From Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras
1. Yama – Universal ethical disciplines; rules and restraints for us to live in society; our attitudes toward our environment; respect for others and self.
2. Niyama – fixed observations and guidelines for personal conduct to build character; guidelines for personal daily behavior; our attitude towards ourselves.
3. Asana – practice of yoga postures; seat in general; the practice of bodily exercises.
4. Pranayama – practice of breathing; regulation and restraint of breath; breath control management of the energies that control the body linked to the emotions via breath control.
5. Pratyahara – withdrawal of the senses from the outer world toward the soul; restraint of the senses.
6. Dharana – the act of concentration; keeping the mind focused and collected; the ability to direct our mind.
7. Dhyana – meditation; contemplation; reflection; attention; the ability to develop interactions with what we seek to understand.
8. Samadhi – profound meditation; absorption; complete integration with the object to be understood.