The Yoga Sutras: Chitta Vritti

Witnessing the Mind & Becoming the “Seer”

Many people have a fear of either spiders or snakes. If you ask someone why they have this fear, they will recollect a ‘story’ from maybe their childhood about an encounter with a spider/snake. This fearful encounter became etched in their memory and has now become a ‘story’ that they have carved out in their neuropathways. This is a form of attachment.

Learning to witness when this fear arises the next time you see a spider/snake (Vritti – disturbance of the mind) and then detaching (Drashtuh – becoming a seer of your Vrittis) yourself from this memory/story (Samskara) is a practice in Nirodah (mastering the mind.)

Vrittis

Vrittis are like waves in the ocean or little choppy ripples on the surface of a lake or pond when a storm is approaching or even a light breeze is in the air. The ocean, lake, or pond represents the Chitta, the constant, or the consciousness of the mind. Nirodah (mastery of the mind/setting-aside/regulate) is the practice of noticing that the (Vrittis) waves & ripples are just moving & varying fluctuations of the (Chitta) surface of the water.

Drashtuh

Once you learn to become a witness to your thoughts and detach yourself from your mind, you become a “seer.”

Samskaras

To do this, we must first understand the origin of these fluctuations to better manage our mind. These are referred to as ‘Samskaras,’ or the perceptions that create mental impressions that can lead to suffering. ‘Samskaras’ are almost like stories.

1. Right Knowledge.
   When the truth is derived from witnessing, a conclusion that is reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning, or a trusted source such as a teacher or spiritual guide.
2. Perception.
3. Verbalizaiton.
4. Sleep.
5. Memory.