Tell me more about these eight limbs

If you want to dive deeper into yoga check out the book Meditations from the Mat by Rolf Gates and Katrina Kenison. It has daily reflections for every day of the year about yoga and are based on the eight-limbs of yoga and its subsets. Each day Gates, a yoga instructor who trained with Baron Baptiste, takes you through each one with real-life scenarios, quotes and “reflections from the mat.” I checked it out at the library first and because it was so good, I purchased it on amazon.com used for $3! (You know I love a good deal!)

Eight limbs of yoga
1. Yamas (Five moral restaints)
2. Niyamas (Five observances)
3. Asana (Postures)
4. Pranayama (Mindful breathing)
5. Pratyahara (Turning inward)
6. Dharna (Cocentration)
7. Dhyana (Meditation)
8. Samadhi

If you’re at all interested in growing your knowledge of yoga beyond the postures or asanas and learning about the other seven limbs of yoga (you probably know two others and didn't know it - breathing and meditation), this book is definitely a step in the right direction. The chapters or days are also in bite-size pieces - one to two pages per day - so it’s easy to keep returning to it.

I read day 89 (p. 118) this morning after my asana practice and learned about Svadhyaya, which means self study. It encouraged being open to inspiration everywhere and “connecting to the energy you find healing and inspiring.” The author said he was using the movie Gladiator to inspire him and his yoga teaching and writing by watching interviews with the cast and director, listening to the movie score, etc.

I’m ready for inspiration world – I’ll keep my eyes peeled.