Yoga is an ancient practice that has become incredibly popular in recent years. With a focus on breathing, meditation, and physical postures, yoga offers a holistic approach to exercise and wellness.
What are the 8 steps of yoga?
But for beginners, yoga can seem complicated, even mystical. You may have heard seasoned yogis talk about things like chakras, prana, or the eight limbs of yoga, and wondered what it all means.
The eight limbs describe the stages a yoga practitioner goes through on their journey to spiritual enlightenment and inner peace. Understanding these eight stages provides useful context on the true meaning of yoga.
In this beginner’s guide, we’ll break down the eight limbs of yoga into simple terms to help you understand the path of yoga.
What are the 8 limbs of yoga?
The eight limbs of yoga are a road map that guides the yogi, step by step, from ignorance to enlightenment. These stages were first described by the sage Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras, a collection of 196 aphorisms on the theory and practice of yoga.
Step 1: Yama – Social Disciplines
Ahimsa (non-violence) – Practice of compassion and non-violence towards all living beings, including oneself.
Satya (truthfulness) – Living honestly and sincerely, especially by not exaggerating and deceiving others.
Asteya (non-stealing) – Not taking or using without permission what does not belong to us. Respecting what belongs to others.
Brahmacharya (moderation) – Practicing restraint and avoiding excesses in all areas of life. Moderating indulgences.
Aparigraha (non-possession) – Avoiding greed and excessive accumulation of possessions or wealth. Giving up attachment to material objects.
The yamas remind us to cultivate virtues such as compassion, honesty, respect, moderation and detachment in our interactions with others.
Step 2: Niyama – Personal Disciplines
After the social aspect of yama comes niyama, which concerns our personal habits and lifestyle. The five niyamas are as follows:
Saucha (cleanliness ) – Maintaining cleanliness of body, mind and environment.
Santosha (contentment) – Cultivating contentment and acceptance of where one is in the present moment.
Tapas (discipline) – Practice of self-discipline, austerity and commitment to yoga. Taking on challenges to strengthen the will.
Svadhyaya (self-study) – Study of spiritual texts, introspection and the search for greater self-knowledge.
Ishvarapranidhana (surrender ) – Letting go of the ego and surrendering to the divine will rather than our limited selfish desires.
Niyamas encourage habits such as cleanliness, discipline, reflection and surrender to support our spiritual growth.
Step 3: Asana – Physical Postures
Asanas refer to the physical yoga postures and sequences practiced in yoga classes. Asanas have several purposes:
Improves flexibility, balance and strength
Develops awareness and coordination of body and mind
Preparing the body for long periods of meditation
Frees the body from stress and tension
Although asana practice is extremely popular in modern yoga, it is only one step on the path of the eight limbs. Mastery of advanced postures is not enough to achieve enlightenment. Asana practice supports spiritual growth by promoting a healthy body and a focused mind.
Step 4: Pranayama – Breath Control
Pranayama involves controlling our breathing through techniques such as abdominal breathing, alternate nostril breathing, bellows breathing and breath retention.
These practices are designed to
Improve breathing efficiency
Calms the nervous system
Strengthen vitality
Purify the energy channels (nadis)
Awaken inner energy (prana or chi)
As prana means “life force”, pranayama allows us to regulate our subtle life energies and direct them towards spiritual development.
Step 5: Pratyahara – Withdrawal of the senses
Pratyahara marks the transition from external to internal practices. It involves the withdrawal of the senses from external distractions and the turning of attention inward.
We temporarily reduce the input of our five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell) to quiet the mind. This withdrawal prepares us for the three stages of internal focus and concentration.
Step 6: Dharana – Concentration
Dharana involves the development and expansion of our powers of concentration. While pratyahara withdraws the senses, dharana actively fixes our mental attention on a single point.
Common dharana practices include
Focus on the flame of a candle
Meditations on images of divinities
Repetition of the mantra while concentrating on the sound
Observe the flow of breathing carefully
Dharana trains the mind to focus without distraction, allowing one to reach deeper states of meditation.
Step 7: Dhyana – Sustained Meditation
While dharana emphasizes single-pointed concentration, dhyana extends it to an uninterrupted flow of sustained concentration.
In dhyana, the mind remains free from distraction while maintaining awareness on the object, thought or mantra. Dhyana is generally described as the state of meditation in which the mind attains calmness and oneness with the object.
Step 8: Samadhi – Blissful Union
Samadhi represents the pinnacle of meditative absorption, where the mediator’s consciousness merges and unites with the object of concentration.
During samadhi, the yogi experiences a deep state of inner calm and a transcendence of the ego and subject-object duality. The yogi then discovers the mystical bliss, energy, and interconnectedness that underlie all reality.