Sarva-dvarani samyamya mano hridi nirudhya ca, murdhny adhayatmanah pranam asthito yoga-dharanam
Closing all the doors of the body, fixing the mind in the heart, drawing the life-force to the crown of the head, and establishing oneself in yogic concentration — this is the practice for liberation. This verse describes the precise yogic technique: withdrawing the senses, interiorizing the mind, and redirecting the prana upward through the spine.
- •Withdrawing the senses from external objects is the first step in yogic liberation
- •The mind must be fixed in the heart before the prana can be directed upward
- •The crown of the head (brahmarandhra) is the portal for liberation