On the surface of the mental lake there are waves, your normal thought forms. Below the thought forms, you have the subconscious mind, which has its own color and dirt. And, at the very bottom of the water, you have the old sediment, which you call the samskaras, or the vasanas, which you have brought from several incarnations. The Yoga practices help to still the waves of the water and make it crystal clear so that you can get a clear vision of the Self: Tada drastuh svarupe avasthanam (Yoga Sutras, 1.3). If the mental lake is made still and clean, then you can see the Self, or the Atman, because there’s nothing to color it, there’s nothing to distort the vision, and you understand what it is—it shines in its own real glory.

~ Swami Satchidānanda