PATAÑJALI’S

EIGHT LIMBS + MENTAL

HEALTH AWARE YOGA

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PATAÑJALI’S YOGA SŪTRAS

Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras are a practical guide to self understanding and enlightenment and
are considered by many to outline the heart of yoga.

While little is known about Patañjali himself, it is widely accepted that he was an authority on
yoga, and compiled and systemised the vedic knowledge of the time into sūtras that could
be handed down orally from teacher to student, in a concise way that would make it
possible to remember.

It is estimated that Patañjali wrote the Yoga Sūtras around the second century C.E. and that
Vyāsa, the ancient sage who allegedly wrote the original commentary on the Yoga Sūtras,
Yoga-Bhâshya, wrote his commentary around the fifth century C.E1.

#
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Patañjali Vyāsa
Author of the Yoga Sūtras Author of Yoga-Bhâshya
Circa 2nd century C.E. Circa 5th century C.E.

Figure: Patañjali and Vyāsa

Illustrations from The Yoga Tradition1

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 EIGHT LIMBS OF PATAÑJALI’S YOGA SŪTRAS

Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras outline eight limbs, or prescriptions for achieving the goal of
yoga.

Yama-niyamāsana-prāṇāyāma-pratyāhāra-dhāraṇā-dhyāna-dhyānaayo ’ṣṭāv aṅgāni (II.29)2

These eight limbs of yoga are the yamas (ahiṁsā, satya, asteya, brahmacarya and
aparigraha), niyamas (śauca, saṃtoṣa, tapas, svādhyāya and īśvarapraṇidhānā),
āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna and samādhi.

Figure: Eight Limbs of Yoga

Illustration from Yoga Shala West3

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EIGHT LIMBS + MENTAL HEALTH AWARE YOGA

There are many great commentaries on Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras. If you haven’t already
studied the Sūtras (or would like to dive back in) check out the references section at the
end for suggestions.

In this ebook I’ve outlined Patañjali’s eight limbs of yoga, and how they apply to Mental
Health Aware Yoga.

THE YAMAS
AHIṀSĀ

Ahiṁsā translates to mean non-violence, and relates to thinking

and acting in a way that is kind, compassionate and thoughtful
to all living creatures.

As Yoga Teachers it is important that we hold space and teach

practices to our students that are nourishing and kind, and do
the best we can not to cause harm.

In the Mental Health Aware Yoga training we spend a lot of time

discussing how to create a safe container for our students, and
what practices are beneficial and counter-indicated for students
experiencing different mental health challenges.

Some examples of creating a safe container include always

starting and ending on time, using non-judgemental and non-
competitive language, always asking students if they would like
a hands-on assist (not just assuming they do), not engaging in
sexual behaviour or relationships with your students, upholding
confidentiality, working within your personal scope of practice,
encouraging your students to trust their own needs and being
present and kind to your students.

As we are also a living creature, and because our students are

just as likely to notice how we show up in class as what we
actually say, it’s important that we practice ahiṁsā towards
ourselves, being kind, compassionate and thoughtful towards
ourselves.

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 SATYA

Satya translates to mean truthfulness or non-lying. This includes honesty with

ourselves and with others.

As Yoga Teachers, it’s important that we seek our own truth, encourage our
students to seek their own truth and to speak truthfully.

Instead of telling your students what they should or shouldn’t do, encourage
them to find the answers within; to find their own truth.

There is a lot of mis-information about yoga and about mental health, especially
online and on social media. Before you make any claims about yoga or mental
health and add to the noise, check your information is coming from a reputable
source.

We may believe that our yoga students need us to have all the answers, and
proceed to give them a confident sounding answer, even if we’re not sure. It’s
ok to say ‘I don’t know, that’s a great question. Let me check it out and get
back to you’ or perhaps ‘I’m not sure, but I believe you could find that answer
in……. (reputable source), why don’t you check it out and let me know next
class.’ Satya means being truthful and impeccable with our word.

While truthfulness is an important precept, ahiṁsā trumps satya. Honesty is

important, but if it results in harm to others, ahiṁsā dictates that it may be best
to stay quiet instead of hurting another. Satya is a precept that requires
consideration and thoughtfulness, not blind obedience.

ASTEYA

Asteya translates to mean non-stealing or honesty.

This includes not stealing others’ belongings, but it is also means not taking
others’ ideas and presenting them as our own, not imitating others’ style of
living4 and not betraying someone’s confidence when they have confided in
us5.

As Yoga Teachers, we can practice asteya by upholding the confidentiality of

our students and crediting the wisdom and knowledge of others.

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 BRAHMACARYA

Brahmacarya has been translated to mean celibacy2, chastity1 or ‘a

movement towards the essential’5.

In his book The Heart of Yoga, T. K. V. Desikachar states ‘brahmacarya

suggests that we should form relationships that foster our understanding of
the highest truths. If sensual pleasures are part of those relationships, we
must take care that we keep our direction and do not get lost5.’

Whether we choose to abstain from sexual relationships or not, as Yoga

Teachers it’s important that we’re mindful of our sexual energy and do not
bring it into the student-teacher relationship.

This means avoiding flirting, sexual innuendo, sexual behaviour and sexual
relationships with students, and avoiding using sexual imagery as a marketing
strategy to attract students to our classes. Not only are these behaviours not
in alignment with brahmacarya, but it could also feel very unsafe to some
students, especially those who have experienced sexual abuse.

APARIGRAHA

Aparigraha means ‘hands off’ or ‘not seizing opportunity’ or ‘renunciation of

[unnecessary] possessions’2. It means only taking what is necessary and
not taking advantage of a situation5.

In our yoga classes, we can let go of our attachments to how things should
be. Instead we can support our students to take their focus inwards and
practice in a way that is right for them, rather than comparing themselves to
others in the class. Many students compare themselves endlessly to others
and find themselves lacking, and by modelling and gently encouraging self
acceptance, we can promote and cultivate self acceptance in our students
(and for ourselves!).

In addition, we can avoid yoga consumerism by being mindful of our

choices of promoting brands or products in our studios or on social media,
and also about how we dress and consume products and brands
ourselves. This is a way to cultivate self acceptance, and embody the
understanding that happiness lies not in consumerism, but in simply being.

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 lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu

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[ may all beings be happy and free ]
THE NIYAMAS

ŚAUCA

Śauca translates to mean cleanliness, both internally and externally.

This refers to keeping our environment clean, having good hygiene,
keeping our internal environment healthy (internal organs etc) and
having clarity of mind5.

As Yoga Teachers, we can cultivate śauca by teaching yoga

practices designed to cultivate sattva and keeping the space we
teach in uncluttered and clean.

In Mental Health Aware Yoga, the goal of all yoga practices are to
increase sattva (clarity) and to decrease rajas (agitation) and tamas
(lethargy) in the mind.

While cultivating śauca, be sure to keep ahiṁsā in mind, practicing

in a way that is nourishing and joyful, not depriving and restrictive.

SAṂTOṢA

Saṃtoṣa translates to mean contentment. ‘True happiness comes from

contentment with whatever one has, not with thinking that one will be happy
when one gets all that one desires’2.

In a world that is constantly focussed on doing more and having more, choosing
contentment is a radical act, and one that I believe has the power to change not
only our internal experience, but to shake the foundations of the capitalist society
we live in.

As Yoga Teachers, we can model contentment in the way we engage with

ourselves, and we can be intentional in our language while we’re teaching yoga,
supporting our students to be content with their practice just as it is, and to find
contentment in each moment. I find that cultivating a gratitude practice is a
wonderful way to do this, and I frequently ask my students in savasana (corpse
pose) at the end of the class to take a moment to feel gratitude for themselves for
taking this time out of their busy day to practice yoga and come home to
themselves.

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TAPAS

Tapas translates to mean heat or glow1, and refers to heating the body and
in doing so, to cleanse it5. Tapas is also commonly translated to mean
austerity, and refers to the ability to tolerate suffering of the body, enduring
hardship and remaining undisturbed by physical discomfort while on the
spiritual path2.

In his commentary on the Yoga Sūtras, Georg Feuerstein cautioned that

‘tapas must not be confused with harmful self-castigation and fakiristic self-
torture’1 and similarly T.K.V Desikachar said ‘tapas must not cause
suffering.’5 Buddha practiced tapas, involving severe austerities for years
before he stopped as he realised that he was getting nowhere with it, and it
was only after he stopped that he became enlightened6..

Dr Rishi Vivekananda, the author of Practical Yoga Psychology, states that

the more adversity we can tolerate, the more peace of mind we have
because we don’t fear adversity happening. He suggests modest
austerities, such as observing silence and spending time alone, rather than
larger hardships to avoid falling into the trap of it becoming ‘a big ego-trip
for premature saints’6.

