) and lunar (Tha) energies.
PRANAYAMA (Breathwork) = According to the Yoga Sutras, Pranayama is the art of working with the breath to expand the prana (life force) that we have previously embodied with conscious movement, more specifically, postural yoga. In the classical approach, breathwork is a masterful practice that requires preparation since involves stopping and manipulating inhalation and exhalation to activate the Kundalini shakti, the potential energy that lies at the base of the spine. In a modern approach, breathwork is commonly used to regulate the nervous system aiming for mental and emotional support.
PRATYAHARA (Withdrawal of the Senses) = The expansion and absorption of prana through Pranayama leads to Pratyahara. As the mind starts to settle by experiencing the life force, it begins to detach from external stimuli. This will lead one’s perception into internal referral: deeper awareness of organs and emotions. As introspection continues, the yogi can easily observe its own existence in a subtle way.
DHARANA (Concentration) = After letting go of worldly stimuli with the practice of Prathayara, the goal is a focused mind. When the thoughts slow down, the concentration organically moves to the frontal cortex, where the spiritual pranic field centers. This coming back and forth into focus will decrease as soon as the joy of stillness comes to be. Now, the mind is ready for meditation.
DHYANA (Meditation) = A one-pointed mind. When the mind is contained it begins to heal and nourish the physical body. With a calm mind, the practitioner can move closer to Self since it’s not hooked to preconditioning and a dominant ego. The “secret” of Dhyana is the practice of Dharana (the previous limb) with effortless effort. Meditation is the main practice of yoga. Is the door into bliss, self-realization, and enlightenment.
SAMADHI (Enlightenment) = An undivided mind. The Yoga Sutras describe Samadhi in several stages but the overall sentiment is that the yogi has gracefully settled into bliss. There’s no longer a “goal” for yoga, neither desires nor attachments. In Samadhi, the mind is pure and completely absorbed in the pranic field.

The yogic approach observes layers that go from gross to subtle: the first five limbs are external as they tend to the body, energy, and senses; the last three limbs are internal since they serve the mind.

As a yoga teacher and a student, I have experienced only a glimpse of each one of these Eight Limbs. And even with a small taste of the “components” of the yoga vehicle, my body and my mind feel incredibly better than they did five, ten, or even fifteen years ago. You don’t need to overdo yourself to benefit from all these practices. Just jump to the front seat, press start and, see what happens.

◢ Sources:
• “The Practice of the Yoga Sutra: Sadhana Pada” and “Awakening Power in the Yoga Sutra: Vibhuti Pada” by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD
• “The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali”, by Alistair Shearer