One of the most fascinating ideas in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is the subtle inner transformation that happens as the mind becomes still.

What Is Nirodha?

Patanjali defines yoga as:

“Yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ” (Yoga Sutra 1.2) Yoga is the cessation (nirodha) of the fluctuations of the mind.

But how do we actually reach that state? It doesn’t happen all at once — it’s a gradual transformation where the restless patterns of thought are replaced by inner stillness.

The Two Competing Tendencies

In Sutra 3.9, Patanjali describes two forces in the mind:

• Vyutthāna Saṁskāra: the tendency toward distraction and mental chatter

• Nirodha Saṁskāra: the tendency toward silence and restraint

As we meditate and practice, the nirodha-saṁskāras grow stronger, and the vyutthāna-saṁskāras fade away. This shift is called nirodha-pariṇāma, or the transformation toward inner stillness.

The mind doesn’t go silent all at once. It moves through many moments of stillness, where restraint begins to dominate. Over time, these moments string together into a deep, sustained state of peace.

Understanding nirodha-saṁskāra helps us see that meditation isn’t about forcing the mind, but about training it gently, allowing new patterns of stillness to take root. Every time we sit in awareness, we’re imprinting peace into the mind itself.

Yoga is about replacing mental noise with inner clarity. Patanjali’s wisdom reminds us that transformation comes not from struggle, but from consistent practice and subtle inner change.

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🌟 Stay Connected & Deepen Your Practice

If you’d like to participate in future live sessions, consider joining the Kriya Yoga Online Patreon Community or applying to the Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Program.

📘 For continued inspiration and instruction, check out Ryan Kurczak’s latest book: An Essential Guide to Kriya Yoga Practice, available in hardcover and paperback on Amazon.

🧘‍♂️ Your host, Ryan Kurczak, is a Kriya Yoga meditation teacher and author, authorized to teach in 2005 by Roy Eugene Davis, a direct student of Paramahansa Yogananda.

🔗 Explore more resources:

• Patreon Community: Support the work & access live sessions 👉 https://www.patreon.com/KriyaYoga

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• Hundreds of free videos on YouTube: 👉 https://www.youtube.com/user/KriyaYogaOnline

Thank you for listening, and may your path be filled with clarity, strength, and peace.

This episode of the Kriya Yoga Podcast is recording from our annual June Kriya Yoga Solstice Retreat. Kriya Yoga teacher Ryan Kurczak explores ways to access the mystical state and what it is like to function and experience that state.

Topics include:

• Imagining the Mystical Experience
• Allowing Yourself to Experience a Mystical State
• Losing Yourself in Mystical Experience
• Extreme Techniques Don't work for Real Mysticism
• The Psychological Key to Mystical Experience
• Jesus
• Attachment to Happiness in Meditation

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🌟 Stay Connected & Deepen Your Practice

If you’d like to participate in future live sessions, consider joining the Kriya Yoga Online Patreon Community or applying to the Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Program.

📘 For continued inspiration and instruction, check out Ryan Kurczak’s latest book: An Essential Guide to Kriya Yoga Practice, available in hardcover and paperback on Amazon.

🧘‍♂️ Your host, Ryan Kurczak, is a Kriya Yoga meditation teacher and author, authorized to teach in 2005 by Roy Eugene Davis, a direct student of Paramahansa Yogananda.

🔗 Explore more resources:

• Patreon Community: Support the work & access live sessions 👉 https://www.patreon.com/KriyaYoga

• Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship, blog posts & books: 👉 https://kriyayogaonline.com

• Online Classes for All Levels: 👉 https://kriya-yoga.teachable.com/

• Hundreds of free videos on YouTube: 👉 https://www.youtube.com/user/KriyaYogaOnline

Thank you for listening, and may your path be filled with clarity, strength, and peace.

This episode of The Kriya Yoga Podcast is an excerpt from a talk given during the 2025 summer annual Kriya Yoga week-long retreat in Rochester, NY. In this discussion we explore the power of Sattva as grace and an essential component of our enlightenment practice.

For a full explanation of this topic, please see Ryan Kurczak's book,

-

🌟 Stay Connected & Deepen Your Practice

If you’d like to participate in future live sessions, consider joining the Kriya Yoga Online Patreon Community or applying to the Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Program.

📘 For continued inspiration and instruction, check out Ryan Kurczak’s latest book: An Essential Guide to Kriya Yoga Practice, available in hardcover and paperback on Amazon.

🧘‍♂️ Your host, Ryan Kurczak, is a Kriya Yoga meditation teacher and author, authorized to teach in 2005 by Roy Eugene Davis, a direct student of Paramahansa Yogananda.

🔗 Explore more resources:

• Patreon Community: Support the work & access live sessions 👉 https://www.patreon.com/KriyaYoga

• Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship, blog posts & books: 👉 https://kriyayogaonline.com

• Online Classes for All Levels: 👉 https://kriya-yoga.teachable.com/

• Hundreds of free videos on YouTube: 👉 https://www.youtube.com/user/KriyaYogaOnline

Thank you for listening, and may your path be filled with clarity, strength, and peace.