Yoga is ...

Yogah Citta Vrtti Nirodhah

Yoga - mind - fluctuations - stopping

"Yoga is stilling the mind's fluctuations"
-Yoga Sutra 1:2

From the very beginning of Patanjali's Raja Yoga Sutras, he addresses, head-on, the issue of awakening.

Ok .. good advice .. but .. how do we do this!?

For the mind to be still - without fluctuation - it needs something to focus on. This 'something' can be a Yoga pose, for example. So for the mind to be still, while in any Yoga pose, be still and find the pose's center.

Find the body's center, and the mind's center is close behind.

Om Peace!
Valarie Devi