Fifth and Sixth Limbs of Yoga

Pratyahara, the fifth limb of yoga, is withdrawal and emancipation of the mind from the domination of the senses and sensual objects

My teacher describes pratyahara like this: Imagine you are reading and the phone rings. Practicing pratyahara you would acknowledge that the phone is ringing but you would not be distracted by it.


The sixth limb of yoga is Dharana meaning concentration or complete attention

Now that we are free from external distractions (pratyahara) we learn to concentrate on a single object, idea, or sound.

The Fourth Limb of Yoga

Pranayama is the fourth limb of yoga.  Prana is vital energy.  Ayama is expansion or extension.  Pranayama then is the expansion of the vital energy or life force through restraint of the breath.  It is to yoga what the heart is to the human body.  It is the bridge between the physical  and the spiritual selves.

I'll admit, I'm relatively new to Pranayama.  For the last 4 years, I've only practiced it with my teacher's guidance.  Now that I've committed (at least to myself) to take my first assessment next fall, I'll be diving deeper in to this detailed practice and will share more as I learn it.

The Third Limb of Yoga

The third limb of yoga is asana.

Asana simply means posture. It is the physical yoga that most people think of when they think of yoga.

Patanjali wrote in the Yoga Sutras:
"Asana is perfect firmness of body, steadiness of intelligence, and benevolence of spirit. Perfection in an asana is achieved when the effort to perform it becomes effortless and the infinite being within is reached. From then on, the sadhaka (practioner) is undisturbed by dualities between the body and mind, mind and soul."

Wow! All that from a pose that ties you up like a pretzel.