The philosophical study of the 8 Limbs system of yoga, as put forth by Patanjali, can be a dizzying undertaking for all its simplicity. The sutras are so skeletal that at first glance they may appear to contain little, if anything at all, of use and then once you delve into their meaning, the depth and complexity with which these ideas intertwine and play out in life is as overwhelming as it is eye-opening, which is why I always find it useful to ground the exploration of the sutras in the meaning behind the practices.

According to Patanjali, who, so to speak, wrote the book, the aim of yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind, yogas citta vrtti nirodha and this is practiced so that the seer abides in his own true nature, tada drastuh svarupe vasthanam, which is eventually revealed to be kaivalya, the aloneness of seeing, a.k.a, pure consciousness. According to the many writings on the practice of yoga the level of consciousness through which most of us experience the world is just the “visual tip” and that entry point that we see is distorted by the unchecked pushing and pulling that goes on in the mind. Just like waves fluctuating on the surface of a lake distort our ability to see the depth and fullness that lies below, the mental fluctuations of citta distort our ability to see the depth and fullness of the consciousness that lies within.

The Ashtanga (8 Limbed) system is designed to calm the mind and increase subtle perception in preparation for the samadhic experience. The first five stages (yama, niyama, asana, pranayama and pratyahara) are considered external practices, for they help fortify the body and mind for the internal practices by removing external distractions. The last three stages (dharana, dhyana, samadhi) eliminate internal distractions so that citta ceases to function and kaivalya is experienced. Overall, it is a gradual process of moving inward that prepares the aspirant for full consciousness absorption, samadhi.

Tune in on Thursday for a continuation of this entry which will address the Niyamas, the second limb of yoga and the October theme of the month at 8 Limbs.

Posted by: Jen Yaros

Jen Yaros teaches the Yoga Sutras within her asana classes at 8 Limbs Capitol Hill, Wedgwood, and West Seattle. She will offer her perspective on the 4th and 5th limbs of yoga in her workshop at 8 Limbs West Seattle on October 3rd: Pranayama & Pratyahara. Preregistration only: 206.933.9642.

I love the name 8 Limbs Yoga Centers, because it reminds me that the path of yoga offers a wealth of direction for spiritual fulfillment on and off the yoga mat. 8 Limbs refers to ashtanga yoga’s eight-fold path, each limb equal and necessary. The first limb offered on that path is yama, a set of five moral restraints. Without this limb, our practice would feel empty. Yama can be translated to abstinence, or affectionately as love in action. This spirituality in action promises to bring us into right relationship with ourselves, the people around us, and the world. The five yamas are Ahimsa – non-violence, Satya – truthfulness, Asteya – non-stealing, Brahmacharya – continence or moderation, and Aparigraha – non-greed.

Practicing ahimsa or non-violence may seem logical and natural from the onset to many of us. However to truly cause no pain we are called to practice ahimsa not only with our actions, but also our words, and deeper yet with our thoughts. How often do we criticize our selves and others in our mind? Just becoming aware of the tone we take inside our mental conversations can be extremely awakening. The energy we create with our words, thoughts and actions emanates from us attracting the same vibrations, situations and thoughts back to us. When you hear harmful words or thoughts emanating from you, activate positive thoughts or affirmations, or change your environment until you feel better. Act out of love, and share it with yourself and others.

Satya or truthfulness guides us to be humble. In an asana practice the need for satya comes when we push for greatness and go beyond our limits, or when we stay safe and don’t explore our potential at all. Developing an intimacy with our truth comes from being quiet and listening to our inner voice. I find journaling immensely valuable for this reason, it gives me permission to hear all of what I have to say, no editing. Depending on how your truth was valued by your family that voice may be easy to hear, or almost silent. The great news is that by standing in your truth that voice becomes clear, and acting from it allows you to become your own best friend.

Trust in the natural abundance of the universe is how we live in asteya or non-stealing. Think about how many little ways we steal. We might steal time at work to be on the computer or phone; we may steal a pen from the waitress, or groceries from our parent’s house. What underlies this habit is the fear that we won’t get what we need. The sutras reassure us that when we are established in asteya the abundance of the universe flows to us effortlessly.

Living in moderation or brahmacharya is to live with simplicity, to conserve, to recycle and to reuse. Here in the Northwest there is a lot of brahmacharya going on, but our culture keeps insisting that we indulge in more. All around us are messages saying we should eat more, or starve our selves more, spend more, drink more, or medicate ourselves more. When we do we become bogged down by waste, guilt, and worry. Brahmacharya is calling us to examine every aspect or your life for balance and promises that when practicing moderation we will be energized.

The last yama but not least is aparigraha or non-greed. This yama encourages us to clear out space and make way for grace. Letting go of hording stuff from shoes and worn out cloths, to old ideas, old habits, and out dated beliefs gives us the freedom to change and become more of who we really are. We can let go of the fear of loosing part of ourselves by seeing that we are already are perfect inside. Aparigraha’s message is that nothing outside of ourselves can make us more whole.

