What Does Lakshmi Have to Do With Your Busy Mind?
One of the most quoted lines in all of yoga philosophy comes from the Yoga Sūtras:
“Yogaś citta vṛtti nirodhaḥ.”
It’s often described as the definition of yoga.
Not stretching.
Not complicated poses.
Not finally managing to hold a handstand long enough for someone to photograph it.
According to the yoga tradition, yoga is actually about something much more relatable: your very busy mind.
Let’s break it down.
Yogaḥ comes from the root yuj, meaning to yoke, unite, or bring into relationship.
Citta refers to the mind field - the entire landscape of thoughts, memories, emotions, imagination, identity, and that running internal commentary that never seems to clock off.
Vṛttis are the movements or fluctuations in that mind field - the little whirlpools of thinking.
Nirodhaḥ means settling, regulating, or calming.
Put together, the teaching suggests that yoga is the process of settling the movements of the mind.
Which, if you’ve ever tried to meditate for more than thirty seconds, you’ll know is no small task.
The Mind That Won’t Stop
Most of us recognise these fluctuations instantly.
The mind replays conversations from years ago. It composes imaginary arguments in the shower. It compares your life to someone else's highlight reel on Instagram. It plans your entire future while you’re standing in the supermarket queue wondering whether you actually need coriander.
The ancient yogis noticed something interesting: a lot of human suffering doesn’t come from life itself, but from the mind’s commentary about life.
The vṛttis keep us looping in stories:
what we should have said
what we should have done
what we should already be by now
Yoga isn’t trying to eliminate thinking completely. That would be… inconvenient.
The mind isn’t the enemy.
The practice is about softening the constant turbulence so we can see things a little more clearly.
And this is where Lakshmi makes a surprisingly helpful appearance.
Wait… the Goddess of Wealth?
Lakshmi is often known as the goddess of wealth and abundance. In many images she sits gracefully on a lotus with gold coins pouring from her hands.
Which can make it look a bit like she’s the patron deity of good financial planning.
But in the deeper tradition, Lakshmi represents something much subtler.
She embodies Śrī - a Sanskrit word connected to radiance, beauty, harmony, grace, and spiritual prosperity. Not just money in the bank, but richness in life.
And there’s a story about how she appears that’s particularly relevant for anyone with a mind that feels like a washing machine on spin cycle.
The Great Cosmic Stir
In one well-known myth called the Samudra Manthan, the gods and demons decide to churn the cosmic ocean to uncover hidden treasures.
They use a giant serpent as a rope and start stirring the entire ocean of existence.
As the waters churn, things begin rising from the depths.
First comes poison.
Then toxins.
Then confusion and chaos.
It’s only after a lot of churning that Lakshmi finally emerges from the ocean — calm, luminous, and radiant.
Sound familiar?
The Ocean Is Your Mind
In yoga philosophy, this story is often read symbolically.
The ocean represents the mind (citta).
The churning represents the constant swirl of thoughts and emotions — the vṛttis.
And Lakshmi rising from the water represents the beauty and abundance that becomes visible when the turbulence begins to settle.
Because let’s be honest: most of the time our minds are very much in churning mode.
We compare ourselves to others.
We replay old mistakes.
We worry about the future.
We measure ourselves against standards that no human could realistically meet before breakfast.
When the mind is this busy, it’s very hard to notice the abundance that’s already here.
Lakshmi hasn’t disappeared.
The water is just too stirred up to see her.
Why Yoga Actually Helps
Practices like yoga, meditation, and breathwork begin to change the conditions of the mind.
When you move the body with attention…
When the breath slows down…
When the nervous system starts to settle…
The mind gradually becomes less reactive.
The waves don’t vanish completely (you’re still human), but they begin to soften.
And something interesting happens in those quieter moments.
Life becomes a little more vivid.
You notice the breath.
You feel the body more clearly.
You see small details around you that normally disappear under the noise of thinking.
A Different Kind of Abundance
This is where the deeper meaning of Lakshmi comes into focus.
She doesn’t only represent external wealth.
She represents the capacity to recognise richness in the present moment — the ability to enjoy simple things, feel connected, and experience life without the mind constantly narrating, analysing, and critiquing the entire situation.
The teaching Yogaś citta vṛtti nirodhaḥ reminds us that yoga isn’t about becoming a perfect, enlightened, extremely flexible person.
It’s about creating just enough steadiness in the mind to see clearly.
When the waters settle - even briefly - something beautiful becomes visible.
Not something new.
Something that was already there.
And in that stillness, abundance quietly reveals itself.
Lakshmi was never far away.