Ashtanga literally means “eight limbs” in Sanskrit. These are enumerated in the Yoga Sutra as yama and niyama (ethical prescriptions), asana and pranayama (posture and breathing practices), and pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi (forms of meditation). In the context of classical Indian philosophy, ashtanga yoga (with a lowercase ‘a’) refers to this particular yogic approach as it is described within the textual tradition.