The insight gleamed from the yamas is a gift, open up to them and you will see your practice deepen and become more fulfilling and supportive of who you truly are.

Posted by: Cookie Tamcsin

The name 8 Limbs comes from a central tenet in yoga philosophy that names eight limbs, or aspects, that give us a full kit of tools to work with any challenge we come across. These eight limbs are divulged in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali at the end of Chapter II and throughout Chapter III:
1. Yama (Attitudes towards others)
2. Niyama (Attitudes towards oneself)
3. Asana (Postures)
4. Pranayama (Breath Practice)
5. Pratyahara (Sense Withdrawal)
6. Dharana (Concentration)
7. Dhyana (Meditation)
8. Samadhi (Absorption)
Richard Freeman describes the usefulness of this eight-pronged approach as being akin to having eight legs, like a spider. The more ways we have to navigate our obstacles, the more agile we become. As Sutra II.28 says, “By dedicated practice of the various aspects of yoga impurities are destroyed: the crown of wisdom radiates in glory.”
This fall teachers at 8 Limbs will be using monthly themes in drop-in classes to spin a web, if you will, to bring you deeper into the philosophy of yoga. We’ll begin by moving through the eight limbs of yoga, from September to January. This month we’ll focus on the Yamas, attitudes towards others and the world around us. Look for a blog about the five Yamas this month.

Posted by: Anne Phyfe Palmer

My latest read is David Lynch’s book “Catching the Big Fish.” A practitioner of Transcendental Meditation for over 30 years, Lynch writes about how meditation has helped him to mine many of the ideas and images for his movies and shows. It’s a mixture of wonderful meditation propaganda and insight into his process as a filmmaker. Lynch’s book is a must-read for any of his fans or film buffs, but I find myself wishing more of the writing to be about his long journey in the practice. I am curious if anyone else has any ideas for me of books that are by longtime meditation practitioners, about how the practice feeds them and their life and work.

Posted by: Anne Phyfe

Ayurveda, the sister health science to Hatha Yoga, suggests numerous ways to regulate your body and mind during a typical hot summer day in the Pitta season (June-August). One of the classic Ayurvedic sutras indicates, “like increases like and opposites balance.” This ancient wisdom can be extremely helpful when creating your daily rituals around the seasons.

During hot Summer days, for example, try to avoid adding more heat to your body and mind (like increases like) and skip the arm balances, fast vigorous sun salutations, or other challenging poses that raise your core temperature and potentially create frustration or anger. Instead, explore seated postures, use the wall for support, visualize cool cucumber water being poured over your head or into your body as you practice, and embrace Shitali or left-nostril breathing before meditation.

Other ways to maintain balance and prevent over heating are to eat frequent meals (avoid low blood sugar moments), drink plenty of cucumber water (thin slices of cucumber soaked in water for a few hours), fresh coconut milk and mint tea.

Give yourself a full body massage before showering. Coconut oil is best to use during the summer.

Last but not least, spend time in Nature, swim, and enjoy the moonlight!

Posted by: Melina Meza

Ah, summer. The days are getting sunnier (even as they grow shorter!) and the desire to spend more time outdoors exploring this and that is strong. But how do we go out and still remain connected within? Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras offers us a framework for doing just that, a tangible way to carry our practice off the mat and into our lives.
At the beginning of this year I began a weekly examination of the Yoga Sutras within all of my asana classes. We started at the beginning of the book and are working our way, sutra by sutra, to the end. We’re about 1/3 of the way through the 1st chapter at this point and reaching one of my favorite sections of the book, where Patanjali expounds the practices we undertake in route towards nirodha – the stilling of the mind. He begins by telling us that the path is this way and then in the next sutra he say, OR, it is this way and then in the following sutra he says, OR, it is this way, and this goes on for about 15 sutras. I appreciate the idea that there isn’t one set path to reach ourselves and that every way is a way inward, if we choose. So, whether we are on the mat in downward dog or walking the dog in the park, the option and ability to cultivate greater consciousness and compassion is right there with us and the Yoga Sutras can offer us the guideline towards that exploration.
Starting your day with the reading of just one sutra is a simple and quick way to orient yourself, set the tone for the day and deepen your practice. My favorite translation and commentary is Four Chapters on Freedom by Swami Satyananda Saraswati (published by the Bihar School of Yoga). Last I checked we had a couple copies at the boutique in Capitol Hill, so if you are interested in some summer reading and allowing your practice to spill over into your daily life, check it (or other variations) out or pop into one my classes (at all three studios) and explore the Sutras in a more formal setting.

