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.

According to Patanjali, there are five types of vritti:

• Pramana (correct knowledge)
• Viparyaya (misconception)
• Vikalpa (conceptualization)
• Nidra (sleep)
• Smriti (memory)

The vritti can be painful (klishta) or non-painful (aklishta), but they always affect one’s ability to find truth. Joyful thoughts can prevent the individual from reaching a true sense of self just as much as fearful thoughts can