8 Limbs Of Yoga To Understanding Our Choices & Attitudes

Beyond pursuing our basic needs,

We seek physical and mental health,

Understanding and wisdom,

Peace and freedom,

Resiliency and recovery.

This course will empower you with the tools of yoga for everyday living.

What is yoga?

Just like many words derived from a root word,

The word yoga comes from the root word yuj,

Meaning to unite,

Yoke or bring together.

In yoga we bring attention to breath,

We bring attention to our physical body and with this focused attention we bring together a union of awareness of our body and our breath and any sensations present and with this focused attention we bring together a union of awareness of the relationship we have to our bodies,

Connection to our minds and our spirit joined like earth and sky at the horizon to deepen our understanding and relationship between being human and experiencing the joy and suffering that comes with it.

One can make yoga a way of life to improve health,

Reduce stress,

Experience resiliency in the face of adversity,

Joy when our hearts are broken,

Improved sleep with lifestyle choices.

Yoga a powerful tool of self-discovery and understanding even in trying times teaches us what it means to be human.

Yoga not only provides the tools to change our health,

Yoga also changes the way we experience life and look at our health.

The Oxford dictionary defines yoga as a 5,

000 year old ascetic discipline,

A part of which including breath control,

Simple meditation and the adoption of specific bodily postures is widely practiced for health and relaxation.

Yoga is designed to meet the individual where they are physically,

Mentally,

Emotionally and spiritually.

So no matter your state in life,

Your abilities,

How you're feeling that day,

Yoga brings awareness to unity,

To body,

Breath and mind.

Yoga does not exclude any sex,

Age,

Religion,

Race,

Creed or ability.

In 2016,

An American study estimated that more than 36 million people were practicing yoga.

Eight limbs of yoga.

The eight limbs of yoga also known as petals that when joined together at the base form a lotus flower are the essence of yoga that are revealed progressively as you dive deeper into understanding yourself,

Your attitudes,

Your lifestyle choices and how you think and act.

A lotus flower is commonly used as a metaphor in the yoga tradition as it lives and thrives in the heaviest of mud that grows into a beautiful flower.

Like our own experience,

We can rise from the depths of our dark experiences and traumas into the beautiful essence that we are here for.

Eight limbs of yoga.

The goal of yoga as defined by the eight limbs or petals like a lotus flower is to awaken ourselves to ourselves.

These petals are revealed progressively from the external physical world as you dive deeper into understanding ethical choices,

Your physical body,

Yourself,

Your attitudes,

Your lifestyle choices,

How you think and act and to remain grateful and resilient regardless of these circumstances.

The eight limbs are daily practices to incorporate into our lives to achieve a clear conscience,

Resiliency,

More compassion,

Understanding and an awareness of our choices and lifestyle that impact our own health both mentally,

Physically and emotionally,

Our well-being and our environment.

Applying,

Practicing and understanding the eight limbs,

We establish harmony in our inner and outer worlds as we begin to address our own health,

Energy management,

Concentration and self-understanding.

The first yama known is ethical disciplines.

The second niyama which are the internal ethical choices we make.

The third asana,

Physical postures.

Pranayama,

Breathing exercises.

Pradyahara,

Withdrawal of our senses.

Dharana,

Concentration.

Dhyana,

Meditation and samadhi,

Finding joy.

Yama the first limb.

Yama means restraint also known as the moral commandments.

I like to think of the next two limbs as moral health and the health of our conscience.

Through the yogic lens,

We have five ways to develop control over our actions in the outer worlds.

The first is called ahimsa,

Non-harming.

Having peacefulness versus passivity.

Respecting yourself,

Your loved ones,

Your neighbors,

Your strangers.

Having reverence for your environment and doing no harm even when you are harmed.

Ahimsa is the act of replacing negative,

Critical,

Harmful thoughts with loving kindness.

To be the person that you would like to spend time with.

To be the person that you would like to see in the world.

Basically practicing compassion,

Respect and thoughtfulness each day in one's thoughts and deeds.

Second satya,

Truthfulness.

Isn't it easier to remember the truth?

Living with integrity,

Do what you say you're going to do and mean what you say and do it with the previous ahimsa,

Non-harming.

Is it kind?

Is it necessary?

Being trustworthy to others and yourself goes a long way to fellowship and goodwill.

Be reliable and if you can't do something,

Learn just to say no.

