Do you believe in only the physical aspects of yoga? Or you ever wondered about how deep you can connect with yourself? Yoga is a wider term, having yoga poses, breathing techniques, meditation techniques, and much more. When the talk is about engulfing yourself in yoga, you cannot shy away from understanding the 8 limbs of yoga.
The mastery of one dimension can never lead to the path of enlightenment. Though not everybody has the desire to be living like a yogi, yet some parts from the whole body of yoga can be implemented in your life to have an awakened self.
Yama
When you talk about ethical standards, morals, and integrity, it comes under the scope of the first limb of yoga. As you focus on the first limb, you witness a change in your behavior. Below given are 5 Yamas:
Ahimsa
Satya
Asteya
Brahmacharya
Aparigraha
Niyama
Niyama refers to the self-regulatory rules, self-discipline, and spiritual observations. Regular Niyama practices involve walks in nature, praying, or the way of living that places you on the path of spiritual awakening. 5 types of Niyama are as follows:
Saucha
Samtosa
Tapas
Svadhyaya
Isvara Pranidhana
Asana
Asanas are physical yoga poses that work on your body, to make it stronger and flexible. According to yoga philosophy, your body is a temple for your spirit. It is not just about how well you perform complex yoga asanas, rather how well maintained and pure is your physical self is what counts more.
Pranayama
Breath is the life-force that is necessary to sustain your being. While you learn to control your breath, you learn to harness your energy and direct it towards the vital organs of your body.
When you practice 8 limbs of yoga, you work towards the mastery of your breath. Therefore, you form a deep link between your tangible self and intangible force.
Pratyahara
When you move inward from focusing on your breath to the inner awareness, you get the opportunity to stand face to face with your deep-seated desires, demons, and thoughts. Moreover, you confront your monkey mind, your thinking patterns, behavior, and other unconscious aspects of your life.
Dharana
With every step of the 8 limbs of yoga, you are moving from outside to within, towards the innermost plain of your being. When you practice dharna, you undergo a state of deep concentration, devoid of outer distractions.
It might take time as dharna is a slower process that channelizes your energetic centers, your vibrations are raised to a whole new different plain, and your frequency is tuned to that of your spiritual dimension.
Dhyana
Meditation practices come under the Dhyana. Through deep meditative state, you reflect upon your existence. You might be confusing Dharana and Dhyana. However, Dhyana is a state of flow, of awareness without putting your focus on any particular thing like that in Dharana.
Samadhi
When you reach the final stage of 8 limbs of yoga, you attain samadhi where your awareness transcends into your self. You feel a connection with the Universe, with the Divine, or the source of life of all the living beings.
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These might seem like impossible goals that are out of the reach of layman yoga practitioners. However, being consistent and implementing 8 limbs of yoga in your life is a way to attain mastery in each limb.
You can also enroll in a Yoga Alliance certification course to improve your knowledge about yoga, yoga philosophy, and learn the true purpose of life. Feeling of joy, gratitude, love, empathy, abundance, and you experience the truest form of freedom.
Read more: Learn Ashtanga Yoga In India, the Birthplace of Yoga!