Aṣṭāṅga in Yoga

Posted on November 7, 2024 by Yvonne Cattermole

Aṣṭāṅga or the ‘eight limbs’ of yoga are described in chapter two of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra. They are the tools to clarify relationship with others and with ourselves (YS2.28-9).

Yama – relationship with another
Niyama – relationship with ourselves
Āsana – relationship with our body
Prāṇāyāma – relationship with our breath
Pratyāhāra – relationship with our senses
Dhāraṇā – relationship with our mind, concentration/contemplation
Dhyāna – relationship with concept/idea/object of contemplation
Samādhi – something beyond the relationship, between our being and perception

The limbs of yoga are simultaneously present in yoga practice; sometimes obvious, sometimes subtle. That said, we are going to foreground three limbs for reflective practice: āsana , prāṇāyāma and dhāraṇā: postures, seated breathing practice and contemplation/concentration.

We often try to dampen mental stress so we can ‘get on’ and it is the body that makes us aware of the strain. The body is adept at being noticed: if we are uncomfortable we shift position, if stiff we move and stretch, if in pain we try to ease aches and soreness. If we do not listen to symptoms, there will come a time when the body makes us stop until we do. Yoga can help us avoid this enforced rest through movement, breath and focus. This reduces heaviness and agitation, encourages balance and wellness and ultimately cultivates mental clarity and physical ease.

Nuggets for practice:

To experience and gain benefit from posture practice (āsana), steadiness (sthira) and ease (sukha) need to be present (YS2.46)
Once we sit steadily and with comfort, we can start the practice of seated breathing (prāṇāyāma) (YS2.49)
- Āsana works from the outside in; prāṇāyāma works from the inside out (Paul Harvey)
Regular prāṇāyāma reduces the stresses that cloud our mind and perception, restoring mental clarity. Then we can direct our mind toward a chosen focus or goal (dhāraṇā) (YS2.52-3)
- We are not aiming to empty the mind. The mind cannot be emptied, it is a thing of wonder and it is its nature to be curious and busy. Our aim is to give our mind a beneficial focus
- Our practice is to connect and be in relationship with the body, the breath and the mind to establish a steady and comfortable focus without agitation so bringing space to our whole embodied self

This is not limited to winter but the darker months are a good time to connect to the power of reflective self care and establish your sustainable practice