Patanjali begins the Yoga Sutras with the phrase Yoga citta vritti nirodha. In English, this translates to “Yoga calms the disturbances of the mind.” When we practice, we are thus turning over thoughts that stand in the way of our progress. Why is this so important?
Yoga philosophy holds that we are all connected. Therefore, our energy affects the rest of the world. It follows, then, that vritti, or fantasy and illusion, do more than just keep us stuck; they actually encourage negative influences on the entire planet. Stop here and think about this: if we are interlinked with others, then when we work on ourselves, we make an impact. The affected people then go on to influence those around them, and so on and so forth – rippling out to ultimately engage everyone and everything in existence. The poet John Donne summed this idea up succinctly when he said: “No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent.” In other words — yes, I matter. You matter. We all matter. Start taking yourself seriously and consider your impact on the planet.
Given this, let’s consider how negativity impacts those around us. A Sanskrit synonym for vritti is vikalpa, which can be understood as those thoughts that pull us away from our highest calling. Mired in vikalpa, we get more than stuck; it’s as if dirt covers our spirit, preventing others from recognizing our shining essence. We become consumed with doubts and lose the will to move forward. This sometimes happens at so deep a level that we aren’t aware of it, spending our days in avoidance behaviors. Sound depressing? Now imagine this dirt spreading out to those around us, rippling through society. Ugh.
When stuck, we might occasionally think about what we really want and how to achieve it, but then dismiss the idea as “daydreaming” or “an impossibility.” Then we come to our yoga practice and meditation, and begin to understand that some “dreams” are more than just idle thought – in reality, they are the deepest longings of our soul. Giving up on them means negating the deepest truth of our existence. Yes, it is that serious — we are here for a reason, we affect others in our network, and we have to take ourselves seriously for the good of all.
Here’s another problem that arises from vritti or vikalpa: our thinking starts to work backwards. The root of materialism is our separation from our highest self; we use people and value things. Our yoga practice helps us to see this with new eyes: what we’ve long considered “important” may or may not be. At this point, we start to re-evaluate our lives, hopefully moving in a different direction.
In 2020, the pandemic became a great leveler on society. Of what use is the latest makeup look when one goes outside in sunglasses and a mask? When we can’t go to the mall or “make the scene” at the latest trendy nightclub, what do we do with our days? What constitutes an “essential” job? A “perfect yoga body”? What happens to our yoga practice when it’s separated from that trendy studio? These are all questions that cause us to consider the vritti or vikalpa that keep us from connecting to our inner truths.
In Indian literature, the monkey god Hanuman turns our ideas topsy-turvey, helping us to realize that our “truths” may be illusion and vice versa. This is then metaphorized by the pose Hanumasana, or the splits. Can we come to the mat more willing to stretch ourselves, both physically, mentally, and emotionally? Can we use our inner disturbances to conversely find more peace of mind? Yoga citta vritti nirodha tells us to be willing to question, to be open to new ideas, and to move forward even when we don’t see an immediate improvement. In this way, little by little, we make progress.
Yoga Cielo Stellato 