Slow Flow: Clear Seeing/Avidya (2/5/26)

Allison Miller

February 5 2026 • Duration: 46 Minutes

Today's practice is dedicated to clear seeing, and seeking the stillness needed to connect with our inner witness (purusha). Moving slowly through asanas, in a way that will help us calm the body and mind for relaxation/meditation. Today's relaxation/meditation time is a visualization where we explore the concept of avidya, or "mis-seeing."

Recap of the The Five Kleśas (Yoga Sūtra II.3)
avidyā-asmitā-rāga-dveṣa-abhiniveśāḥ kleśāḥ

The kleśas—afflictions or sources of suffering—are:
1. Avidyā — mis-seeing, fundamental misunderstanding
2. Asmitā — ego-identification; mistaking the seer for the instruments of seeing
3. Rāga — attachment; grasping toward what feels pleasurable
4. Dveṣa — aversion; pushing away what feels painful
5. Abhiniveśa — clinging to life; fear, especially fear of loss or death

Avidyā is the soil in which all the others grow.

Most of us learned these ways of seeing early—through family roles, culture, responsibility, or the need to belong. Yoga does not ask us to rip those structures away. It asks us to notice them gently, with honesty and care.

The Yoga Sutras are interested in how mis-seeing operates inside us—in our bodies, our thoughts, and our identities. And this is where compassion becomes essential.

Without compassion, noticing mis-seeing turns into self-judgment.
With compassion, it becomes understanding.