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