“Everything that we experience in life, we experience through the mind. Whatever happens around us, whatever thoughts and feelings arise within, whatever we dream for the future or recollect from the past — all that is a result of the mind’s activity, which falls into five basic categories.”

– Devadatta Kali, Managing The Mind

“[The first three states of mind are] concerned with the ways we gather information, whether valid or invalid….[next] the thought of nothing and its consequence, the state we call sleep. It is how the mind attains a state of deep rest….[and] memory, which makes learning possible by retaining experiences and giving continuity to life.”

– Reverend Jaganath Carrera, Inside the Yoga Sutras

“Out of these five movements, sleep and perverse perception are dormant states of consciousness, imagination is a state of attenuated consciousness, and memory interrupts the flow of consciousness. Direct perception is a fully active state….”

– B. K. S. Iyengar, Core of the Yoga Sutras

“Any other states of mind that one might conceive of would be considered by the Yoga tradition as a subset of one of these five essential categories.”

– Edwin F. Bryant, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

“In practicing yoga, we seek to…develop a correct mental grasp that influences our evolution in a positive way…reduce mistakes that cause suffering, even though they may galvanize us to activity, fresh questioning, or improved attitude…use the imagination creatively, as it is the basis of all creation, artistic or otherwise…respect the restful sleep that is indispensable for regenerating our being…use the knowledge of what issues from the other four mental activities in a positive way.”

– Bernard Bouanchaud, The Essence of Yoga