Deepen Your Practice: Yoga is so much more than what happens on the mat

Last month, we explored simple ways to return to our mats after the freedom of summer.
This month, let’s go beyond the basics and take a little journey into the subtler, deeper layers of yoga—because this is where the real transformation begins.

Most practitioners arrive at yoga throughout the physical practice…the poses (asana)…to work on alignment, flexibility, and strength.  The yoga poses are a beautiful doorway into the practice. But yoga is much more than the physical practice. 

Yoga is a complete philosophical system, thousands of years old, designed to guide the practitioner toward deep inner peace and self-knowing.  The full philosophy is rich and worth exploring in depth (and there are wonderful books for that). For our purposes here, I’ll simply remind you of the fundamental building blocks of the yoga path.

The eight limbs of yoga are a structured path for ethical living, personal growth, and meditation outlined by the sage Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras, around 400 BCE.  Here are the Eight Limbs in order, the true foundations of Yoga:

1. Yama: Ethical restraints — five social rules for how we treat others and the world, for example ahimsa (non-harming) invites us to to choose words and actions that do no harm, and to bring that same care to how we treat ourselves on the mat
   
2. Niyama: Personal observances — five internal practices for self-discipline, for example santosha (contentment) encourages us to practice without constantly chasing a “better” version of the pose
   
3. Asana: The poses, meant to prepare the body to sit comfortably for meditation
   
4. Pranayama: Breath control, regulation of the breath to direct life-force energy (prana)
   
5. Pratyahara: Sense withdrawal, drawing your attention and senses inward and away from external distractions
   
6. Dharana: Concentration, holding focused attention on a single point, object, or anchor
   
7. Dhyana: Meditation, an uninterrupted, effortless flow of concentration
   
8. Samadhi:Absorption, a state of deep bliss, oneness with universal consciousness

This month, we’ll focus on three limbs that are especially close to my heart—and to the HUM offering: Asana (the poses), Pranayama (breath work), and Dhyana (meditation). I’ve written extensively about each of these before, but let’s look at them again together—and perhaps see them differently: as gateways to go deeper into your body, breath, and mind.

And it all begins with your awareness. So this month, let’s start by tuning into your subtle awareness with a gentle self-guided body scan. Here’s how:

Find a comfortable position on your mat—seated or lying down—and let your eyes soften or close. Bring your attention to your natural breath, then slowly move your awareness through your body, from the soles of your feet up to the crown of your head. In each area, simply notice what’s already here: points of contact, temperature, weight, subtle tingling, tension, or ease. There’s nothing to fix or change; your only job is to witness. If your mind wanders, gently return to the last place you remember. End by feeling your whole body breathing as one field of sensation, then allow your awareness to return to the room.

If you feel like being guided through your body scan, I’ve recorded a Body Scan Meditation (approx. 15 minutes).  Simply click the graphic below.

When you’re done your body scan, invite a quiet question: How does my body ask me to slow down, listen, or soften right now?