Eight Limbs of Yoga Finale – Focus, Meditation, & Transcendence

Hello lovely friends.  This article is the last in a year-long series exploring the Eight Limbs of Yoga.  And though we’ve dedicated one month, or more, to each Limb, today we’ll combine the last 3 – Focus, Meditation, and Transcendence. 

The reason for this, is that the final stages of the Eight-Fold-Path are less about a to-do list, or step by step process. Rather it’s a natural progression of the first 5 Limbs.  Let me explain. 

And before I do, I’d like to take a beat and offer a quick disclaimer.  I have a passion for yoga and writing and internal exploration, which encourages me to publish these articles.  I am a practicing Yogi, and Yoga Teacher, and I hold a 200 hour RYT certification. 

However… I am also am white female, living in a super privileged society in Southern California.  I’m not of Indian descent. Nor have I ever visited India, where the roots of this rich tradition of Yoga were planted.  I do my best to research these topics, and I hope to honor the history that was first orally passed on, and then transcribed in Sanskrit, and then translated to English for my American brain to consume. 

My writings portray personal takeaways and lessons learned from this ancient yoga wisdom. And it is my sincere desire that they benefit you and other readers. 

I also have a sense of humor!  And since this topic can be a bit heavy, I will attempt to lighten it up with a little laughter.  But by no means, consider my joking as a disrespect of such a valuable subject.

The Eight Limbs of Yoga

Now, onto a brief overview of the Eight Limbs of Yoga, for anyone new or if you have missed the previous posts.  The Limbs, in a nutshell, are a set of guidelines, described in the Yoga Sutras, on how to live a meaningful and purposeful life.  Alternately, it has been described as the Eight-Fold Path to Transcendence.   Read here for more of a detailed overview. 

Outward Quests

The Eight Limbs of Yoga are sometimes broken down into 3 sections – The Outward Quests, the Inner Quests, and Quests of the Soul.  

The first two Limbs, the Yamas and the Niyamas, are all about the way we interact with society. It’s a set of ethical guidelines – non-violence, truthfulness, etc.  The third Limb, Asana refers to the physical postures one performs in a typical yoga class.  However, the earliest postures were really seated positions which one could sustain for a length of time. 

Inner Quests

Then come the Inner Quests which, when completed, sets the stage for the final 3 Limbs. 

After the body is steadied with deep breathing techniques (Fourth Limb, Pranayama), then the mind is settled by sense withdrawal (Pratyahara), only then, can we begin to work on the soul.  Or the Spirit, or our Faith…or the Force, ha for my Star Wars fans. 

Quests of the Soul

There are many names for the inner workings of our body that don’t necessarily fall into the category of Mind or Body.  And we can’t locate this on an x-ray or cat scan.  But we can often feel it, if we pay attention.  So, if “Soul” doesn’t resonate with you, choose one that does, and exchange that word if you feel called to. 

Now we’ll get into the meat of today’ subject – the final 3, of the Eight Limbs of Yoga:

Dharana

The 6^th Limb of Yoga is Dharana, which is translated as Focus.  Focus may seem pretty straightforward in concept, but as many have come to realize, it’s not always easy to put into practice. 

Imagine you’re doing work at a computer.  If you have your phone next to you buzzing with a text, and one screen has your email open and it’s flashing with unread messages, it’s difficult to concentrate on the task ahead of you. 

Which is why so many productivity reports will tell you to remove the outside distractions while you’re in ‘focus mode.’  Turn your notifications off and shut down your email temporarily.  If you have the luxury, close the door to your office or bedroom so your 4-year-old doesn’t run in and demand you fix his Lego creation.  Ok, maybe the last one was just for me. 

The Yoga Sutras were actually the earliest advisors of distraction elimination! The author(s) have a few suggestions on how to go about this, which is to choose an object to direct all your attention to, so the periphery fades away. 

And luckily for us, there are many choices for this, explained in a commentary on the Sutra’s Eight Limbs of Yoga below

“Objects include, for example, the mantra OM or the movement of the breath, [or directing your sight to] places such as…the tip of the nose, or a physical object in the world.  Having chosen an object…the mind is placed upon…[it]…distinctly and with attentive energy.”