We can share the practice of tapas with our students by encouraging them
to stay present in each moment with whatever is arising in the body, breath
or mind. But know that this can be very intense and overwhelming for
students, particularly those with a lot of challenging emotions, and ahiṁsā
dictates that we practice this in a way that is kind and nourishing and
doesn’t cause harm.

SVĀDHYĀYA

Svādhyāya translates to mean to study yourself, as sva means self or

belonging to me and hyāya means inquiry or self examination5.

While svādhyāya is often translated to mean the study of ancient texts or

repetition of mantras, T.K.V. Desikachar points out that this is simply because
both of these activities act as reference points in our self examination5.

You’re engaging in svādhyāya by reading this ebook, and by implementing it

in your own life and in your yoga classes. As Yoga Teachers, we can share
wisdom from texts like Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras with our students, and we can
promote self enquiry and self understanding, encouraging our students to
compassionately and non-judgementally explore their own internal
experiences and needs.

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 ĪŚVARAPRAṆIDHĀNĀ

Īśvarapraṇidhānā translates to mean ‘to lay all your actions at the feet of God’5
or ‘reverence to a higher intelligence’7.

For those who are turned off by the word God, īśvarapraṇidhānā can also be
interpreted to mean surrender.

In his book Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic, Darren Main outlines three
phases to īśvarapraṇidhānā8. The first is opening the mind to the possibility
that there is a great organising force in the universe that is guiding everything.
The second phase is recognising that we are an inseparable part of the
universe, and therefore this universal wisdom is also guiding our lives. The
third phase is surrendering our lives to this force.

‘When we really practice ishvara pranidhana we stop trying to swim upstream,

and instead allow the current of life to carry us along without effort or strain’8.

As Yoga Teachers, we can support our students to surrender to the present

moment, just as it is, without trying to fix or change anything.

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ĀSANA
Āsana translates to mean postures, and while this is what is commonly
considered to be the basis of yoga, and where many people start their yoga
practice, āsana is actually given very little attention in Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras. But
this doesn’t mean that it’s not important.

Sutra II.46 states sthira-sukaham āsanam, that postures should be steady and
comfortable. The goal of āsana is to allow the yogi to sit for meditation in a way
that is steady and comfortable and does not disturb or distract the mind2.

As Yoga Teachers, we can teach āsana not just as a way to strengthen the body,
but to cultivate sattva (clarity), and as a vehicle to explore the themes of
presence, mindfulness, self compassion, interoception, embodiment, self
regulation and self knowledge.

We can also encourage our students to practice āsana in a way that is steady
and comfortable, not punishing and arduous.

PRĀṆĀYĀMA
The word prāṇāyāma is comprised of two parts; prāṇā and āyāma. Prāṇā is ‘that
which is infinitely everywhere,’ it is our vitality and continually flows from within
us, filling us and keeping us alive, and āyāma means to ‘stretch’ or ‘extend’ and
refers to the action of prāṇāyāma5.

The practice of prāṇāyāma involves conscious breathing in order to influence this

flow of prāṇā. Prāṇāyāma aims to reduce the amount of prāṇā outside the body,
and hence one definition of a yogi is one whose prāṇā is all within the body5.

It’s important to note that the quality of our breath within us is closely linked to
our state of mind. The breath is faster when we are excited or anxious and
deeper and quieter when we are relaxed and at peace. Interestingly, our breath
is influenced by our state of mind, and our state of mind is influenced by the
prāṇāyāma practices that work with the breath. In our daily lives, the mind often
becomes disturbed and the regular practice of prāṇāyāma helps to combat this,
bringing clarity and peace.

As Yoga Teachers, we can support our students to notice their breath as a way
to understand their state of mind. And we can also teach practices in order to
consciously cultivate sattva, and to explore the themes of presence,
mindfulness, self compassion, interoception, embodiment, self regulation and
self knowledge.

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 PRATYĀHĀRA
Pratyāhāra relates to the senses, and is the threshold between the internal and external
practices9. Ahāra means ‘nourishment’ and pratyāhāra translates as ‘to withdraw
oneself from that which nourishes the senses’, and we can achieve this, not by forcing
ourselves to not look at something, but by focusing the mind on one thing, so the senses
no longer respond to other objects5.

