“Study Yoga; you will learn an infinite amount from it – but do not try to apply it, for we Europeans are not so constituted that we apply these methods correctly, just like that.” – Carl Jung, Yoga and the West

The backbone of modern Yoga is Pantanjali’s 8-Limb Path, in which each stage is a preparation for the next. In Sanskrit (Yoga’s ancient language) , it’s called Ashtanga where ashta means “eight” and anga means “limb”. Keep in mind that this is not to be confused for the widely popular style of Yoga of the same name, Ashtanga (as if this wasn’t already confusing enough).

For those who are unfamiliar with the 8-Limb Path, it is as follows:

1. Yamas: deal with our ethical standards and sense of integrity. There are five – nonviolence, truthfulness, nonstealing, abstinence, noncovetousness.
2. Niyamas: have to do with self-discipline and spiritual observances. Again, there are five: cleanliness, contentment, austerities, study and scripture and self, surrender to God.
3. Asana: we all know this one – the bendy physical postures that we (in the West) know as Yoga
4. Pranayama: control of the breath
5. Pratyhara: withdrawal of the senses
6. Dharana: concentration
7. Dhayana: meditation
8. Samadhi: a state of ecstasy

The sad truth about these limbs is that most Yogis wouldn’t know which way is up when looking at this list. As John Philp says in his book Yoga Inc., most people come to Yoga for the physical workout and dive right in to the third step, asana, without even knowing about the first two steps, or the important foundation they provide.

I’m in no way trying to belittle anyone who has taken this route. I, as a matter of fact, followed this path when Yoga found me 9 years ago. What happened to me, as does with most Yogis, is that the practice opened me in such a way that I wanted to learn more about it. As a result, I backtracked down the 8-Limb Path and learned more about the Yamas and the Niyamas. After studying them and integrating with them into my practice did I begin to realize how important these first two limbs were. They truly are the foundation of the entire practice.

If this feels like information overload, don’t fret. For the next weeks I plan on going over the Yamas and the Niyamas in detail, pulling from my own experiences and sharing how you might want to consider integrating them into your life, on and off the mat.

Trisha Lamb, former head of the California-based Yoga Research and Education Center, says about the first two limbs “If you follow them, everything unfolds very beautifully and with integrity.” So let’s try it – let’s unfold (and fold and twist and bend for that matter) beautifully and with integrity.