From Restlessness to Stillness Patanjali’s Vision of Yoga

Note: This article has been co-authored by Shelja Gupta. You can find the complete bio of Shelja Guta at the end of the article.

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras provide a roadmap for reaching the ultimate goal through various practices and techniques. A deep sense of unity, tranquility, and enlightenment can be achieved. According to Sage Patanjali  “Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind,” which highlights the necessity of stilling the mind’s disturbances to be one with the higher self.

Maharishi Patanjali elaborates on Ashtanga Yoga within the Yoga Sutras. In sutra 29 of Sadhana Pada, he outlines the eight limbs of yoga as follows:

Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi represent the eight branches of Yoga.

Ashtanga Yoga is an eight-fold path that, when practiced, allows one to lead a life of discipline, morality, and spiritual fulfillment. “Ashta” denotes eight, while “Anga” indicates limbs, which are described by Saint Patanjali as below:

Yama

The word ‘Yama’ has diverse meanings. In Sanskrit, it means self-management or discipline. Ram Chandra of Fatehgarh wrote, “Giving up untrue feelings and untrue thought is Yama. Yama signifies letting go i.e. cleaning the undesirable things from the heart. In Hindu scriptures, the God of Death is also called Yama. The real goal is to perish your ego, conquer ‘I’-ness to become universal. The five Yamas as outlined by Maharishi Patanjali are –

    Non-violence: Ahimsa

The first Yama starts with love. The rudimentary divine law that governs life is “Love all.” If we harbour the feeling of hate in our heart, we will become demons. We should love selflessly, unconditionally and with great joy in our heart.

    Be truthful: Satya

The second Yama is to be true to life. We all know the famous statement by William Shakespeare: “This above all: to thine own self be true.”

Truthfulness, needs an innocent, child-like predisposition, we don’t try to manipulate the reality. At the same time, truth should be such that it doesn’t hurt the other person’s heart.

    Honesty (not stealing): Asteya

When we are loving in our heart and we are leading a truthful life then honesty becomes our second nature. We become the embodiment of honesty and a role model of these beautiful traits for the people all around us.

    Moderation of the senses: Brahmacharya

Contrary to popular understanding Brahmacharya doesn’t mean celibacy; it really means a balanced approach in every aspect of existence. The term consists of Brahman + charya. “Charya” means to dwell, so “one who dwells in Brahman,” is rightly called a brahmacharya. We acquire moderation as an after effect of purifying the inner condition through meditation and achieving a state of balance and moderation. When we are in that state, all our actions and thoughts have the essence of Brahman.

    Attitude of non-possessiveness towards worldly things: Aparigraha

The fifth Yama is non-possessiveness. It is the sum total of the other four: love, truthfulness, honesty and moderation. We live in the world, unaffected, as a lotus in the pond.  Actually, it means that even if you have something in you, you are not affected by it either its presence or its absence.

Niyama

Niyama, involves cultivating and infusing nobility of character. It includes all the ‘dos,’ the moral ethics, the duties and inner observances. Niyama is to inculcate some sort of order to establish and enhance life itself. It converts our living to such a high level that we are able to radiate the essence of the inner state. The five Niyamas are as mentioned below –

    Shaucha

Swami Vivekananda said, “The sages have said that there are two sorts of purification – external and internal. The cleansing of the body by external means like water or other materials is the external purification. Purification of the mind through truth and other virtues is referred to as internal purification. Both are necessary yet the internal purity is the better however, no one can truly be a Yogi without possessing both.

    Santosh

The second Niyama is Santosh. What is the most important thing we want in life, most of the people will say, joy and peace. The external things like our job, money, friends, family, and children are not able to provide everlasting joy and peace because we can find them only in the deepest core of our hearts. Meditation is the only way to sustain happiness and calmness in our lives.

    Tapas

The next Niyama is tapas – penance, or the internal fire that brings ultimate purification. It brings mastery over the senses. It is a manifestation of the fire of Divinity within us. Tapasya brings discipline, love, enthusiasm and a strong desire to reach the spiritual goal. In fact, it is all about accepting life and dealing with every aspect in life.

