Painting by Julian Opie I don’t know about you, but have you ever left work, had an errand to run and find yourself going in the direction of home instead? This and similar things have happened to me! This is a symptom of disconnect! Most of us live our lives completely disconnected from our body and our true self; running on automatic pilot. Our emotions running in one direction, the body in another and our mind producing endless chatter. We look to the outside world and material things to bring meaning to our lives; our job, parents, religion, friends, social media . When we don’t feel well, we go to the doctor who will give us some pills so that we can keep that train going . Eventually our bodies and mind come to a screeching halt when we develop chronic pain or some other ailment. It is a sign post saying, ”Stop !” When we can connect all areas of our being and get them working in the same direction, we can live more fully and connect with our true purpose. Understanding the relationship between all the dimensions of our being and working daily to get them aligned is the most powerful tools to finding balance in our lives.
Like many people in the West, I first came to yoga for the physical practice, however after the very first class, I felt that there was something more, something mysterious that made me feel a deep sense of peace on all levels. I cringe when I hear the expression “on the mat” and “off the mat”, but real yoga is not what happens in that 90 minutes asana class, but how we live our lives. . Asanas, pranayama and meditation teach us to become more aware. The real challenge is, can you take that awareness and bring it into your everyday life.
So the question is how to do that?
Below is my Rx that has worked for me to stay aligned.
First of all, we are not just the physical body. Instead we are multidimensional beings made up of different interactive layers, one within the other much like the petals on a rose bud. Moving from the outer most layer to the inner most spiritual core we have (described by the yogic sages over 3000 years ago in the Upnaishads ) what are called the 5 Koshas: annamayakosha—the physical body; pranamayakosha—the breath or life-force body; manomayakosha—the mental body; vijanamayakosha—the wisdom body; and anandamayakosha—the bliss body.
Like many people in the West, I first came to yoga for the physical practice, however after the very first class, I felt that there was something more, something mysterious that made me feel a deep sense of peace on all levels. I cringe when I hear the expression “on the mat” and “off the mat”, but real yoga is not what happens in that 90 minutes asana class, but how we live our lives. . Asanas, pranayama and meditation teach us to become more aware. The real challenge is, can you take that awareness and bring it into your everyday life.
So the question is how to do that?
Below is my Rx that has worked for me to stay aligned.
First of all, we are not just the physical body. Instead we are multidimensional beings made up of different interactive layers, one within the other much like the petals on a rose bud. Moving from the outer most layer to the inner most spiritual core we have (described by the yogic sages over 3000 years ago in the Upnaishads ) what are called the 5 Koshas: annamayakosha—the physical body; pranamayakosha—the breath or life-force body; manomayakosha—the mental body; vijanamayakosha—the wisdom body; and anandamayakosha—the bliss body.
Annamayakosha- the physical body also known as the "gross" body (sthula-sarira). When I teach an asana class, we start with becoming aware of our physical body, our presence, our feet connecting with the earth, our senses and sounds coming into our awareness, smells and sensations in each and every part of the body. We can take that out into our everyday lives by bringing awareness to everything we do. One of my favorite quotes from Thích Nhất Hạn is “Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.” Let this quote guide you through all that you do in your daily lives on a physical level bringing awareness to all your actions at the physical level.
Think of the body as a temple. It is that sacred space wherein lies our being. “Ana” in annamaykosha means “food” and we should nurture our body with wholesome foods which brings me to the next kosha:
David Heskin: Breathe Pranamayakosha: Prana means energy. It is our vital life force, that nectar found in all living things. Without it, we would cease to exist.. Prana is found in the foods we eat. What kinds of foods are you eating? What kinds of foods are you bringing as offerings to the temple ?Is it junk food or foods high in prana: fresh organic food, locally grown foods? While cooking, make it a meditation, listen to beautiful music, infuse your cooking with the loving energy and healing mantras. Think of how grandma’s home cooked meals always feel so nourishing. That’s because food cooked with loving energy tastes so much better!
Prana is also found in our breath. When we breathe in that energy it travels all over the body.
In a yoga class, we do breathing exercises bringing awarenss to the inhale, staying with the breath, feeling the energy spreading, exhaling and cleansing. Engaging the bandhas retains that energy within. With practice, we can do this throughout the day as well. Our normal breathing changes throughout the day. By becoming more sensitive to the breath and consciously changing our breathing patterns we can add more prana and energy to our being and bring it into balance. There are a number of different breathing exercises that can be called upon for different situations. In times of stress deep diaphragmatic breathing can bring about a sense of calm. Alternate nose breathing balances the nadis, while left notstril breathing is cooling and calming and right nostril breathing is warming and gets you fired up when you need to stay awake.
Prana is also found in our breath. When we breathe in that energy it travels all over the body.
