THE 8 LIMBS OF YOGA: YAMA

For the next 8 weeks we will take you through Patanjali’s 8 limb path of yoga. This path comes from ‘Astanga Yoga’ and is not the same as Krishnamacharya’s Astanga Vinyasa Yoga.

Considered the beginner path or the path for us worldly people, it comprises the steps that lead us to the ultimate way of being, Samadhi. These steps are not hard and fast in this particular order. You will find they interweave with each other.

The eight limbs are: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. We’ll go into each one in more detail each week, and will use our practice to highlight the weekly focus. This week we’ll focus on Yama.

Yama means abstinence, or restraints. What not to do in practice and/or life. The Yamas are broken down into five categories of Ahimsa (non violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacarya (continence), and Aparigraha (non-greed).

The more we are clear of these things, the more space we create for us to understand ourselves on an even deeper level. Hope to see you in the mat this week!