In yoga, we often look for transformation, reshaping of the body, the quieting of the mind, and the deepening of awareness. But, beneath the visible progress lies something more subtle known as samskaras. These are the imprints left on our consciousness by repeated thoughts, actions, and experiences. Just as the body forms muscle memory through asana, the mind and heart form patterns that influence how we move through life.
Sam – meaning “complete” or “joined together”
Kara – meaning “action” or “doing”
In The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, samskaras are described as subtle impressions left by every thought, action, and experience. In Yoga Sutra 3.9 Patanjali describes how samskaras (our subconscious tendencies) are constantly fluctuating. When we practice yoga, we create an opportunity to soften old, conditioned responses and imprint new ones.
“Vyutthāna-nirodha-saṁskārayo abhibhava-prādurbhāvau nirodha-kṣaṇa-cittānuvṛttiḥ nirodha-pariṇāmaḥ”
“When the rising and falling of samskaras are balanced, the mind flows toward stillness.”
Samskaras are neither inherently good nor bad, it is their repetition and momentum that shape our reality. Every time we step onto the mat, we are laying down new samskaras. By moving with awareness, we refine the physical samskaras we create. Over time, a conscious practice can reshape the body’s natural patterns of movement, building healthier postural and energetic alignment.
The breath plays a powerful role in shaping our inner landscape. Shallow, erratic breathing reinforces stress based samskaras, while slow, steady breathing creates calm and stability. In practice, deepening the breath can interrupt conditioned stress responses, helping the nervous system create new imprints of ease and resilience.
Yoga reveals the habitual stories and judgments we carry. During challenging asanas, reactive samskaras may arise such as frustration, self-criticism, or impatience. On the other hand, with consistent practice, we can plant new mental samskaras by cultivating patience, self-compassion, and equanimity.
If we practice gratitude and forgiveness regularly, we build neural pathways that make these responses more natural. If we consistently respond to stress with anger or avoidance, this becomes our default response. Every action or reaction leaves a trace. When repeated, these traces deepen into vāsanās, habitual tendencies that influence our perceptions and behaviors.
Just as samskaras are formed through repetition, they are also rewritten through consistent practice. Each time you choose presence over reactivity, you create a new imprint. Patanjali reminds us in Sutra 1:14:
“Sa tu dīrgha-kāla-nairantarya-satkārāsevito dṛḍha-bhūmiḥ”
“Practice becomes firmly grounded when done for a long time, without interruption, and with devotion.”
Through awareness, repetition, and compassionate self-study, you can plant new seeds, ones that blossom into freedom, presence, and inner harmony. Let your practice be a conscious weaving of patterns that uplift, liberate, and transform.