What yoga teaches about the body that you might not know
Humans are multilayered bodies of consciousness, whose layers vibrate at different energetic frequencies that determine their density. Some of them are tangible, some can only be felt and others’ subtle existence is perceived only by refined awareness. In the yog-vedantic philosophy, those layers are called Koshas.
Please note that this article is an excerpt from my Sattva Yoga Academy Teacher Training graduation thesis, where I had to explain my understanding of the human layers and how Integrated Himalayan Yoga targets all the koshas.
All the Koshas interact with each other and there is the unceasing transfer of energy between them as they are constantly vibrating. The outer koshas include the essence of those that are present in all others, including the innermost kosha, and vice versa. For easier visualization, just take a Russian doll matryoshka that has different layers of self, nestled inside of each other. That’s how humans are, but we can physically touch only the innermost “doll” as others are subtler.
We should understand right at the beginning, though, that these layers are not rigidly separated like in the case of Matrioshka; in fact, as one Tantric master tells us, “It is the nature of each layer to be pervaded by all the layers beneath it.” The subtler the layer is the more it can pervade other layers, which is why Consciousness, the subtlest of all, is all-pervasive.
When something changes on one level, it influences all others despite it is not perceived that way. And it is up to the individual to perceive those changes and if it’s something that causes fractalization, realign them to the divine design of a unified whole. The issue that the vast majority of the human population faces is suffering that is a result of our failure to perceive the whole of our beings and its natural hierarchy. This inability to perceive the whole comes from mistakenly identifying the “self” as only one or two of the layers.
The amazing thing about the Integrated Himalayan Yoga approach is that it targets and refines all koshas. The kriyas and asanas might be working predominantly with the Annamaya (physical) and Pranamaya (energetic) koshas but generating more prana in the body ensures that those layers interact for prana is the shift catalyst. We are improving the quality of the subtlest energetic field that governs the structure of the denser layers.
Getting all mystical with the overview, let’s get practical with the individual koshas.
Understanding your physical layer
The densest kosha is called ANNAMAYA KOSHA, which we know as a physical body, the level of physical structure that includes the molecules, cells, tissues, the body, nature, and all material layers of existence. “Wait, what?”, you may ask, “Also nature?” Yes for we source the nutrition for our bodies from nature in the form of the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and then turn it into cells that make up a human body. Annamaya Kosha is not only in the human realm but is all material things including those non-living as also through them, the one universal consciousness pervades.
If you are identified with the body to the exclusion of the deeper layers of your being, then you are definitely setting yourself up for suffering. If you believe you are this body and nothing more, that truth of the body which will break down, age, decay, and die, is terrifying. And yet, those who are not fully awakened are identifying themselves as their physical bodies — “I am short/tall”, “I am fat/skinny”, “I am young/old”, or “I am pretty/ugly”. With such statements, we are bound to be swayed by the implications that it holds and we are suddenly feeling different things that we might not necessarily want to feel. We can look at the physical layer as our hardware.
In its wholeness, the body is healthy. However, if the quality of the energy that flows through the body is fragmented/unhealthy, then the body will also become unhealthy. The surest way to create healthy energy in the body is by immersing ourselves in healthy habits — mindful eating of nutritious food, getting enough sleep & rest, immersing in enriching environments, and exercising. Especially Hatha Yoga where the Asanas are designed to realign our physical body to its original design where the energy flows seamlessly and the bodies are strong and flexible. Hatha also helps to increase body awareness, refines the five senses, and distributes, grounds & integrates the energy.
When it comes to Pranayama practices and Kriyas that are at the core of the integrated approach of Himalayan Yoga and are designed to create specific energetic shifts at other layers, they enable the Annamaya Kosha to release the bio-memory of fragmentation (trauma) and create energetic changes at the cellular level: cellular detox and realignment to health at its finest.
Understanding your energetic layer
The second layer is PRANAMAYA KOSHA, the energy body. It is prana that gives the Annamaya kosha, the material layer, its aliveness. Its divine intelligence pulsates through chakras and nadis, influencing all other layers, and has 5 different qualities, also called winds/ vayus in Sanskrit. It responds extremely fast to whatever is happening and by strengthening this layer through Pranayama and kriya practices, one can take control of the surrounding koshas — the physical (our hardware) and the mental (our software). By supporting the pranamaya kosha (the power source), one can then operate the liquid computer (that we essentially are) very efficiently and with a lot of energy.
We can associate ourselves with pranamaya kosha as well when we say “I’m tired.”, “I’m drained.” “I’m energetic.”etc. If we indeed feel low on energy, there are a couple of practices taught at Sattva that we can apply. Practicing mantras, mudras and rituals are some of them. We can also meditate to witness what is being present in the field and correct it. However, the ultimate practices are Pranayama and Kriya, which are designed to create specific energetic shifts in all layers of our bodies as described within Annamaya Kosha paragraph.
Understanding your mental year
The third layer, MANOMAYA KOSHA is the software, our mental body that processes thoughts, feelings, and emotions. In Yogic tradition, there is no distinction between the mind and the emotions because one cannot exist without the other. Thoughts influence your feelings and feelings influence your thoughts. They are bound to each other.
