Sutra I. 30 Vyadhi styana samsaya pramadalasya avirati bhranti-darsana labdhabhumikatva anavasthitatvani citta-viksepah te antarayah

The disturbances and distractions (viksepa) of the mind field (citta-viksepas) and obstacles (antarayah) [to samadhi] are:

1) Vyadhi: disease, unease, weakness, or discomfiture.

2) Samsaya: doubt, uncertainty, hesitation, inhibition, lack of self worth, lack of self confidence and meaning.

3) Styana: Rigidity of thought forms, fixation, stagnation, closed-mindedness, stubbornness, procrastination, mental laziness, stupor, dullness, inertia, uninspired, lackadaisical, unmotivated, apathy, complacency, and procrastination

4) Pramada: Carelessness, inattentiveness, recklessness, coarse indifference, lack of respect, indelicacy, or negligence.

5) Alasya: Sloth, laziness, languor, dullness

6) Avirati: Self centeredness, narcissistic, and selfish addiction and self obsession which cuts one off from creative generative source of life. An imbalanced and dissipative inclination toward the extreme of over indulgence in external sensual gratification; extreme dissipation or obsession in the realm of worldly temporal pleasure as a serious distraction, dissipation of energy and consciousness into neurotic sense indulgence or similar distractions, attraction to superficial externals, frivolous, materialism, necrophilia, or the involvement in the illusory world of subject/object duality ("I/it" delusion) in search of an illusory union or neurotic satisfaction; vicarious living, a meaningless, compromised, and neurotic life style which is separated from the well springs of Self empowerment and love; Indifference, fear, or dismay toward life. An externalized and compromised materialistic consciousness [the opposite of uparati, which is the first stage of vairagya). Also the opposite direction of pratyhara.

7) Bhranti-darshana: Blind faith, addiction to made up or false views, false beliefs, false identifications, a stickler for false conclusions, adherence to blind and/or stubborn beliefs, delusions, or hopeless confusion by stubbornly holding on to one's unexamined dogma or delusion.

8) Alabdha-bhumikatva: Clueless, vacantness; chronic fickleness of mind. inability to make up one's own mind, a flailing lack of focus, a wandering, state of being lost in transition from the preceding thought to the succeeding thought, non-presence and inattentiveness, losing one's train of thought, spaced out, chronic denial or missing the point; not being present anywhere; unsteady, agitated, scattered.

and

te: these

viksepa: distractions

citta-viksepa: distractions of the mindfield

antaraya: obstacles, obstructions, blockages, impediments, obscurations.

Commentary: This is the sutra on distractions which are obstacles to accomplishing yoga. Viksepa means the distractions and disturbances of the mindfield. Here Patanjali names nine main categories of distractions. Yoga practice is designed to remove obstacles by remediating the distractions.

When the cit-prana is disturbed, distracted, distorted, and/or dissipated all sorts of secondary imbalances and difficulties arise. Imbalances within the bodymind can cause disease and discomfort also as well as even further distract the mind away from samadhi. See Sutra I.32, I.33

These are the hindrances that are removed by the practice of isvara pranidhana and/or through focused repetition of isvara's' sound, the pranava, which brings us in touch with our own innate seed source -- our essential true nature of mind which is a direct contact with isvara which manifests as transcendental wisdom. Mindfulness of our disturbed states and their causes (stimuli/triggers) helps us to eventually remediate them by loosening up their samskaric impressions and compulsive habilitations (vasana). Here we are mindful not about the place or mechanism "how and why" the mind and energy system has become distracted; rather we are mindful that the distraction has occurred and then we are able to let it go and bring the mind back to abide in the soft state of pure attentiveness. Eventually the mind becomes acclimated to resting in this expansive and comfortable abode.

The ordinary neurotic human being lives in a world of almost constant distraction, avoidance, denial, and ignorance from "reality" -- from a deep connection with their true creative potential which manifests in now awareness. There are countless modalities of distraction, many of which the ego holds onto as dear and mistakes as pleasure, prideful possessions, enjoyment,  or self gratification. In I.31 Patanjali says that duhkha (disease, unhappiness, and discomfiture) is a result of viksepa, while I.32 Patanjali tells us that its remediation is recognizing Unitive consciousness -- the Great Unconditioned Implicate Integrating All Pervading Reality -- NOW (Tat-pratisedha-artham eka-tattva-abhyasah)