The Eight Limbs of Yoga: Understanding Yamas and Niyamas
The Eight Limbs of Yoga, also known as Ashtanga Yoga, are foundational principles originating from the Yoga Sutras, a collection of ancient scriptures written by the Indian sage Patanjali around 500 B.C. These texts, composed over several centuries, offer profound insights into the philosophy and practice of yoga. Patanjali did not invent yoga but rather systematized and compiled existing ideas and practices. His contribution, however, is monumental in codifying the eight-limbed path and emphasizing that stilling the mind is key to the practice of yoga. We know little about the historical Patanjali, with some scholars placing his birth around 300…