Patanjali's vritti (mental fluctuations) framework maps directly onto how different internal parts create competing thoughts, emotions, and impulses that fragment the psyche.
In Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, vritti refers to the mental modifications or fluctuations that cloud pure consciousness. These mental patterns—desire, aversion, confusion—are not unified expressions but arise from distinct psychological subsystems. Internal Family Systems recognizes these same phenomena as different parts holding different beliefs, emotions, and protective strategies. When you experience internal conflict, you are witnessing multiple vritti operating simultaneously. By understanding vritti through the IFS lens, practitioners can observe competing parts without judgment, recognizing each modification as a protective mechanism rather than a character flaw. This creates space for dialogue between parts and gradual integration toward what Patanjali called the unified state of yoga—a coherent Self aware of all parts without being dominated by any single one.
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