    Swadhyaya

Swadhyaya means study of the self. Self-observation is very important to refine our character and to tune it to the level of universal consciousness. Our behaviour and ethics are essential to merge with our higher self. It is also of paramount important to read spiritual text to, evolve and study our inner condition.

    Ishwar Pranidhan

The final Niyama is Ishwar pranidhan, meaning surrender to omnipotent God. It requires self-acceptance and acceptance of everything, that is happening in our lives. When we are in a state of total surrender, we arrive at a state of clarity and can solve most of the matters of life with a peaceful mind.

Asana

The word Asana is derived from the Sanskrit root as, which means ‘to sit’: the original Asana was the sitting pose for meditation. Asana is a state in which we can feel fulfilled and connect with the universal consciousness.

Pranayama

The yogic practices of Pranayama is related to the energetic field of the body (known as the subtle body) and the associated Pranayama kosha. When done accurately, it brings mental balance and well-being, resulting in good health, because our energetic system is then resonating in harmony with the universal energy

Pratyaharaha

Pratyaharah as described by Patanjali –

2.54: Sva vishaya asamprayoge chittasya svarupe anukarah iva indriyanam pratyaharah

When the indriyas, the mental organs of the senses and actions, don’t engage with their corresponding external manifestations, and turn inwards to the field of consciousness from which they rose, this is the fifth step called Pratyahara.

2.55: Tatah parama vashyata indriyanam

With that turning inward of the organs of the senses and actions results in supreme ability, and mastery over those senses that otherwise go outward towards their objects. It helps us to explore across the spectrum of sub consciousness, consciousness and super consciousness, which lessens the burden of life and helps us to take decisions with utmost clarity and confidence.

Dharana

Concentration involves directing the focus of the mind toward a single object or place. Patanjali states, “Desabanidhaschittasya dharana,” which means binding the mind to one specific thought. By improving concentration, practitioners can develop mental stability, clarity, and enhanced focus. It entails fixing the mind on a selected object of meditation, such as a symbol, mantra, deity, or chakra. In simpler terms, it is about keeping the mind solidly focused on a particular point in space. However, at this level, the mind can easily be interrupted by other thoughts.

Dhyana

 The stage that follows Dharana is Dhyana, or meditation. Meditation represents prolonged concentration, where focus remains on the same object or thought. This is a highly advanced stage, and a useful analogy to distinguish between Dharana and Dhyana is comparing water to honey. Dharana resembles water dripping slowly drop by drop, while Dhyana resembles honey flowing steadily in a smooth stream without disruptions. At this point, one thought dominates our mind, and the focus is so intense that nothing can interfere. This is what meditation truly is.

Samadhi

 It is a state of merging. In all other activities, there is an experience called Trpti—the perceiver, the perceived, and the act of perception; in meditation, there are three components: the individual who is meditating, the object of meditation, and the meditation process itself. The pinnacle of meditation is Samadhi, where these three aspects merge into one. Samadhi, or enlightenment, occurs when we become so immersed in our meditation that we lose awareness of ourselves. The distinction between Dhyana and Samadhi lies in the fact that during Dhyana, we are aware that we are meditating, while in Samadhi, our absorption is so deep that we are unaware of our meditative state. This indicates that the ego or sense of ‘I’ vanishes.

When we practice Yoga techniques daily it provides numerous health benefits, such as a stronger immune system, improved digestion, increased metabolism, better sleep, and a greater ability to concentrate and remain calm in challenging situations. It serves both as a personal practice and a universal solution for attaining individual peace and enhancing the overall well-being of others. Consequently, Ashtanga Yoga continues to be a timeless guide for achieving a balanced, meaningful, and awakened life.

Shelja Gupta is the Head of the Yoga Department at ITM College, Dehradun, currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Yogic Science. She holds an M.A. in Yoga (NET qualified) and a B.E. in Electrical Engineering. Her diverse professional background includes teaching at John Martin Primary School, working as a copyeditor for STM journals, and contributing to book editing and translation. As a certified yoga practitioner, she has conducted regular yoga sessions, workshops, and tutored B.A. students. She has also written for the cookery column of Lokayat magazine and is a dedicated Heartfulness practitioner, committed to promoting yoga and holistic well-being.