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Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute: Where yoga tradition and science meet

Understanding Citta-Vrittis: The Mind’s Dance and How Yoga Brings Stillness

Have you ever found yourself making impulsive decisions that you later regret? Standing at a train platform, knowing you should wait for the right train, but jumping onto the wrong one anyway? Or perhaps reaching for that extra slice of cake despite knowing you’re already full? These moments reveal the fascinating dance of our mind—what Patanjali calls citta-vrittis.

A Tale of Two Trains: When the Mind Takes Control

Picture this: You’re rushing to catch a train in Tokyo’s bustling underground. The doors are about to close, and there’s a 50/50 chance it’s the right one. Your logical mind says “wait for the next one,” but something compels you to jump aboard anyway. Sound familiar?

This exact scenario taught me more about yoga philosophy than years of textbook study ever could. In that split second of decision-making, I experienced firsthand what the ancient sage Patanjali described over 2,000 years ago in his Yoga Sutras: the restless fluctuations of the mind that pull us away from our center.

What Are Citta-Vrittis?

In Sanskrit, citta refers to the field of consciousness—our entire mental apparatus including thoughts, emotions, memories, and perceptions. Vrittis are the waves or fluctuations that constantly ripple across this mental lake. Together, citta-vrittis represent the endless chatter, impulses, and modifications of our mind.

Patanjali’s famous definition of yoga is beautifully simple yet profound:

“Yoga is the cessation of fluctuations of the mind” (Yoga Sutras 1.2)

When these mental waves settle, we experience our true nature—peaceful, clear, and undisturbed. But when we’re caught in the storm of vrittis, we mistake these mental movements for who we are

The Architecture of the Mind

To understand how our mind works, ancient texts describe citta as having three main components:
  • Manas (Mind): The processor that gathers and analyzes information from our senses
  • Buddhi (Intellect): The discriminating faculty that makes decisions and judgments
  • Ahamkara (Ego): The aspect that creates our sense of “I” and personal identity

Think of manas as your computer’s processor, buddhi as your internal advisor, and ahamkara as the narrator of your personal story. When these work in harmony, we make wise choices. When they’re in conflict or clouded, we end up on the wrong train—literally or metaphorically.

The Five Types of Mental Waves

Patanjali categorizes all mental fluctuations into five types:

1. Pramana (Valid Knowledge)
This includes accurate perceptions based on direct experience, logical inference, or reliable testimony. When you correctly identify the right train based on clear signage, that’s pramana at work.

2. Viparyaya (Misconception)
False understanding or misperception of reality. Sometimes what we think is the “right train” is actually wrong due to our misreading of the situation.

3. Vikalpa (Imagination)
Mental constructs without basis in reality—our fantasies, daydreams, and “what if” scenarios. The mind loves to create elaborate stories that may have no connection to actual events.

4. Nidra (Sleep)
Even in sleep, the mind continues its subtle activities through dreams and subconscious processing.

5. Smriti (Memory)
The retention and recall of past experiences, which can either guide us wisely or trap us in old patterns.

When Mental Waves Become Storms: The Troublesome Vrittis

Not all citta-vrittis are problematic. Some are neutral or even helpful. But certain mental fluctuations—called klishta vrittis—create suffering and keep us stuck in unhealthy patterns. These troublesome waves often stem from what Patanjali calls the five kleshas or afflictions:

  • Avidya (Ignorance): Mistaking the temporary for permanent, the impure for pure
  • Asmita (Ego-identification): Over-identifying with our roles, achievements, or self-image
  • Raga (Attachment): Clinging to pleasurable experiences
  • Dvesha (Aversion): Pushing away uncomfortable experiences
  • Abhinivesha (Fear of death/change): The deep-seated fear of loss or the unknown

The Wrong Train Story: A Lesson in Surrender

Let me share another train story—this one from India, where I learned an unexpected lesson about letting go.

I was traveling from Pune to Lonavala for the first time. After asking a ticket inspector if the train stopped at my destination, he assured me it did. But within minutes of departure, I realized my mistake—the next stop was Mumbai, hours in the wrong direction.

Panic set in. My phone battery was dying, I had no plan for getting back, and my mind began spinning worst-case scenarios. I felt completely powerless, trapped in a moving train with no escape.

But then something shifted. With no distractions available and nowhere to run, I was forced to simply be with the situation. I took a deep breath, observed my surroundings—the spacious sleeping berth, the kind train staff offering chai, the gentle rhythm of the rails.

I began to chant Sanskrit verses that came to mind. I sang softly to myself. Gradually, the fear dissolved. The mental storm settled into stillness.

Hours later, the train stopped. “Next station is yours,” said the same ticket inspector. “Lonavala?” I asked incredulously. “Yes, yes,” he smiled.

I had somehow ended up exactly where I needed to be.

The Path Forward: Working with Mental Fluctuations

Patanjali doesn’t ask us to eliminate all mental activity—that would be impossible and undesirable. Instead, he offers practical strategies for working skillfully with citta-vrittis:

Practice and Non-Attachment (Abhyasa and Vairagya)

The twin pillars of yoga practice: consistent effort combined with letting go of outcomes. Like training for a marathon while staying unattached to winning.

Cultivating Opposites (Pratipaksha Bhavana)

When negative thought patterns arise, consciously cultivate their opposites. If anger emerges, practice compassion. If fear dominates, cultivate courage.

The Eight Limbs of Yoga

Patanjali’s systematic approach—from ethical guidelines and physical practices to meditation and absorption—gradually purifies the mind and reveals our natural state of peace.

Practical Self-Inquiry: Questions for Daily Life

Before making important decisions, try asking yourself these four questions based on Patanjali’s definition of ignorance (avidya):

  1. Is this choice sustainable? (Am I mistaking temporary pleasure for lasting happiness?)
  2. Is it pure? (Does this align with my deeper values?)
  3. Will it bring true joy? (Am I chasing fleeting satisfaction or genuine fulfillment?)
  4. Is it aligned with my true Self? (Am I acting from ego or from wisdom?)
These simple questions can help distinguish between impulses driven by mental fluctuations and choices that emerge from clarity.

The Beauty of Stillness

The goal isn’t to become a stone statue, unmoved by life’s ups and downs. Rather, it’s to find the eye of the hurricane—that place of calm awareness that remains steady even as circumstances change around us.

When we learn to observe our mental waves without being swept away by them, something beautiful happens. We begin to respond rather than react. We make choices from wisdom rather than impulse. We find peace not by avoiding life’s challenges, but by meeting them with equanimity.

This is the promise of yoga: not escape from the human experience, but full engagement with it from a place of inner stillness. Whether we’re standing on a train platform in Tokyo or sitting in meditation at Kaivalyadhama, the practice remains the same—learning to dance with the mind’s fluctuations while remaining rooted in our essential nature.

The wrong train, it turns out, sometimes takes us exactly where we need to go.

The journey of understanding the mind is ongoing, and each of us must find our own way of working with these universal patterns of consciousness. What matters most is not perfection, but sincere practice and the willingness to learn from every experience—even the “wrong” trains we sometimes board.

Finding Your Path at Kaivalyadhama

Ready to explore your own relationship with citta-vrittis? Visit Kaivalyadhama to learn more about our courses, research programs, and opportunities to deepen your understanding of yoga philosophy and practice. Whether you’re a beginner seeking foundational knowledge or an advanced practitioner ready to dive deeper, there’s a path here for you.

-Written by Kanako Izawa

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