nirodha

The term nirodha appears in the phrase that defines the whole practice: yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ, meaning "yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind." Translators disagree about how strongly the word should be read. Some read it as stopping mental activity altogether, others as letting the mind settle, and others as no longer getting carried off by the fluctuations. The version that helps most on the mat is the last one: something arises, and you don't go with it.

The same word turns up in Pali, where the Buddha uses nirodha to refer to the third noble truth, the cessation of suffering.