Yoga Sutra 1.2

योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः ॥२॥

yogaś-citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ ॥2॥

yogah:yoga; citta:thoughts, consciousness; vṛtti:thought wave or mental modifications; nirodhaḥ:to control, blocking

To block the mental modifications is yoga.

To control your awareness, or be in a higher consciousness level is yoga.

Chitta or consciousness has three stages:

1. the sense or objective consciousness,
2. the subjective or astral consciousness, and
3. the unconsciousness or mental state of dormant potentiality

References

• Four Chapters on Freedom by Swami Satyananda Saraswati, published in 1976.