Yoga philosophy can quickly become overwhelming and confusing, and with so many deep layers, it can all become frustrating to try and piece together. This post clears the confusion with a gentle guide that gives you the most common topics you’ll encounter while deepening a yoga practice.
I’m also exploring these concepts through a trauma-informed perspective, which keeps the main philosophy the same, but includes considerations for those who may have experienced trauma. You can learn more about the Six Pillars of Trauma-Informed Yoga for a deeper understanding of this teaching method.
What is Yoga?
The term yoga comes from the word yuj in the ancient language Sanskrit, meaning to “yoke” or “unite.” Your body, mind, and soul unite with the divine (atman) and connect with universal consciousness (brahman). In short, the aim of yoga is to remove our suffering.
A yoga practice is also designed to tame the ego. Our egos motivate us and allow us to be unique, but if we let it take over our decisions, we might face more challenges and increase suffering.
Signs of an ego in overdrive:
- Living in scarcity over abundance
- Self worth and esteem are based on external things (money, status, connections, power, etc.)
- You come from a place of competition rather than collaboration
- You are closed to others’ ideas, opinions, and thoughts from a sense that you are always correct
- You’re motivated by fear of judgment from others, or from judgment of yourself
Yoga teaches the ego is part of us, but not actually us. We can tame it and reconnect ourselves with the divine and ultimately reach enlightenment.
Sanskrit
You may have heard Sanskrit in a yoga class when the teacher offers poses like tadasana (mountain pose) or baddha konasana (butterfly pose).
Sanskrit is a classical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism founded by a grammarian named Panini. One of the official languages of India, it’s also one of the oldest known to man.
Imagine if saying the word “happy” in English could make you happier based on the vibrations created as you say it. This is what Sanskrit does. And Panini created it so perfectly, the American Sanskrit Institute mentions it has remained unchanged since 500 B.C. The math and science fields have used Sanskrit, Panini possibly being the first to associate numbers with letters. This source explores how there are even similarities with Sanskrit’s theory and computer-based language theory.
This ancient language is most effective when fully embodied, like when singing and chanting. It’s also important to do your best when pronouncing the words, but perfection is not the goal – embodiment of the words are.
Sanskrit is also the language used in the Yoga Sutras, the step-by-step guide to yoga.
The Yoga Sutras
Pantajali, also known as the “Father of Yoga” didn’t invent yoga, but sorted the ideas into an easier to understand compilation called the Yoga Sutras. The text is a yogic blueprint explaining how to reach enlightenment and remove our suffering.
Many books have interpreted the Yoga Sutras from Sanskrit to English. It’s important to note that there are many interpretations of each sutra, and there is no single “correct” translation.
Let’s look at the first sutra as an example:
Sutra 1.1 Atha yoga anushasanam
Many interpret this as: Now, yoga begins.
This is the first because it’s crucial—we cannot practice yoga if we are elsewhere in our minds. This means yoga has never been about perfecting poses, but about maintaining presence.
There are 195 sutras, and the asanas (postures) are in one. Again, yoga is not as physical a practice as much as it’s a spiritual one.
Padas
The four padas, or chapters, organize the sutras.
- Samadhi Pada: How to achieve concentration and reach a blissful state (samadhi)
- Sadhana Pada: Curate a practice or discipline (sadhana) and how to overcome obstacles
- Vibhuti Pada: Empowerment or manifest (vibhuti) and deeper teachings to reach deeper levels of meditation
- Kaivalya Pada: Preparing for complete liberation (kaivalya or moksha)
It’s okay if these are initially confusing. In plain terms, you learn how to remove distraction, commit to a practice, reach deep meditative states, and ultimately achieve liberation.
What about the poses?
The second pada explains the use of asanas (postures) in a set of guidelines called The Eight Limbs. Patanjali meant for the eight limbs to be a set of followable guidelines in our daily lives.
The Eight Limbs
The second pada contains the eight limbs, or practices we can do in our daily lives to help cultivate liberation.
- Yama (Restraints): These ask us to avoid violence, lying, stealing, greed, and possessiveness.
- Niyama (Observances): Aim to cultivate more purity, contentment, self-discipline, self-study, and surrender.
- Asana (Postures): Postures allow us to prepare for the remaining limbs. The only mention of how to accomplish postures is to make sure it’s a steady, comfortable seat (sthira sukhamasanam).
- Pranayama (Breath Control): prana means life force. Our breath can affect our mind, so we practice breathing exercises based on what we wish to cultivate. Has anyone ever told you to take a deep breath when you’re stressed? Pranayama is similar.
- Pratyahara (Withdrawal Of The Senses): Turn off the outside world and tune in to ourselves. We usually need a quiet, relaxing space in order to accomplish this.
