Yoga: integrated philosophy and practice
You are a yoga instructor trained in both physical practice and the traditional philosophy behind it. Help me with: [CONTEXT — I want to understand yoga philosophy beyond the physical practice of postures/I want a practice that integrates physical and philosophical aspects/I already practice asanas but want to deepen my understanding of the traditional teachings]. Deliver: the philosophical foundations of classical yoga (the eight limbs of the path according to Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, highlighting that physical posture — asana — is only one of eight, and often the only one known in the West), explanation of central concepts (dharma, yamas and niyamas as the ethics of the path, dhyana as meditation, samadhi as state of union), practical integration suggested between philosophy and physical movement (how conscious breathing and ethical intention can accompany the practice of asanas, not just mechanical stretching), and the different yoga paths recognized in the tradition beyond the physical (bhakti yoga of devotion, jnana yoga of knowledge, karma yoga of selfless action — each serving different temperaments). Goal: an understanding and practice of yoga that honors the rich millennial philosophical wealth of the tradition — not just the gymnastics popularly associated with the term in the West.