The Eight Limbs (Aṣṭāṅga Yoga) are the primary domains of practice within Rāja Yoga. They describe the broad areas of ourselves in which the threefold method of Kriyā Yoga are to be applied (discipline, self-study, and selfless service). Together these form the practical and holistic framework of yoga.

 

Yama – Ethical Observances:

   Ahiṁsā: Non-harming, not being mean, kindness, compassion, and equanimity.

   Satya: Truthfulness, straightforwardness in actions and relations.

   Asteya: Non-stealing – neither intellectual nor material property.

   Brahmacarya: Seeking fulfillment internally – not from our relationship with others.

   Aparigraha: Not amassing goods unnecessarily – giving without regret.

 

Niyama – Self Cultivation:

   Śauca: Mental, emotional, and physical purity.

   Saṁtoṣa: Self-contentment.

   Tapas: Mental and physical discipline, self-restraint.

   Svādhyāya: Practical and intellectual study of self, practice, and life.

   Īśvara Praṇidhāna: Equanimity, non-attachment to results, altruism, and faith beyond  just one’s own self.

 

Āsana: Structurally organizing body posture to generate sturdiness and ease.

 

Prāṇāyāma: Eliminating strain from the breath while simultaneously engaging   body posture correctly (āsana).

 

Pratyāhāra: Controling which sensory input the mind gives its attention to.

 

Dhāraṇā: Containing attention within an intentionally determined arena.

 

Dhyāna: When the containment of dhāraṇā ceases by effort and instead flows naturally.

 

Samādhi: When the flow of dhyāna removes, for a time, one’s normal concerns and ordinary habit thoughts – and only the task at hand occupies the mind.

 

 

 

Textual reference: Aṣṭāṅga Yoga in the Yoga Sūtras, 2.29 – 3.03​​

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First published: 2026 JUNE 29

Last edited: 2026 JUNE 29