What are the different ‘limbs’ of yoga?

The full philosophical system of yoga consists of eight limbs (ashtanga). The first limb outlines the ethical system, according to what to avoid. ‘Yama’ forms the five commandments of yoga, regarding the actions we must abstain from in order to live a good life. According to Patanjali’s eight limbs, ‘Yama’ forms a prerequisite for the further seven; so you are likely to fail in meditation or asana practice if you have not first perfected it.

1) Ahimsa – ahimsa is a key part, you might even say the foundation, of all religions. It is commonly translated as non-violence, but means even more than this. It means the refusal to cause pain, or to dominate others in thought, word or deed. It aims at complete purity of action in regard to others. The perfection of ahimsa is the perfection of compassion towards others, which also means peace within oneself.

2) Asteya – asteya is the refusal to take something without it being given. In the obvious sense, this means ‘do not steal’. However, the truth of this ethic should be taken as far as possible and include a refusal to give in to greed and the lust for accumulation. Similarly, asteya comes into the way we treat others; we should be sure not to drain the energy of others, which means making ourselves emotionally self-sufficient.

3) Satya – the third requirement of the ‘Yama’ system is to speak only truth. On the superficial level this is a commandment we are familiar with: ‘do not lie’. But, further than this it means living a life of humility. While we submit to pride and delude ourselves with inflated ideas of who we are, we do not live in truth. Living in truthfulness means living in awareness of the messages we project to the outside world.

4) Brahmacharya – the practice of self-control means we do not become enslaved to sensual pleasures. Brahmacharya is the abstinence from sensual pleasure, and is understood to be especially applicable to sexual misconduct. Improper sexual behaviour causes a great amount of turbulence to our minds, preventing the possibility of true meditation.

5) Aparigraha – this is the yogic ethic of non-possession. This, along with Brahmacharya, presents the biggest challenge to the Western mindset. Non-possession means not clinging to objects, or desiring more in life. Taken to its true extent, the yogi will not even accept gifts. This is because even the acceptance of gifts entails an attachment to receiving instead of giving. Our spiritual potential is stunted by an economy that orientates us to think in terms of gain only.

The ‘Yama’ system is just one limb of yoga’s complementary support system for every part of life and human action. It aims to free us of the stress of misconduct, without which we will never be able to sustain wellbeing. As humans, we are moral creatures, and doing good in the world is our real path to wellness.

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