Illumination of the Heart: understanding the Kleshas

Led by Cam

Generally on The Illumination Series: these series presents immersive yoga workshops for dedicated practitioners and teachers looking to deepen their understanding of yoga on and off the mat. Each 4-hour session explores intriguing topics that shape our yoga practice and extend beyond the mat. Led by seasoned yoga teachers Miz, Cam, and Dom, these workshops seamlessly blend theory and practice, enabling participants to delve into concepts and apply them right away. Whether you're keen on hopping into individual workshops or grabbing the bundled deal, get ready for a journey filled with deeper understanding, self-discovery and yoga magic.

See also Illumination of The Body & Illumination of The Breath

Illumination of The Heart: Feeling symptoms of distress, sorrow or suffering is what we know in yoga as Duhkha, a product born out of our repetitive psychological and physical patterns. These feelings are part of human experience, and essential to recognise, to understand your own nature. The kleshas are five factors that contribute to putting into motion the wheel of suffering, as they create loops in the mind and body that reinforce habitual patterns of perception and reaction. In yogic philosophy they are considered the cause of suffering and are to be actively overcome.

We fear facing uncertainty, handling change or failing in the eyes of others. This fear makes us less likely to fully express ourselves or take chances. We become constricted, embracing irrelevant social norms so as to be anonymous and therein live in mediocrity.

Join Cam for an afternoon of diving into the philosophical topic of what Pattabhi Jois calls ‘The Enemies of the Heart’. We’ll look at the root cause of suffering, how the Kleshas shape, or feed on, our habitual patterns (good and bad), and finally, how to overcome these patterns through our practice.