Posted by: Jen Yaros

An inversion is typically classified as any posture where our pelvis is elevated above our head. Inversions are powerful physical and energetic yoga practices with their roots in the practical, theoretical, and esoteric teachings of yoga.
On a practical level, the regular practice of inversions has been proven to offer many health benefits. There are four major systems within the body that the regular practice of inversions positively influences: cardiovascular, lymphatic, nervous, and endocrine.
On a theoretical level, an important concept in Ayurveda, yoga’s sister science, offers that many of the body’s impurities reside in the lower abdomen. When we elevate our pelvis above our head in inverted postures, gravity assists us in moving these toxins towards what Ayurveda calls our inner agni (fire). In this case agni refers to our “digestive fire” which is located above the lower abdomen and is said to kindle all of our biological processes.
On an esoteric level, one of the oldest surviving classical Sanskrit manuals, the “Haṭhayoga Pradīpikā” classifies the headstand, shoulderstand, and other related inverted postures under “Viparita Karani” (viparita = inverted, karani = process). According to the Author, Swami Swatmarama, Viparita Karani is considered one of ten sacred mudras (energetic seals) that “conquer old age and death.” However, this requires a daily practice of Viparita Karani Mudra for three hours!
Learn more about inversions, their benefits, and how to integrate them into your practice on July 11th at 8 Limbs Capitol Hill. All levels welcome.
What are your stumbling blocks in and questions about Inverted Poses?

Posted by: Maygen McGrew

As you head out of your regular routine into a Holiday Weekend, consider how you can personally connect to Independence Day. One can focus on July 4th as the date of our Declaration of Independence from England, or we can remember that the underlying idea is that of FREEDOM.
The word in Sanskrit for freedom or liberation is moksha. One who experiences freedom while in the body (still living) is a jivanmukti. In other words, freedom is possible in this body, in this life.
The paradox is that the freedom comes from commitment. We have learned recently that we can’t take our freedoms for granted here in America; we have to stay vigilant and fight for the rights that our country was founded upon and push to continue to expand these freedoms.
In yoga freedom comes from a commitment to practice. Even on these beautiful days, a few minutes of downward dog and some meditation can contribute to our sense of freedom when the clouds come and we aren’t getting high from the sunlight. Take your mat to the park, enjoy the calm of our studios, or wake up and sit up in bed for a few minutes.
Tell us what freedom the practice has brought to your life. And have a great “Freedom Day”

Posted by: Anne Phyfe

The science issue of Ascent Magazine in 2001 was the spark I needed to start my meditation practice. An article about Dr. Andrew Newberg’s research on the brains of Buddhists and nuns while meditating gave me the scientific proof that this sitting business was going to get me somewhere (sorry, that’s what I needed!). In the tests, meditators pulled a string when they felt at the height of their meditative state, dye was injected into their brains, their brains were then studied.
Here’s what got me: “the finding that caused the greatest excitement was that neurological information to the Orientation Association Area (OAA), was greatly reduced or “deafferented.” The OAA, located at the top rear section of the brain, is the part responsible for orienting the body in physical space. One way that it does this is to clearly define the limits of an individual’s body – it distinguishes the “you” from “not you.” If this area were to have no sensory information with which to do its job, logic followed that the individual would not be able to determine where he or she ended and where the rest of the world began.”
Perhaps the feeling of separateness most of us feel is due to our biology. For survival we are wired to locate ourselves in space. With meditation practice our attention is not going towards this task and we feel oneness with all. What is seemingly ethereal is really practical.
I had experienced something like this after a workshop with Tias Little. The sense of where I ended and the rest began was GONE, and I floated in this state for who knows how long (it was also timeless!). Receiving scientific proof that meditation (when practiced regularly) affected the part of our brains somehow turned the switch for me. Now my primary practice is meditation, asana comes if I have enough time. The affects on my quality of life have been substantial.
A few weeks ago NPR ran a series called The Science of Spirituality.
This five-part series addresses the relationship between spiritual practice and the brain, addressing “The Biology of Belief”, exploring “Spiritual Virtuosos” and “Near-Death Experiences.” Check it out. Maybe it will be the spark that ignites something new!
If you have a meditation practice, tell us what helped you get started!

Posted by: Anne Phyfe

It may not seem like it today, but yesterday showed spring at its best: Mother Nature is busy unthawing from winter and growing new shoots. Guess what? Our bodies are doing the same thing! To help you release the winter (damp/cold) in your muscles considering adding these following asanas into your daily practice until the sun can warm your skin.

Prasarita Padottanasana (standing wide leg forward bend)
Virabhadrasana II (warrior 2)
Garudasana (eagle)
Parsva Utkatasana (revolved chair)
Upavista Konasana (seated wide leg forward bend)
Gomukasana (cow face)
The inner and outer leg muscles are addressed specifically as they relate to the organs most likely to be stressed; the liver and gallbladder. Hold each pose until you feel the muscles release heat.
Learn more about creating seasonal practices for your wellbeing on May 9th and June 13th at 8 Limbs Wedgwood.

Posted by: Melina Meza