Responsible for the instinctive needs and desires of the individual, it is what gives individuals a sense of “I”-ness. But the mental layer goes beyond the activity of the analytical prefrontal cortex and the workings of the brain into the subconscious mind governed by the entire nervous system and residing in your body's memory. Every cell and every organ has its own intelligence, hence its own mind. When we speak of the mental layer, we are talking about the electrical and chemical signals of our body that we interpret as thoughts, feelings and emotions.
As Integrated Himalayan Yoga teachers, we focus on refining the five senses of perception, calming and stabilizing the nervous system, and expanding consciousness, so to create a possibility for the students to meet themselves outside this mental layer. Only when people meet themselves outside the mind will they be able to detach from (not identify with) the mind's content and to locate bliss within (the fifth layer).
We need to educate our brain and train our mind to access the dimension of existence where suffering (residing mostly in the mental layer) ceases to be and only bliss state remains. To do so, refinement of our consciousness through consuming the right knowledge is necessary. That's where wisdom talks, Satsangs, help to correct the intellect. But other practices such as meditation, self-study of sacred texts, self-correction through inner work and being surrounded by a conscious community are also necessary for us to be able to transcend the mental identifications with whatever causes pain our life.
Understanding your wisdom layer
The fourth layer, the wisdom body, has two aspects, Agyanamaya and Vigyanamaya.
AGYANAMAYA KOSHA is the unconscious pseudo-wisdom body that is created by all the beliefs and stories we tell ourselves. It is what we tend to call Ego, the personality structure about which I wrote another article. By getting to know our egos and its conditionings, one is given an opportunity to distill wisdom from it and transcend higher by touching the deeper aspects of ourselves. We need to transcend all the identifications and labels such as “I am Slovak”, “I am hetero”, “I am smart, “I am white”, etc. for those create division which goes the other way from unifying ourselves with the higher aspects. Acting from the place of those statements is going to create karmic lessons where we face the pain of them being challenged. The labels are not wrong per say, just the attachment to them creates friction in the river of life.
VIGYANAMAYA kosha is where the higher awareness and true wisdom reside. We transcend beyond the labels and understand that they are just stories that are not True. That’s the “healed ego” where we move from ignorance into higher states of awareness where attachment to the fragmented parts of us is noticed but doesn’t cause pain. In the modern world, we call it a growth mindset and invite all the challenges with enthusiasm for there is implied learning. The key is to transmute whatever we experience into something empowering that supports our soul’s evolution. We can support this Kosha by, surprise surprise, Pranayama a Kriyas, but also by refining the intellect through meditation, self-discovery, and self-correction, learning and Satsang, a gathering where we immerse into the words of wise men and allow the wisdom to penetrate us. In this layer we are already aware of the labels and the identification slowly ceases to be.
The fifth layer — the reason why we are practicing Yoga
The last layer is ANANDAMAYA kosha, the layer in which we reside, we feel boundless love, inner peace and bliss of being alive. It’s like having an orgasm all the time and truth to be told it is our true nature. It is just a matter of realizing we are one with it and allowing the limitations and labels to dissolve. By working with and through the 4 preceding layers, refining their functioning with appropriate practices, we gain greater and greater access to this layer.
Will the pain of the world cease to be? As long as we have the physical body, no. But even the pain can be transcended and observed with bliss consciousness and that's where our ability to live life fully begins. It takes work and conscious effort for spiritual hygiene and practices to be able to get there but it is very well possible.
How to proceed with this information?
In my 4.5-years-long experience of practicing the pranayama and kriya yoga that is a part of the Integrated Himalayan approach, working on increasing one’s level of prana is one of the surest ways to stabilise in the Bliss body layer. Prana heals, prana reveals what needs to be cleared, and prana also gives us the energy to work through the issues we identify along the journey. Also, having high levels of life force allows us to access all other koshas and gradually allow us to expand and stabilize in the subtlest layers of individualized consciousness. That's why I swear by the practices I teach. They rejuvenate, recharge, clear cellular memory, and allow the practitioners to access the hidden parts of one's body within all layers.
So here's my invitation to start your own practice that charges your Pranamaya kosha as the cornerstone of your spiritual routine. Pranic exercises allow the energy to circulate and reveal what other layers need your attention. Then work on those, but always keep your pranic practice.
I teach and also practice Integrated Himalayan Yoga which includes plenty of kriyas and I swear by its effectiveness and complexity, but there are plenty of others. For example, Tai Chi or Chi Kung are similar in their essence but you can charge your prana by connecting to nature, biohacking and optimizing your nutrition and lifestyle, and also doing things that you love.
Find your own thing but show up daily for a minimum of 21 consecutive days to begin with. This builds a habit and then keep that habit. It's very well worth it, especially in those times of tribulations. Having access to your bliss body and increased prana is beneficial to stay calm and centered in whatever life throws at you. You can then be fully alive no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. That's where the magic of spiritual practices pays it forward. Do it for yourself and become an example of a happy, healthy and holy human being ❤
Namaste
~ Simona
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