योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधःyogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ · yoga is the stilling of the movements of the mind
Yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ: Patañjali's definition of yoga
2 min read · Updated October 17, 2026 · sources checked October 17, 2026
In short
Yoga Sutra 1.2, yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ, is Patañjali's definition: yoga is the stilling (nirodha) of the movements (vṛtti) of the mind (citta). The movements are five, valid knowledge, error, verbal construction, sleep and memory (1.6), and they are stilled by practice and non-attachment (1.12). Then the seer abides in its own nature (1.3).
The sutra
योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः ॥
yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ ||
Yoga is the stilling of the movements of the mind.
Four words, no verb: this is how a sūtra works. It is the second sentence of the Yoga Sutras, right after "now, the teaching of yoga" (1.1), and everything in the text unfolds from it.
Word by word
| Word | Devanāgarī | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| yogaḥ (yogaś by sandhi) | योगः | yoga | Vyāsa on 1.1: "yoga is samādhi", absorption |
| citta | चित्त | the mind, the whole mental field | Monier-Williams: thinking, reflecting, the heart, mind |
| vṛtti | वृत्ति | movement, activity, mode | from the root vṛt, to turn: what turns in the mind |
| nirodhaḥ | निरोधः | stilling, restraint | Monier-Williams: restraint, check, control, suppression |
The compound reads backwards in English: the nirodha of the vṛttis of the citta. Translators choose "cessation", "restraint", "control" or "stilling"; we keep "stilling" because the text describes a settling reached through long practice, not a forced stop.
What Vyāsa reads in it
The oldest commentary makes two points that change how the sutra is understood.
- "Of the mind", not "of all movements". Patañjali does not write sarva, all. Vyāsa concludes that absorption with an object, where some movement still remains, also counts as yoga. There are two kinds of nirodha: with an object (saṃprajñāta) and without (asaṃprajñāta).
- The mind has five levels. On 1.1 he lists five states of mind: scattered, dull, distracted, one-pointed and stilled. Absorption in a distracted mind does not count as yoga; the last two do.
What happens then (1.3-1.4)
तदा द्रष्टुः स्वरूपेऽवस्थानम् ॥
tadā draṣṭuḥ svarūpe 'vasthānam ||
Then the seer abides in its own nature.
वृत्तिसारूप्यमितरत्र ॥
vṛtti-sārūpyam itaratra ||
Otherwise, it takes the form of the movements.
The seer (draṣṭṛ), pure awareness, does not change. When the mind is agitated, awareness seems to take its shape, as a face seems to move in a rippling pool. Stilling the ripples does not create the face; it lets it be seen.
The five vṛttis (1.5-1.11)
वृत्तयः पञ्चतय्यः क्लिष्टाक्लिष्टाः ॥
vṛttayaḥ pañcatayyaḥ kliṣṭākliṣṭāḥ ||
The movements are of five kinds, afflicted or not afflicted.
प्रमाणविपर्ययविकल्पनिद्रास्मृतयः ॥
pramāṇa-viparyaya-vikalpa-nidrā-smṛtayaḥ ||
Valid knowledge, error, verbal construction, sleep and memory.
| Sutra | Vṛtti | Definition in the text | Vyāsa's example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.7 | pramāṇa, valid knowledge | perception, inference and reliable testimony | the moon and stars move, since they change place |
| 1.8 | viparyaya, error | false knowledge, not based on the real form of the thing | seeing two moons, corrected by seeing one |
| 1.9 | vikalpa, verbal construction | follows from words, empty of a real object | "consciousness is the nature of the self", as if the two were separate |
| 1.10 | nidrā, sleep | the movement whose support is the cognition of absence | on waking: "I slept well", which is remembered |
| 1.11 | smṛti, memory | not losing an object once experienced | — |
Two things are striking. Valid knowledge is also a vṛtti: yoga is not only quieting bad thoughts. And each kind can be afflicted (driven by the kleśas) or not: a true thought can still bind, a passing error can still lead to discernment.
How they are stilled (1.12-1.15)
अभ्यासवैराग्याभ्यां तन्निरोधः ॥
abhyāsa-vairāgyābhyāṃ tan-nirodhaḥ ||
They are stilled through practice and non-attachment.
- Practice (abhyāsa) is the effort to remain steady (1.13). It becomes firm when cultivated for a long time, without interruption and with care (1.14).
- Non-attachment (vairāgya) is the mastery of one who no longer thirsts for objects seen or heard of (1.15).
Vyāsa's image: the river of the mind flows two ways, towards freedom and towards the world. Non-attachment dams one stream; practice opens the other.
Practise the sutra
- Sit for five to ten minutes, steady and comfortable (2.46). See how to meditate.
- Label each movement that arises with one of the five words: knowledge, error, imagining, drowsiness, memory. Do not fight it.
- Return to one object, the breath or Om, each time.
- Notice the gaps. Between two movements there is a moment where nothing needs labelling. That is the direction 1.2 points to.
- Repeat daily. Sutra 1.14 is explicit: long, unbroken and with care.
The whole path that follows from this definition is laid out on the eight limbs and in Samādhi-pāda.
Questions people ask
What is the definition of yoga according to Patanjali?
Yoga Sutra 1.2: yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ, yoga is the stilling of the movements of the mind. The next sutra gives the result: then the seer abides in its own nature.
Why is it written yogaś and not yogaḥ?
Sound joining (sandhi). Yogaḥ, ending in a breath sound, becomes yogaś before the c of citta. Both are the same word, yoga in the nominative.
What are the 8 limbs of yoga according to Patanjali?
Sutra 2.29: yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna and samādhi. In Sanskrit, eight limbs is aṣṭāṅga, which is why Patañjali's yoga is also called aṣṭāṅga yoga.
What is kriya yoga according to Patanjali?
Sutra 2.1: discipline (tapas), study (svādhyāya) and surrender to the Lord (īśvara-praṇidhāna) form the yoga of action, practised to cultivate absorption and thin the afflictions (2.2).
Does nirodha mean suppressing thoughts?
Not by force. Monier-Williams gives restraint, check, control, but also suppression: the word allows both readings. Patañjali's method is gentle and long: steady practice and letting go (1.12-1.15), until the movements settle by themselves.
Sources
- Patañjali, Yogasūtra, Sanskrit text, ed. Āgāśe 1904, digitised by Philipp A. Maas (GRETIL, University of Göttingen) checked October 17, 2026
- Patañjali, Yogasūtra with Vyāsa's Yogabhāṣya, Sanskrit text (GRETIL): 1.1-1.12 checked October 17, 2026
- Monier-Williams, Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899), entry citta, Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries checked October 17, 2026
- Monier-Williams, Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899), entry vṛtti, Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries checked October 17, 2026
- Monier-Williams, Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899), entry nirodha, Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries checked October 17, 2026