Octopeace

I have a dream to open my own yoga studio one day. If I purse this dream, I will create Octopeace. Not only would it be a tool for learning, but I would use octopeace to advertise my yoga studio. I think it would be a unique visual that can illustrate a very meaningful profundity.

Octopeace is my concept for helping people understand and study yoga. I am currently training to become a yoga instructor, and this is something I would find helpful and useful as I learn about yogic philosophy and practice.

According to Yoga Sutra, which is the Western Bible of Yoga, Yoga is not only a physical practice. Many people only know about the physical component to yoga because oftentimes, that is all that they see. However, there is so much more to yoga. Yoga Sutra teaches that yoga deals with our whole being. In essence, yoga is a lifestyle with eight elements that must be continually worked on to achieve bliss and to develop a better quality of life.

Octopeace is a small and cute octopus stuffed animal. Each of his limbs illustrates the 8 limbs of yoga taught in Yoga Sutra. The 8 limbs are: Yama, Niyama, Asanas, Pranayama, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi. On Octopeace’s first two tentacles , there are five suction cups on each one of them. The suction cups illustrate the subcomponents to the first two limbs of yoga.

All the information will be listed in a small tag that is attached to the octopus.

1. Yama : restraint

Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truth), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (behavior befitting a student), Aparigraha (non-grasping)

2. Niyama : constraint

Sauca (cleanliness), Santosa (contentment), Tapas (austerity or heat) , Svadhyaya (self-study), Isvarapranidhana (surrender to God)

3. Asanas : seat

4. Pranayama : breath extension

5. Pratyahara : withholding

6. Dharana : maintaining

7. Dhyana : meditation

8. Samadhi : joining

The cute stuffed animal can be given to yoga teachers in training to tangibly learn about these fundamental yogic concepts. It can also be merchandise sold in yoga studio, making a great gift for all yogi and yoginis!