The 8 Limbed Yogic Path

Question 1

Define Yoga

Answer 1

Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.
Yoga is clear, discerning, dynamic participation in one’s life.
Yoga is skill in action.
Yoga is the experience of lacking nothing.
Yoga is the realization of oneness of being; the experience that we are all one.

Question 2

The Eight Limbed Yogic Path

Answer 2

Is a step-by-step path toward the realization of yoga, or union, with the universal self. The eight limbs progress from the most external and gross practices, to the most internal and subtle practices.

Question 3

Yamas (First Limb)

Answer 3

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra lists five yamas, or restraints, which apply specifically to how you behave outwardly toward other beings. Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (sensual moderation), and Aparigraha (non-grasping, non-hoarding).

Question 4

Niyama (Second Limb)

Answer 4

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra lists five niyamas, or observances, which apply specifically to how you conduct yourself on a more personal level. Saucha (cleanliness, purity), Santosha (contentment), Tapas (heat, self-discipline), Svadhyaya (self-study), and Isvara-pranidhana (devotion).

Question 5

Asana (Third Limb)

Answer 5

As the practice of yoga has evolved, asana has come to refer to the practice of all the physical yoga postures. The third limb is about gaining control over our physical bodies.
As asana is practiced and refined, challenging poses become more accessible and the practitioner is able to find more comfort in each pose.

Question 6

Pranayama (Fourth Limb)

Answer 6

Refers to one’s own virtual energy and life force. Our breath is our most tangible doorway into working with our own energy. For example, if you hold your breath of 60 seconds, you may feel agitated or hot. If you were to slow down you exhales so that they were twice as long as your inhales, there would be a noticeable energetic shift. You would feel calmer and a racing mind may begin to slow down.

Question 7

Pratyahara (Fifth Limb)

Answer 7

In practicing pratyahara, one stops racing out through the senses toward external stimuli. Energy and attention is directed inward toward the heart and mind, and the yogi is able to transition more easily toward the final three limbs.

Question 8

Dharana (Sixth Limb)

Answer 8

Through the practice of Dharana, we train the mind to focus on a single point, or object, for a prolonged period of time. The cultivation of a single-pointed requires patience, persistence and compassion towards one’s self.

Question 9

Dhyana (Seventh Limb)

Answer 9

Once the body and mind have been prepared, we enter the seventh limb, dhyana, or meditation. In a true meditative state, the meditator is not aware of the actual act of meditating. They are only aware of the meditation object itself. Meditation is usually described as the graceful practice, whereas concentration is described as an effortful practice. You can’t sit down and force yourself to meditate, but you can sit down and practice concentration, which may lead to a state of meditation.

Question 10

Samadhi (Eight Limb)

Answer 10

The word samadhi is made up of two sanskrit words: “sama” which means “even” or “same” and “dhi” which means intellect. Samadhi refers to a state of complete evenness or equilibrium of the mind. It is what Patanjali describes in the Yoga Sutra as the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.