In yoga we are seen as being made up of various sheaths through which passing phenomena arise and dissolve. These sheaths or bodies are called koshas in Sanskrit. In the non-dual tradition there are 6 koshas and one changless Ground of Being which is both distinct but not separate from the 6 koshas. In the next few blogs I will be exploring these sheaths through my own experience and sharing what I find with all of you. Richard Miller, a modern teacher of non-dualism, has delineated the koshas in the following way in his book Yoga Nidra:
1. Physical body (Annamaya kosha) - Awareness of sensation
2. Energy body (Pranamaya kosha) - Awareness of breath and energy
3. Emotional body (Manomaya kosha) - Awareness of feelings and emotions
4. Body of Intellect (Vijnanamaya kosha) - Awareness of thoughts, beliefs and images
5. Body of Joy (Anandamaya kosha) - Awareness of desire, pleasure and joy
6. Body of Ego-I (Asmitamaya kosha) - Awareness of the witness of ego-I
7. Natural State (sahaj) - Awareness of changeless Being.
Sitting on my couch with my laptop resting on crossed legs I begin to sense annamaya kosha. This is what some authors call the food body - the kosha that is influenced at a gross level by food and other aspects of our environment. It is through this kosha that we engage the world around us through our senses. It is the level of muscle, bone, organ and tissue. I become aware of sensation in my face. There is strain around my eyes and the tip of my nose is cold. I notice my jaw slightly tense and my neck expresses the complementarity of tension in the back and space in the front. My chest feels open and soft and my shoulders shrug a little to help my hands align with my keyboard. The staccato movements of my fingers make the tips tingle with sensation and I feel slight fatigue in my wrists. There is softness in my solarplexus and heat along my spine. The faint ache of my low back and right hip evokes emotion - but that is a different blog. The pressure on my bottom foot under crossed legs is evident. I sense my organs and indigestion becomes obvious, cereal and almond milk resting heavy in my irritable belly. I jiggle slightly with the beat of my heart and as my lungs gently heave I am taken momentarily into intimacy with these life giving balloons in my torso. I am aware of the other organs in my body, but do not sense their quality. They present themselves to me at a sublter more energetic level. I feel my attention sweep back to the grosser level and notice the sound of my baby waking through the monitor beside me. The bright light of mid morning fills my eyes. The lingering blend of licorice mint tea coats my palate. I smell almost nothing, just the faint scent of home that has become taken for granted but deeply appreciated in this lucid moment of awareness. I notice that I cannot help but begin to feel swept into the next kosha of the breath and energy. There is a force that wants to take us into fuller and more complete experiences of our selves and life. There is nothing I need to do but become aware, open and willing. Unlike the dualistic yoga philosophies based in Samkhya there is nothing I need to cultivate at this level, I need only show up. I feel the stickyness of holding one position for too long and my heart beats a little faster as I hear my child ready to carry on with the rest of her day. I look forward to taking my awareness of this physical kosha outside where the sun greets budding trees and bedding plants eager to grow their glory. This kosha bears with it the pleasure and pain of living, the fatigue of motherhood and the freshness of my child's smile. It is wonderful in its own right and also acts as a gateway to the subtler aspects of our being. Please, tell me of your journey through this body and let us share in it's wonder together!
1. Physical body (Annamaya kosha) - Awareness of sensation
2. Energy body (Pranamaya kosha) - Awareness of breath and energy
3. Emotional body (Manomaya kosha) - Awareness of feelings and emotions
4. Body of Intellect (Vijnanamaya kosha) - Awareness of thoughts, beliefs and images
5. Body of Joy (Anandamaya kosha) - Awareness of desire, pleasure and joy
6. Body of Ego-I (Asmitamaya kosha) - Awareness of the witness of ego-I
7. Natural State (sahaj) - Awareness of changeless Being.
Sitting on my couch with my laptop resting on crossed legs I begin to sense annamaya kosha. This is what some authors call the food body - the kosha that is influenced at a gross level by food and other aspects of our environment. It is through this kosha that we engage the world around us through our senses. It is the level of muscle, bone, organ and tissue. I become aware of sensation in my face. There is strain around my eyes and the tip of my nose is cold. I notice my jaw slightly tense and my neck expresses the complementarity of tension in the back and space in the front. My chest feels open and soft and my shoulders shrug a little to help my hands align with my keyboard. The staccato movements of my fingers make the tips tingle with sensation and I feel slight fatigue in my wrists. There is softness in my solarplexus and heat along my spine. The faint ache of my low back and right hip evokes emotion - but that is a different blog. The pressure on my bottom foot under crossed legs is evident. I sense my organs and indigestion becomes obvious, cereal and almond milk resting heavy in my irritable belly. I jiggle slightly with the beat of my heart and as my lungs gently heave I am taken momentarily into intimacy with these life giving balloons in my torso. I am aware of the other organs in my body, but do not sense their quality. They present themselves to me at a sublter more energetic level. I feel my attention sweep back to the grosser level and notice the sound of my baby waking through the monitor beside me. The bright light of mid morning fills my eyes. The lingering blend of licorice mint tea coats my palate. I smell almost nothing, just the faint scent of home that has become taken for granted but deeply appreciated in this lucid moment of awareness. I notice that I cannot help but begin to feel swept into the next kosha of the breath and energy. There is a force that wants to take us into fuller and more complete experiences of our selves and life. There is nothing I need to do but become aware, open and willing. Unlike the dualistic yoga philosophies based in Samkhya there is nothing I need to cultivate at this level, I need only show up. I feel the stickyness of holding one position for too long and my heart beats a little faster as I hear my child ready to carry on with the rest of her day. I look forward to taking my awareness of this physical kosha outside where the sun greets budding trees and bedding plants eager to grow their glory. This kosha bears with it the pleasure and pain of living, the fatigue of motherhood and the freshness of my child's smile. It is wonderful in its own right and also acts as a gateway to the subtler aspects of our being. Please, tell me of your journey through this body and let us share in it's wonder together!
RSS Feed
