Patanjali's framework of five root afflictions—ignorance, ego, attachment, aversion, and fear—that generate anxiety and all suffering.
The Yoga Sutras identify five kleshas or afflictions as the fundamental causes of suffering: avidya (ignorance), asmita (ego/I-am-ness), raga (attachment), dvesha (aversion), and abhinivesha (fear of death/loss). Anxiety is not a random malfunction but a manifestation of these deeper patterns. Ignorance of your true nature leads to existential anxiety; ego-identification makes you fragile and defensive; attachment to outcomes creates fear of loss; aversion to discomfort intensifies struggle; and abhinivesha—the primal fear of non-existence—underlies all anxiety. Understanding these kleshas as root causes transforms treatment from symptom-suppression to genuine transformation. By working with the specific klesha beneath your anxiety (Is it existential fear? Attachment to control? Aversion to uncertainty?), you address the source rather than the surface. This diagnostic framework gives therapists and sufferers alike a map for deeper psychological work and authentic healing.
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