Yoga translates from its Sanskrit root ‘yuj’ to yoke, join together, connect, unite.   So the practice of yoga is both this state of union and the practice thatencourages it.   More specifically Ashtanga Yoga was described by the great sage Patanjali in his seminal text The Yoga Sutras as an eight limbed path to yoga, a clear method that moves and engages the practitioner in discovering their true nature.  

When participating wholeheartedly in all aspects of the practice as prescribed by Patanjali the practitioner steadily transitions towards a place where the physical, mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual aspects of development are accounted for and integrated.   

Sometimes modelled upon a tree with eight branches, it is important to remember that each limb nourishes and enhances the experience of the other branches and should not be pursued as a separate entity.   Just as a tree relies on the sum of its parts, when all branches are considered, nourished and valuedthrough practice the overall health of the tree (ourselves) thrives and becomes vibrant.

The eight limbs consist of moral principles (yama), observances (niyama), posture (asana), breath control (pranayama), withdrawal of the senses (pratyahara), concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana) and contemplation (samadhi).   

Through regular, intelligent and devoted practice of the limbs of yoga the light of knowledge shines forth.   In the initial stages of the student’s yoga journey, asana can be crucial as the gateway for our interest.   The physical aspect of practice helps to train the body and grow our awareness of the tendencies of the mind, promoting strength and stability in both.   It is equally important early on in our journey that we understand and enquire into the importance and weight of yamas and niyamas.   Not only do they greatly influence our relationship and undertaking of asana, posture practice, so that it is sustainable and enduring, they also become the foundations of deepening our spiritual practice via assessing and perhaps modifying our personal and worldly codes of living. 

Once the practitioner establishes firm roots in the first four limbs, the practice begins to work its own magic and progressively the last four limbs spontaneously evolve over time, developing awareness and discrimination and allowing ignorance to be dispelled.