योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः ॥ २॥

1.2 yogaścittavṛttinirodhaḥ

yoga – union (with our true identity)

citta - consciousness, mind, thought, thought patterns

vṛtti - fluctuation, whirling, mental activity

nirodhaḥ - restraint, cessation, control

Yoga is the control of the whirling fluctuations of the mind.

The word yoga can describe both the goal of union and the means to that goal. The mind of the average person is a constant flux of thoughts, desires, and emotions. The inherit fickleness of the mind, along with our unending list of lists, never allows the mind to fully focus on one thing for any real length of time. One thought spawns another and another until we are miles from our particular goal. Each individual strand of thought weaves itself with another until our minds become giant filters only allowing concepts that fit through the mind’s preconceived notions of things, events, and people. Even this filter is in constant flux as old strands wear out and break and new ones are created. The citta (pronounced chitta) mentioned above is composed of three aspects: the manas, the recording and interactive processes of the mind (the basic gross functions of the brain); the buddhi, the discriminative faculty (usually referred to as our intellect); and the ahamkara, the ego identity. The mind’s basic functions are to receive and send sensory impulses, file away information gathered from these sensory impulses (usually incomplete), make basic survival decisions based on the available information (is this a good thing or bad?), and direct the body as to how to respond (fight, flight, throw away, or get more of). The manas takes in sensory inputs such as the taste of a chocolate donut. The buddhi compares the inputs with previously gathered data and decides that this object is indeed a good tasting donut. The ahamkara says “I” like donuts, this is my donut and I want another. If we were listening to our true self it would say you don’t need another. The goal of Patanjali’s yoga practice is to regain control of the mind and its ongoing fluctuations instead of them controlling us. Once this control is achieved we are free to engage in life in a skillful, joyful manner.

तदा द्रष्टुः स्वरूपेऽवस्थानमः ॥ ३॥

1.3 tadā draṣṭuḥ svarūpe'vasthānamḥ

tadā - then

draṣṭuḥ - consciousness of seer

svarūpe - one’s own essential nature (own form)

vasthānamḥ - establishment, stands

Then the Seer (Self) abides in its own nature

The vrittis create a false sense of identity with reality by coloring all perceptions with preconceived notions of what our ahamkara believes or wants to be reality. Every event in our lives becomes distorted by assumptions, likes, dislikes, desires, aversions, and fears. When these distortions (vrittis) are removed we are able to experience the world and ourselves for what we truly are. We reside in and act from our true nature of eternal, omniscient, omnipresent, knowledge and bliss.

वृत्तिसारूप्यमः इतरत्र ॥ ४॥

1.4 vṛttisārūpyamḥ itaratra

vṛtti - fluctuation, whirling, pattern

svarūpyam - identification

itaratra - in another state

At other times (the Self appears to) assume the forms of (identifies with) the mental modifications

When the vrittis are not quieted then all of our experiences and actions are based on incomplete, exaggerated, or sometimes completely false assumptions. These false assumptions keep up tied into the cycles of pleasure and pain by seeking pleasure in things that are ultimately painful. Our constant quest for happiness linked to these experiences practically doom us to repeat past habits and desire more things or even relationships which are empty and do not bring real satisfaction, which ultimately keeps us entwined to the circle of physical life and death.