In the second chapter of the Yoga Sutra, Patañjali outlines the five different causes of suffering, afflictions. They refer to the Kleshas which we are born with. These encompass ignorance (avidya), egoism (asmita), attachment (raga), aversion (dvesha) and fear of death, transience (abhinivesha). These five causes of suffering give rise to disturbing types of thought waves which can be resolved once we understand them, and thus, with greater self-confidence and control of the mind, we progress on the path of self-realization.

All of the above-mentioned sufferings are intertwined with our ego.

Ignorance: A typical example of ignorance is mistaking the impermanent for the permanent. For instance, we spend so much time on our outer appearance and we fail to understand that looks are temporary, youth is fleeting.We want to stay young forever instead of accepting the fact that change is the only permanent factor in everyone’s life and that there is a lot we can do to age beautifully.

Ego: We all have an ego. Abandoning the feeling of “I – me – mine” is said to be the most important thing in life.

However: the more “I” is the most important thing in the world and the more I focus on “I”, the greater the pressure on “I”, because it seems that the whole world is revolving around “me”. Any disturbance or unrest which occurs seems much larger than it actually is. The world for a person who is focussed on his/her ego is much smaller than for someone who is less focussed on the ego and has a sense of connection to the outside world and a sense of higher consciousness and truth.

Attachment and desire: This is the main cause of all our suffering. We are attached to our children, family, spouse, food, mobile phones … the list is infinite. Moderation and balance are key in helping to overcome this affliction.Your needs and desires should be under control.

 Dveshas are strong aversions or repulsions. We do this because we don’t like to step out of our comfort zone, however, we fail to notice the extraordinary opportunities for growth which they deliver. The best way to avoid aversion is to become aware of it and to confront uncomfortable situations, find an interim solution which will ease the discomfort until you overcome the aversion. Typical emotions of dvesha are: jealousy, anger, hatred, why me, why now. One should never ask these questions. If you cannot overcome your affliction you will be stuck in the trap.