Eight Limbs, Two Paths?

Understanding the Difference Between Patanjali’s 8 Limbs & Pattabhi Jois’ Ashtanga Yoga

You’ve probably heard of “Ashtanga Yoga” before , the name drifts through studios like incense: familiar, but rarely understood. When I taught my first practicum during my 200-hour training, I offered what I thought was simply a fun, slightly challenging sequence. After class, my peers smiled and called me an “Ashtangi.” I had never heard the word before that moment. I hadn’t even taken an Ashtanga class.

Eventually, I did.

And my life changed forever.

It wasn’t just the intensity or structure. Something deeper stirred. My breath met my body in a rhythm I hadn’t known was possible — a rhythm that felt ancient, electric, cellular. Ashtanga introduced me to myself in a new language. It rewired how I moved, how I listened, how I endured, how I returned. For all ashtangis, there is life before primary series and there is life after.

but did you know the word ashtanga can refer to two completely different things?

👀 Let’s clear it up: From Sanskrit - Yoga's original language in India

"Ashta" = Eight "Anga" = Limbs

So technically, ashtanga just means “eight limbs”, and it originally comes from a philosophical map of the inner journey ... not a sweaty power vinyasa class.

🧘🏽‍♂️📜 The Ancient: Patanjali’s 8 Limbs of Yoga (c. 200 BCE – 500 CE)

Patanjali, a mystic sage and compiler of the Yoga Sutras, gave us a system for spiritual liberation. His eight limbs are like rungs on a ladder, guiding a yogi from outer behavior to inner freedom — ending in complete stillness of the mind.

They are:

1. Yama – Ethical restraints (like nonviolence, truth)

2. Niyama – Personal observances (like cleanliness, contentment)

3. Asana – Posture (for eventually - seated meditation)

4. Pranayama – Breath regulation

5. Pratyahara – Sense withdrawal

6. Dharana – Focused concentration

7. Dhyana – Meditation

8. Samadhi – Absorption, union, enlightenment
   

🕊️ It’s not about achieving something outside yourself , it’s about remembering what was always within.

Patanjali's Ashtanga - The 8 limbs mentioned in the yoga sutras

🔥 The Modern: Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga (1930s – Now)

Fast-forward to the 20th century: Pattabhi Jois, a student of Krishnamacharya in Mysore, created what we now know as Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga — a physically demanding sequence of postures practiced in set series with breath and focus.

It has:

• Set series (Primary, Intermediate, Advanced)

• Emphasis on vinyasa (movement with breath)

• Drishti (gaze point)

• Bandhas (energy locks)
  

While inspired by the 8 limbs, this system mostly focuses on the third limb: asana, with nods to breath, gaze, and inner awareness.

The primary series of Jois

🧾 Compare at a Glance:

Patanjali’s 8 Limbs (Yoga Sutras)	Pattabhi Jois' Ashtanga Vinyasa
Rooted in philosophy & meditation	Rooted in physical practice
Written ~2000 years ago	Developed in the 1930s
A full path to liberation	A system for health, strength, and discipline
Focuses on ethics, breath, mind	Focuses on postures, sequences, breath
Includes meditation & samadhi	Emphasizes asana as a way to purify mind/body
No set poses	Fixed sequences of postures
Inward focus	Both inward & outward strength

🎨 Imagine it Like This:

Patanjali's 8-Limb Tree 🌳

      Samadhi ✨

        ⬆️

      Dhyana 🧘🏽‍♀️

        ⬆️

      Dharana 🎯

        ⬆️

    Pratyahara 👂🚫

        ⬆️

   Pranayama 🌬️

        ⬆️

     Asana 🙆🏽‍♂️

        ⬆️

   Niyama 🕯️          ⬆️   Yama 🤝

🌱 Roots

Pattabhi Jois' Ashtanga Yoga 🔥💦

mathematica

  Primary Series 🧘🏼‍♀️

      ⬇️

  Intermediate Series

      ⬇️

  Advanced Series (A–D)

     + Ujjayi Breath 🌬️

     + Drishti 👁️

     + Bandhas 🔒

different doors of the same house.

✨ Why This Matters

Many people think yoga is about getting better — more flexible, more peaceful, more spiritual. But yoga isn’t about becoming perfect. It’s about becoming honest. Clear. Present.

In the original Yoga Sutras and in the physical sequences taught by Pattabhi Jois, each posture — and the vinyasa linking them — becomes a mirror. A moment-to-moment opportunity to get honest about what’s happening in your body, your breath, your mind… and beyond.

Ironically, some teachers who say “it’s not about asana” might be the ones holding the most complicated feelings toward it. It’s not always detachment — sometimes it’s discomfort. Or projection. Or even quiet envy. They may feel intimidated by a student’s progress, natural ability, or discipline. That’s not wrong. It’s just human.

There were many reasons why the Jois family taught the way they did — with rigor, precision, and repetition. It’s a layered story, full of devotion and also shadows. I’ve got more to say on that — a lot more, actually — and I’ll share it in another post. I love talking about this. Thinking about it. Writing about it.

But for now, just remember this: you don’t have to guilt-trip yourself if your practice isn’t daily. Or if you don’t live the green-juice-and-incense version of yoga shown in ads.

Asana is just one limb of eight. An important one, yes — but only a part of the whole. Like every limb of this sacred and mystical geometry, asana is discreet, intimate, and ever-shifting. It meets you exactly where you are. It belongs to you — in this phase of your life, and the next. Whether messy or radiant, tired or tuned in, it’s yours.

In Patanjali’s path, yoga is a path of remembering who you really are. In Pattabhi Jois' system, yoga becomes a way to discipline the body to access the mind.

Both are valid. Both are sacred. They just lead us through different doors of the same house. I am a big fan , and a devoted follower of both schools. If you are here, you might be one too. Welcome to the yogi club. XO Abir