avidyasmita-raga-dveshabhiniveshah kleshah (2:3)
Misperception, identity, attachment, avoidance, and fear cause pain.
avidya kshetram uttaresham prasupta-tanu-vichchinnodaranam (2:4)
. . . . . . .
Misperception is the root cause of all the obstacles that cause pain.
CONSIDER THIS the Green Eggs and Ham problem. In the Dr. Seuss classic, Sam-I-Am pesters his friend to try a plate of green eggs and ham. The friend refuses, as he is certain about who he is and what he likes, even though he has no experience with green eggs and ham. He’s attached to his idea of what he likes, avoids eating the green eggs and ham at great cost, and is afraid to change his mind. In the end, Sam-I-Am wins out: his friend tries the green eggs and ham and loves them.
The kleshas are these very self-imposed limitations we place on ourselves. Classically defined as afflictions or obstacles, they are the roadblocks that get in the way, drive our behavior, and lead to tendencies and habits that become so ingrained we’re unaware of them. These limitations and roadblocks keep us from experiencing life fully and knowing our true self. They are the cause of all our pain and suffering.
The five roadblocks are misperception (avidya), identity (asmita), desire (raga), avoidance (dvesha), and fear (abhinivesha). Each of these will be defined and elaborated on in the next several sutras. We begin with misperception, as it is the root cause of all the other roadblocks.
When we hear the word ignorance (avidya), we think of education as the antidote. But here, ignorance is a lack of knowledge about ourselves, not a lack of cognitive, technical, or social skill. It is misperception, misunderstanding, and delusion about our true nature and potential. It’s when we believe we are our mind and thoughts, rather than realizing we use the mind to experience life. It’s when we make assumptions about others. It’s when we ignore our connection to the broader world and the unity in everything.
When this misperception and misunderstanding triggers our thoughts, words, and actions, it lays the foundation for the other roadblocks. From misperception, we build an illusionary world where we are out of sync with our deepest desires and hopes. Because we’re out of sync with our true nature, we only do things that fit into who we think we are. We limit our experiences. We limit ourselves by believing we are our thoughts. And we fear new things and change itself.
anityashuchi-duhkhanatmasu nitya-shuchi-sukhatma-khyatir avidya (2:5)
Confusing impermanence and permanence, pain and pleasure, truth and untruth, as well as our ego from our potential, are forms of misperception.
You’ve likely heard the Serenity Prayer, which was first shared during a sermon in the 1930s. Since that early invocation, it’s popped up in works as varied as Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five to Macklemore’s song “Drug Dealer.” It says, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” This sutra is all about the wisdom to know the difference.
Patanjali describes four ways we are tricked by the mind.
1. We mistake the impermanent for the permanent.
We believe how things are now is how they will always be. We will always have this house, friend, or job. We can’t live without our phone or that three o’clock bite of chocolate. We believe we will have the same values, preferences, likes, and dislikes.
The biggest way this causes problems is by misunderstanding our own mortality. We have a fundamental misconception about time. We get caught up in searching for the fountain of youth in lotions, potions, and pills, or think we’ll always have time to take up tap dancing, spend more time with our friends, or whatever it is that brings us joy.
When we remember nothing is permanent, we can fully appreciate the good times—the relaxing retreat in Costa Rica—so it uplifts and sustains us. And it’s a promise that the difficult times won’t last forever—the baby will eventually sleep through the night.
2. We mistake the delusion for the truth.
Classically, this is translated as confusing the impure for the pure, but that has holy and ethical connotations. This isn’t a moral judgment. Rather, it’s mistaking the imaginary for the real, the story for the factual.
It’s when we can’t see reality as it is and we believe the illusion. It’s when we stay in a yoga pose too long and ignore pain—we’re crunching our neck or compressing our back. It’s when we don’t even look for a new job because we don’t believe we can leave the miserable one we have. It’s the friend stuck in an abusive relationship who believes her partner when he says, You can’t leave me; no one else will love you. It’s when we uphold the story rather than confront the truth. It’s denial.
3. We confuse pleasure and pain.
What? We know when something hurts, so how could we possibly confuse pleasure and pain? It’s surprisingly easy.
When we choose the immediate pleasure of a hamburger, a Netflix binge, or casual sex without considering how we might feel after (sometimes good, sometimes not), we risk mistaking short-term pleasure for long-term pain. Sometimes pleasure is the cause of pain—I really wanted this promotion, but the reality of the demands, travel, and new boss are excruciating. Sometimes we get so focused on what we want that we can’t see that the want is causing pain. For example, we’ve been working on coming into Headstand. We get there and our mind is satisfied, but we collapse in our shoulders, risk hurting ourselves, and end up with a bruised body and ego. Pleasure can be a powerful distraction, but we need to really consider whether something nourishes our true self in the long term.
