Just A Sitting Monkey Now By Kathleen Kraft

This thought. Now that one… that thought—Yum! Now this one—

Like a party spilling out from the living room,

chit-chattering peels off and mushrooms in dim corners—

So I chit vrit along Jersey Avenue, imagining Bobby McFerrin singing it:

ChiT-Tahhh

VriT-Tiii—

Excitement. Fear—big puddle! Leap! Land—Ahh—

Bare branches above me: sinewy, darkly elegant—a reprieve—

I see for moments bare with love: tree—

Lucky me rippling away between the trees, healthy and able. Today.

Today I wander toward their breathful stillness.

At home, I touch my index finger to my thumb—chit!

then middle—then ring—chit vrit chit vrit!

Last is pinky—breath smoothing. Breath smoother. Just a sitting monkey now.

– Kathleen Kraft

To begin to learn about chitta vritti, read Yoga Sutras 1:1 to 1:6 by Patanjali

Advertisement