An unexpected class cancellation finds me sitting in a pagoda with the sun on my back, birdsong in my ears, and breeze tickling my skin. It has been nearly three weeks since I arrived, and in just a day or so more I will be on my way, as a certified yoga teacher.

The journey has coursed many ups and downs. But we all are nearly there, and having taught our classes and written our tests, the nerves are subsiding and our impending departure feels tangible. The sun feels extra sweet shining down as the wind ripples through the grass fields and shakes the leaves of the orange trees. We have begun to hug each more often, supporting one another through the crunch time and savouring the friendships we have made; it will be no easy task to say goodbye to one another. But even as we all go forth to different lands and adventures, we share a knowledge of the tools we can use to bring yoga to others, with a deeper understanding of the physical and philosophical workings of the practice.

Yoga comprises an eight-limbed path, which is ultimately a path of meditation as a way to reach enlightenment, or to remove the ignorance that causes suffering, allowing us to experience our infinite nature. The path also includes many specific observances to help us on our journey to remembering our True Self, and live good, pure lives along the way.

The first limb consists of restraints, loosely translated from Sanskrit as non-violence; truthfulness; non-stealing; sexual integrity; and non-greed. The second limb focuses on practices to observe, including purity and cleanliness, both physically and mentally; contentment (stemming from bringing awareness to the present moment and finding gratitude for what is); self-discipline; self-study and the study of spiritual texts; and surrender to the Absolute, meaning acceptance of the mystery of life and our lack of control over it, not in resignation, but rather by embracing whatever life has in store for us, trusting in its ultimate positive nature.

The third limb consists of the postures, or asanas, the physical practice and poses that we in western society generally associate with yoga. The postures traditionally made up the smallest part of the yogic path, and the Yoga Sutras—the ancient yogic text in which the eight limbs were first penned—refers mainly to the posture of sitting in meditation. In order to keep the body healthy and allow a person to meditate comfortably without distracting physical pains, postures transformed into series of dynamic poses, although it was only in the last few centuries that the number of poses really increased and diversified. It has been interesting to learn how small a part that asana practice played in the yogic path until relatively recent times, and also how the tradition has evolved and changed to meet the needs of the current day.

The fourth limb of yoga is pranayama: practices to control and extend the breath and the life force energy we access through breath. Breathing exercises and movement with the breath remain key components of physical yoga practice.

The fifth limb is withdrawal of the senses—turning our gaze inward—the first step of meditation. Concentration follows as the sixth limb, which leads to the seventh limb, meditation itself. All previous limbs lead to the eighth and final limb of the yogic path, which is enlightenment, waking up to our true nature as infinite consciousness that encompasses everything and everyone; separation is an illusion, and we discover that “we” are actually the infinite, blissful, creative, capital-O One.

Yoga may be practiced alongside any other spiritual practice, and devotion to some sort of higher power is also considered a yogic practice.

At first when learning this philosophy, it was easy to feel a little overwhelmed, or daunted by some of the traditional or extreme interpretations. However, the eight limbed path as an overarching guide makes quite a lot of sense. It provides tools to keep the body healthy and steady the mind, and lays out basic principles for living a good life.

After years of moderate practice and three weeks of more intensive daily practice, I can attest to the difference that yoga makes in everyday life. The first difference I noticed is the amount of energy I have. I first became aware of the change in Vancouver, getting up tired and underslept on dark cold mornings to attend yoga before work. Every time the alarm went off I began a battle with myself to get out of bed, and I admit that yoga did not always win, but every time it did I felt a world of difference afterwards and throughout the remainder of that day.

Doing so much yoga over the past three weeks has energized me despite many nights of not quite enough sleep, but another subtle difference has also begun to emerge. Perhaps it stems from the peace of moving with the breath and observing without judgement during practice, or perhaps from soaking up some of this philosophy, but whatever it is, I have noticed a bit more space blooming within my mind, from which to notice thoughts and feelings without necessarily reacting. This is the space we are promised by following the yogic path, and having begun to experience it, I have hope that it is indeed the place from which I can live more consciously and make positive changes.

I feel excited to bring this space I am creating within myself out into the world and into my relationships. I know it will take work (even a few conversations with family shows me that old patterns are very strong and it is going to take a lot of awareness to change them!). Still, I can feel just a little more room to breathe, a little more room to observe, a little more room to just be in this present moment. I look forward to experiencing this at play in daily life, and furthermore, to being qualified to teach this practice that not only benefits the body but also energizes us and encourages an inner peace. Many of us in the west come to yoga for physical health, but the well-being we experience runs so much deeper. The postures of yoga can be modified to be accessible to all bodies, and I believe the philosophy can also benefit us no matter what other beliefs we may hold. I am grateful to now know more about both aspects, and it will be an honour to teach others in this practice which gives so much to the body, mind and spirit.