Chitta-vritti-nirodha
Yoga Sutra 1.2 - "yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind". The entire syllabus is in service of this single goal.
Vedic science
Yoga योग
The science of yoking the wandering mind
Eight progressive limbs - yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi - that move attention from outer behaviour to absorbed awareness.
Parent Veda
Closely associated with the Yajurveda; Patanjali codified the system around 200 BCE
Founders / systematisers
Hiranyagarbha (the mythic first teacher); systematised by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras (c. 200 BCE). Earlier roots in the Upanishads (Katha, Shvetashvatara) and the Bhagavad Gita (chapters 5–6).
Introduction
The word yoga comes from the root yuj, "to yoke". It is the discipline of yoking the wandering mind so it can rest in its own clarity. Around 200 BCE, the sage Patanjali codified centuries of oral teaching into 196 short aphorisms - the Yoga Sutras - and gave the world the eight-limbed path (Ashtanga) that almost every modern Hindu meditation teacher draws from.
Yoga in classical India is not the same as the modern asana-only "yoga class". Asana is only the third of eight limbs. The first two - yama (restraint) and niyama (observance) - are how you live the rest of your day; the last three - dharana, dhyana, samadhi - are progressively deeper states of inner attention.
The Bhagavad Gita describes four temperament-matched paths: Bhakti yoga (devotion), Karma yoga (selfless action), Jnana yoga (knowledge), and Raja yoga (meditation). Most practitioners blend two or three.
Key concepts
Ashtanga - eight limbs
Yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi. Each limb prepares the next.
The four paths
Bhakti (love), Karma (action), Jnana (knowledge), Raja (meditation). The Gita treats them as complementary.
Kundalini and chakras
In tantric yoga (Hatha tradition), the spiritual energy (kundalini) lies coiled at the base of the spine. Practice awakens it and lets it rise through seven chakras to the crown.
Nadis and pranas
The subtle body has 72,000 nadis (channels). The three principal - Ida (lunar, left), Pingala (solar, right), Sushumna (central) - meet at the chakras. Five pranas circulate through them.
Samadhi
The eighth limb - the meditator, the act of meditation, and the object dissolve into one. Patanjali distinguishes savikalpa (with form) and nirvikalpa (without).
Great teachers and saints
Patanjali
c. 200 BCECodified the Yoga Sutras - the foundational text. By tradition the same Patanjali who wrote the Mahabhashya on Sanskrit grammar and the Ayurvedic Charaka Samhita commentary.
Matsyendranath
10th c. CEFounder of the Nath sampradaya. Developed Hatha Yoga as we know it. His disciple Goraknath spread Hatha across India.
Goraknath
11th c. CEDisciple of Matsyendranath. Travelled across north India teaching Hatha. The town of Gorakhpur is named after him.
Svatmarama
15th c. CEAuthor of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika - the most widely studied Hatha manual.
Swami Vivekananda
1863–1902Introduced yoga to the West at the 1893 Parliament of Religions. His "Raja Yoga" book translated and popularised Patanjali for English readers.
T. Krishnamacharya
1888–1989The "father of modern yoga". Teacher of B.K.S. Iyengar, K. Pattabhi Jois, T.K.V. Desikachar, and Indra Devi. Almost every modern asana lineage descends from him.
B.K.S. Iyengar
1918–2014Iyengar Yoga - precision alignment, use of props. His book Light on Yoga is still the global reference for asana.
Paramahansa Yogananda
1893–1952Brought Kriya Yoga to America. Author of Autobiography of a Yogi.
Canonical texts
- Patanjali - Yoga Sutras (196 sutras in 4 padas: Samadhi, Sadhana, Vibhuti, Kaivalya)
- Bhagavad Gita chapters 2, 5, 6 (Sankhya-yoga, Karma-yoga, Dhyana-yoga)
- Hatha Yoga Pradipika by Svatmarama (15th c.) - Hatha foundations
- Gheranda Samhita (17th c.) - seven-limbed Hatha
- Shiva Samhita (17th c.) - tantric Hatha
- Yoga Vasistha - large philosophical text framed as Rama's teacher Vasistha's discourse
How to use this in daily life
Five minutes of dhyana
A daily five-minute meditation, done for forty days, will measurably change how you respond to stress. Start with the breath, return when distracted.
One pranayama
Slow alternate-nostril breathing (anuloma viloma) for two minutes before sleep - drops heart rate, improves sleep quality.
Surya Namaskar
Twelve postures, twelve breaths, twelve bija mantras. A complete morning practice in ten minutes that the body and mind both crave.
Bhakti through chanting
Even five minutes of namasankirtana (the Lord's names) before bed is bhakti yoga. No technique required - just sincere attention.
Karma yoga at work
Do the next task without grasping for praise or recognition. The Gita's teaching is meant for office work as much as for warriors.
Modern revival
India's Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Homoeopathy) formalises Yoga as a national health system. The UN-recognised International Yoga Day on 21 June (Summer Solstice) draws hundreds of millions of practitioners worldwide.
Recommended reading
- Swami Vivekananda · "Raja Yoga" - accessible English translation of Patanjali
- Edwin Bryant · "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali" (North Point Press) - modern scholarly translation
- B.K.S. Iyengar · "Light on Yoga" - the global asana reference
- T.K.V. Desikachar · "The Heart of Yoga" - Krishnamacharya tradition for the householder
- Swami Satyananda Saraswati · "Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha" (Bihar School of Yoga)
Where to study formally
- Sri Ramakrishna Math editions of all Vivekananda volumes
- Iyengar Yoga Institute (Pune) - the world's most rigorous asana school
- Bihar School of Yoga (Munger) - traditional residential training
- Kaivalyadhama (Lonavala) - research institute since 1924
Other Vedic sciences
Was this page useful?
One tap helps us learn what to improve. Add a note if you would like to see something specific on this page.
Anonymous votes are stored against a per-session ID; signed-in votes link to your profile. We use this only to decide what to add or improve. We never share or sell this data.