The Eight
Limbs of
Yoga
Raja yoga is
frequently
described as
the
scientific
path to
yoga. This
is because
it lays out
in a very
clear,
simple, and
systematic
way a series
of steps
that a
practitioner
of yoga can
follow to
achieve
enlightenment.
These steps,
which are
detailed in
Patanjali’s
Yoga Sutras,
form a sort
of ladder,
each
practice
building
sequentially
on the
practice
that
precedes
it. The
eight limbs,
or rungs, of
raja yoga,
presented
from the
first to the
eighth are
as follows:
1. Yama.
Yama means
“self-restraint”
or
“self-control”
in Sanskrit.
The yamas
are a set of
ethical
practices,
somewhat
like the
commandments
of the Old
Testament,
which form
the basis
for
spiritual
development.
In order to
be
liberated,
the yoga
aspirant
first must
abstain from
engaging in
behavior
that will be
detrimental
to his
well-being
and that of
others.
Patanjali
prescribes
five yamas
that are to
be observed:
nonviolence
(ahimsa);
not telling
lies, or
being
truthful
(satya); not
stealing
(asteya);
not wasting
one’s sexual
energy, or
literally,
demonstrating
“brahmic
conduct”
(brahmacarya);
and not
being greedy
(aparigraha).
By
practicing
these five
yamas, one
develops the
self-control
necessary
for the
pursuit of
the highest
goals of
yoga.
2. Niyama.
Niyama means
restraint in
the sense of
“discipline”
or “moral
observance”
in Sanskrit.
The niyamas
are a set of
ethical
principles
by which the
practitioner
of yoga is
advised to
conduct his
life.
Patanjali
details five
niyamas that
are to be
practiced:
purity
(saucha),
contentment
(santohsa),
asceticism
(tapas),
study
(svadhyaya),
and
surrender to
a higher
power
(Isvara-pranidhana).
Taken
together,
the niyamas
provide a
prescription
for right
living.
3. Asana.
Asana means
“seat” or
“posture” in
Sanskrit.
The asanas
are a
prescribed
set of
physical
postures, or
poses, that
are meant to
purify and
steady both
the body and
mind. For
many people,
yoga is
synonymous
with these
postures,
which form
the basis of
what is
known as
hatha yoga,
which is
derived from
the system
of raja
yoga. The
asanas play
such an
important
role in yoga
that they
have given
rise to many
approaches
to
practicing
them. Much
of the
confusion as
to what yoga
is in the
West is
caused by
these
various
approaches
to executing
the physical
postures of
yoga.
Because of
the
importance
that these
poses play
in yoga and
the
diversity of
ways in
which they
can be
practiced,
the first
few sections
of Yoga for
Men are
devoted to a
description
of the
various
styles of
yoga that
have
developed in
response to
the practice
of raja and
hatha yoga.
4.
Pranayama.
Pranayama
means
“control (or
extension)
of the
breath” in
Sanskrit.
The breath
(prana) is
more than
just the air
we take in
and exhale,
however.
Breath is
also
synonymous
with vital
energy, or
the life
force.
Without
breath there
is no life.
Practitioners
of yoga
believe that
it is
essential to
learn to
control the
breath in
order to
still the
mind.
Consequently,
detailed
practices
have been
developed to
enhance the
flow of
breath, or
vital life
force. These
practices
include
various ways
of inhaling,
retaining,
and
expelling
the breath.
The practice
of pranayama
is so vital
to yoga that
you will
find a
separate
section
detailing
the most
frequently
practiced of
these
breathing
techniques
in Chapter
16.
5.
Pratyahara.
Pratyahara
means
“withdrawal”
or “starving
the senses”
in Sanskrit.
The practice
of
pratyahara
entails
withdrawing
the senses
from sensory
objects, as
in sleep.
6. Dharana.
Dharana
means
“concentration”
in Sanskrit.
Once the
practitioner
of yoga has
withdrawn
the senses
from
external
objects, he
practices
concentration,
for
instance, by
focusing
single-pointedly
on an object
of
awareness,
such as a
mental image
or a sound.
7. Dhyana.
Dhyana means
“meditation”
in Sanskrit.
As the
practitioner’s
concentration
develops, it
deepens into
meditation.
8. Samadhi.
Samadhi
means
“bliss” or
“ecstasy” in
Sanskrit.
Once the
aspirant has
perfected
the
preceding
steps on the
ladder of
yoga, he
enters into
a state
sometimes
referred to
as
superconsciousness,
in which the
individual
self merges
with the
infinite
consciousness
of the
universe.
This state
of bliss is
the ultimate
goal of raja
yoga. These
eight
practices
comprise the
eight-runged
ladder
referred to
as ashtanga
yoga. Taken
together,
they form a
kind of
guide to
developing
self-control.
The first
two sets of
practices
prescribe
how to
establish
self-discipline
over one’s
conduct and
behavior
toward
others
through a
system of
do’s and
don’ts of
ethical
behavior.
The next two
practices
teach how to
achieve
self-discipline
of the
physical
body. The
last four
practices
provide
detailed
instruction
on how to
gain mastery
of the
senses and
mind,
leading to
self-realization.
