Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras present yoga as a precise discipline of mind whose central aim is the cessation of mental fluctuations (citta-vṛtti-nirodha), so that pure consciousness can abide in its own nature. When the movements of mind are stilled, the seer (puruṣa, the true Self) is no longer entangled with the body–mind complex (prakṛti), and this clarity culminates in kaivalya, spiritual liberation. The text repeatedly points to ignorance (avidyā) and misidentification with mental activity as the root of suffering, giving rise to egoism, attachment, aversion, and fear. Liberation, therefore, is not a matter of acquiring something new, but of disentangling awareness from what it has mistakenly taken itself to be.

To guide this inner disentanglement, Patañjali sets out a systematic, eight-limbed path (aṣṭāṅga-yoga) that addresses every level of human life. Ethical restraints (yama) and observances (niyama) establish a moral and psychological foundation. Posture (āsana) and breath regulation (prāṇāyāma) stabilize the body–energy system, preparing it for subtler practices. Sense withdrawal (pratyāhāra) turns attention inward, while concentration (dhāraṇā), meditation (dhyāna), and absorption (samādhi) refine awareness until it can rest steadily in itself. These limbs work together to purify the mind, weaken the causes of suffering, and make it capable of sustained, penetrating insight.

Throughout this process, two attitudes are emphasized as indispensable: sustained practice (abhyāsa) and dispassion or detachment (vairāgya). Practice gives continuity and strength to the effort to still the mind, while detachment loosens the grip of craving and aversion that keeps consciousness bound to its own modifications. As discriminative knowledge matures, the distinction between puruṣa and prakṛti becomes unmistakably clear. The main thrust of the teaching is that through ethical living, disciplined yogic practice, and deep meditation, the fluctuations of mind can be stilled, ignorance can be overcome, and the innate freedom of pure awareness—kaivalya—can be realized.