Taking attention inwards is so important in this over stimulated society we live

in, where our senses are constantly bombarded and overloaded. Taking our
focus inwards allows for presence, interoception, self regulation and self
knowledge.

Pratyāhāra is a state that arises spontaneously, rather than a specific technique. Like
sleep, we cannot make it happen, but we can create conditions that are conducive for it
to arise5.

We can create space for pratyāhāra to occur by inviting our students to focus their minds
on a particular object (e.g. the breath, a mantra, specific drishtis during asana) and
offering opportunities to close the eyes (or soften the gaze) and sense the body internally.

Not all students will be comfortable with closing their eyes, and some people will feel
unsafe if you ask this of them. Always give your students the option to keep their eyes
open or closed.

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DHĀRAṆĀ, DHYĀNA AND SAMĀDHI
The five limbs up until this point have been focussed on preparing the mind, and now
dhāraṇā, dhyāna and samādhi are the fruits of these five limbs5.

Dhāraṇā means ‘to hold’ or ‘concentration’, and is the ability to focus the mind on a single
object, despite many potential distractions, and dhyāna means meditation, and is the state
in which the mind has an uninterrupted flow or connection only in relation to the object it is
focused on7,9. Dhāraṇā precedes dhyāna as the mind needs to be focussed on a particular
object before it can establish the uninterrupted flow or continuous connection with it;
‘dhāraṇā is the contact, and dhyāna is the connection’5.

Samādhi means ‘to bring together’ or ‘to merge’ and is a result of the dhāraṇā and dhyāna,
when the mind becomes so absorbed with an object that we become completely one with
it, and our personal identity completely disappears5.

While we cannot directly practice or teach pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna and samādhi, we
can practice and teach āsana and prāṇāyāma to create optimal conditions for these four
states to spontaneously occur5.

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MENTAL HEALTH AWARE YOGA

Mental Health Aware Yoga is a cutting edge, professional development training program for
Yoga Teachers developed by Clinical Psychologist and Senior Yoga Teacher Dr Lauren Tober.

In this training program you’ll develop your skills to deeply support your yoga students
experiencing mental health challenges so they can thrive and flourish.

Nearly half the population will More than half of yoga More than 3/4 of yoga
experience mental illness in students start yoga for students continue yoga for
their lifetime10 mental health reasons11 the mental health benefits11

This training wil change "e way y# teach

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 SIX PILLARS OF MENTAL HEALTH AWARE YOGA

Kn$ledge of Understanding Creating a Cultivating Evidence-based What to do in a

WESTERN YOGIC SAFE THERAPEUTIC
YOGIC MENTAL
PSYCHOLOGY PSYCHOLOGY CONTAINER SKILLS PRACTICES HEALTH
CRISIS

EDUCATION. WISDOM. COMMUNITY.

Support your yoga students experiencing mental health challenges with compassion,
confidence and skill.

Find all the latest information and dates of training courses at

www.mentalhealthawareyoga.com.

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REFERENCES

1. Feuerstein, G. (2002). The Yoga Tradition. Delhi, India: Bhavana Books and Prints.
2. Bryant, Edward. (2009). The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali. New York, US: North Point Press.
3. Martinez, J. The Eight Limbs. Yoga Shala West. http://yogashalawest.com/the-eight-
limbs [accessed 02/04/19].
4. Iyengar, B.K.S. (2000). Light on Aṣṭāṅga Yoga. Mumbai, India: Tata Press.
5. Desikachar, T.K.V. (1995). The Heart of Yoga. Rochester, Vermont, US: Inner Traditions
International.
6. Vivekananda, R. (2005). Practical Yoga Psychology. Bihar, India: Yoga Publications Trust.
7. Desikachar, T.K.V. (1998). Health, Healing and Beyond. New York, US: North Point Press.
8. Main, D. (2007). Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic. Lincoln, US: iUniverse Star.
9. Vasudevan, Saraswathi. (2018). Sutras and Sadhana - The Psychology of Yoga. Seminar
in Byron Bay, Australia.
10. Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2007). National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing:
summary of results, Australia, 2007. ABS cat. no. 4326.0. Canberra: ABS. Yoga in
Australia study.
11. Penman, S., Cohen, M., Stevens, P., & Jackson, S. (2012). Yoga in Australia: Results of a
national survey. International Journal of Yoga, 5(2), 92–101.

Photos of Dr Lauren Tober by Dale Harper for Broadsheet.

Illustrations used with permission.
V1

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