Chitta Vrittis - the Activity of Mind

  What Does Citta Vritti Mean? Citta vritti  is a term that refers to the thoughts that clutter the mind. The name comes from the Sanskrit,  citta,  meaning “consciousness” or “memory,” and  vritti,  meaning “waves.” It can be translated in English to mean “mind chatter,” and is sometimes called “monkey mind.” One of the goals of yoga is to take control of citta vritti by quieting the mind, thereby reducing stress and increasing Self-awareness. In "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali,"  yoga citta vritti nirodha  is the second  sutra . It roughly translates to “yoga stops, or stills, the mind's fluctuations.” Those fluctuations, or citta vritti, are limiting, habituated thought patterns – misconceptions that prevent one from seeing the truth about the world and the Self. According to Patanjali, there are five types of  vritti : Pramana  (correct knowledge) Viparyaya  (misconception) Vikalpa  (conceptualization) Nidra  (sleep...