Upasana Yoga - Preparing the Mind for Self-Knowledge in Vedanta

In the traditional Advaita Vedanta framework, upasana Yoga is the second of three stages of spiritual practice: karma yoga, upasana yoga, and jnana yoga. Each stage prepares the seeker for the next. While karma yoga purifies the mind (chitta shuddhi), upasana yoga prepares the mind for focused inquiry (chitta ekagrata), and jnana yoga leads to Self-knowledge.

The word upasana literally means “sitting near.” It implies proximity, attention, and reverence. In earlier times, it referred to devotional meditation or ritual worship—practices designed to bring the seeker into contact with a personal form of God. In the Vedas and Upanishads, upasana often meant meditating on a chosen symbol or deity with intense concentration and emotional surrender.

However, in contemporary Advaita Vedanta, upasana yoga has shifted in meaning. Teachers like Swami Paramarthananda present upasana yoga not as devotional practice per se, but as a simplified, secular version of Patanjali’s ashtanga yoga (eight-limbs yoga*). In this modern formulation, the emphasis is not on bhakti or metaphysical dualism, but on training the mind to become steady, quiet, and available for atma-vichara (Self-inquiry).

In effect, this modern upasana yoga is ashtanga yoga without its philosophical elements—no discussion of purusha, prakriti, or kaivalya. What remains are techniques such as breath regulation (pranayama), sense withdrawal (pratyahara), and meditative absorption (dhyana)—used purely as tools for steadying the mind.

Historically, this preparatory path was also referred to by other names. Adi Shankaracharya sometimes called it samadhi yoga, emphasizing the role of meditative absorption in preparing the mind for non-dual understanding. In contrast, the Ramakrishna Order refers to it as raja yoga, aligning with Vivekananda’s interpretation of Patanjali’s system as a path of mental mastery, equally useful to the devotional or rational aspirant.

This shift has led to some ambiguity. Why continue calling it upasana, when the devotional element has largely been removed? The answer may lie in continuity: the term preserves the traditional threefold structure of Vedantic sadhana, even if its content has evolved.

That said, different teachers interpret the sequence differently. Ramana Maharshi, for example, places ashtanga yoga after upasana yoga, indicating a further stage of internal refinement without losing upasana yoga's original intent: worship (e.g. of Ishvara) through meditation. In that view, upasana still carries its older devotional implication, and ashtanga yoga (as a yogic discipline) becomes an even more rigorous inward turn.

Whichever model one adopts, the essence of upasana yoga remains the same: it is a means of calming the mind, refining attention, and preparing the seeker for Self-knowledge. Without this preparatory work, jnana yoga tends to remain intellectual, not transformative.

Swami Paramarthananda, when talking about the discipline one gains through the practice of upasana yoga, refers to it as applying "quality and quantity control" as we interact with daily life. He talks of maintaining mind "fitness," much in the same way one goes to the gym to maintain physical fitness. The four disciplines associated with upasana yoga are:

Physical discipline

Physical discipline should be obvious, and yet many of us never learned about proper eating, proper sleep, and proper exercise. As individuals, we often ignore or sacrifice our health for our desires and then wonder why, later, we feel anxious or lethargic and incapable of concentration. Eating, sleeping and getting enough exercise are more important than one might think for reaching one’s spiritual objectives. This is why basic lifestyle changes are often the first requirement for leading a spiritual life. Because no amount of meditation, chanting or reading scripture is going to help you if you are neglecting your physical wellbeing.

Furthermore, if the body is considered the vehicle that takes you to moksha, why would you not do your best to keep it in good working shape? Fortunately, in this day and age, there are plenty of resources available for learning and maintaining physical discipline. However, more often than not, it’s a case of simply not wanting to give up habits we've developed. Like drinking those three espressos everyday, or binge watching Netflix into the late hours.

Other forms of physical discipline include proper use of one’s sexuality, as well as control of any tendency toward physical violence. Both can be detriments to spiritual progress.

Verbal discipline

Verbal discipline is equally over-looked. Most people take little interest in proper speech, and as a result speak half-truths, fill precious silence with small talk, or use harsh language that our ancestors would only use on the rarest of occasions, if ever.

