Vṛtti

A Sanskrit word derived from the root vt, “turn,” “occur,” “proceed,” etc. (cf. the English suffix -vert which is pronounced the same way, except for the vocalic  which is trilled in Sanskrit). It has a wide variety of meanings, but in philosophy (especially the Yoga S™tras of Patañjali) it denotes movements of the mind (citta) both in response to sensory input and in other mental activity. The stilling, suppression, or inhibition (nirodha) of such vttis is an important aspect of yoga, in fact is Patañjali’s definition of “yoga” (Yoga S™tras, 1.2).

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