4. We confuse our true self.
We let other things—roles, belongings, labels, ideas—define us. As Tyler Durden said in Fight Club, “You’re not your job. You’re not how much money you have in the bank. You’re not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet.”
REFLECTION
What in your life is changing that you are excited about and embracing? What in your life is changing that you’re struggling to accept?
drg-darshana-shaktyor ekatmatevasmita (2:6)
Ego limits us and causes pain when we confuse our identity and true nature.
Not long after Amy’s son was born, Amy and her son’s father split up and eventually divorced. She dreaded telling other people, particularly teachers and students at her studio. She had created an image in her head of who she was or needed to be for her community—a strong, successful guide. Amy strived to maintain her idea of what the perfect yoga teacher and studio owner looked like, feared she would disappoint others, and denied herself the support from that very community. Her misperception that if she failed in her marriage, she would fail as a guide and mentor meant she missed out on the support she needed. When Amy began to share the truth, she was embraced and buoyed by friends, students, and teachers. Despite her fears, a divorce did not change that she was—and is—still a wonderful teacher and yogi.
Amy was blocked by asmita. Sometimes translated as ego, it is when we identify with the parts of us that change—our body, job title, marital status—rather than our true nature. It is what yogi Michael Stone calls the “I” maker—“I am a mom. I am a writer.”
Male. Female. Husband. Oldest. Gay. Straight. Yogi. Runner. Dog lover. American. Writer. Chubby. Athletic. Blonde. Short. Foodie. Reader. Traveler. Strong. Weak. We all have labels. Some are given to us. Some we give ourselves. These can be important aspects of who we are, but when we believe these labels fully define us or become too attached to them, we set ourselves up for disappointment and suffering. We need to remember there is the unchanging, true self that is greater than our appearance, achievements, and passions.
REFLECTION
List all of your roles and labels. Which of these bring you joy? Which of these are you working to upkeep? Which of these dictate how you lead your life?
sukhanushayi ragah (2:7)
Attachment is seeking continual pleasure and will cause pain.
We’re pretty sure life won’t end if Amy breaks her iPhone or Kelly skips that glass of red wine at the end of the night. But we hate to think about it. We’re attached to certain things and routines.
The sutras don’t say we can’t appreciate and find pleasure in the things and experiences we have. Where we get tripped up is when we’re attached (raga), when we cling to things, long for experiences, fear that pleasure will end, and search for happiness outside of ourselves. It’s not pleasure that’s a problem; it’s chasing after it. When we’re chasing anything, we’re not fully in the present moment.
REFLECTION
Look at the list of labels and roles you created (2:6). Which of these are you afraid to lose? Why?
duhkanushayi dveshah (2:8)
Aversion is when we avoid situations because of past painful experiences. This perpetuates suffering and limits our potential.
We want our iPhones or a glass of red wine, but what is it that we don’t want? I don’t want to be rushed. I don’t want to balance in Warrior 3 Pose. I don’t want to eat that, go there, do this. Aversion (dvesha) is the flip side to attachment. Aversion grows out of believing our painful experience with something in the past is what is going to happen again.
There are things we prefer and others we’d like to avoid. That’s OK. Patanjali isn’t saying you choke down steamed broccoli if you really don’t like it. Rather, he’s suggesting aversion is problematic when we limit our experiences and therefore ourselves because of it. For example, when we say I don’t like Shavasana, I’ll leave early. Or, Last time I gave a presentation it was awful and I’m never doing that again. We get caught up in these trains of thought and are so afraid of facing the discomfort that we change our behavior—we don’t do a certain yoga pose or we don’t speak up.
REFLECTION
What people, experiences, or situations do you regularly find yourself avoiding? Why? When you look at your list of roles and labels (2:6), are there ones you need to put on to help you deal with these people, experiences, or situations? Are there ones you avoid letting them see?
svarasa-vahi vidusho ’pi tatharudho ’bhiniveshah (2:9)
Fear of death, loss, or change causes pain in everyone.
Simply put, abhinivesha is the fear of death. But it’s not just fear of death, of losing the physical body. It’s fear of losing our identity, our way of life, our lifestyle. More broadly, it’s fear of the unknown and fear of change. Fear is natural. Fear becomes a problem when we cling to a way of life or an identity, when we are so afraid of change that we’re frozen, stymied, stuck.
Noticing when our fear is keeping us in our habit loop is the first step to working with it in a healthy way. As we practice being more flexible with each day’s events, we begin to have a healthier relationship with change and ultimately let go of fear.
REFLECTION
What are you afraid of? How do you attempt to have control over this? How does your attempt at control cause you pain?
For example, Amy had always been afraid of running out of time to live an impactful life. To control that, she unconsciously jam-packed her schedule in an attempt to feel accomplished. Instead, she felt overwhelmed, exhausted, and completely disconnected. Once she recognized this habit, she took a leave of absence to create the space she needed and desired.