I'm often surprised by the number of people who say they practice Yoga yet have never heard of Yoga's 8-Limbs.
The 8-Limbs of Yoga are what empower yoga to transform our everyday lives.
The 8-Limbs provide a practical toolkit to allow us to first honestly observe, and then adjust our minds tendencies. This means we can learn to adjust our own perceptions, personalities and mindsets allowing us to make sustainable changes in our lives. Along the way, we learn to make our mind our own best friend, unveiling a sense of inner peace, that remains present even when life turns stormy.
I wrote this E-book during lockdown, pulling together my understanding of the 8-limbs of yoga and presenting them in a bite-size format to help keep alive the knowledge of how authentic yoga works in real life. Often yogic texts are 'hard work' and require quite a lot of background reading to begin to grasp their lessons. I wanted to present the 8-limbs in a way that preserves their depth and intelligence while making them relatable to the 'modern yogi' in the 21st century.
None-the-less this book, uses a lot of yoga terminology that may not be familiar to you, so please do not be put off on first reading, and instead see this as a learning opportunity. I would suggest that this content is most readily accessible to someone who has completed 200 hours yoga teacher training or has some prior knowledge of the 8-limbs.
Very Brief Overview
The 1st and 2nd limbs [Yamas and Niyamas] develop self-control and discipline to make it easier to be kind to ourselves and others.
With the 3rd limb [Asana] we learn how yoga postures are all about finding comfort and ease with the strength and stability to support ourselves, on and off the mat.
In the 4th limb [Pranayama] we explore breathwork as therapy for everyday life allowing us to find a sense of calm and ease.
Then with the remaining limbs we learn how the mind can be focused on the task at hand so that we can find meditation in our everyday lives.
Preview of Chapter 3: The Niyamas, Making Our Mind Our Own Best Friend.
Chapters
What are the 8-Limbs of Rāja Yoga?
Yogic Self Control. Learning to be Universally Kind With The Yamas.
Yogic Discipline. Making our Mind our Own Best Friend With The Niyamas.
Finding Comfort and Stability On and Off the Mat With Asana.
Therapy For Everyday Life: Calming the Breath and Mind With Prānāyāma.
Training the Mind to Focus on the Task at Hand With Pratyāhāra.
Understanding Concentration, Meditation and Absorption.
Samyama: Upon The Yoga Of Common Sense In Everyday Life.
Epilogue: What's Next and Authors Concluding Remarks.
Recommended Reading.
References.
CHAPTER 1. WHAT ARE THE 8-LIMBS OF RAJA YOGA?
CHAPTER 2. THE YAMAS, LEARNING TO BE UNIVERSALLY KIND WITH THE YAMAS
CHAPTER 3. THE NIYAMAS, MAKING OUR MIND OUR OWN BEST FRIEND
CHAPTER 4. ASANA, COMFORT AND STABILITY ON AND OFF THE MAT
CHAPTER 5. PRANAYAMA, THERAPY FOR EVERYDAY LIFE
CHAPTER 6. PRATYAHARA, TRAINING THE MIND TO FOCUS
CHAPTER 7. UNDERSTANDING CONCENTRATION, MEDITATION AND ABSORPTION
CHAPTER 8. SAMYAMA, THE YOGA OF COMMON SENSE IN EVERYDAY LIFE.
EPILOGUE. RECOMMENDED READING. REFERENCES.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
'Translating The 8-Limbs Of Yoga Into Everyday Life' was made possible by the help of my family and friends, ever patient with proof reading and constructive feedback.
I'd like to extend special thanks to Ashleigh Mayes for her initial reading, support and enthusiasm for the book. I also must thank Martin Thompson of Yoga Dharma for guiding me through my yoga journey. Much of this material has developed from our conversations and experiences over the years.
I must warmly thank Philip J Smith for his beautiful photography of water droplets on a clematis, which expresses meditation wonderfully, alongside his continued enthusiasm for 'yoga photography'.
Although not directly involved with this book I'd like to thank Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor, for their teachings which have inspired my approach to yoga over the years.
[Citations and quotes allowed only if credit is given to the author.
All Photography and cover art is copyright and credited to Philip. J. Smith (2020)
Book Design and Development by Dan Kyte.
All Content Copyright (2020)]
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