The Eight Limbs of Yoga (are nothing to do with octopi)

Is yoga exercise or a way of life?

Anya Hastwell offers an irreverant look at how reality makes it difficult to follow a yogic path...

The Eight Limbs of Yoga (are nothing to do with octopi).

When most people think of yoga, they think of a series of flowing movements designed to bring about mental equilibrium and a toned, healthy physique. They’d be right of course, but there’s so much more to yoga than meets the eye. There’s all the philosophy that goes with it – and the physical side of yoga is really just the tip of the iceberg. The philosophy, aspects of diet and ethics are the aspects that are rarely delved into by most. Unless, of course, you train to be a yoga practitioner. Then your mind really will be expanded and tested to the limit.

Most yoga training programmes consist of just over 500 hours of learning, in a solid intensive month’s training, or over a longer period of time, studied part-time. I went for the month’s intensive, slightly boot-camp style Sivananda training. When I think back to how I felt after finishing the course, that is how I would like to feel every day. But it took a lot of work – 5am starts, four hours of asanas (postures) a day, three hours of lectures, karma yoga (doing unpaid jobs around the ashram), not to mention finding some time for eating and sleeping in between. A month without caffeine, alcohol, meat and spicy foods left me feeling as cleaned out as Kim and Aggie’s sitting room. How long did I keep it up? Oh, until I gave into a cup of coffee, a plate of fish and chips and a very large glass of red wine the very next day.

And that’s just my trouble. I know what I should be doing, yet there’s some simple pleasures in life (like cup of coffee or a glass of wine) that I know aren’t good for me in excess, but if I only have them occasionally, what’s the harm? I shall now give the run down of the eight limbs of yoga, and my own personal interpretation of them. They are meant to be light-hearted observations of them – I would go along with them as being good guides to work with – but I’m not one for enforced rules and deprivation. If I tell myself I shouldn’t be doing something, chances are I’ll snap at some point and end up doing it, ten times over to make up the sense of deprivation I’ve felt. And I think that’s the same for most of the human race. I can’t force myself to do something and expect to stick to it – but I’ve recently found myself gradually going off coffee. The taste of it doesn’t hold the same appeal that it once did, and that’s just when the system becomes more sensitive through yoga practice. Anyway, on with these eight limbs – they start with:

1. Yamas - Yamas, otherwise known as restraints, are five moral injuctions, designed to destroy and tame the lower, ‘base’ nature of the human psyche. 
They are:

• Ahimsa, or non violence

All very well, but I can’t help feeling impatient when in a shopping queue, when walking behind very slow people, or when someone is obviously rude. In fact it’s all I can do to put both hands in my pockets. But I guess this is all about practising self-control. But where does that anger go then? Should I allow it to give me headaches to spare the life of the wrongdoer? That’s when you just HAVE to do your pranayama and yoga to vent that spleen. Or you’ll spontaneously combust.

• Satyam, or truthfulness

Ahhh, truthfulness, something we should all definitely believe in. But what about those “little white lies”, so convenient for smoothing social creases? “Of course your new haircut suits you,” we’ve all told a friend when it’s quite clear it doesn’t. What then?

• Brahmacharya or moderation in all things. Also refers to celibacy.

Celibacy? Not through my absolute end choice. But it would save a lot of chaos and confusion, and avoidance of ‘toxic’ people, in its defence. To progress along the yogic path, and reach its higher echylons, you are recommended to give up all carnal activities. But what if you come across a really beautiful fellow swami several years down the line? Does this mean you are spiritually ‘demoted’?

• Asteya (or non stealing)

We all know this, and you shouldn’t do it. But c’mon, a bar of chocolate in the fridge left by a co-worker; your partner’s piece of birthday cake. Mmmmm. We’ve all done it.

• Aparigraha or non covetousness

Fancy your neighbour’s wife? Like his car? Or why not his house? You can’t, I’m afraid. You’re stuck with what you’ve got and you’re not allowed any more and you can’t strive to have anything else. Sorry.
I have trouble with this one. If I like the look of someone’s job or way of life and feel inspired to do something radical with my own life, does that make me covetuous? I don’t know! I suppose this one means we should appreciate what we already have, instead of wishing we had what someone else has, or someone else’s life.

2. Niyamas. The Niyamas or observances (Do's) are also divided into five and complete the ethical precepts started with the Yamas.
These qualities are:

• Saucha or purity - this internal and external cleanliness.

I bath every day and eat lots of fibre – what more do you want, really?

• Santosha or contentment

Yes, but I do strive to be better tomorrow than I was today, and I’m not happy to settle for less than I can realistically achieve.

• Tapas or austerity

Yes, I sleep on wooden slats, I get beaten over the back by an angry monk every morning. I am also under observation for other self-destructive tendancies. How more austere can life be? Eating nothing but lentils too would be quite harsh. Now there’s nothing wrong with a bit of self-discipline, but how strict do I have to be with myself?

• Swadhyaya or study of the sacred texts

But I can’t do this every single day, however hard I try. And the more I try to make myself do something, the less likely I am to do it. Fact.

•  Ishwara Pranidhana

Which involves constantly living with an awareness of the divine Presence (surrender to God's Will).I find it hard to imagine a Divine Presence when in MacDonalds; in the Underground; reading about a drunk driver. Some things in life really do just suck, however you look at it.

3. Asanas, or postures.

These are meant to be done every day, after meditation, in the very early hours of every morning. Ideally at around dawn, as the air is meant to be at its purest and most ‘sattvic’. Unfortunately, at 5am I am most likely to be asleep and the only thought likely to get me out of bed in the morning is that of breakfast, a cup of tea and Radio 2.   Asanas can wait until later.

4. Pranayama – regulation or control of the breath.

This is actually the easiest one. You can slow down your breathing at will, to calm and regulate mind and body. The extra oxygen from diaphragmatic breathing can also slow down the aging process, which has got to be good. You just have to remember to do it when the price of that unlabelled must-have flicks up on the till.

5. Pratyahara – withdrawal of the senses in order to still the mind.

I find this tricky to get my head around. But becoming less reliant on the stimulation of the senses to bring us joy (eg chocolate brownies and listening to Radio 2?). Do I have to live in a glass bubble to achieve ‘enlightenment’?

6. Dhyana – concentration. This is gaining and maintaining focus.

Whether you are at work, pouring a pint of Guinness or out-staring the crazy eco-mentalist on his mountainbike, concentration is key.

7. Dhyana – meditation. A pure state of mind brought about by Dhyana.

The victory felt when that Guinness forms into a perfect monochrome Marilyn Monroe pint of purest pleasure. Ooops, no booze allowed. Sorry.

8. Samadhi – the superconscious state, where ‘oneness’ with God or the Universe is experienced.

This is the deepest and highest state of consciousness where body and mind have been transcended. I always felt like this when cycling home after a night shift at about 5am, not having slept. But that may speak for itself, although some sleep deprivation is also part of yoga training, but that’s another story.

© Copyright 2008 - Anya Hastwell.

Thanks to Anya Hastwell for contributing this article. Please go to http://uk.linkedin.com/in/anyahastwell to find out more.

She can also write standing on her head.  Now that's multi-tasking for you.

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