Yoga is the settling of the movements of the mind.

Written and reviewed by The Kriya Yogi · Updated 21 September 2026

Sanskrit, in transliteration

yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ

Our own plain rendering, checked against the standard published translations.

What the verse says

This is the definition the whole text rests on. Citta is the whole thinking-feeling apparatus; vṛtti are its turnings — thoughts, memories, reactions; nirodha is their restraint, containment or stilling. Yoga, in this book, is not a posture and not an experience. It is a condition of the mind.

In practice

Every practice later in the text — posture, breath, concentration — is judged by this line. If it settles the mind it is yoga; if it agitates the mind it is something else, however impressive it looks.

How it gets misquoted

Nirodha is often translated as "control", which suggests force. The text pairs it with practice and non-attachment (1.12), not with suppression.

This verse sits in Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, chapter 1 — read our commentary on the whole chapter.