Attend enough classes, and you’ll start to hear about the Sutras. The Yoga Sutras, 195 aphorisms authored by Patanjalis sometime between 5,000 B.C.E. and 300 A.D., were the first systematic description of the practice of yoga. Sutra means “thread” (it is the root of the word “suture”), and refers to each of the aphorisms or “threads” of the practice.

Within the Sutras, Patanjalis outlines the eight limbs of yoga, which are:

1. Yamas – the “don’ts” of action
2. Niyamas – the “DOs” of action
3. Asana – practice of the postures
4. Pranayama – mastery of the breath
5. Pratyahara – withdrawal of the senses
6. Dharana – concentration
7. Dhyana – meditation
8. Samadhi – bliss

Notice that the postures – what we tend to think of as the entire practice – are just one part of a broader system of interacting with the world and one’s self! In the coming weeks, I’ll write more about the Yamas and the Niyamas, and more on specific sutras. There is far too much wisdom held by the sutras to contain it in this little website. If the sutras are of interest to you, I recommend the translation by Sri Swami Satchidananda.