Power of the mind

The mind is recognised as the main factor governing our entire life. We can even say that the mind is the basis of life and that the body extends externally from this basis in the manifest dimension. The experience of the manifest nature, the knowledge of the manifest world, is the superficial extension of the mind. The world of name, form and idea, the world of senses and objects, is the external experience and manifestation of mind. The world of spirit, of psychic experiences and knowledge is the internal manifestation of the mind.
In the yogic tradition, the mind has been given a place of high importance and all the practices of yoga evolve around managing the mind. The second sutra of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras says that yoga is control of the mental patterns, and this is what people generally understand yoga to be. But the first sutra is of the utmost importance: "Yoga is a form of discipline." Here Patanjali brings our attention to the aspect of discipline, not only mental or internal, but also physical, social and external. As a result of that acquired discipline he says that it becomes possible to control the modifications of the mind, and after that it becomes possible to realise the inner nature.
These three statements are of the utmost importance in the yogic system. In fact the systems of Hatha and Raja Yoga, and the other systems of yoga, revolve around them. We can come to a conclusion that firstly, yoga is a form of discipline which we must try to develop in our lives, and that secondly, we have to learn how to manage our mental expressions and experiences.