What is Yoga Philosophy?
What is Yoga Philosophy and How to Apply it to your Life and Practice
Oftentimes, as Westerners, when we say “I practice yoga” we mean that we put our Lululemon’s on and scurry in our fleece-lined booties to the nearest yoga studio for class.
This is all well and good, and sure, you are indeed entitled to the designation of “yogi” or “yogini”; however asana (your physical practice) only encapsulates one of the eight limbs of yoga as defined in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
Yoga philosophy, one of the six major orthodox schools of Hinduism, begins with the concept of “Samkhya’s dualism” in which the universe as we know it can be conceptualized as composed of two separate realities: Purusha (consciousness or spirit) and Prakriti (mind and emotions, nature and matter). Patanjali tells us that our experiences in yoga help us to discern the difference between the two as we practice the 8-limbed path.
So what are these limbs and what the heck is this path? Patanjali has carefully laid out the human trajectory towards moksha, the liberation from imbalance or ignorance– often referred to as enlightenment.
Patanjali maintains that first and foremost, yogis should practice moral disciplines or restraints. Limb one, the Yamas offers five moral vows or restraints to be practiced by the yogi: Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (right use of energy), and Aparigraha (non-attachment, non-greed, non-hoarding).
B.K.S Iyengar, who offers one of the most popular translations of the sutras, explains that the Yamas are “unconditioned by time, class and place.” This beautiful thought seeks to instill the idea that whoever we are, no matter where we have come from, or how much yoga we have practiced, we are all equally capable of incorporating these restraints into our everyday lives.
Following the Yamas is limb two, the Niyamas. The prefix “Ni” means “inward” or “within”. The five Niyamas guide our actions from the inside out and include: Saucha (purity or cleanliness), Santosha (contentment), Tapas (discipline, burning desire or conversely burning of desire), Svadhyaya (self-study or self-reflection in response to the teachings of yoga), and Isvarapranidhana (surrender to a higher power).
Oh, there it is, limb three: Asana. Not most important, not even second most important, but third on Patanjali’s list of steps to enlightenment. Are you someone who always rises to the challenge of practicing the most advanced variation of the pose offered by your teacher? Get this: within the text of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika is listed the “most important yoga posture”: sthirasukhasana. Sthira meaning ease and Sukha, steadiness, intends “the pose that the practitioner can hold comfortably and motionless.” In sum, notice next time you are mumbling and grumbling through Bird of Paradise Pose and take it down a notch.
After we begin to master some of the core physical postures in yoga, we are ready for limb four: Pranayama. Prana means “energy” or “life force” and also implies breath. You already know Yama to mean “restraint.” Taken together, we have controlled breath—but once added to asana, it feels more like “freedom of breath” or “breath liberation.” Some common examples of pranayama techniques that you may have already practised include, Nadhi Shodhana or “alternate nostril breathing,” and Kapalabhati or “breath of fire.”
Patanjali next gives us limb five: Pratyahara. This concept can be understood as withdrawal of the senses, or turning the gaze inward. At this point in the 8-limbed path, Patanjali is asserting that vrittis or distractions that arise out of an outward focus are a hindrance to our practice. For a deeper practice and level of introspection we are asked to ignore all external stimuli as well as internal chatter.
Once we have cleared our minds of distraction, we are ready to hold or maintain a focused concentration. Limb Six: Dharana is often reached via Pranayama and Pratyahara; and many refer to this stage as meditation.
But it’s not.
Its limb seven: Dhyana that is the real deal, folks. This concept, meaning “absolute absorption into our object of meditation,” is completely unlike the limbs before it. Dhyana is a state rather than a practice. It is something that happens or occurs to the yogi as a result of everything else; it is not something that the yogi “does”. This is meditation.
Lastly, limb eight: Samadhi marks the final journey on Patanjali’s path. Samadhi, meaning “bliss or liberation,” does not imply (contrary to popular belief) that the yogi has floated away in a complete state of bliss and ecstasy. Rather sama, meaning “same” or “equal” and dhi meaning “to see” is not about escapism but an ability to “see equally” and without distraction, ignorance, or illusion, the very life that is in front of us.
But that’s not all there is. Once the yogi dives into the complexities of the eight-limbed path, she quickly learns that the limbs have limbs, and those limbs have branches, and those branches have twigs and so on. While yoga is a means to an end, it is also an end in and of itself. Even the individual who reaches Samadhi will learn that this is not a permanent state. We are, at the end of the day, only human.
The human condition implies attachment, aversion, desires, and habits that will ebb and flow leaving us in a constant state of change and therefore growth. All this to say, don’t be discouraged by the journey ahead, but rather encouraged by the myriad directions your learning, growth, and practice can take in this lifetime.
Ready to deepen your practice?
Mangala Yoga has made it easy for you to delve into the first two limbs of the 8-limbed path with online courses that will get you well on your way.
Our carefully planned Yama Study is designed to break through your limiting beliefs, identify and transform old patterns and behaviors through journaling, help you build a daily meditation practice. The Niyama Study which follows is designed to help you maintain healthy activities and habits to optimize your practice, transform your thoughts into actions through journaling, help anchor you and your journey of spiritual enlightenment through the use of hand mudras.
Click here for more information or to register for one of these affordable courses.