Being truthful also means making difficult changes and decisions in our own lives and sometimes being rejected,

Judged or threatened.

Stepping courageously into living a truthful life and asking if your words are kind,

Necessary or peaceful.

Third asteya,

Non-stealing or cultivating generosity.

This is linking our actions with truthful intention that we can give and receive authentically.

Looking at the subtle ways in which we can take that that is not yours including an idea,

Goods or services.

It becomes easier to receive when we can give back.

Practice gratitude for what you have.

Returning favors to those who have also been generous.

See this as energy.

See the random acts of kindness in others and think them.

Fourth brahmacharya,

Moderation and lifestyle actually increases our energy.

Being aware of the habits that are actually sapping your vitality can lead to a greater feeling of joy and contentment.

Living in moderation can include money,

Substance abuse,

Your workload or even overtraining.

Any kind of addictive behaviors,

We can use brahmacharya as a way to restrain and find balance so that we can find greater peace.

A parigraha is non-possessiveness.

When we have a feeling of lack,

We have a desire to hold on to what we do have.

Hoarding,

Overeating,

Overaccumulation,

Attachment,

These are all experiences that can drain our life force.

Our vision becomes tunneled to the tiny bit that we do have in front of us and limiting our beliefs can cause us to suffer the perpetuating experience of deficiency.

Regardless of what possessions we do have,

Consciously expressing gratitude actually can bring more to us as a paradigm shift to ways of controlling negative habits and patterns that cause discord in our body,

Mind and spirit.

A parigraha,

Non-possessiveness.

When we have a feeling of lack,

We have a desire to hold on to what we do have.

Hoarding,

Overeating,

Overaccumulation,

And attachment are all experiences that drain us of our life force.

Our vision becomes tunneled to the tiny bit that we do have in front of us.

Limiting our beliefs can cause us to suffer the perpetuating experience of deficiency.

Regardless of what possessions we do have,

Consciously expressing gratitude actually can bring more to us as a paradigm shift to overcoming fear and to actually experience joy,

Abundance,

And contentment in other ways.

Basically,

The yamas are ways to control negative habits and patterns that can cause discord in our body and mind and spirit.

The yamas offer witness of our own thoughts,

Actions,

And behaviors along with underlying attitudes and motivations that disrupt our lifestyles.

Yamas foster positive behaviors,

Lead to self-understanding,

And teach us to recognize the excess and aversions.

Let's move on now to the second limb,

Niyama.

Niyama the five observances.

The five observances lead us to inner and outer harmony.

Niyamas are a combination of our attitudes and action by energizing consciously in our life and with others.

Svadhyaya is the self-study and reflection,

Allowing quiet time in our lives and solitude to reflect on actions,

Thoughts,

Speech from the day where they aligned with truth,

Compassion,

Self-care,

And right action.

Getting to know yourself.

You can also use sacred texts to help with this that might ask deeper questions.

Saute purification.

Purification is the removal of anything that causes you suffering.

It could be objects in your home,

Could be drugs,

Alcohol,

It could be the company that you keep,

It could be just basic clutter in your home.

So treating your body and your home,

Your environment with respect.

Getting clear on your thoughts.

Using saucha to declutter your mind,

Your home,

And your body.

Removing any judgments,

Fears,

Unhealthy behaviors or habits.

Using saucha to create more space for joy to come into your heart without distractions.

Enjoy and explore the simplicity of life.

When our body is full of toxins,

We cut ourselves off from a free flow of joy.

Santocha is contentment.

Discerning what we can change and what we cannot.

It is finding contentment with our body as it is.

Contentment in the relationship.

What can we change and what can we not?

It is our ability to overcome and to be more resilient when life knocks us down.

It is welcoming an experience that we have internally as it is without judgment.

Santocha is letting go of the past and our expectations of the future.

Tapas.

Tapas is self-discipline in our life when we find balance physically,

Mentally,

And emotionally.

Through tapas,

We apply just the right amount of effort to find balance in thoughts,

Speech,

And actions.

Notice the next time you feel restless,

Exhausted,

Or overly ambitious.

What is that energy like and does it drain you of your vital energy?

This is tapas in action.

It's always easy to go back to old habits.

And tapas in action is of discipline.

Ishvara pranidhana is the trustful surrender to the deep love within one's heart.

Offering your actions to a higher source of purpose.

