Sasha and Erin dive into a foundational teaching from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras: the Pancha Kleshas—five root obstacles that block our inner peace and keep us trapped in suffering.

These five kleshas are:

1. Avidya, or ignorance, the root misperception that keeps us from seeing reality clearly.
2. Asmita, egoism, our over-identification with ‘I’ and our roles in the world.
3. Raga, attachment, the clinging to pleasure that creates endless desire and intense feelings that drive unconscious, reactive actions which in turn produce karmas.
4. Dvesha, aversion or hatred of suffering, the push against pain and discomfort that fuels reactivity.
5. Abhinivesha, the instinctive fear of death and clinging to life itself, which underlies so much of our anxiety.

These kleshas produce duhkha (suffering) and bind the mind to cycles of desire and aversion. In other words, creating patterns and/or addictions that are hard to break.

Yoga’s purpose is to weaken and dissolve the kleshas, leading to clarity, peace, and liberation.

We explore how these kleshas show up in our daily lives, how they influence our relationships, health, and choices, and what practical tools from yoga and Ayurveda can help us recognize, release, and ultimately dissolve these mental obstacles.

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Snatam Kaur is a world-renowned, Grammy-nominated devotional singer, touring musician, teacher, and author known for her luminous voice and deeply embodied teachings. For decades, she has carried the ancient practice of mantra and sacred sound into modern spaces — helping audiences around the world experience the healing power of devotional music.

In a world saturated with noise and isolation, many of us are longing for real connection. One of the most powerful and ancient ways we remember that connection is through chanting together.

Group chanting is more than singing. It is shared breath. Shared rhythm. Shared vibration. When voices rise together, something shifts. Separation softens. The nervous system settles. The heart opens.

In this conversation, Snatam and Sasha explore why chanting in community is such potent medicine, how mantra works whether we understand the words or not, why singing together dissolves loneliness, and how devotional practice creates a sacred space where healing naturally unfolds.

If you’re curious about the science and spirituality of mantra meditation, the healing intelligence of sacred sound, or how singing together can restore connection to yourself and to each other, this episode is for you.

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For 20% off Kerala Ayurveda products, use code OjasOasis at checkout

For 20% off GarryNSun products, use code OJASOASIS20 at checkout

For 20% off Ora Cacao products, use OJASOASIS20 at checkout

Receive $500 off your Panchakarma retreat at SoHum Healing Resort with code OjasOasisPK2025

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To learn more about working with us, please visit www.OjasOasis.com
Connect with us @ojasoasis on Instagram, X, TikTok, and YouTube

Today, Sasha and Erin dive into the root causes of disease, as described in Ayurveda.

In classical Ayurveda, disease is never random. At the deepest level, it arises when we forget our true nature as spirit, identifying with the ego instead of our inherent consciousness.

Subsequently, there are three primary root causes:

1. Parinama – the process of natural transformation and change.

Parinama is the understanding that everything in life — our body, mind, and environment — is in constant motion. This includes the passage of time, the cycles of energy in our body, and the “drama” of life itself — the events, relationships, and stresses that stir the mind. When we resist change, cling to outcomes, or identify with transient experiences, these forces accumulate as tension, aging, and ultimately disease. Parinama reminds us that disease can arise when we fail to flow with change, instead binding ourselves to patterns of reaction, attachment, or ego.

2. Prajnaparadha – the mistake of the intellect.

This happens when our discernment is clouded, and we act against our own well-being. It’s not ignorance, but lapses in wisdom that create imbalance — like eating, thinking, or acting in ways that disrupt our natural rhythms.

3. Asatmendriyartha Samyoga – the misuse of the senses.

When we overindulge, neglect, or misuse sensory input — taste, sight, sound, touch, or smell — we disconnect from our inner rhythm. This leads to physical and mental imbalance and eventually manifests as disease.

Sasha and Erin unpack each of these root causes whilst sharing personal anecdotes, and exploring practical ways to apply this knowledge and increase ease in mind, body, and spirit.

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For 20% off Kerala Ayurveda products, use code OjasOasis at checkout

For 20% off GarryNSun products, use code OJASOASIS20 at checkout

For 20% off Ora Cacao products, use OJASOASIS20 at checkout

Receive $500 off your Panchakarma retreat at SoHum Healing Resort with code OjasOasisPK2025

Register for the 2026 NAMA Conference at https://www.ayurvedanama.org/

Support the show

To learn more about working with us, please visit www.OjasOasis.com
Connect with us @ojasoasis on Instagram, X, TikTok, and YouTube