What is mind? From the yogic standpoint it is simply the individualized
consciousness, the whole of it, the whole of your consciousness
including your activities which the Western psychologist puts outside
mind. Only on the basis of Eastern psychology is Yoga possible. How
shall we describe this individualized consciousness? First, it is aware
of things. Becoming aware of them, it desires them. Desiring them, it
tries to attain them. So we have the three aspects of consciousness—
intelligence, desire, activity. On the physical plane, activity
predominates, although desire and thought are present. On the astral
plane, desire predominates, and thought and activity are subject to
desire. On the mental plane; intelligence is the dominant note, desire
and activity are subject to it. Go to the buddhic plane, and cognition,
as pure reason, predominates, and so on. Each quality is present all
the time, but one predominates. So with the matter that belongs to
them. In your combinations of matter you get rhythmic, active, or
stable ones; and according to the combinations of matter in your bodies
will be the conditions of the activity of the whole of these in
consciousness. To practice Yoga you must build your bodies of the
rhythmic combinations, with activity and inertia less apparent. The
yogi wants to make his body match his mind.