Yoga 101 - everything but the poses

How often do you hear “..well Yoga's just stretching isn’t it” - for anyone that’s taken the time to study Yoga this can be really frustrating as there are so many different areas of Yoga besides the asanas (postures) - here’s a quick history lesson and run down of what Yoga actually is!

The 8 Limbs of Yoga

There are in fact 8 areas of yoga known as The 8 Limbs - these were complied by Pantanjali who was an ancient sage (a person who is said to have attained wisdom), and written within his Yoga Sutras.

The Yoga Sutras were compiled in the early centuries CE by Pantanjali who was said to have organised all of the knowledge about yoga within them from much older traditions and studies.

There are over 100 sutras but the most well-known and referred to is the 8 Limbs - they are essentially ways in which you can lead both disciplined and purposeful life according to yogas traditions.

The 8 Limbs consist of:
Yamas (restraints)
Niyamas (observances)
Asana (Posture)
Pranayama (Breath control)
Pratyahara (Withdrawal of the senses)
Dharana (Concentration)
Dhyana (Meditation)
Samadhi (Pure contemplation)

Yamas and Niyamas

Restraints and Observances

Yamas - Restraints

Ahimsa (non-violence)
Non-violence to all living beings - this relates to both words and thoughts, towards others and yourself.

Satya (truthfulness)
Being truthful in all sense of the word, and again towards others and yourself.

Asteya (non-stealing)
Non-stealing in terms of property, but also things like not stealing time from people, or not considering self-care and stealing love from yourself.

Brahmacharya (celibacy or fidelity)
This has a slightly different meaning than what we consider celibacy, it is described as when a person completely controls their body and mind. It was considered necessary for a monk's spiritual practice.

Aparigraha (non-possessiveness)
Keeping the desire for possessions to only what is necessary, can be hard in what is quite a materialistic world.

Niyama - Observances

Saucha (purity)
Purity of mind body and soul.

Santosha (contentment)
Contentment, satisfaction, and acceptance of yourself and others.

Tapas (persistence)
Tapas is a series of spiritual meditation practices which take persistence due to solitude. It is also part of monastic practices that are said to lead the practitioner to Moksha (liberation.)

Svadhyaya (self-study)
This one is pretty much as it reads, the practice of self-study and continued exploration and introspection.

Isvara Pranidhana (surrendering to a higher power)
This has a few definitions depending on where you look, committing what you do to a Lord/special person is one, but also acceptance.

Asana - Posture

The most well-known of the 8 Limbs is Asana. This is the physical part of the yoga practice. There are said to be 84 postures, but over time different variations have been created.

Pranayama - Breath control

Perhaps something else more familiar than some of the others is Pranayama, or breath control. The word itself is translated as life force and it is the foundation of physical practice and your life off the mat. The breath can make a difference in most situations, and having the ability to find control with it can be incredibly beneficial.

Pratyahara - Withdrawal of the senses

This doesn't mean closing your eyes and holding your breath, it's more about mentally withdrawing and placing the awareness just on yourself rather than external factors.

Dharana - Concentration

To hold and maintain, to keep the awareness where it needs to be.

Dhyana - Meditation

A time to reflect. Not stilling the mind completely because this is not mediation, but stilling the fluctuations to find introspection.

Samadhi - Pure contemplation

The point at which the practitioner loses awareness of being in meditation.

The History of Yoga

There is much more noted in the ancient texts that support the history and philosophy that is the root of true yoga practice, but it is important to remember when reading these scriptures how long ago they were written, and whom they were written for.

For many of us, living by all of the 8 Limbs would not be possible in the world we live in, and please know if you're reading this, that it's ok if you don’t. If you're a teacher and only teach asana, that is also ok - yoga is deep, and not everyone wants to take that dive down to the depths of all that it is and can be, but just know if you want more than asana, there is a lot more behind this ancient practice.

Want to know more?

If you'd like to learn more about Yoga we have a Yoga Basics course designed around just that, if you’re interested you can email info@yogacourse.com to request a free syllabus.

Or maybe you’re interested in teaching yoga - if so we have 200hr Yoga Teacher Training, 300hr Yoga Teacher Training and the combined 500hr Yoga Teacher Training available.