The Eight Limbs Of Yoga

The Eight Limbs are:

1.     Yama (The five "abstentions"): Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (Truth, non-lying), Asteya (non-covetousness), Brahmacharya (non-sensuality, celibacy), and Aparigraha (non-possessiveness).

2.     Niyama (The five "observances"): Shaucha(purity), Santosha(contentment), Tapas (austerity), Svadhyaya (study of the Vedic scriptures to know about God and the soul), and Ishvara-Pranidhana (surrender to God).

3.     Asana: Literally means "seat", and in Patanjali's Sutras refers to the seated position used for meditation.

4.     Pranayama ("Suspending Breath"): Prana, breath, "ayama", to restrain or stop. Also interpreted as control of the life force.

5.     Pratyahara ("Abstraction"): Withdrawal of the sense organs from external objects.

6.     Dharana ("Concentration"): Fixing the attention on a single object.

7.     Dhyana ("Meditation"): Intense contemplation of the nature of the object of meditation.

8.     Samadhi ("Liberation"): merging consciousness with the object of meditation.

These 8 Limbs are a must for every Yoga Workshop.