Common Obstacles to Spiritual Growth

In Yoga Journal’s Archives series, we share a curated collection of articles originally published in past issues beginning in 1975. These stories offer a glimpse into how yoga was interpreted, written about, and practiced throughout the years. This article first appeared in the November/December 1979 issue of Yoga Journal. Find more of our Archives here. 

Yoga is the art of observing the body, mind, and spirit. This discipline of observation is the process which allows the individual to move toward integration, or what the ancient yoga texts refer to as samadhi. In the second chapter of the Sutras, Patanjali presents the five major impediments or klesas that an individual faces when attempting to understand and integrate one’s being. The five impediments are asmita, dvesa, raga, abhinivesa and avidya, and are defined respectively as egoism, aversion, desire, clinging to life, and ignorance about the real nature of reality.

It is believed that these klesas manifest themselves through us. It is my contention that, by the practice of asana, they can be brought to the surface of consciousness so that their influence upon us can be lessened.

Navigating Impediments to Spiritual Growth

Unfortunately, the practice of asanas, a key part of Hatha Yoga, is often considered as separate from the “real” practice of yoga. But asanas can be approached philosophically and can indeed become a tool for learning about the Self. Hatha Yoga begins its discipline with the tool of the body because Hatha is based on the concept that, “Consciousness is manifested according to the development of the body and the mind.” If this is accepted, then perhaps it can be further extrapolated that the mind is the shadow of the Spirit. If this is so, then the practice of asana can be seen as an integral part of the journey to the understanding of the Self. According to S.K. Majumdar, “Proper attention to body is a spiritual act; it helps to free the mind from physical bondage.”

Asanas are presented by Patanjali, author of the Yoga Sutras, as the third limb of an eight-limbed or astanga yoga system. The other limbs include yama and niyama (basic ethical precepts), pranayama (conscious control over breath energy), pratyahara (non-attachment to sense input), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (union). This list is usually interpreted in a linear way. In other words, it is usually considered important to understand and practice yama and niyama before one can move on to other practices, such as dharana.

To a certain extent this is true; but it is also possible to interpret the limbs of yoga as existing in a relationship in which each of the limbs or angas supports and feeds the others. As one grows in knowledge of Self through the practice of dharana, one cannot help but practice ahimsa, the yama of non-violence; as one grows in the practice of asana, the practice of pratyahara becomes easier. With this in mind, it is possible to apply the concept of the klesas to the practice of asana in addition to their more traditional psychological application to everyday life.

1. Asmita | Ego

The student of asana must deal with the force of asmita (egoism), which may be at first the motivating force to begin asana practice. Typically the student has the goal of becoming more limber, losing weight, or the more subtle ego reinforcement of feeling secretly superior by involvement with a spiritual discipline. When the student successfully learns an asana, the ego-image of self is enhanced by the fact that “one has accomplished a certain goal or difficult task.”

On the other hand, the repeated failure to, for example, stand on one’s head, can awaken a disgust of self which watch the vacillations of ego and potential, and thereby arrive at a state of merely “doing” or “being” in the asana, without the expectation of failure or success. This loosening of the bonds of egoism in the practice of asana will also be in the other aspects of the practitioner’s life.

2. Dvesa | Resistance

The mental aversion produced by the discomfort of an asana is another klesa, termed dvesa. Part of the reason one may feel mental disquiet is from aversion to “misery or objects producing misery.” It is true that “at first an asana is uncomfortable and even unbearable.” The experience of an aversion is the first step to being free of it, for aversion is merely the converse of attachment and is another form of bondage.

Dvesa is seen in asana as resistance; this may occur as a resistance to beginning the daily practice or as a resistance to certain asanas or types of asanas. Resistance can be both mental or mostly physical, but is usually expressed through both modalities. Mental resistance takes the form of fear in the actual attempting of an asana, but shows as well in the distaste or dislike for attempting or holding certain positions. Perhaps each posture expresses an aspect of one’s self. A resistance may then represent a refusal to face a part of one’s unconscious. Physical resistance can exist in the asana as pain, although mental resistance can also be experienced as physical pain.

Again, part of practicing asana is learning to accept the temporary discomfort and to come to a meditative state of merely watching it. This develops the saskin, or witness consciousness, which in turn allows the mind to become detached while still subjectively involved. Hopefully this ability can be extended to arduous or unpleasant tasks that one must accomplish in life outside of class.

3. Raga | Attachment

The opposite of desa is raga attachment, which may be expressed in the desire to practice only those asanas which are easy or comfortable, and which, therefore, feed the ego with thoughts that one must be doing well because it is all so easy. One can also become attached to one technique of approaching the asana, to an habitual order of the asanas, or to a specific practice time.

In addition, the most profound expression of raga in relation to the practice of Hatha Yoga is the attachment to constant practice. In order to experience the strength of this klesa over the mind, one might occasionally—perhaps once a week—give up the practice. This allows the student to see just what the effects of the practice are. This attachment to asana practice usually occurs after the student has been studying yoga for some time; it is useful because it clearly points out how attached one has become to the daily feeling of relaxation and health. According to Patanjali, this process of attachment, even to the practice of yoga itself, must be eliminated from the mind if one is to become a fully aware being.

Attachment to asana can be seen in daily life as attachment to beliefs, routines, and physical comforts. One teacher has said that by counting one’s attachments, one can see how far away enlightenment is. It is ironic that the practice of yoga, designed to free one from attachments, is one of the most powerful attachments of all.

4. Abhinivesa | Fear

The klesa of abhinivesa or fear is often apparent in the practice of asana. This can take the form of being afraid to attempt a certain asana. It can also be a more subtle form of fear in which the ego senses that the creation of a calm mind will allow a clearer understanding of mental processes to surface so that the ego will no longer be in control of mental energy. This aspect of abhinivesa can be seen as a reluctance to attend class, tardiness, and frequent absence. These may occur even though the student is registered and claims to have a deep and sincere interest in yoga. Actually, this is a sign that the yoga is having some effect; if nothing were happening in the mind and body of the student, there would not be a reluctance to confront the situation of asana.

5. Avidya | Distortion

Finally, avidya is perhaps the most powerful klesa to consider when observing the mind in the practice of Hatha Yoga. According to Patanjali, this is the breeding ground for the other four klesas. In asana, avidya surfaces most readily as a belief that one is practicing with the physical body only, and yoga is only a form of exercise. When this belief occurs, it bespeaks an attachment to the view that one is one’s body. This clouded vision of reality is termed maya in Vedanta philosophy, and is a key concept of yoga philosophy.

The practice of asana is designed to teach the student that there is more than the body and the conscious workings of the mind. While inducing discomfort by holding an asana, the student is forced to examine the nature of that mind and body. Thus, it is hoped, he or she will begin to understand that there is something more to existence than the temporal aspects of mind and body. There is a witness self which is aware of the vicissitudes of thought and action and yet remains untouched and eternal in the midst of change.

This perception of reality, from the viewpoint of the atman, individual soul, is what the practice of yoga is about. It is believed that the practitioner will experience true happiness and contentment only when this viewpoint is achieved. So by creating this discontent within the asana, the student is forced to observe the mind and to learn on a fundamental level that the mind and all its ramblings must be silenced and surrendered in order for the student to experience pure self. This occurs as the mind becomes one-pointed and can be brought about by the diligent practice of yoga.