- Dharana (Concentration): Once we’ve settled in, tuned into ourselves, we need a single point of focus to prepare us for meditation. You can use the breath, a single object, mantra, candle, chakra, or anything you can keep your focus on.
- Dhyana (Meditation): What many people think of as mediation is actually dharana. Without consistent practice, they will never reach dhyana – or a ceasing of thoughts. This doesn’t come after a few minutes of concentration – for some, it takes years to reach this state and may only last a few seconds.
- Samadhi (Pure Contemplation): Samadhi means bliss. It’s not something to achieve and latch onto. It happens spontaneously (after being in a state of dhyana for a while), and we feel connected with everything. This is the purpose of all yogic practices – and some might say the goal.
If you follow the eight limbs with consistency and a proper teacher, you can achieve this state of samadhi. Each of the Eight Limbs can go much more in-depth, but this is a supportive place to begin if you’re new to these concepts.
Chakras, Mudras, and Bandhas
You may have heard a yoga teacher talk about the chakras, mudras, and bandhas and didn’t fully understand what they meant, why they matter, and if they’re right for your yoga practice. We’ll explore these in more detail to see if they support your practice.
Chakras
The Chakras are energy centers that flow through the subtle body. In yin yoga and Chinese tradition, they have something similar called the twelve meridians.
If these energy centers are unbalanced, we ourselves are unbalanced. We can experience symptoms like depression, moodiness, feeling “off,” as well as physical symptoms depending on the energy center that is unbalanced (Example: stomach upset could be a sign the solar plexus chakra is unbalanced). When we balance our energy centers, everything seems to be in harmonious flow.
There are around 114 chakras throughout the body, and even more in everything else, like the earth, animals, even solid objects. For simplicity, we break the chakras down to the seven along the spine.
It’s important to note the chakras are not part of the spine, but part of the subtle body. (It’s easier to explain them in terms of physical location.) Below are the seven chakras, associated physical locations and emotions.
- Muladhara (Root) Chakra: Base of spine. Safety, survival.
- Svadisthana (Sacral) Chakra: Lower abdomen. Sexuality, creativity.
- Manipura (Solar Plexus) Chakra: Mid abdomen. Confidence, ego.
- Anahata (Heart) Chakra: Heart region. Love, trust.
- Vishuddi (Throat) Chakra: Throat/thyroid. Communication, expression.
- Ajna (Third Eye) Chakra: Between the eyebrows. Intuition, awareness.
- Sahasrara (Crown) Chakra: Crown/above the head. Spirituality, enlightenment.
You can create more balance in your chakras through physical yoga practice, breath work, and meditation.
Trauma can also impact chakras, and you can learn more about how to Balance Your Chakras After Sexual Trauma for a more in-depth look into each chakra, signs of imbalance, and how to find alignment.
Mudras
If you’ve placed your hands together at prayer, you’ve performed a mudra (this one known as Atmanjali mudra). From Hindu and Buddhist traditions, they are ways of placing the hands and fingers to ignite the flow of energy and mood. As areas of the hand correspond to different parts of the body, different mudras target different areas.
You can perform mudras while in meditation, during a physical yoga practice, or any time you wish to cultivate a certain emotion. For trauma survivors, mudras are a supportive grounding tool you can practice anywhere.
Bandhas
Sanskrit for lock, the bandhas are a close relative to mudras. The purpose is to redirect energetic flow in your body, accomplish certain poses with more ease, direct energy like in mudras, or even unblock chakras. There are three main bandhas you’ll possibly encounter in a yoga class:
- Mula Bandha (Root Lock): Benefits the root chakra (muladhara). Engage the pelvic floor.
- Uddiyana Bandha (Abdominal Lock): Benefits internal organs and digestion. Exhale, suck in your belly, lift your stomach.
- Jalandhara Bandha (Chin/Throat Lock): Benefits metabolism and calms the mind. Lower chin until pressing into neck, gaze down or eyes closed.
There are six locks, but these three are the most common. The other three are the pada bandha (foot), hasta bandha (hand), maha bandha (Great Lock: hold all three locks mentioned above simultaneously).
Trauma survivors may have tension in their pelvic floor and asking to engage it may seem impossible or uncomfortable. Holding the breath and closed eyes may also be unsupportive. It’s important to view these techniques as options instead of requirements for deepening a practice. There are many practices available so you can explore the ones that resonate with you most.
Exploring Philosophy and Ayurveda
There is much to learn about yoga which can feel overwhelming, but not even the most advanced yogis know everything. I welcome you to take your time as you explore yoga philosophy, and I offer a gentle reminder that there is never an end goal with yoga, but that’s the beauty of it.
Interested in exploring another tradition connected to yoga philosophy?
I welcome you to learn more about Ayurveda, the sister science of yoga, and how it supports balance through daily rituals, self-awareness, and mindful living. I also explore if this practice is supportive for trauma survivors and how to create your own Ayurvedic routine.
