8 Limbs of Yoga, an Infographic by Claire Lalande

When Claire Lalande shared with us her Infographic on the 8 Limbs of Yoga, The Heart Of Yoga (featured above in English and below in French), we were awe struck. It was clear that a lot of love and intention was poured into this project. Keen to learn more, we asked Claire for a quick interview to dive into her inspiration.

GY: We can see you spent a great deal of time and energy on this! What was the inspiration or motivation behind the creation?

CL: I did this infographic on the 8 limbs of yoga as a summary work for a training. I was reading the book, The Heart of Yoga by T.K.V. Desikachar, and wondering how I could summarize it in an interesting way. The book is an excellent tool, but it gives a lot of information and is quite dense. I started dreaming of something more visual. As I am a bit of a nerd and I can’t paint or draw, the idea of creating an infographic grew… The 8 Limbs of Yoga began to unfold. It was a lot more difficult than I thought, but once started, I can’t give up a challenge, ha ha ha!!

GY: Tell us about your color choices…

It is quite silly, it is the colors of my “brand”, yellow and redish/pink… I wanted quite simple colors, and I stuck with the ones I know, I am not a graphic designer, so I know my limits!

GY: You shared this with the other teachers on GatherYoga and we all loved it! Was it your idea that teachers could also benefit from this infographic?

CL: I am a big believer in sharing. As soon as the infographic was finished, I decided to share it. And I don’t regret it. First of all, I had a lot of great feedback from other teachers (especially for the french translation that was difficult for me). Then my students appreciated it as well, and I even had an email from a studio owner asking of she could display it in her yoga studio, I think we all grow by supporting and helping each other, and I am happy my nerdyness can be useful for others, ha ha.

GY: As teachers ourselves, most of our students come to yoga thinking that asana is yoga. Do you find that having a visual of the 8 limbs helps students fully absorb the other elements of our practice?

CL: Absolutely! A lot of people are visual learners. An infographic is a great tool for them.

But more importantly, exposing yourself to yoga philosophy is crucial to start understanding and experiencing yoga in his multifaceted richness. The more we get familiar with the concepts within yoga, the easier it is to live them, to bring them into our daily life, and to become a yogini.

You can practice with Claire in person in and around the Geneva, Switzerland area, or take her home with one of her Yoga Video Collections.