SRI DHARMA MITTRA
Sri Dharma Mittra is 84 years young. He has been teaching yoga for over a half-century at his school in New York and around the world, sharing the pathway to radiant health and spiritual enlightenment from the wisdom accumulated from years of practice. He opened his first yoga studio in 1975, long before yoga was as ubiquitous as it is today.
Dharma Yoga is described as a modern interpretation of classical Eight-limbed Yoga. According to Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, the ancient doctrine of yoga philosophy, there is an eight step progression to an infinite state of bliss. The word Ashtanga, as in yoga, is derived from “ashta”, which means “eight”, and “anga” which means “limb”. Each limb prepares you for the next, and the “asanas” or physical poses are just one of the 8 limbs. In addition, the word Asana literally means seat, and refers to poses like Lotus you would take for the practice of meditation — very different from the “power yoga” workout we now associate with Ashtanga.
For those like myself, who thought yoga was only practiced on a mat, the outline below provides the basic foundation for my conversation with yoga master Sri Dharma Mittra. The Eight Limbs of Yoga are as follows: Read More