Beyond Asana - The 8 Limbs of Yoga

I have been a yoga practitioner for over a decade. When I first started, all I knew were the poses - the asana. I was fascinated by teachers who could chant in Sanskrit or lead the group in a chakra-toning meditation, but I mainly attended classes as a form of physical exercise in the beginning. This is the case for a lot of folks. Talk of chakras sounds far out until you gain an understanding of what they are actually referring to. Tuning your chakras is another way of saying that you are checking in with your central nervous system and bringing awareness to the health and vitality of your body and spirit. It’s a good thing, no matter how you word it. 

It takes a conscious dive into all 8 Limbs of Yoga to reap the true benefits of Yoga. Asana is only one of these limbs. While practising asana alone has great benefits - incorporating the wisdom from the other 7 limbs into your life and daily rituals can be physically and spiritually transformative. 

Jumping back in time to the beginning of my yoga journey - after six months or so of practice, I started to feel huge shifts in my physical body’s balance and flexibility and a growing, newfound spiritual, emotional, and intellectual balance. All of this reflected positive changes in how I cared for myself and showed up in the world for others.

Over a decade later, I am a 200-hour certified teacher and Vedic meditation instructor. The gifts these practices have bestowed upon me are undeniably positive. 

What are the 8 Limbs of Yoga? Here’s a quick breakdown for you - 

• The Yamas (involving peace, truth, abundance & freedom from attachment) 
• The Niyamas (physical, mental and spiritual hygiene, contentment, discipline to transform limiting beliefs, introspection -self-study) 
• Asana (the physical seats or postures in practice)
• Pranayama (breathing techniques)
• Pratyahara (sense withdrawal - going inward)
• Dharana (focused concentration) 
• Dhyana (full meditative state)
• Samadhi - (total bliss or enlightenment) 

The first concept within the Yamas is Ahimsa, which translates to being consciously peaceable and doing no harm. This means not only doing no harm to others but also being kind to yourself. This is a grand starting point for anyone wishing to improve their health and well-being. 

Practicing pranayama is key to learning how to be present in your body and regulate your nervous system in a balanced way. The following limbs can be integrated and begin to be studied through regular meditation practice. 

We have all experienced moments of Samadhi in our lives. Anytime you have lost yourself in a moment of pure bliss and joy, even just for a moment - this is Samadhi. Learning to live more in the natural flow of life, being open to all possibilities and cultivating inner peace allows us to experience more access to a blissful state. We tend to think of the concept of “enlightenment” as unattainable by regular people. It’s true that permanently existing in that expansive state of consciousness in this modern world is not likely to happen to any of us - but learning methods and gaining wisdom on how to live in our truth and experience more joy is a totally attainable reality. 

If you are curious to learn how to infuse your daily life with simple practices to bring more purpose and joy into focus, let’s make it happen! Contact me for info on private yoga sessions, including simple teachings on these Vedic philosophies and how they can help you elevate your body and spirit. 

Are you looking for affordable, gratifying ways to boost your fitness? Hiking can be one of the easiest ways to challenge yourself and brings with it a multitude of gifts from the natural world. We don't have to climb mountains or trek for tens of miles to gain the benefits of taking a walk outside. A ritual of taking a leisurely stroll on a path in a local park can bring us a more calm mental state and gets you more steps in over time in a way that helps sustain a healthy level of fitness. Walking is a valid fitness practice! It helps maintain a healthy weight, prevents a myriad of chronic conditions such as heart disease and high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. Over time it helps strengthen your muscles and bones, improves the quality of your sleep and reduces anxiety and stress. 

For folks who are more adventurous or goal driven... tackling a trail that winds for miles to a particular destination or even a mountain peak can be an amazing way to discover your mental focus, determination and become a restorative, meditative practice all the while boosting your physical fitness levels dramatically. 

For me, personally, dedicating myself to goals on trails has been life changing. I have made it up onto peaks I never dreamed I could tackle, which in turn has helped me realize goals in other areas of my life. Once you embrace the reality that you can do hard things and they can be wildly gratifying... the sky is literally the limit. The wealth you cultivate in a regular hiking ritual will definitely spill over into other parts of your life and relationships. All you need is a good pair of shoes, a little ruck sack and to start walking. Always consider your safety when taking off to points unknown, bring ample water and snacks and a way to stay warm if the weather should turn on you. A Garmin watch can be a life saver for finding your way on unfamiliar trails or hiking apps like alltrails provide maps and advice for most all pf the places we wander. 

Finding community on the trail can be a really enriching aspect of the hiking pursuit as well. There are many communities that have hiking groups, folks who wander the woods together and find inspiration and friendship in doing so. Check out websites like meetup.com to find groups near your home to join up with, if you are not the type to venture out alone. 

Take yourself for a walk outside a few times over the next month and note how you feel afterward. Perhaps you will find it's a path you want to find yourself on more often!