The Eight Limbs of Yoga, Explained One by One

Where the eight limbs come from

The eight limbs are named in a single sutra: 2.29, which lists them as yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi. The rest of chapter two and the early part of chapter three of the Yoga Sutras then expand on each one in turn, some in a sentence or two, others across several verses. Patanjali does not describe them as eight sequential stages to be completed one after another and never revisited; the traditional understanding, discussed by commentators for centuries, is closer to eight interconnected limbs of a single body of practice, each supporting the others. For a plain-language overview of the whole text, see our eight limbs of Patanjali in plain language and our broader texts explained: eight limbs of yoga.

1. Yama — ethical restraints (Sutra 2.30)

The yamas are five restraints governing how a practitioner relates to others and to the wider world: ahimsa (non-harming), satya (truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (traditionally chastity or, more broadly, right use of vital energy), and aparigraha (non-grasping or non-hoarding). Patanjali calls these "great vows" (2.31), meant to apply regardless of one's circumstances, caste, place or time — an unusually universal claim for a text of its era. We give the yamas, together with the niyamas, a full guide of their own: the yamas and niyamas.

2. Niyama — personal observances (Sutra 2.32)

The niyamas are five observances directed more inward: saucha (cleanliness), santosha (contentment), tapas (disciplined effort, sometimes translated as austerity), svadhyaya (self-study, including study of scripture), and ishvara-pranidhana (surrender to, or devotion toward, a higher principle). Where the yamas restrain behavior toward others, the niyamas cultivate habits and attitudes within oneself.

3. Asana — posture (Sutra 2.46)

Patanjali defines asana with striking brevity: sthira sukham asanam — "posture is steadiness and ease" (2.46). The sutras that follow (2.47–2.48) add that posture is mastered through relaxation of effort and absorption in the infinite, after which one becomes undisturbed by the pairs of opposites (heat and cold, pleasure and pain). Notably, the text does not name or prescribe specific postures; the elaborate posture vocabulary familiar from modern practice, including the sequences taught in Ashtanga Vinyasa, developed much later and separately from this passage. Our asana matrix covers individual postures in depth.

4. Pranayama — breath control (Sutras 2.49–2.53)

Pranayama is described as regulation of the breath once posture is steady, working with inhalation, exhalation, and retention. Patanjali links refined pranayama practice to a clearing away of what obscures inner clarity (2.52) and to fitness of the mind for concentration (2.53). See our dedicated pranayama guide for practical breathing methods, and our sun salutation guide for how breath and movement are coordinated in a widely practiced sequence.

5. Pratyahara — withdrawal of the senses (Sutras 2.54–2.55)

Pratyahara is described as the senses no longer running out toward their objects, instead following the mind inward — likened by some commentators to a tortoise drawing in its limbs. It is the hinge point of the eight limbs: the last of the more outward-facing practices and the first step toward the purely internal ones that follow.

6. Dharana — concentration (Sutra 3.1)

Dharana is defined as binding the mind to a single point or object — a candle flame, a mantra, the breath, a chosen focal point. It is the beginning of formal meditative training: sustained, single-pointed attention, deliberately chosen and returned to whenever the mind wanders.

7. Dhyana — meditative absorption (Sutra 3.2)

When the concentrated attention of dharana becomes an unbroken, continuous flow toward the same object, Patanjali calls this dhyana — meditation proper, distinguished from dharana mainly by its sustained, uninterrupted quality rather than by a different technique.

8. Samadhi — absorption (Sutra 3.3)

Samadhi is described as a state in which the object of meditation shines forth alone, as if the meditator's own form is emptied out — a state of absorbed unity between the one meditating and the object of meditation. Patanjali treats dharana, dhyana and samadhi together as a single deepening process he calls samyama (3.4), rather than three unrelated techniques.

The last three limbs as one continuous movement

It is worth underlining that dharana, dhyana and samadhi are not three separate skills to master in isolation; they describe one continuous deepening of attention, from a first effortful focusing, through sustained absorption, to a state where the sense of separation between the meditator and the object of meditation dissolves. This is one reason later commentators sometimes group the eight limbs as five "outer" limbs (yama through pratyahara) and three "inner" limbs (dharana, dhyana, samadhi).

How this maps onto physical Ashtanga Vinyasa practice

If you have come to this guide from a Mysore-style or led Ashtanga Vinyasa class, you may notice that the physical practice draws heavily on limbs three and four (asana and pranayama), and explicitly incorporates elements aimed at limb five (pratyahara), through the fixed gazing points called drishti discussed in our tristhana guide. It does not typically teach dharana, dhyana or samadhi directly within the posture sequence, though many practitioners find that sustained, breath-linked posture practice creates favorable conditions for concentration and meditation afterward, especially when it is followed by seated stillness, a connection we explore in Ashtanga and meditation.

Why the order matters, and why it isn't rigid

Traditional commentary generally treats the eight limbs as mutually reinforcing rather than as a strict prerequisite chain you must finish before moving on. A student can begin working with ethical restraints, posture, and simple concentration practices simultaneously; progress in one limb tends to support progress in the others. What the ordering does communicate clearly is a movement from outer conduct toward inner absorption — a shape worth keeping in mind however you choose to begin.