In a yoga class, we do breathing exercises bringing awarenss to the inhale, staying with the breath, feeling the energy spreading, exhaling and cleansing. Engaging the bandhas retains that energy within. With practice, we can do this throughout the day as well. Our normal breathing changes throughout the day. By becoming more sensitive to the breath and consciously changing our breathing patterns we can add more prana and energy to our being and bring it into balance. There are a number of different breathing exercises that can be called upon for different situations. In times of stress deep diaphragmatic breathing can bring about a sense of calm. Alternate nose breathing balances the nadis, while left notstril breathing is cooling and calming and right nostril breathing is warming and gets you fired up when you need to stay awake.
Radu Jianu/Brown University Manomayakosha ( the mind sheath) is the control center for the emotional and physical body. The manomayakosha contains our thoughts, feelings, fantasies, and daydreams. A healthy manomayakosha allows us to maintain balance and handle life’s ups and downs and has a crucial role in our experiences of happiness, joy, pain and suffering and ultimately our health. We get bombarded day in and day out with stimuli that can build up in the manas ( the mind). In a yoga class we practice Pratyahara , the withdrawal of the senses, an important step in order to be able to concentrate for meditation . If we are not in a yoga class, we can do this by shutting of electronic devices: t.v., staying off social media and taking some time out . Those emails can wait. Keep a clean work and home environment and avoid drama queens & emotional vampires!
The manomayakosha also holds our collective subconscious records, the samskaras which intimately influence our actions. It is like an iceberg where all the experiences , both karmic and those that you have ever had in this lifetime are stored away in your subconscious mind with most of it hidden below the surface of your conscious awareness. Our life challenges can remain buried and unresolved for years and may rear their head as anxiety, anger, addiction, compulsive behavior etc.
Yoga Nidra, can be very powerful healing tool tapping into the subconscious and exposing suppressed emotions. On a day to day basis we can decide whether to remain shackled to our old samskaras or we can rewire the brain, by planting seeds of change and forming new samskaras:
The manomayakosha also holds our collective subconscious records, the samskaras which intimately influence our actions. It is like an iceberg where all the experiences , both karmic and those that you have ever had in this lifetime are stored away in your subconscious mind with most of it hidden below the surface of your conscious awareness. Our life challenges can remain buried and unresolved for years and may rear their head as anxiety, anger, addiction, compulsive behavior etc.
Yoga Nidra, can be very powerful healing tool tapping into the subconscious and exposing suppressed emotions. On a day to day basis we can decide whether to remain shackled to our old samskaras or we can rewire the brain, by planting seeds of change and forming new samskaras:
- Waking up in the morning and expressing gratitude, purifies the manomaya kosha
- Positive thinking for health and vitality
- A daily dose of nasya oil will also bring clarity to the mind
- Setting intentions and reciting mantras to transform the mind into a higher state of being and awareness.
- When that old samskara rears its head, take your thoughts to the positive seed that you have planted in the field of manas. Each time you do this, that positive seed will grow stronger , form roots and eventually blossom.
Vijanamayakosha—Vijnana means knowing. It is the kosha of discernement and insight, instinct and intuition. It is the gateway between the individual mind and cosmic mind. Spiritual nutrition as in writing, learning and sharing of ideas and deep truths is what feeds this sheath. Also spending time in nature and aligning our routines with the cycles of nature. When we have a strong vijanamaya kosha ,we choose to move past emotion, to act with intention and non-attachment, free from ego and we can begin to experience wisdom and life at a deep intuitive level . We can tap into this sheath at any time .How many times have you doubted your intuition and shrugged it off? It is the manas getting in the way! That deep sense of intuition and awareness can only be developed if we listen to it and lift off the veil of the manas. One of the best fuels for the Vijanamaya kosha is good asana practice, followed by pranayama practice , balancing the ida and pingala and awakening the sushumna channel for meditation.
Anandamaya kosha is the bliss sheath. It happens when the body and its sensations, the pranamayakosha dissolves, the mind and the wisdom layers dissolve and we are one with bliss. Deep sleep is an example of this. It is a little difficult to describe but when it happens you will know. It is an outer body experience. We experience it in fleeting moments when we feel that joy in nature, where we have no thoughts, just pure joy. In meditation we can experience pure bliss , but we don’t have to sit in meditation to arrive at this state of bliss. Trance dance, chakra dance and playing music, we dissolve into the music, the dance and then beyond. And this is the goal of Yoga : " ".
Anandamaya kosha is the bliss sheath. It happens when the body and its sensations, the pranamayakosha dissolves, the mind and the wisdom layers dissolve and we are one with bliss. Deep sleep is an example of this. It is a little difficult to describe but when it happens you will know. It is an outer body experience. We experience it in fleeting moments when we feel that joy in nature, where we have no thoughts, just pure joy. In meditation we can experience pure bliss , but we don’t have to sit in meditation to arrive at this state of bliss. Trance dance, chakra dance and playing music, we dissolve into the music, the dance and then beyond. And this is the goal of Yoga : " ".
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