How is Yoga related to Ayurveda?

A Shared Origin

Yoga and Ayurveda are sister sciences that emerged together from the Vedas, ancient mantric scriptures that contain and embody deep spiritual knowledge fundamental to all aspects of life. The word Veda itself means wisdom, knowledge or vision. It is said Himalayan rishis, yogis, and sages, set forth these great ancient mantric scriptures many thousands of years ago and it is from the Vedas that yoga and Ayurveda derive their authority. As Vedic disciplines, yoga and Ayurveda have repeatedly influenced each other throughout history and work together to support and enhance the great benefits each has to offer.

How Ayurveda & Yoga Work Together

Ayurveda is a science of Self-healing, life and longevity and aims to support true health, body, mind and spirit through natural means including lifestyle, diet (nutrition), herbs, exercise (asana), meditation, and breathing exercises (pranayama), in addition, cleansing and rejuvenation practices. Ayurveda also acknowledges the value of and need for medical practitioners, therapists and doctors.

Yoga is a science of Self-realization and teaches us how to move beyond our physical being and identity to our immortal Self. Through spiritual practice, we can gain knowledge of our true nature that is beyond time, space, suffering and death.

Together Yoga and Ayurveda form a complete system: one ensures whole health and wellness, the other guides the soul toward self-realization.

Living Yoga & Ayurveda with the 8 Limbs of Yoga

Nearly 2000 years old, Patanjali, a man revered as a wise and outstanding scholar, compiled a collection of 196 compact observations on the nature of consciousness and liberation into one of the most important spiritual texts of all time, the Yoga Sutras.

Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, which came to be accepted as the primary text on yoga philosophy, gives us the 8 limbs of yoga, spiritual practices and powerful therapeutic tools which can enhance and support physical, mental and emotional well-being.

The 8 limbs of yoga is a comprehensive framework that guides practitioners toward spiritual enlightenment and personal growth. Each limb—yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi—plays a crucial role in cultivating a balanced and harmonious life .

Below is a brief description of the main 8 limbs, though know that within each limb, there is more depth and detail given within the Sutras to support their practice and integration.

Yama: External Disciplines. Clarify one's relationship to the world of people and objects.

Niyama: Internal Disciplines. Personal principles governing the process of realization.

Asana: Sitting Posture. Cultivating profound physical steadiness and effortlessness in meditation.

Pranayama: Breath Energy Regulation. Sustained observation and relaxation of all aspects of breathing, bringing about both a natural refinement of the respiratory process and bodymind tranquility.

Pratyahara: Withdrawal of Senses. Naturally occurring withdrawal from external sense objects as attention interiorizes.

Dharana: Concentration. Locking attention on a single object/field.

Dhyana: Obsorption. All mental formations relating to an object/field.

Samadhi: Integration. Sustained coalescence (samapatti) of subject, object, and perceiving itself.

 (taken from: The Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali ~ A New Translation with Commentary Chip Hartranft)

Ayurveda uses Yoga therapeutically, as part of an Ayurvedic treatment plan referring specific asana, pranayama, and meditation practices, in conjunction with lifestyle, and diet considerations for each individual based on their unique nature. These help balance prana, the vital life force and doshas, nature's five great elements within the body, as well as for calming rajas (dynamic movement which causes sensations, feelings, and emotions) and tamas (the tendency toward inertia, darkness, ignorance and heaviness).

In conclusion, the 8 limbs of yoga serve as a holistic framework that integrates ethical, physical, and spiritual practices.

Both Uphold the Significance of Prana ~ Our Vital Life Force

Ayurveda describes health as the harmonious flow of prana through the doshas, tissues, and channels. Yoga describes liberation as the upward movement of prana through the chakras and major channels of the body.

The Union of the Two Paths

 Ayurveda gives us the health and lifestyle therapies and remedies, and yoga gives us the practices and techniques (asana, breath, meditation) to embody sattva (stability, purity, wakefulness, essence, clarity and light) and move toward liberation.

🌿 Over 20 years ago, Dr. Vasant Lad created a program called AyurYoga, which brings together Yoga and Ayurveda. These two ancient traditions are rooted in the teachings of the wise sages of time immemorial. AyurYoga continues to be taught at the Ayurvedic Institute today.