In the Yoga Sutras, Patañjali presents yoga as “citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ,” the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind-stuff. When these vṛttis subside, pure consciousness, or puruṣa, can shine forth unobstructed. Reality is understood in terms of a fundamental distinction between puruṣa, the unchanging seer, and prakṛti, the ever-changing field of nature that includes body, senses, and mind. Bondage arises when these two are confused, and freedom dawns through clear discrimination between them. This vision frames yoga not merely as technique, but as a disciplined movement from misidentification toward abiding in one’s true nature.

Patañjali also analyzes the forces that keep consciousness bound through the doctrine of the kleśas, the five afflictions. These are avidyā (ignorance of one’s real nature), asmitā (egoism or “I”-sense), rāga (attachment), dveṣa (aversion), and abhiniveśa (clinging to life and fear of death). They cloud the mind and perpetuate suffering by feeding mental impressions, or saṁskāras, the subtle seeds left by past actions. These impressions in turn shape tendencies and patterns of experience, sustaining the cycle of karma and further disturbance of the mind. The path of yoga is portrayed as a gradual burning away of these seeds through disciplined practice and dispassion.

The practical heart of the text is the eight-limbed path, Aṣṭāṅga Yoga, which offers a systematic training of body, mind, and conduct. It begins with yama, ethical restraints such as non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, chastity, and non-greed, and niyama, observances like purity, contentment, austerity, self-study, and devotion to the divine. These are followed by āsana (steady, comfortable posture) and prāṇāyāma (regulation of the breath), which stabilize the body–energy complex. Pratyāhāra, the withdrawal of the senses, turns attention inward, preparing for dhāraṇā (one-pointed concentration), dhyāna (uninterrupted meditation), and finally samādhi, complete absorption in the chosen object.

Samādhi itself is described in graded forms, reflecting a deepening refinement of awareness. In samprajñāta or sabīja samādhi, there remains a subtle “seed” in the form of objects, ideas, or a sense of “I,” even amid profound absorption. Asamprajñāta or nirbīja samādhi is characterized by the absence of such mental content, a state in which the seeds of future disturbance are no longer active. Throughout this journey, two complementary disciplines are emphasized: abhyāsa, sustained and earnest practice, and vairāgya, dispassion or non-attachment even to exalted inner experiences. When these mature and the kleśas are attenuated, the text speaks of kaivalya, the “aloneness” or isolation of puruṣa from prakṛti, a state of liberation in which pure consciousness abides in its own nature, free from suffering and rebirth.