Yoga philosophy: Patanjali’s 8 fold path
“Atha yoga nusasanam.
(Now the authoritative teaching of Yoga can begin.)”
Patanjali's Yoga Sutra 1.1
Given how important Patanjali is to the yoga movement, there aren’t a lot of details about who this ancient sage actually was and when he churned out his work. It was probably some time around the second century BCE (before the common era) or the second century CE. It’s also not clear if there was just one author of the Yoga Sutras or if they resulted from a collective of great sages who spanned generations. I like the idea that they were developed over time by wise people who didn’t need the accolades.
The Yoga Sutras (or threads) are regarded as the bees’ knees of authoritative texts on yoga. They include 195 aphorisms (a concise statement that contains a general truth) or nuggets of wisdom, and they offer guidelines for living a meaningful and purposeful life.
Interestingly, they don’t focus just on yoga poses - asanas are mentioned three times, pranayama about ten times, and there’s a big focus on meditation (around 50-60).
Patanjali’s eight limbs of yoga
Did you know that Ashtanga actually means the Eightfold Path? Ashta means eight and anga means limb. And here I was thinking Ashtanga Yoga was a challenging asana sequence!
Yamas: Social restraints and moral codes of yoga.
Niyamas: Observances, rules, and guidelines.
Asana: Yoga postures or poses. This limb emphasises the importance of caring for the body and developing the discipline to advance spiritual growth.
Pranayama: Use of breath. Breathing techniques can reduce stress and improve physical and mental health. You focus deeply on breath control through inhalation, breath retention, and exhalation patterns.
Pratyahara: Withdrawal - disengaging your mind from external disturbances and controlling your reaction to them. Your five sense organs still detect external stimulation, but you don't allow them to disrupt your state of mind.
Dharana: Concentration. The goal is to bind your consciousness to one particular object, place, or idea. Focusing your attention on one thing helps quiet your mind by closing off a path for other thoughts to seep in.
Dhyana: Meditation. This is similar to dharana, except you reach a state of being where you are so completely immersed in your meditation that it becomes a part of your consciousness.
Samadhi: Bliss or enlightenment. This is the highest state of consciousness you can achieve through meditation, where you reach spiritual enlightenment and the self, the mind, and the object of meditation merge together into one.