It's not a giving up,

But to see the bigger picture.

To not be attached to the outcome.

Asana.

Asana is the most commonly known aspect of yoga and it is often considered the only aspect.

The poses are meant to build physical strength,

Flexibility,

And to address specific health concerns or rehabilitate injuries.

Asana keeps the body in harmony and vital.

We access our thoughts and emotions through asana.

Asana is the gateway to greater understanding of ourselves.

The asanas or the postures stimulate the vagus nerve.

The vagus nerve leads to all of our organs that create blood flow towards healing.

Postures regulate homeostasis,

Increase digestion or peristalsis,

Reduce or limit the amount or eliminate high blood pressure and heartburn.

Through correct alignment,

Breath awareness,

And a balance between effort and ease,

We are able to find contentment.

Asana prepares our body for meditation by warming up the muscles and by quieting our mind.

Many people began their yoga journey with this asana practice or the involution as BKS Iyengar calls it with what is most tangible,

The physical body as an instrument to understand one's life.

Prana means life or vitality and Ama means regular.

Pranayama is therefore the enhancement of our breath,

The food we eat,

The company we keep,

And the activities that we engage in through which fulfills and enriches our life force or vitality.

Pranayama is primarily known for breathing exercises.

Our breath is a vehicle for which we live and die by.

Breath provides oxygen and blood flow to our vital organs.

Breathing exercise can serve us when we are doing asana or can be used when we are having a difficult conversation,

Experiencing anxiety or overwhelm.

And breathing exercises can also lift our spirits when we're feeling lethargic or depressed.

Pranayama is energy.

Just like there is mental,

Emotional,

Atomic,

And electrical energy,

Prana is the same as the key in Chinese medicine and is also considered creation and destruction.

Breath is essential to life and yoga teaches us about our breathing patterns.

Using the breath in postures allows us to notice if we are straining or if there is ease in the posture and the practice.

Breathing exercises can be used as a standalone practice anywhere,

Anytime,

Or used with our asana practice.

Breathing exercises are also tools for finding calm,

Clarity,

Also for finding an energy,

Increased energy.

When we notice our breath,

It can help bring attention to the moment at hand and notice what is maybe triggering us and instead of reacting then we are able to respond.

Scientific studies have shown and proven that breathing exercises improve sleep,

Reduce PTSD,

And overcome anxiety.

Physically,

The movement of our breath is a vertical,

Horizontal,

And circumferential expansion of the rib cage,

Chest,

Lungs,

And diaphragm.

Pradyahara.

Pradyahara is the withdrawal of the senses.

It's our ability to withdraw when we're feeling overwhelmed in a large crowd,

When we find ourselves sensitive to noises,

People,

Maybe even chemical sensitivities.

It's the ability to go within and to recognize how we're experiencing the moment at hand to notice the responses of our breath,

Of our mind,

And of our body through the withdrawal of the senses.

It's a place of finding stillness.

Dharana.

Dharana is concentration or focus.

Think about the last time that you were immersed in an activity,

Whether it was sports,

Painting,

A craft,

Or anything where your attention was single-pointed on that activity and you just lost track of time.

Dharana is a tool that's used in meditation as a way to focus your attention.

Sometimes we use maybe a candle flame or an image or even sometimes looking at a physical object such as a flower.

This can really help quiet our mind and bring attention inward to the way that we're responding to find resiliency and that focused attention in the present moment.

Dhyana.

As we can see,

All of these niyamas have been interconnected.

Dhyana is the true state of stillness of inward attention commonly found in meditation.

It is the observance of oneself while in meditation where the mind becomes extremely quiet and it's the witness state consciousness that is oftentimes described during a state of meditation.

Dhyana.

Samadhi.

Samadhi is the final destination in a way that few living,

Breathing humans will actually experience this effortless state.

This is where the I or the ego disappears.

The cannot be intellectualized or described.

It can only be experienced.

Let's recap.

Yoga is not just physical postures.

The basis of yoga is a complete lifestyle,

Complete with changing attitudes,

Behaviors,

Choosing the foods we eat,

The company we keep,

And the activities that we engage in.

The eight limbs build upon another as a path to find joy,

Contentment,

Resiliency,

Stress relief,

And to create meaningful relationships with a greater connection to the attitudes,

Thoughts,

Words,

And actions that can liberate us to live a fuller life and to create social change.