Restraints, observances, posture, breath regulation, withdrawal of the senses, concentration, meditation and absorption are the eight limbs.

Written and reviewed by The Kriya Yogi · Updated 21 September 2026

Sanskrit, in transliteration

yama-niyama-āsana-prāṇāyāma-pratyāhāra-dhāraṇā-dhyāna-samādhayo aṣṭāv aṅgāni

Our own plain rendering, checked against the standard published translations.

What the verse says

The famous eight. Aṅga means limb, not step — they belong to one body rather than forming a staircase you climb and leave behind.

In practice

Only one of the eight is posture, and it gets three verses. That proportion is worth remembering next time someone calls a posture class "yoga" without qualification.

How it gets misquoted

Widely taught as eight sequential stages. The limb metaphor, and the way the text keeps circling back, argue against a strict ladder.

This verse sits in Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, chapter 2 — read our commentary on the whole chapter.