Written by Tanya — Yoga Alliance RYS 200 (ID 252157), trained at Devvrat Yoga School, Varkala, India (December 2025). Tanya teaches Hatha and Yin yoga at Your Ritual Yoga in Golders Green, NW11.
Most people who practise yoga regularly have heard the phrase “eight limbs of yoga” — and most could not name more than two or three of them. This is not a failure of curiosity. It is simply a reflection of how yoga is presented in the modern West: as a physical practice, with the philosophy quietly bracketed away for those who are interested.
Patanjali, who compiled the Yoga Sutras approximately two thousand years ago, would find this arrangement curious. In his framework, the physical poses — asana — occupy exactly one of eight stages on the path towards what he called samadhi: the dissolution of separation between the individual self and the greater whole. One limb out of eight.
This post walks through all eight limbs, what they mean in a language that makes sense for contemporary life, and why understanding them changes not just how you practise but how you live.
Patanjali in context
The Yoga Sutras are a compact text of 196 aphorisms, or sutras (literally “threads”), composed in Sanskrit and attributed to the sage Patanjali. The exact date is debated — estimates range from 400 BCE to 400 CE — but the text became one of the most influential in the yoga tradition, systematising practices that had existed in various forms for centuries before.
Patanjali opens with one of the most famous lines in yoga philosophy: Yogas chitta vritti nirodha — “Yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind.” The entire eight-limbed path exists in service of this single aim. Every limb — whether ethical, physical, or meditative — is ultimately a tool for quieting the restless movement of thought and arriving at the stillness that Patanjali says is our natural state.
This is worth holding as a frame throughout: the eight limbs are not separate practices to be completed in sequence. They are interlocking supports that address different dimensions of the same project.
The eight limbs at a glance
- Yamas — ethical restraints in relation to the world
- Niyamas — ethical observances in relation to oneself
- Asana — the practice of physical postures
- Pranayama — the regulation and extension of breath
- Pratyahara — withdrawal of the senses
- Dharana — concentration, the fixing of attention
- Dhyana — meditation, sustained concentration
- Samadhi — integration, absorption, union
The first four limbs are sometimes called the “outer limbs” — they deal with our relationship to body, behaviour, and world. The final four are the “inner limbs” — progressively more internal practices of mind and consciousness.
Yamas (ethics)
The Yamas are five relational ethics — principles governing how we behave in the world in relation to others. They are:
Ahimsa — non-harming. The most fundamental of the Yamas. Not causing harm in thought, word, or action to any living being, including oneself. In practice, this touches everything from how we speak to colleagues who irritate us, to how aggressively we push a stiff body in a yoga pose, to what we consume and how we consume it.
Satya — truthfulness. Speaking and living in alignment with truth, while also holding ahimsa — truth that would cause unnecessary harm is not required to be spoken. Satya asks: is what I am saying or presenting real?
Asteya — non-stealing. Most broadly understood as not taking what has not been freely given. This extends beyond objects — hoarding time, credit, energy, or attention at others’ expense all fall within asteya’s scope.
Brahmacharya — right use of vital energy. Often translated narrowly as celibacy or sexual restraint, but more broadly understood as the conscious management of one’s vital force. Energy spent in excessive pleasure-seeking, over-consuming, or habitual distraction is energy unavailable for clarity and growth.
Aparigraha — non-grasping, non-possessiveness. The practice of holding things lightly — possessions, relationships, outcomes, even identities. Aparigraha is often described as the most immediately recognisable Yama in contemporary life, because accumulation and attachment are so deeply normalised.
Yama vs niyama distinction
Where the Yamas concern our ethics outward — towards the world — the Niyamas turn inward. Both are moral codes, but the Yamas are interpersonal and the Niyamas are personal: disciplines and observances for cultivating the self.
Niyamas (observances)
Saucha — purity. The cleanliness and clarity of body, mind, and environment. Saucha includes physical hygiene but also the cleanliness of what we allow into the mind — what we read, watch, and consume. A clean studio, a clear mat, an orderly morning — these are Saucha in action.
Santosha — contentment. Not complacency, but the practice of finding enough-ness in the present circumstance, even while working towards growth. Santosha is the antidote to the perpetual dissatisfaction that drives overconsumption and comparison.
Tapas — discipline, self-purification through effort. The willingness to endure difficulty in service of growth. Showing up to practise when you do not feel like it is Tapas. Holding a challenging pose for one more breath is Tapas. The fire of tapas burns away impurity.
Svadhyaya — self-study. The practice of turning the lens of inquiry towards oneself. Reading sacred texts, reflective journaling, therapy, honest introspection — all are Svadhyaya. It is the Niyama most compatible with the modern tradition of psychological self-awareness.
Ishvara Pranidhana — surrender to a higher power. Understood variously as devotion to God, surrender to the cosmic order, or the practice of releasing the ego’s demand for control. In secular terms: the recognition that we are not the author of all outcomes, and that some peace comes from holding our efforts lightly rather than white-knuckling every result.
Asana, pranayama, pratyahara
Asana — the postures that most Westerners associate entirely with yoga — occupies the third limb. Patanjali’s definition of asana is simply “a position that is steady and comfortable” (sthira sukham asanam). He does not describe poses. He describes a quality: the ability to be still, grounded, and at ease.
In the context of the eight limbs, asana prepares the body to sit in meditation. A body in chronic pain, or whose energy is stagnant from immobility, cannot sit still enough for the internal practices of the later limbs. Asana is, at its root, a form of body preparation for something beyond the body.
Pranayama — breath regulation — follows asana as the fourth limb. The word is composed of prana (life force, breath) and ayama (extension, regulation). Pranayama is the practice of consciously shaping the breath — its rhythm, depth, duration, and retention — to influence the state of the mind. A scattered mind often has a scattered, shallow breath. A breath that is long, even, and full tends to produce a mind that is correspondingly calm.
