The 5 Vrittis | Fluctuations of Mind | Yoga Sutras I.5-12

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Sutra 1.5-7

I.5 There are 5 mind states or vrittis that can be beneficial or detrimental to the practice of yoga.

I.6 The 5 vrittis are right knowledge, error, imagination, sleep, and memory.

I.7 Right knowledge consists of sense perception, logic, and verbal testimony.

I.8 Error is false knowledge that comes from misunderstanding.

I.9 Imagination is the usage of words that are not connected to an object in reality.

I.10 Sleep is a mind state in the absence of conscious thought.

I.11 Memory is the retention of the senses during previous experiences.

I.12 The vrittis are stilled by practice and non-attachment.

Right Knowledge

Right knowledge comes from many sources. We can gain right knowledge from direct experience with our sense perception, by using logic to think through and reason our way through, and from the verbal testimony of others whom we trust.

Error

Error is false knowledge that comes from our misperception and misunderstanding. This is our lens that clouds our perception.

Imagination

Imagination is the state of mind that is in the ether that is able to create ideas that do not exist or may not be possible in the physical reality that we live in.

Sleep

Sleep is a mind state when the body is totally relaxed and there is an absence of conscious thought, though there are many states of sleep where the subconscious is still active.