As a culture, we also seem to have taken up complaining as a favorite pastime. We like to complain about everything, mostly in order to have something to talk about with friends and family, and feel connection (unified in our disgust of everything). How does one judge whether or not their speech has quality? If it’s non-hurtful, polite, and truthful.

Quantity, also, can be judged by the speech’s usefulness. In other words, it’s worth asking yourself if what you’re about to say is really adding to the conversation or is it the usual unfiltered emotion that most of us communicate with?

Sensory discipline

Sensory discipline is being selective about what we expose ourselves to. It’s similar to physical discipline and what we take in via the mouth in order to eat, except with the senses, it’s mostly about what we choose to take in through our eyes and ears. Sensory discipline means we try to avoid interacting with objects that pollute the mind. The media, in particular, provides plenty of opportunities to make the mind anxious.

If spiritual progress is your goal, it’s important to learn to say “no” to certain kinds of music, movies, television, sports, books, magazines, news, etc., and the amounts, if any, you take in. One must learn to protect what they’ve carefully cultivated. Sometimes life throws things our way that inevitably disturb us and make us lose composure, but most often our sense of inner peace is upset by indulging in one thing or another due to exposure and lack of self-control.

Guarding the senses is not easy, especially if we’ve developed tendencies (vasanas) over a lifetime that make it hard to resist certain objects. It can often feel like swimming upstream, especially in a culture that encourages the pursuit of unrestrained pleasure at every turn. In the end, you are what you eat. Another common phrase is “garbage in, garbage out.”

Mental discipline

Developing mental discipline is really where traditions like Patanjali’s Yoga or Buddhist Vipassana have much to show us. It’s no surprise that many people who come to Vedanta arrive via one of these two routes. Both traditions promote a similar eight-fold path. Buddhist mindfulness meditation, in particular, is an excellent way to learn how to observe the mind and put us back in control of our thoughts. It can also be a way for many people to work out latent and/or unresolved emotions from childhood.

There are different kinds of meditation, including relaxation meditation (for both body and mind), concentration meditation (for strengthening one’s focus and attention span), insight meditation (for investigating sensations, feelings, emotions, recurring memories, etc.), expansion meditation (for expanding one’s mind to include the Total and diminish the size of our perceived problems), loving-kindness meditation (for cultivating kindness toward oneself and other beings, and soften the ego), and more.

Through meditation one can also begin to perceive the space between the knower and one’s thoughts. This subject/object distinction is an important step in preparing the mind for Vedanta. One of the first lessons is the realization that you can’t be what is known by you. For example, many traditions teach that you aren't your thoughts. This should be obvious, except that it isn't, due the proximity of our thoughts. Of course, if we observe them close enough, we'll realize they are simply objects on the screen of awareness. I know my thoughts = they are not me (the witness).

Lastly, part of learning good mental discipline is gaining an understanding and appreciation of the “value of values.” Because without an appreciation for values and integrating them into one’s life, one risks a mind that is constantly agitated, distracted, and unable to focus on what matters.

In the Katha Upanishad, the physical body is compared to a chariot, the sense organs are compared to its horses, the mind are the reins, and the intellect the driver. Each require attention if we ever wish to get to where we want to in our spiritual journey. In short, upasana yoga is about making sure the body-mind is in good working order for the road ahead.

*The eight limbs of ashtanga yoga are: yamas (restraints), niyamas (observances), asana (posture), pranayama (breath control) , pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (unifying meditation).

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Root & Meaning

Upāsana — from Sanskrit upa (“near”) + āsana (“sitting”). Literally, “sitting near,” implying proximity, reverence, and focused attention.

Yoga — from Sanskrit root yuj (“to yoke, to join”), in this context meaning a discipline or method.

Together: “The discipline of meditative worship” or “mental discipline through devotional or contemplative practice.”

Scriptural References

Definition and Purpose of Upāsanā

• Chāndogya Upaniṣad 1.1.10 – “Meditation (upāsanā) is greater than thought. The earth meditates, the sky meditates, the waters meditate… By meditating, one becomes great.”

• Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.13 – “Meditate (upāsīta) upon Om as the bow, the Self as the arrow, and Brahman as the target; with a mind merged in It, one becomes one with It.”

• Bhagavad Gītā 12.6–7 – “Those who worship (upāsate) Me, renouncing all actions in Me… I quickly rescue them from the ocean of saṁsāra.”

Upāsanā as Mental Discipline

• Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.3–9 – Compares the body to a chariot, the senses to horses, the mind to reins, and the intellect to the driver; self-mastery is needed to reach the goal.

• Bhagavad Gītā 6.26 – “From wherever the mind wanders due to its fickle nature, restraining it, one should bring it back under the control of the Self.”

• Bhagavad Gītā 6.35 – “Undoubtedly, the mind is restless and hard to control; but by practice (abhyāsa) and detachment (vairāgya), it is restrained.”

Physical, Verbal, and Sensory Restraint

• Taittirīya Upaniṣad 1.11 – Lists disciplines including truthfulness, self-control, and study of the scriptures.

• Bhagavad Gītā 17.14–16 – Enumerates austerities of body, speech, and mind: respect for others, harmless speech, truthfulness, pleasantness, mental serenity, compassion, and purity.

• Bhagavad Gītā 2.58 – “When, like a tortoise withdrawing its limbs, one withdraws the senses from sense objects, one’s wisdom is firmly set.”

Transition from Upāsanā to Jñāna

• Māṇḍūkya Kārikā 3.46 – “Meditation (upāsanā) on the Self is to be practiced until identity with the Self is realized; then, knowledge alone remains.”

• Bhagavad Gītā 8.8 – “With mind unperturbed, meditating on the Supreme Person with constant devotion, one reaches Him.”

Traditional View

Traditionally, upāsana yoga is the second stage of Vedantic spiritual practice, coming after karma yoga and before jñāna yoga.

• Karma yoga purifies the mind (chitta śuddhi).

• Upāsana yoga steadies the mind (chitta ekāgratā).

• Jñāna yoga reveals Self-knowledge.

Historically, upāsana often meant devotional meditation on a personal deity (Ishvara) or a Vedic symbol (e.g., Om, the Sun, fire) with emotional surrender and focused attention. The aim was to create a living relationship with the chosen ideal and prepare the mind for subtler inquiry.

Vedantic Analysis

In modern Advaita Vedanta, upāsana yoga is often taught as the discipline of mental steadiness, not necessarily requiring religious ritual. Teachers like Swami Paramarthananda present it as a practical, sometimes secularized, adaptation of aṣṭāṅga yoga (Patanjali’s eightfold path) — focusing on techniques like prāṇāyāma (breath regulation), pratyāhāra (sense withdrawal), and dhyāna (meditation) to make the mind calm, focused, and fit for Self-inquiry (ātma-vichāra).

Its four key disciplines, as often enumerated:

1. Physical discipline — healthy eating, adequate sleep, exercise, moderation in sexuality and physical expression.

2. Verbal discipline — truthful, kind, purposeful speech.

3. Sensory discipline — selective exposure to sights, sounds, and experiences that uplift rather than agitate the mind.

4. Mental discipline — meditation, mindfulness, and cultivation of values (dharma) to reduce distraction and emotional reactivity.

Common Misunderstandings

• “Upāsana is only about idol worship.” (Vedanta: It includes many meditative forms, with or without imagery.)

• “It is optional.” (Vedanta: Without some form of mental discipline, jñāna yoga remains theoretical.)

• “It’s the same as bhakti yoga.” (Vedanta: While there’s overlap, bhakti yoga is devotion-oriented, whereas upāsana yoga emphasizes mental steadiness and meditative absorption.)

Vedantic Resolution

The mind’s restlessness (vikṣepa) is a major obstacle to Self-knowledge. Upāsana yoga addresses this directly, making the mind serviceable for subtle inquiry. Just as a still lake reflects the moon clearly, a steady mind reflects the truth of the Self without distortion.