Is meditation part of yoga?

Yes — meditation is not an optional extra added to yoga; it belongs to the heart of the tradition. In Patanjali’s eight-limbed presentation of yoga, dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi form the increasingly inward culmination of the path. Asana and pranayama can therefore be understood not only as practices for the body and breath, but also as preparation for a mind that can become steady enough to turn inward.

This changes the meaning of a yoga class. The posture is not merely a shape to achieve. It becomes a place to practise attention. The breath is not merely oxygen moving in and out. It becomes an object of awareness and a bridge toward subtler experience. When this understanding is restored, meditation no longer feels separate from “doing yoga.”

A simple beginning is to sit comfortably, choose the natural breath or another appropriate focus, and notice when attention wanders. Each gentle return is part of meditation. The aim is not to violently silence thought but to become less unconsciously carried away by every thought that appears.