The meaning of 8/8/8 - Lions Gate

Prana, Prakriti and the rhythm of the Infinite

On August 8, it is the peak of the Lion’s Gate, and this year the date carries an interesting numerical pattern.

August gives us the first 8. The 8th day gives us the second. And when we add all the numbers of the full date, we arrive at another 8:

8 + 8 + 2 + 0 + 2 + 6 = 26 → 2 + 6 = 8

8 / 8 / 8

So, we thought it would be interesting to dive into the symbolism of the number 8 and some of the places where we encounter it within Yoga and other wisdom traditions.

Turn the number 8 on its side and you get the symbol for infinity:

8 → ∞

Within Yoga, one of the most direct ways in which we relate to the Infinite is through Prana, the life force that moves through us and all of life. Our breath gives us a direct way to receive, direct and experience this life force within our own body.

Interestingly, we find several connections between 8, Air and Prana.

The octahedron, one of the five Platonic solids, has eight faces and is traditionally associated with the element Air. Air carries our breath, and through the breath we receive Prana. In Tantric Numerology we find another connection: 8 is associated with the Pranic Body.

The number 8 also has a beautiful connection with Prakriti, the creative power of Nature.

In Tantric imagery, we regularly encounter the eight-petalled lotus in yantras associated with the Goddess. These eight petals can be related to Prakriti, which the Bhagavad Gita describes as eightfold: earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect and ego.

Prakriti is the creative intelligence through which the manifest universe comes into being. You could think of her as the Cosmic Mother, the power through which infinite creative potential continuously takes name and form.

And we find the rhythm of 8 within mantra.

One of the most important Vedic metres is Gāyatrī chandas, composed of three lines of eight syllables:

8 + 8 + 8

The famous Gāyatrī Mantra is composed in this metre, and Gāyatrī later came to be revered as a Goddess and Mother of the Vedas. Interestingly, the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad also connects one of these eight-syllable lines with prāṇa, apāna and vyāna, three movements of the vital life force.

In Kundalini Yoga we regularly work with this rhythm in another way, through eight-stroke breathing patterns and eight-beat mantra rhythms. Repetition allows the number to become something we experience through breath and sound, creating a rhythm through which we consciously work with Prana.

And then we come back to the shape of the number itself:

8 → ∞

Its continuous form has no beginning or end. Energy keeps moving, changing and taking new forms. Prana is the life force moving through creation, while Prakriti is the creative power through which this infinite potential takes form.

Seen this way, the number 8 becomes a beautiful symbol for the relationship between the Infinite and the continuous movement of life into expression.

All these different associations make 8/8/8 a fascinating date to contemplate and a fitting moment for our free Cosmic Alignment practice.

Together we move, meditate, breathe and chant to tune into our connection with the greater Cosmos through our whole being, anchoring ourselves in the spiritual heart, the entrance point to infinity.

Register for the FREE Lion's gate session here 

On Saturday, August 8, at the peak of the Lion’s Gate, we are sharing a free Kundalini Yoga practice:

Cosmic Alignment

This session invites you to remember yourself as a cosmic being and align with the larger movement of life, while anchoring yourself in the spiritual heart, the doorway to infinity within.

You can practise in your own time from August 8 through August 12.

Registration is free, but you do need to sign up here to receive access.