Every class at Your Ritual Yoga includes pranayama — not as an optional addition but as a structural element, because the breath is the most direct available tool for changing the state of the nervous system.
Pratyahara — sense withdrawal — is the transitional limb between the outer and inner practices. It is the practice of withdrawing attention from the constant input of the senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch) in order to turn that attention inward. Closing the eyes in Shavasana is a simple form of pratyahara. The deep sensory quietness that can arise during sound healing — when the vibration of the singing bowl seems to fill awareness and ordinary thoughts fall away — is pratyahara, arrived at through vibration rather than effort.
Dharana, dhyana, samadhi
These final three limbs form what Patanjali calls samyama — a combined practice of ever-deepening inward focus.
Dharana — concentration. The deliberate fixing of attention on a single point — the breath, a mantra, a visual focus (trataka), a part of the body. Dharana is the beginning of meditative practice. The mind will wander. The practice is to notice the wandering and return. Every return is the practice.
Dhyana — meditation. Where Dharana is effortful — a repeated returning of attention — Dhyana is what happens when that returning becomes continuous. The gap between the meditator and the object of meditation begins to dissolve. There is just awareness, sustained.
Why most studios skip 6 of the 8
This is where the gap between contemporary yoga and the tradition it comes from becomes most visible. The vast majority of modern yoga studios teach primarily asana (limb 3), with some attention to pranayama (limb 4) and, in a good class, a moment of pratyahara in Savasana. The first two limbs — the ethical foundations — are rarely taught explicitly. The final three — pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi — are barely touched.
This is not necessarily a failure of intention. Asana is what most Western students arrive seeking, and a good physical practice has genuine value on its own. But understanding the eight-limbed framework changes how you receive that physical practice — you begin to see asana as one chapter in a longer story, rather than the whole of it.
Samadhi — integration, absorption. The eighth and final limb is the goal towards which the entire path moves. Patanjali describes several levels of samadhi, but the essential quality is the dropping of the ego’s sense of separate selfhood — the dissolution of the division between the one who perceives and the thing perceived.
Samadhi is not a permanent state achieved and then maintained. In classical yoga, it is a quality that arises — fleetingly at first, then with greater stability — in the most settled depths of meditation. Most practitioners touch it in small moments: the instant in Savasana when the boundary between self and silence is not obvious, the moment in a long breath-hold when thought stops entirely.
Modern translations worth reading
For those drawn to explore Patanjali directly, accessible modern translations include:
- The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali translated by Sri Swami Satchidananda — warm, devotional, widely used in teacher training
- Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by B.K.S. Iyengar — technically rigorous, excellent for practitioners with an Iyengar background
- The Secret of the Yoga Sutra by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait — scholarly but readable, with particular attention to the philosophical context
How to actually use this
Knowing the names of the eight limbs is interesting. Letting them change your practice is transformative.
A few practical entry points:
Choose one Yama for a month. Pick Ahimsa, or Asteya, or Aparigraha, and carry it as a lens for thirty days. Notice where it arises in unexpected places — not just in dramatic ethical decisions but in small daily interactions and choices.
Practise pratyahara in Savasana. Instead of waiting passively for Savasana to end, actively practise withdrawing attention from the room — sounds, sensations, thoughts — and redirecting it to the breath or a mantra. Notice what happens to the quality of rest when you participate in it.
Bring one Niyama into the morning. Saucha (clarity, cleanliness) in how you begin the day — a tidy space, a considered first hour, a clean-ish diet — has a noticeable effect on how the day unfolds.
Let asana be the beginning, not the whole. Every time you step onto the mat, you are practising limb three of eight. Let yourself be curious about the other seven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to follow the eight limbs in order?
Patanjali presents them in a sequence, but most teachers agree that the practice is not strictly linear. Asana is often the entry point for modern practitioners, with the other limbs gradually becoming relevant through the physical practice.
Is yoga a religion?
Yoga has philosophical and spiritual dimensions, but it is not a religion. It does not require belief in a deity, though it contains theistic elements. Practising yoga does not conflict with any religious tradition.
What is the difference between dharana and dhyana?
Dharana is the effort of fixing attention — the deliberate practice of returning the wandering mind. Dhyana is what dharana can become: a sustained, unbroken flow of attention. Dharana is practising; dhyana is what sometimes arises from sufficient practice.
Can I experience samadhi?
Brief moments of samadhi-like experience — a feeling of expansive awareness in which the sense of a separate self is temporarily absent — are not uncommon in deep meditation, long pranayama, or sound healing. Whether this constitutes samadhi in Patanjali’s precise sense is a question for more advanced study.
How does Your Ritual Yoga incorporate the eight limbs?
The studio’s practice integrates asana, pranayama, mantra (a form of dharana), and pratyahara through sound healing in Savasana. The post-class tea ritual extends the practise of saucha and santosha into ordinary life — the return to the world from the mat. The eight limbs are not announced explicitly in class, but they are present in the structure of what we do.
Curious about the philosophy behind the practice? Read more about our approach and Tanya’s training, or come and experience a Hatha yoga class where asana, breath, and mantra are woven together in every session. Read more about our philosophy →
About the author
Tanya is a Yoga Alliance RYS 200 certified yoga teacher (ID 252157), trained at Devvrat Yoga School in Varkala, India (December 2025). She teaches Hatha and Yin yoga at Your Ritual Yoga in Golders Green, NW11 — a small, intentional studio where every class includes sound healing with Himalayan singing bowls and a post-class herbal tea ritual. www.ritual-yoga.co.uk
