Note: As you read this post it may be helpful to refer to the 11/3/11 post on the 8 Limbs Of Yoga.
The 8 limbs are not necessarily linear. I see the limb system as a framework, a network, mesh. A new yoga practitioner may embrace just Asana for many years or a lifetime. Maybe some personality types enjoy a compartmentalized experience, sensing just the physical exercise. Separation does not happen with my more intuitive nature as I connect the subtly or seemingly unrelated together somehow. But that's me. The limbs interweave, link up in my experience. And surely I've mastered none of them!
Another perspective: some may be practicing a limb without even knowing about yoga. A limb can be descriptive, giving form to something a person is already doing, such as devotion to the Divine (Dhyana). And that's fine too. So, if a person goes to Asana class and has their own spiritual practice or observes devotion to God through religion, than indeed, they are observing more than one limb.
All this said, I feel it is educational for those interested in yoga practice to receive from somewhere a general knowledge of yogic philosophy. A teacher providing the information does not equate any sort of requirement on the part of the newer practitioner. Nor does the lesson have to be exhaustive. A general outline to possibly plant a seed can be plenty. From there one can find the teacher, class, materials and guidance that makes sense.
In closing, yoga is a practice, not dogmatic religion.
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