How Conditioning Of The Mind Affects Your Thinking

योगः –

What is yoga?
साक्षान्मोक्षैकहेतुत्वात् योग इत्यभिधीयते
Yoga is the path, means to attain moksha.

योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः
Control over the activities of the mind is called yoga.

Consciousness is pure. When consciousness looks through the mind, the mind creates various distortions of the truth, reality.

It becomes a perception of false identities. This is me, this him, this is mine, this is not mine. This is good, that is bad, this is beautiful, that is ugly.

Take for example fish cooking – for someone it is aroma, for someone else it is nauseating. It is the same smell that reaches both the persons. It is the conditioning of the mind that makes the difference. The first person’s mind has been conditioned by habits, eating habits in the family or neighbourhood to perceive the smell as aroma.

For the second person, a different conditioning with respect to eating habits makes him perceive the same smell as foul. The reality that is the smell is distorted by both minds based on their conditioning.

It is not just conditioning, there is more to it. We will see that later.

Same object, one person looks at it through a blue glass, he sees it as blue. Another person looks at it through yellow glass, he sees it as yellow. This is similar to that.

So all these perceptions are distortions and aberrations created by the mind based on its conditioning. This is the job of the mind – to distort reality and present it to the consciousness.

This is called चित्तवृत्ति – the activity of the mind. Nirodha is to attain control over these mental activities that distort reality. That is yoga.

Yoga or unity – loss of dualism is attained in the state of samadhi, which is the final eighth stage in what is called the eightfold yoga or ashtanga yoga.

अभ्यासवैराग्याभ्यां तन्निरोधः
How does one achieve yoga?
Through abhyasa and vairagya – through constant practice and detachment.

What is commonly understood as yoga is the practice of yogasanas, which is only one small part of the ashtanga yoga or the eightfold yoga. We have come to believe that yoga is all about postures – the asanas.

Yoga is for realization of the self. Asana is a small brick in the colossal structure called yoga. Yoga is being promoted as an industry. According to latest estimates, 36 million people practice yoga in the US alone. The amount spent annually on classes, equipment and apparel is 16 billion US dollars.

The asanas, as being recommended by this industry for health, fitness and healing today, is not the yoga being referred to here in sahasranama.

The eightfold yoga is:
यम – नियम – आसन – प्राणायाम – प्रत्याहार – धारणा – ध्यान – समाधयोऽष्टावङ्गानि
The eight angas of yoga are yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi.

अहिंसा – सत्य – अस्तेय – ब्रह्मचर्य – अपरिग्रहाः यमाः
Yamas are regulations, control over oneself.

• How does the mind turn one reality into different experiences for different people?
  It applies filters built from habits, memories, and likes or dislikes. These filters color raw input and create personal versions of the same event.

• What exactly is a mental distortion?
  It is the mind adding judgments and stories to bare experience. Instead of seeing what is, we see what our conditioning prefers to see.

• If consciousness is pure, why do I still misperceive?
  Consciousness looks through the mind. When the mind is restless or biased, its ripples bend the view, like waves bending a reflection.

• What is chitta vritti in practical terms?
  It is the constant activity of thoughts, emotions, and impulses. This activity pulls attention away from the simple fact of what is happening now.

• What does nirodha really mean for daily life?
  It means holding steady attention. Thoughts still arise, but they do not hijack perception or push you into automatic reactions.

• Is yoga just physical exercise?
  No. Postures are one part. Yoga is a complete discipline that reshapes attention, conduct, breath, focus, meditation, and insight.

• Why do ethics like yama and niyama matter for clear perception?
  Unethical actions agitate the mind through guilt, fear, and craving. Ethical living quiets those storms, making attention stable.

• How do abhyasa and vairagya work together?
  Practice builds stability through repetition. Detachment removes clinging to results. Together they create steady, unbiased awareness.

• What changes as dualistic thinking fades?
  The constant push and pull of like and dislike loosens. Experience feels undivided, and choices become calm, precise, and kind.

• How can I test whether a perception is conditioning or truth?
  Pause and watch the reaction. If strong stories, labels, or cravings rush in, it is conditioning. If attention stays simple and quiet, you are closer to truth.

• Does detachment mean not caring?
  No. It means caring without clinging. You act wisely and wholeheartedly, but you are not dragged by fear of loss or hunger for praise.

• How should a beginner start reducing conditioning?
  Adopt small daily practices: honest self-observation, simple breath work, basic postures, and one ethical commitment you keep without fail. Consistency rewires the mind.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi