The Eight Limbs of Patanjali's Ashtanga: A Living Framework

Most people who practise yoga in the contemporary world are practising one eighth of yoga. The physical postures, asana, constitute one limb of an eight-limbed system described by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras, written approximately two thousand years ago.

The eight limbs

Yama (ethical restraints), Niyama (personal observances), Asana (physical posture), Pranayama (breath regulation), Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation), and Samadhi (absorption).

Understanding the framework does not make the asana practice less important. It makes it more honest. When you know that the posture is preparing the body to sit still, and that sitting still is preparing the mind to concentrate, and that concentration is the door to meditation, the whole practice becomes coherent in a new way.

Yoga beyond the mat

At Maatre we practise yoga beyond the mat: through Karma, Bhakti, Jnana, Hatha, Raja and Mantra Yoga, and through the little ways we live, work, and share space with one another. The afternoon Jnana Yoga session, reading scripture followed by satsang and discussion, is where frameworks like this one come alive.

Knowledge sets you free.

Retreats you might like