Yogas Citta Vrtti Nirodhah

Patanjali kicks off the sutras with these powerful first few stanzas. Some practitioners believe that all you really need to know are the first two sutras, and from that base you can explore the entire practice. Last month we learned the first sutra: “Atha Yoganusasanam” - “Now begins the study of yoga”. To read more on that first sutra click here .

Now, in sutra 1.2, Patanjali defines yoga. This is a very important part of yogic philosophy, because as we know, there are a ton of debates in the modern world about what qualifies as “yoga”. Yoga Sutra 1.2 says “Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind”…

“Citta” is our mind, or our consciousness. “Vrtti” means “fluctuation” or “waves” or “ripples”. Vrtti is anything that is disturbing the smooth waters of our consciousness. The practice of yoga is meant to calm these ripples or waves, enabling us to have smooth, one pointed, focused consciousness.

Yoga is the practice of calming the mind.

It is obvious why this is the most well known sutra, as it seems to surmise the entire point of the practice! You’ll notice that Patanjali doesn’t define yoga as a set of postures or shapes made with the body (asana). Once we understand this, it transforms the way we practice and teach. It teaches us that the shape or outward appearance of a posture is not what qualifies it as yoga -it is the state of the mind, our ability to stay calm during moments of stress, our ability to focus amidst chaos. It also suggests that yoga is anything that calms the mind, which means yoga does not have to look like practicing shapes on a mat. There are many different types of yogis that do not practice asana (postures).