Around 200-600Ad a man named Patanjali identified eight interrelated aspects of Yoga.  These became the 8 limbs of yoga that create the foundation on which yoga today is practiced.  The eight limbs are equally important in a persons yoga practice in or to achieve a steady progress in refining the mind and discriminating the real from the illusionary.  The Yama’s and Niyama’s form the base of the eight-limbed Path and are considered the moral conduct that one must work on in order to achieve a complete merging and understanding of One's Higher Self.

The yama’s make up the moral restraint in our external relationships and consist of;

Ahimsa -- Non-Violence

Satya – Truthfulness

Asteya – Non-Stealing

Brachmacharya –Chasity or Continence, non-waste of energy

Aparigraha – Non-Hoarding

The Niyama’s deal with observing daily practices geared to our internal relationship to the Self and are;

Saucha – Purity and Cleanliness 

Santosha – Contentment 

Tapas – Dedication to Practice

 Svadhyaya – Self-Study

 Isvara pranidhana – Surrendering to the Devine