Episode
The Kleshas: Yoga’s Map of Human Suffering
- Podcast
- Deepen Your Yoga Practice
- Published
- Mar 23, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 971
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Summary
In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc explores the five kleshas — the root causes of suffering described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (Book II, Sutras 3–9). These ancient psychological insights, compiled around 400 CE and influenced by Samkhya philosophy, offer a powerful framework for understanding why we repeat patterns, cling to identities, avoid discomfort, and fear change. Lauren unpacks: What the kleshas are historically and where they appear in the sutras The five kleshas: Avidya (misperception), Asmita (ego-identification), Raga (attachment), Dvesha (aversion), and Abhinivesha (fear/clinging to life) How they show up in modern life — social media, productivity culture, politics, parenting, wellness culture, and relationships Why the kleshas are not sins, but universal human tendencies How meditation, self-study (svadhyaya), non-attachment (vairagya), and conscious pause help loosen their grip This episode is not about self-judgment. It’s about compassionate awareness. The kleshas are proof you are human — not failing at yoga. Freedom, Lauren reminds us, is not removing suffering from the world. It’s loosening the grip suffering has on your perception.