Yogveda Journal Vol. 43: Vrittis vs. Kleshas – The Biology of Overthinking
Welcome to the Yogveda Journal, Vol. 43, 2026.
The Yogveda Journal is the only free weekly yoga publication in Switzerland and globally.
Have you ever noticed how a single, mundane thought can completely hijack your nervous system at any given moment of the day?
You could be sitting at your desk, driving your car, or having a conversation. A simple thought pops into your head. That is natural. But within seconds, your biology reacts. Sometimes, that simple observation mutates into an intense panic state about your future. Other times, it triggers an obsessive emotional attachment to a romantic partner, a sudden urge to go shopping to numb yourself, or a compulsion to talk endlessly just to discharge nervous energy onto someone else.
Why does the original thought feel so completely different from the chaotic reaction that follows it?
Because they are two entirely different biological events. The initial thought is a Vritti (pure data). The anxiety, the emotional obsession, or the sudden urge to buy things is driven by a Klesha (a root of suffering). You are confusing the raw data with a biological hijack.
The commercial wellness industry tells you to "clear your mind" to stop this noise. This is biological nonsense. Your brain is a highly evolved neural processing system designed to gather data, generate thoughts, and analyze reality. This natural cognitive processing—the pure, neutral observation of an event—is the Vritti. Thinking is not a disease; it is the baseline operational function of your brain.
If you try to forcefully empty your brain, you are not practicing yoga; you are just fighting your own neurology.
The Neuro-Cognitive Hijack of Suffering
So where does the suffering come from? Experiencing reality is not the problem. The problem arises when your nervous system attaches a Klesha to those everyday thoughts.
The Kleshas are the five deep-seated roots of human suffering. At the absolute core of this hijack is Avidya (delusion)—the foundational error that causes your brain to confuse your temporary thoughts with your permanent identity. From this single neurological error, the ego (Asmita) is triggered, followed by desperate attachment (Raga), aggressive aversion (Dvesha), and the paralyzing, primal fear of death (Abhinivesha).
These afflictions do not always manifest as panic. Sometimes a Klesha feels like the thrilling high of chasing a toxic desire, or the comfortable illusion of denying reality. But whether it manifests as sudden panic or a deceptive dopamine spike during compulsive shopping, it is a distortion.
When a Klesha infects a Vritti, a neutral piece of data is instantly hijacked by your biological survival mechanisms.
A thought is just pure information; a Klesha is the biological filter that forces you to either desperately cling to that thought or run away from it in terror.
In this volume, I deconstruct Patanjali's foundational definition of yoga: Yogaś Chitta-Vṛtti-Nirodhaḥ. Classical yoga is not about stopping your thoughts. It is about systematically severing the neurological link between a neutral thought and the psychological afflictions attached to it.
I am writing this series for you to understand your own behavior and to at least recognize the underlying architecture of your own mind. You will not change immediately. But by reading this, the process will start. You will begin to actively dissect your own psychological reactions instead of just suffering through them—a state of sharp cognitive discernment known as Viveka.
If you do not understand the mechanics of your own consciousness, you will spend your entire life being held hostage by your own brain.
Author: Master Shahid Khan
The Masterclass Articles in this Edition
Vrittis vs. Kleshas: The Difference Between Experience and Suffering
Do you constantly punish yourself for overthinking instead of understanding the biology behind it? Learn how to distinguish between a natural fluctuation of the mind (Vritti) and a deeply rooted psychological affliction (Klesha). Stop fighting your own brain and learn the exact mechanics to observe reality without attaching suffering or craving to it.
Click on the image or here to read the blog.
What is Yoga? Yogaś Chitta-Vṛtti-Nirodhaḥ
Have you been sold the illusion that yoga is merely physical stretching to attain inner peace? We dissect Patanjali’s foundational definition of yoga. Discover the pure neuro-cognitive science of arresting the fluctuations of the mind, and why physical flexibility is useless if your internal environment remains hijacked by subconscious afflictions.
Click on the image or here to read the blog.
What are the Vrittis? The 5 Experiences of the Mind
Did you know that even correct knowledge and deep sleep are categorized as mental fluctuations? Dive into the five exact states of the human mind. Understand how your brain constructs reality, processes memories, and generates imagination, giving you the supreme architectural blueprint of your own consciousness.
Click on the image or here to read the blog.
What are the Kleshas? The 5 Roots of Suffering
Are you aware of the subconscious biological drivers that actively sabotage your mental stability? We expose the five roots of human suffering—from the ego to the primal fear of death. Learn how these deep afflictions hijack your nervous system and turn objective reality into a continuous cycle of craving and panic.
Click on the image or here to read the blog.
Techniques to Attain Samadhi and Kaivalya: Overcoming the Kleshas
Are you tired of modern superficial approaches that barely touch your deeper behavioral conditioning? We deliver the advanced, systematic protocols required to resolve the Kleshas. Master the mechanics of neuro-electrical efficiency to achieve Samadhi and absolute cognitive liberation (Kaivalya).
Click on the image or here to read the blog.
Yoga Sutra 1.42 Meaning: The Friction of Language (Savitarkā Samāpatti)
Does your mind constantly attach arbitrary words and conceptual friction to everything you experience? We investigate Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra 1.42. Learn how language distorts objective reality, and discover how to bypass verbal processing to perceive the world exactly as it is, without the exhausting filter of human vocabulary.
Click on the image or here to read the blog.
"Classical yoga demands neuro-electrical efficiency and mechanical precision; overcome the illusions of the mind and take full command of your biological engine."
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