I am now more than halfway through Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) at Practice Indie. I have progressed and learned so much from day one. I am a different person from when I began YTT. The lessons and experiences of YTT have shaped who I am today and will continue to shape my existence.
The most significant impact to my life from YTT is taking my yoga practice and incorporating it into a living and evolving practice. I’ve learned that yoga is much more than the asana practice. According to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, there are eight parts, or limbs, to yoga. This is called Ashtanga, which translates from Sanskrit as eight-limbs. The eight-limb path is what makes yoga into a living and sustainable practice.
The Eight-Limb Path
In the second book of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, sutra 28 states: Yogāngānusthānād aśuddhi ksaye jñānadīptir ā vivekkakhyāteh. This translates to: By the practice of the limbs of Yoga, the impurities dwindle away and there dawns the light of wisdom, leading to discriminative discernment.
This sutra leads into sutra 29, which specifies the eight limbs of yoga: Yama niyamāsana prānāyāma pratyāhāra dhāranā dhyāna samādhyo’ stavangāni. This outlines the eight limbs of yoga as:
- Yama – Abstinence
- Niyama – Observance
- Asana – Posture Practice
- Pranayama – Breath Control
- Pratyahara – Sense Withdrawl
- Dharana – Concentration
- Dhyana – Meditation
- Samadhi – Self-Contemplation
Within these eight limbs, there is even more to know. These eight points barely scratch the surface of what truly is the practice of yoga. One of the most important lessons I have learned is that yoga is more than the physical practice. Yoga is a demanding mental, physical, and spiritual practice that takes intense dedication.
In future posts I will review each of the Eight Limbs in detail.