The word “yoga” typically evokes an image of the postures and movements associated with hatha yoga, a branch of yoga study. Although we may know yoga today in the West mainly by the physical postures called asanas, yoga is actually an umbrella term for a vast set of practices and philosophies. Yoga includes paths of devotion, study and service, as well as hatha yoga, which consists primarily of the physical postures and practices that we are most familiar with in the West…

This article covers:

1. The Eight Limbs of Yoga
2. The Yamas and the Niyamas
3. The Yamas
   • Ahimsa (non-violence)
   • Asteya (non-stealing)
   • Aparigraha (non-attachment)
   • Satya (non-lying)
   • Brahmacharya (moderation in the senses)
4. The Niyamas
   • Saucha (purity)
   • Santosha (contentment)
   • Tapas (self-discipline)
   • Svadhyaya (self-study)
   • Ishvara Pranidhana (surrender to a higher power)