The Eight Limbs of Yoga are often treated as “eight steps,” but they aren’t a ladder to climb. They exist together, shaping how we live, relate, breathe, and move through the world.
Just as the limbs of the body are not separate, the eight limbs of Yoga form an integrated approach each supporting and informing the others. Together, they offer a way of understanding Yoga not as something to do, but as something to live.
Over time, practice becomes less about effort and more about embodiment and a way of life. The boundaries between the practice and the practitioner begin to soften. This natural merging is what Yoga points toward.
Yoga means union.
The eight limbs are:
Yama - Relational states of awakened awareness
Niyama - Inner qualities of aligned consciousness
Asana - Postures
Pranayama - Life Force / Breath
Pratyahara - Sense Withdrawal
Dharana - Concentration
Dhyana - Meditative absorption
Samadhi - Union of consciousness
Together, they offer a framework for understanding Yoga beyond the mat - not just as posture or exercise, but as a way of being.
Living the eight limbs
Each limb can be explored through:
- Understanding the philosophy
- Experiencing it through daily life
- Integrating it as a natural way of living
They are invitations to greater awareness, steadiness, compassion, and connection - both within ourselves and in the way we meet the world.
Over the coming months, we’ll explore each limb more deeply.
Reflection as ritual
One of the ways to explore the eight limbs is through quiet reflection. Journaling creates space to notice how these ideas already show up in your life, and where they could be cultivated.
You might choose to light incense, sit with a journal, and let reflection become a ritual rather than a task.
Journal prompts to begin
- What has drawn me to Yoga at this point in my life?
- Are there moments in my day where I naturally pause, breathe, care, or listen even briefly?
- What might change if I approached Yoga as something to embody and feel rather than something to improve or strive for?
Let this be an invitation to pause, reflect, and allow Yoga to meet you exactly where you are.
A lived exploration of Yoga
The Eight Limbs of Yoga were never meant to remain theoretical. They are meant to be lived, woven into pranayama, asana, attention, rest, and the way we meet our days. Over time, Yoga stops feeling like something separate from life and begins to quietly shape how life is lived.
Where this exploration continues
Buddhi Sangha is a space created for this kind of integration. It explores Yoga as a cohesive, living system, bringing together philosophy, intention, and embodied practices such as Kriyā, meditation, mantra, asana,Yoga Nidra, all backed by intention.
Practices are guided in rhythm with nature and the changing seasons, offering achievable ways to work across the physical, energetic, mental, and subtle bodies. Rather than adding more to your life, the intention is to support Yoga becoming part of life itself - steady, accessible, and lived.
If this approach to Yoga resonates, you’re warmly invited to explore Buddhi Sangha.
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Angela Knight
Calm Buddhi Creator, Himalayan Yoga and Meditation Master Teacher.
Level 3 Senior Registered Yoga Teacher