Abhyasa

Sustained practice, repeated and persistent effort toward mental stability. Together with vairagya (dispassion), it constitutes one of the two pillars of the yogic method.

Patañjali specifies that abhyasa becomes firmly established when practiced for a long time, without interruption, and with devotion. It is not tense effort but constant and patient application.

Practice creates new samskaras that gradually replace conditioned patterns. Over time, what was effort becomes nature, and the mind spontaneously tends toward stillness.