Vrtti comes from the Sanskrit root vrt which means to turn, revolve, rollover. Iyengar students are well-versed in Patanjali's description of Yoga in the second Sutra of the Samadhi Pada: Yogah cittavrtti nirodah. BKS Iyengar translates this as "Yoga is the cessation of the movements or fluctuations of the consciousness."
In Light on Yoga, Iyengar explains that Yoga is an eight-limbed method to calm the mind and direct the energy into contructive pathways.
As a mighty river which when properly harnessed by dams and canals, creates a vast reservoir of water, prevents famine and provides abundant power for industry; so also the mind, when controlled, provides a reservoir of peace and generates abundant energy for human uplift.In Gem For Women, Geeta Iyengar sites the opening sutra 1.12 that states that study or practice (abhyāsa) and absence of worldly desires (vairāgya) is the remedy Patanjali offers to control the fluctuations of the mind. She sites another Patanjali Yoga Sutra 1.14 sa tu dīrghakāla nairantarya satkārāsevito srdha bhūmih with the interpretation that "this rigourous practice has to be long-lasting, uninterrupted, and performed with dedication and respect; then alone the foundation or the ground is prepared."
It's important to note that Geeta also adds a bit from the poet Vyāsa: sukhārtinah kuto vidyā kuto vidyārthinasukham, which means "knowledge cannot be attained by those who are given to pleasures and pleasures are denied to those who study." It made me laugh because it's so true.
However, without constant practice or abhyāsa we will not gain the power and peace that is promised. It's not an easy task. Vrittis of the mind are incessant and unyielding even in their most positive state. When the vrittis empower our fears, our pains, or our desire for a specific outcome instead of our well-being then we can get really overwhelmed and out of control.
From conception to three years of age (click link) our brain develops and even though our synapses expand and then go through a "pruning" process they are still highly vulnerable to outside stimulus. Early programming sets up the filter through which we interpret our world. I don't know about you but that was along time ago for me. Using a childhood filter that we had no real control over developing can wreak havoc on our adult life.
All of which is good reason no matter if you are an aspiring yogi or an aspiring conscious human being to heed Patanjali's advice. He even offers us a simple exercise to abhyāsa by switching our negative thoughts or emotions into positive ones as stated in Patanjali's Sutra 2.33 Vitarka badhane pratipaksabhavanam. Krishna also talks about the two imperatives to controlling the mind in the Bhagavad Gita. "Undoubtedly, the mind is restless and hard to control. But it can be trained by constant practice (abhyāsa) and by freedom from desire (vairāgya)."
Vairāgya means absence of worldly desires --that means we can't get attached to an outcome. So, like one of my teachers, Kquvien DeWeese has been teaching in class, we want to practice with discipline (tapas) and self-study (svadyaya). If we practice with an expectation like about say getting up into Urdhva Mukha Vrksasana, it can put us into an overly energized (rajasic) state of vrittis that can get us overwhelmed or worse injured.
In Light on Yoga, Iyengar mentions that yoga is also "wisdom in work or skillful living amongst activities, harmony and moderation." Geeta in Gem for Woman explains "The key to success is in effort. Vairāgya or absence of worldly desires can be achieved by controlling the senses, by carrying out one's duties without thought of reward and by acting with goodness and purity." I will end this blog with her beautiful summation:
Constant practice and absence of worldly pursuits are interdependent on each other --they are like the wings of an eagle. But successful flight can be achieved only with the coordination between both wings.Namaste.
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