Why Are you Not Happy ?

So if you have it all then why aren’t you happy? Why is there that desire for more? Yoga philosophy would teach us it the Klesha’s, and these 5 Klesha’s are cause of all suffering. 

The first Klesha is Avidya (ignorance).  Specifically, it means not truth (a-vidya). It is ignorance to what is real. The other 4 Klesha’s are related to Avidya, so it  is said that this Klesha is often referred to as the trunk of the tree.

Asmita (I-am-ness) is the identification of ourselves with our ego. We create an image of ourselves that we believe is us, but it is not us. We become trapped within the projections we have created of our life. We think I am a teacher or I am an accountant, these are not what we are, they are things we do. We forget that we are divine in nature.

Raga (attachment) is the attraction for things that bring satisfaction to oneself. Our desire for pleasurable experiences creates mindless action. Each time we buy a new car, that new name brand yoga top, a pair of shoes or take another great trip. we feel great, but this feeling is fleeting. We become like a hungry monster always needing things to fill us but we are never full for long. We suffer and feel empty and wonder what next? We can become so attached to pleasurable things such as food that we die of diseases caused by the food we eat. We become addicted to pleasure.

We can also become attached to people and old ways of thinking. We forget that things do not bring us happiness that the true path to happiness is through contentment, gratitude and understanding our divine nature.

Dvesha (repulsion) is the opposite of raga, aversion towards things that produce unpleasant experiences. We try to avoid unpleasant things, we are not disciplined in our food, exercise or life. We avoid things that seem hard and seek always for an easy softer way to. We suffer because of this as it dampens our will to evolve and we get trapped in a cycle of failure.

Abhinivesha (will to live/fear of death) is the deepest and most universal Klesha, remaining with us until our death. We know that one day we will die, yet our fear of death is a deeply buried in our unconsciousness. Fearing death often prevents us from living our life, taking risks and interferes with the spiritual freedom we seek.

The first stage of working with the Klesha’s is to simply acknowledge them in ourselves, yes we suffer from all of the Klesha’s in varying degrees, that like the waves of an ocean can fluctuate. To begin we just need to reflect on this and become awareness. Awareness of our nature is the first step to freedom.

The practice of asana (postures), pranayama and mediation taught in yoga classes can help us delve deep within ourselves and begin this path to freedom.

 For more information or to attend a yoga class contact sheree@livewithspirit.ca. At livewithspirit.ca we offer well taught yoga as a path to peace, physical ease and happiness.