The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Raja Yoga
Four chapters. Four gates. One inward journey.
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras offer a precise guide to understanding the mind, deepening practice, cultivating meditation, and realizing inner freedom.
Begin the journey
The path within
The journey unfolds through four doors.
Each Pāda is a distinct chapter, yet all four form one continuous path—from understanding the movements of the mind to the freedom of pure awareness.
The Nature of Yoga
Samādhi Pāda
Where the movements of the mind give way to stillness.
The opening chapter defines yoga and explores the mind, practice, non-attachment, and the stages of meditative absorption. It establishes the vision that guides the entire text.
- The nature of mind
- Abhyāsa & vairāgya
- Meditative absorption
The Path of Practice
Sādhana Pāda
Where understanding becomes disciplined daily practice.
This chapter introduces Kriya Yoga, examines the kleshas that cloud perception, and presents the eight limbs of yoga—a practical framework for purification, steadiness, and inner clarity.
- Kriya Yoga
- The kleshas
- The eight limbs
Samyama & Inner Integration
Vibhūti Pāda
Where concentration, meditation, and samadhi become one continuous discipline.
Patanjali unites dharana, dhyana, and samadhi in the practice of samyama, revealing the capacities of a deeply concentrated mind. These attainments remain secondary to discernment and non-attachment.
- Dhāraṇā
- Dhyāna
- Samādhi as saṃyama
The Freedom of Pure Awareness
Kaivalya Pāda
Where clear discernment opens into liberation.
The final chapter examines mind, karma, the gunas, and the distinction between purusha and prakriti. It culminates in kaivalya—the independence of pure awareness.
- Karma & the gunas
- Discriminative knowledge
- Liberation
Yoga Sutra 1.2
योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः
Yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ
Yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind.
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