Patanjali's concept of mental fluctuations (vritti) maps directly onto how different parts of ourselves create competing thoughts, emotions, and impulses that fragment our inner system.
In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali identifies vritti—the fluctuations and modifications of the mind—as the root cause of suffering and fragmentation. Each vritti represents a distinct mental pattern or perspective, much like how Internal Family Systems recognizes multiple parts with different beliefs, desires, and protective strategies. By understanding vritti as the natural expressions of our inner parts rather than unified consciousness, we can observe these mental movements with compassion rather than judgment. This framework allows practitioners to witness how each part generates its own mental modifications to protect the system. Through sustained observation (sakshi bhavana), we develop the capacity to recognize when different parts are activated and influencing our perception, creating space for dialogue and integration rather than reactive conflict.
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