The 8 Limbs of Yoga: Samadhi

We made it! It’s taken much longer than I initially anticipated, but today we are going to chat about the 8th (and final!) limb of yoga: samadhi.

Samadhi translates roughly to “enlightenment” and was described by Patanjali as a state of ecstasy. It’s the 8th limb for a reason - because it’s the final step on the journey of the 8th limbed path, where the practitioner merges with their point of focus and transcends the self; only once we have addressed our relationship with our inner and outer world (via the 7 preceeding limbs) can we reach this level “enlightenment”.

If we break down the word samadhi into 2 sections: ‘sama’ and ‘dhi’, we can see the true meaning of this limb more more clearly. Sama roughly translates to ‘same’ or ‘equal’ and dhi translates to ‘to see’… put them together and you have a new meaning:

“To see equally and without disturbance from the mind, without our experience being conditioned by likes, dislikes or habits, without a need to judge or become attached to any particular aspect.” - Emma Newlyn.

In my eyes, samadhi in practice is living in alignment with your highest self in the present. When you are no longer wrapped up in your judgement, worry, dislikes, and fear, you become completely in-tune with the present moment and can remain aware of everything happening in you and around you. Rather than being caught up in the past or the future, you’re immersed in each moment as a ritual in and of itself.

Further, when you reach a state of samadhi, the ego is no longer present, because you can only see yourself and your connection to everything else, and yourself as everything else. This creates a connection to the universe/god/a higher power, and with that comes that much-desired level of peace that surpasses all understanding.

This limb is very hard to put into words - it’s more of a feeling and a state of being than a practice you put into place like the other limbs. In modern life, it’s also extremely challenging to reach a constant state of samadhi. But from my perspective, as with everything in yoga, it’s not about striving for perfection… it’s about the journey, embracing the imperfect nature of life, and finding joy in every moment, even the hard ones.

Now that we have covered all 8 Limbs of Yoga, I would love to hear from you! Which one resonated with you the most? Please share your thoughts in the comments :)

If you would like to read more about the other 7 limbs in the 8 limbed path, you can find them all here.

xo,
Kelsey