BLOG 340: BEYOND THE MAT: A DAILY GUIDE TO THE 8 LIMBS OF YOGA

Most of my time is spent teaching how to tone facial muscles, bring radiance to the skin, and reconnect with our natural beauty, but every so often, I feel the pull to talk about something deeper. Today is one of those days.

Let’s explore the 8 Limbs of Yoga, as taught in Patanjali’s Yoga Sūtras, and how we can live them, not just on the mat, and certainly not just in a class, but in our ordinary, beautiful, everyday lives.

Because yoga isn’t only about poses. And it isn’t only about the face.

It’s about how you live. How you breathe. How you treat others. How you treat yourself.

A Quick Note on Respecting the Roots

I’m aware that what I share often, Face Yoga, wellness, healing, is very much shaped by a Western lens. But at the heart of it, I hold deep respect for yoga’s true meaning and origin. I trained as a yoga teacher over 20 years ago, and the 8 limbs have quietly guided my personal and professional life ever since. This blog is a small offering, a way to honour that path, and bring it gently into your day too.

The 8 Limbs of Yoga and How to Live Them

1. Yama – How We Treat Others

The Yamas are ethical principles, the way we interact with the world:

Ahimsa – Kindness, non-violence

Satya – Truthfulness

Asteya – Non-stealing

Brahmacharya – Moderation, right use of energy

Aparigraha – Non-attachment, letting go

Daily Living:

1. Speak kindly to yourself and others,  especially when you're tired or triggered.
2. Honour your truth, even if it’s quietly held.
3. Let go of the idea that you have to do it all. Stay in your lane.
4. Notice what you’re clinging to, possessions, habits, identities, and gently begin to loosen your grip.

 2. Niyama – How We Treat Ourselves

The Niyamas are about inner discipline, care, and devotion:

Saucha – Purity and clarity

Santosha – Contentment

Tapas – Discipline, inner fire

Svādhyāya – Self-study

Īśvara-pranidhāna – Surrender

Daily Living:

1. Create space in your life and thoughts. Less clutter = more clarity.
2. Be present with what is instead of always chasing what could be.
3. Show up for your Face Yoga, even when you don’t feel like it.
4. Keep learning about yourself. Tune into your patterns and listen deeply.
5. Surrender what you can’t control. Let life hold you a little more.

 3. Āsana – Physical Posture

In Patanjali’s time, āsana wasn’t about complex poses. It meant being able to sit with ease and stillness.

Daily Living:

1. Do your Face Yoga or movement practices in a way that feels kind, not forced.
2. Take pauses throughout the day to check in with your physical posture.
3. Let how you carry yourself reflect who you arem strong, open, soft, grounded.

 4. Prāṇāyāma – Breath Awareness

Your breath is a direct link between body and mind, between tension and ease.

Daily Living:

1. Try this: inhale gently through your nose, exhale slowly through your mouth, softening your jaw and eyes.
2. Begin your day with 3 intentional breaths.
3. Let your breath be the reset button when life feels too fast.

 5. Pratyāhāra – Turning Inward

This limb invites you to step back from distractions and return to your inner world.

Daily Living:

1. Unplug for 10 minutes. No phone, no noise. Just you.
2. Notice where you’re pulled by comparison or approval-seeking. Come back home.
3. Feel your face, your breath, your presence.

 6. Dhāraṇā – Focus

Focus is power. This is about steady attention, one thing at a time.

Daily Living:

1. Be present with your practice. Even 3 minutes of undistracted focus can shift your whole day.
2. Choose one daily intention (peace, strength, clarity). Let it guide your choices.
3. Let go of multitasking. Your nervous system will thank you.

 7. Dhyāna – Meditation

Sitting in stillness. Witnessing your thoughts without attachment. This is meditation, and it doesn’t need to be complicated.

Daily Living:

1. After your Face Yoga, sit for a couple of quiet minutes. Just be.
2. Observe your thoughts like clouds passing through the sky.
3. Let presence be your practice.

 8. Samādhi – Union

The final limb is about integration, connection to something greater. A moment of oneness.

Daily Living:

1. Feel into the stillness beneath the noise.
2. Whether it’s in nature, breath, prayer, creativity, let yourself touch that deeper place.
3. No striving. Just a soft remembrance that you are already whole.

 A Grounded Quick Guide for Daily Life

Here’s a simple way to keep the 8 limbs alive, not in theory, but in practice.

1. Yama → Choose kindness. Speak truth. Let go of what’s not yours.
2.  Niyama → Care for your inner world. Practice contentment. Keep learning. Surrender.
3. Āsana → Sit, move, and live in ways that feel easeful and aligned.
4. Prāṇāyāma → Breathe with awareness. Let your breath guide your state.
5. Pratyāhāra → Turn down the noise. Come home to yourself.
6. Dhāraṇā → Focus on one thing at a time. Honour your energy.
7. Dhyāna → Be with what is. Practice presence.
8. Samādhi → Let moments of connection be enough. You are already there.

One thing I have learnt in over 20 years is that Yoga is a path, and one you can walk every single day. Even as you tone your face, stretch your body, or sit in silence, the deeper work is happening. Subtle, profound, ancient.

Just keep walking the path. one deep breath at a time.

For a combination of Yoga, Face Yoga and wellness techniques, my course The Face Yoga Retreat Bundle (£61) is a wonderful fusion of all this.