2) Asmita: I Am-ness. The suffering of not know who we are
Asmita, The next of the roots of suffering, is identification; who we think we are. Our sense of self becomes corrupted when we are ignorant of our true nature. Beyond your name, your gender, your occupation and your relationships there is something else. The great I AM.
This second Klesha is often translated as Ego, but this term generates a lot of confusion. Ego becomes another thing we must fight against, instead of turning to the truth directly.
When we feel stuck in small and limited experience of self, we are more likely to act in ways which reflect our misunderstanding. When we feel our intricate and intrinsic connection to the whole, we no longer act selfishly.
You are more than you think. More than you know.
“ I live on earth at present and I don’t know what I am. I know I am not a category, I am not a thing- a noun. I seem to be a verb, an evolutionary process- an integral function of the universe”.
~ R Buckmaster Fuller
The body is never confused about who it is, when the mind gets lost in misidentification bringing it back into the body through the physical practise is a great place to start. Notice when you are Identifying even subtly with something that feels limiting and see how you might step beyond into a larger sense of self.
Here are some practises to explore Asmita
1) So hum breathing meditation, I am This.
2) Curling and unfurling into and away from the physical centre.
3) Exploring infinity through lengthening and strengthening arms and legs
4) Observing nature of sensations, feelings and thoughts, and who or what is observing.
Bonus Credit: Pay attention every time you say the words “I am” and what comes after
Eg “I am bored, I am hungry, I am inflexible I am emotional.” Replace with I feel where appropriate. Know that your words and thoughts have power and if you want to untangle from the confusion you start with the small knots and the big ones fall away.
3) Raga : Passion. The Suffering of pursuit of pleasure
The Klesha Raga is often translated as Attachment. This Klesha warns of suffering caused by desire and cravings that follow pleasurable experiences. The pleasure itself is not the problem, it’s the Idea of pleasure. When what you think will bring you pleasure pulls you out of the moment and into the pursuit of pleasure.
Remembering past pleasure its easy to think that repeating circumstances will bring the same result.
Imagining future happiness we believe we need to create certain conditions in order to be happy.
However, the truth about happiness is it’s an inside job. The only time you ever feel anything is in the present, through being present. We need to stop focusing on the past and future and sense the beauty of the heart beating here and how. We need to tune in to the inner world of simple subtle joy that living offers.
There is pleasure and power in the temporary, ever-changing vulnerability that life on earth is. You don’t need to have it all figured out. You don’t need a reason to be happy, you just need to take the time to find it right here and to feel it.
Practises for exploring Raga:
1) Humming Bee Breath, shifting focus from outer to inner, to subtle sensations of breath sound and vibration
2) Simple, and playful movement to discover the joy inherent in embodiment.
3) Explore and awaken the hips and pelvic bowl the sensuality centre of the body.
4) Sense and create feelings of spaciousness and Ease within the whole frame of the body.
4) Dvesha, is Aversion. The Suffering of avoiding pain.
In opposition to the klesha Rajas we have the negative emotional responses to what we don’t like and don’t want. When confronted with pain, discomfort and suffering the urge to turn away is natural and healthy. However, when we dwell on our suffering mentally, by putting out energy and attention on what we don’t what, we are forming a connection with it and unconsciously calling it in.
Stress and challenge are necessary ingredients in every life, they help us grow as a human. Wiser, stronger, kinder, more experienced and capable human beings. If we are approaching challenges with our eyes scrunched shut in protest, we sabotage our ability to respond healthily.
Whether remembering past suffering or imagining future pain When we let our thoughts pull us out of presence, we limit our ability to adjust to challenge naturally in the moment.
Pain and suffering are a part of every life and give necessary context and depth to the whole spectrum of experience. it’s helpful when encountering difficult situations to look at our mindset. The more you can shift your focus to seeing it as an invitation to grow rather than a threat the more you’ll be able to find the most effective way through.
Practises for exploring and balancing Dvesha
1) Alternate nostril Breathing, when you are emotionally challenged approaching balance through the breath.
2) Challenging strength building practises, watching mental response and resistance
3) Releasing habitual gripping of body especially in lower back
4) Exploring Pleasure and Pain, or comfort & discomfort as two sides of the same dynamic.
5) Abinivesha, Fear of Stopping & clinging to continuing.
The last of the Kleshas Abinivesha is a big one. Human Beings like what we know, and when changes are occurring outside of our control it brings up deep currents of fear and anxiety
sutra 2.9 states:
“Even for those people who are learned, there is an ever-flowing, firmly established love for continuation and a fear of cessation, or death.”
Abinivesha is often translated as the fear of death, or clinging to life, which like all the kleshas is a natural instinctual response. And yet again we seem to take these things too far. If we let our fear of change rob us of living and enjoying this moment, it’s time to look more deeply into it.
Life is full of changes and once we’ve found a modicum of balance, we tend to cling to it like life itself. This can be a useful coping technique in times of stress but not as a life-plan. If you cling to how things are how can you improve or grow or meet the changes that life throws us with grace?
When you notice yourself being pulled into Abinivesha Its time to look more closely at what life and death is, and what change is. You can’t stop it even if you try, and that in the end is a great blessing. To live is to change and no-body gets out it alive, however something does, look to that.
Practises we employed to work with Abinivesha
1) Aum chanting, tuning in to a more cosmic or energetic sense of being
2) Savasana, corpse pose and longer holds resting the body and mind in stillness
3) going slowly, paying attention to subtle details of changes happening in every moment and every micro-movement.
4) focusing on the outbreath as an opportunity to release, and dropping in to the still empty moment between the breaths.
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