The Eight Limbs of Yoga

The Eight limbs of yoga provide a clear and profound pathway that guides you through the physical, mental and spiritual practices that lead towards enlightenment, or samadhi.

1: ABSTENTIONS

The five Yamas which clear negativity from the body and heart.

Ahimsa: compassion and non violence. Be kind.

Satya: Truthfulness in thought, word and deed. Be honest.

Asteya: Do not steal. Be generous.

Brahmacharya: Self restraint. Be moderate in all things.

Aparigraha: Non possessiveness and non greed. Be sharing.

 2: OBSERVANCES

The five Niyamas for our personal discipline.

Shauca: Cleanliness, keeping ourselves and our environment clean and fresh.

Samtosha: Contentment and acceptance of reality. Be happy and appreciate what you have and who you are.

Tapas: Discipline in order to grow, develop and care for yourself and others.

Svadhyaya: Study of the self. Being reflective. Get to know the your deeper nature, creating clarity in your life.

Ishvarapranidhana: Devotion. Living with constant awareness of the divine presence.

 3: YOGA POSTURES

Yogasanas

The practice of postures helps you to build confidence in yourself as well as developing physical health.

4: BREATH REGULATION

Pranayama

Breath is life . By regulating your breathing you can change your breathing patterns and consequently your patterns of being. Open yourself up to the boundless possibilities.

 5: SENSE WITHDRAWAL

Pratyahara

By looking inwards and dropping your ties and attachments to stimulants and activities of the outside world, you can begin to connect with your inner self and nature. Certain yogasanas and pranayama evoke pratyahara.

6: CONCENTRATION

Dharana

This develops attention span, mental alertness so you can focus on one matter, object, sensation or thought at a time. Exercises in dharana include looking at an object, such as a candle flame, or being completely attentive to the sound and feeling of your breath.

7: MEDITATION

Dhyana

Through the practice of concentration, dharana, meditation becomes possible by bringing you into deep connection with the object of your attention, so the everything else ceases to exist, creating oneness and total awareness.

8: ENLIGHTENMENT

Samadhi

Samadhi means to merge into oneness. In enlightenment you merge not just with your object of meditation, but with all universal consciousness, liberating yourself from the struggle of duality and separateness of you, them , him, her, fair and unfair: because we are all here in the essence of all things.

	Kirtan - Jai Uttal
	Kirtan is the calling, the crying, the reaching across infinite space—and digging into the heart’s deepest well—to touch and be touched by the Divine Presence,” teaches world music pioneer Jai Uttal. On Kirtan! The Art and Practice...
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