Yoga

Sanskrit term derived from the root yuj (“to yoke”, “to unite”). It designates both the state of union of individual consciousness with the universal and the set of practices leading to that state.

In the Yoga Sūtras, Patañjali defines it as citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ — the cessation of mental fluctuations (1.2). This definition establishes yoga not as a physical practice but as a process of inner quieting.

Main meanings

• As a state: union, integration, complete absorption
• As a method: the systematic path toward that integration
• As a discipline: the set of practices (āsana, prāṇāyāma, dhyāna, etc.)

In the classical texts

The Bhagavad Gītā offers another famous definition: “yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam” — yoga is skill in action (2.50). It also defines yoga as equanimity: “samatvaṃ yoga ucyate” (2.48).

The Kaṭha Upaniṣad describes yoga as the firm control of the senses, relating it to the chariot metaphor where the ātman is the passenger and the mind the reins.

Relation to hatha

Hatha yoga is a specific branch emphasizing bodily and energetic techniques as means to attain the state of yoga described in the philosophical texts.