Vrtti Sarupyam: How Yoga Helps Us Detach From Fluctuating Thoughts

With the intention of achieving ""all the goals” during a planned trip to a yoga retreat this month I was instead struck down with a cold to navigate at the same time. Physical and breath practice were compromised, and instead my most impactful yoga practice was distilled to the act of just meeting myself in the moment during meditation. The study of this sutra with my teacher was particularly resonant:

I.4 vrtti sarupyam itaratra*

At other times, the seer identifies with the fluctuating consciousness.

We can be prone to misidentifying ourselves as our fleeting thoughts or emotions. “Becoming" our anger, “becoming” our desire or other emotions can lead to a cycle of suffering or unfulfilled wants.

Meditation practice is a tool to empower ourselves as the observer, creating space to recognise our “true self” detached from thought fluctuations. When cultivating calm and steadiness in my mind, I often return to picture the green blue ocean view by the Welsh town where I grew up, of my favourite places on earth. This sutra is essentially a call to awareness: instead of being consumed by the waves of thought, become the vast, calm ocean always present beneath.

What represents calm and steadiness for you?

Love Yee x

*VRITTI: Fluctuation; SARUPYAM: Identification; ITARATRA: “At other times”, or, when not in a state of yoga.

Practice with Yee every Monday evening