Stuart ray sarbacker and kevin kimple – the eight limbs of yoga – a handbook for living yoga philosophy

And I will repeat, this is not easy!  It takes practice.  The same commentary expands on this, writing,

“The untrained mind…will soon draw the attention away to other objects, such a memories, sensory stimuli, or thoughts about the past of future….However, with practice and discipline, the mind is habituated to staying on an object and it becomes considerably easier to sustain concentration, leading to development of meditation.” 

Dhyana

So, to paraphrase, once you’ve been able to accomplish this Focus for an extended period of time, you naturally progress into the next stage of yoga, the 7^th Limb of Dhyana, or meditation. 

Now meditation is a word that can evoke thoughts or emotions, or even fear in many people.  Some may envision a Spiritual Guru sitting cross legged and floating off the ground.  And on the opposite spectrum, some may just think of a normal person listening to their ear phones, eyes closed on the couch, maybe listening to the Calm app, or peaceful music. 

But I think the sweet spot of Dhyana is somewhere in between.  You’ve entered a state of mind that’s on cruise control.  You can exit the highway of Meditation whenever you want, but you’re not struggling to maintain it. 

Or to choose a waterway example, I like the imagery this quote evokes, also in the commentary,

“Like many smaller streams coming together to make a great and powerful river, the process of meditation brings together the energy of the scattered mind into a focused stream of attention.”

And by the way, I write, “I Think” because I have never personally entered this stage of the Eight-Fold-Path.  But as God as my witness, I’m going to die trying, ha! 

Samadhi

So, after you’ve focused, and transitioned into the meditative state, then something glorious happens: you achieve Samadhi, the Eighth Limb of Yoga.  And this has many many translations….Enlightenment, Transcendence, Liberation, Moksha, Nirvana….  

Again, I must defer to the commentary, since I haven’t personally experienced this.  In Samadhi,

“The practitioner experiences states of peace and intense bliss due to being free of the burden of afflicted emotions…. Bringing all mental fluctuations to a standstill to a point of such perfect calm that the true nature of the self and world is understood and spiritual liberation is experienced.” 

Ahh doesn’t that sound lovely?  I’m feeling calm just re-reading that. 

But wait, there’s more!

Yoga Powers

Now this is where things get really interesting!  Once one achieves Samadhi, one may be bestowed with specific ‘knowledges’ or ‘powers.’  There’s a lot of really wild writings in the Yoga Sutras on this. You get the feeling that the author is on drugs while reading about these powers; One might be able to see the future, understand animals, read minds, become invisible, or project out of your body.

And you’ve gotta be thinking, Is any of this real?   And hey, we’ll never know until we achieve this state.  Maybe these ‘enhancements’ are just metaphorical. 

Pause for a Laugh

If this were a screenplay, that heading would be more appropriate, but at least you’re prepped.   

I’m a big fan of the Marvel movies, thanks to my husband, and one of my favorites is Doctor Strange.  For anyone who’s not seen it, let me set the scene – Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) has had an accident and lost the physical use of his hands.  After traditional medicine fails him, he hears of a solution in a sort-of Ashram in the far east.  He travels there and meets with the “Ancient One” who describes to him, what sounds like, the teachings of the Yoga Sutras.  And I’ll let you read how he critically responds below.

Fast forward, Dr. Strange, the biggest skeptic, is convinced, and after much study, he not only regains the use of his hands, he transforms into a superhero that obtains, what I’ll call, these “Yoga Powers.” 

Meditation

Regardless if you or I never reach this stage, the benefits of general meditation are profound, and have been scientifically studied and proven helpful in research-based studies. 

From celebrities like Hugh Jackman, to Oprah, to Ellen: high profile people have engaged professionals to help them meditate, and they sing its praises.  There is a fascinating podcast about a very specific type of mediation called TM or Transcendental Meditation – link here, if you want to learn more about it. 

To summarize – The interviewee is an ex-professional swimmer who is diagnosed with a Muscular Dystrophy and was told his swim days were over.  He eventually finds and engages in TM, and it “cures” him.  Does this sound a lot like the Doctor Strange?  See, one can find a little truth in fiction!  He spends the rest of his career, not swimming, but advancing in his meditation education, and using this wisdom to train others, like the South African Olympic Swim Team, in TM to achieve their greatness. 

And if that doesn’t convince you to meditate, I’ve also read that it assists in anti-aging.  That was a mic-drop moment for me – I’m all in! 

Done!