Nirodha

Cessation, restriction, stilling. In the definition of yoga (citta-vrtti-nirodha), it is the state where mental fluctuations cease and consciousness rests in itself.

Nirodha is not violent suppression or unconscious emptiness. It is a state of serene alertness where the mind, though capable of movement, naturally remains still. Nirodha samskaras gradually replace agitation samskaras.

There are levels of nirodha, from brief moments of stillness to the permanent nirodha-samadhi described in the third chapter of the Yoga Sutras.