Samadhi Pada • sutra 30
| व्याधि स्त्यान संशय प्रमादाअलस्याविरति भ्रान्तिदर्शनालब्धभूमिकत्वानवस्थितत्वानि चित्तविक्षेपाः ते अन्तरायाः ॥१.३०॥ vyādhi styāna saṁśaya pramāda-ālasya-avirati bhrāntidarśana-alabdha-bhūmikatva-anavasthitatvāni citta-vikṣepāḥ te antarāyāḥ ॥1.30॥ |
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| Illness (vyādhi), mental laziness (styāna), doubt (saṁśaya), procrastination (pramāda), physical laziness (ālasyā), attachment to sensory pleasures (avirati), wrong perception (bhrāntidarśana), inability to achieve stability (alabdha-bhūmikatva), inability to maintain progress (anavasthitatvāni). These distractions of the mind (citta-vikṣepāḥ) are the disturbances (antarāyāḥ) on the path of yoga. |
| Commentary In this sutra, Patañjali names nine states that disturb the mind (citta-vikṣepāḥ) and hinder the path of yoga. He calls them antarāyāḥ, obstacles, hindrances. They are not external enemies, but internal conditions that destabilise the flow of awareness. Some of these are very familiar. Illness (vyādhi): when the body is tired or in pain, practice slows down or stops. It may be an injury, a chronic condition, or even a passing discomfort, inflammation, or muscle tension, which distracts attention from the breath, but can also shake us more deeply, calling our motivation into question. Mental Laziness (styāna): manifests as a fog where we know what we should do but remain still, apathetic, as if lacking the initial spark. There is time, but no concentration. The mat is there, but it remains empty. Doubt (saṁśaya): can arise as lack of trust in the practice (“Does it really work?”) or in oneself (“Am I capable?”). It can also concern the teacher, the method, the chosen path (“Does all this really make sense?”). Sometimes it hides as critical thinking, but underneath moves a subtle restlessness. Negligence or Procrastination (pramāda): forgetting to care for the body, underestimating the signals of the mind. Sometimes it is lightheartedness, sometimes a comfortable choice repeated. It can be very concrete: deciding to skip practice “just for today” and then finding yourself still stuck a week later. Or more subtle: maintaining a mechanical routine, without real presence. Physical Laziness (ālasyā): arises on days when the body feels like lead, and even unrolling the mat seems exhausting. It is different from the real need for rest; it is a visceral resistance to action. Attachment to Sensory Pleasures (avirati): concerns not only great desires, but also small habits. Staying in bed instead of getting up to practice, always giving in to immediate gratification – food, comfort, distractions – that prevent us from gathering ourselves and cultivating a deeper direction. Then there are subtler obstacles, which often emerge when we have already been practising for some time: Misperception (bhrāntidarśana): this is a distortion of discernment. It makes us confuse mental projections with reality. It can happen when we convince ourselves that we have “achieved” something in practice, or conversely when we believe we are “stuck,” without realising it’s just a partial view. When an emotional experience is mistaken for a meditative state, or when pain is interpreted as “purification.” Inability to Establish Stability (alabdha-bhūmikatva): the practice is consistent, but it doesn’t deepen. A posture that won’t stabilise, a mind that cannot remain in meditation for more than a few moments. Instability of Progress (anavasthitatva): that frustrating feeling of losing what we had gained — focus, serenity, consistency. As if something has broken, even though we know it’s part of the path. An equilibrium was found, then lost. After a good phase, everything seems to fade. It’s common, but can be demoralising. Those who have experienced moments of clarity and then found themselves “backward” know these two forms of instability well. Patañjali does not judge. He does not say these states are mistakes. He simply states that they distract the mind (citta-vikṣepāḥ). They are like underground currents: not always visible, but strong enough to carry us far away. Recognising them is already part of the path. We cannot transform what we do not see. This sutra calls for vigilance, but also for compassionate understanding. There is no need to fight these states, nor to deny them. We simply need to observe them honestly, day by day, as part of the living and imperfect process that is the practice of yoga. The mind gets distracted — it’s in its nature. But every time we bring it back to the present, we create space for a practice that is more alive, more aware.  Daily Mindfulness Bites“Each time you notice you’ve wandered off, come back. Without guilt, without anger, without judgement. This is the most important moment of the practice.” — Jon Kabat-Zinn, Wherever You Go, There You Are |
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