HISTORY OF LIMBS

The yoga we know today is mainly known as the physical postures, however, there is more to understand yoga than the physical part of it. The Eight Limb of yoga written by Patanjali in book two of (The Yoga Sutras), outlines ethical guidelines that teach us to paying careful attention to our personal lives and it leads us to a more peaceful life.

The Eight Limbs of Yoga are linked to each other in a certain order from the external life to our personal life and its purpose is to help us find our inner peace.

DEFINE EACH LIMB

Yama - ethical values, how we see, and how we interact with our external environment.

Niyama - personal ethic, it is important to get to know ourselves, to observe ourselves, and to reflect and study ourselves.

Asana - the actual physical practice of yoga.

Pranayama - to remember to breathe, to calm the mind, and to prepare the mind for meditation.

Pratyahara - teaches us how to withdraw our senses from the outside environment.

Dharana - the importance of concentration and focus on a single object.

Dhyana - meditation, leading us to the awareness to the next limb

Samadhi - enlightenment, the final achievement of achieving the perfect state of balance.

REFLECT ON HOW THE YAMAS AND NIYAMAS CAN AFFECT YOUR LIFE EXPERIENCE

Yamas and Niyamas are teaching me to pause, and study myself, they are teaching me to understand who I am. Yamas and Niyamas also teach that I am at the present moment right here and now. Through breathing and through meditation, I can pause and take time to think about how I can improve my words and my actions by observing my past experiences, and most importantly Yamas and Niyamas are teaching me to listen to my body and to listen to my self.

WHAT ROLES DO THE ASANAS PLAY IN THE 8 LIMBS OF YOGA

Through the physical yoga practice, we learn our limitations and we learn to listen to our bodies. We learn to focus on the body and to still the mind and to connect the body to the breath. We learn to balance to make peace with our static body to be comfortable in a yoga pose.