Ashtanga - Eight Limbs of Yoga - PrintIn one of the most influential classical texts on yoga, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, you will find the Sanskrit word, Ashtanga, which literally means eight limbs. Here Ashtanga Yoga is defined by these 8 limbs as a progressive path to self realization: Yama: self restraints Ahimsa non harming Satya truthfulness Asteya non stealing Brahmacharya continence Aparigraha greedlessness or taking only what is necessary Niyama: observances Sauca cleanliness