Today we are going to discuss the components of who you are, and then you will be guided through a short meditation. Feel free to listen to the discussion portion, but then stop the recording before doing the meditation if you are not in a location where you can sit quietly and still with the eyes closed. 

You may have heard the common definition of yoga is “union” and it comes from the Sanskrit word ‘yug’ meaning to yoke. 

If we think about how buffalo are yoked together or horses or sled dogs are joined together, the purpose of yoking is to unite multiple forces to create more power.

In yoga, we become more powerful when we understand, and yoke together, the different dimensions of our being known as the koshas. Koshas are the different aspects of who we are and of what we are composed. These are physical, energetic, the mind that links us to the world around us, the mind that is intuitive and wise, able to witness the world and our patterns, and lastly, the spiritual. These aspects, dimensions, or layers of our being have differing levels of awareness from the most gross, the physical, to the most subtle, the spiritual.

Let’s start with the physical aspect since this is the part of us that captures the most of our awareness. It’s called the annamaya kosha.

• Anna = food
• Food sheath – we become what we eat

It is the vehicle for our expression and interaction in the physical world, and it occupies about 75% of our awareness.

All of the koshas interact with each other. They are not separate entities. You are like a cake that is made of eggs, flour, sugar, chocolate, etc. But once the cake is made, those components can no longer be separate. In the same way, your physical health and balance ripples through the higher koshas. It affects your sense of vitality and mental peace. If you are in pain or have an illness that distracts you from the subtle aspects of your being, you must first address that. In yoga this is one of the reasons we do asanas, the physical practices.

Less gross than the physical is the energetic body. This is called pranamaya kosha. 

• Prana = energy

This kosha is a part of the vast energy of the universe, and it energizes all of the koshas. You have bones and muscles as part of the physical but it’s the energy that allows you to walk or run. Pranamaya kosha is vital for all of the functions of humans.

Although this aspect occupies perhaps only 2% of our awareness, it permeates the entire entity that is you. Grossly the breath is a critical part but then how aware are you even of your breath yet alone more subtle manifestations. However, when the energy becomes disturbed or blocked, illness and disease may result.

It is necessary to become more aware of and control the energy to access the higher states of being.

Next, we move to the mind and how it manifests in two primary levels.

• Man, mana or manas = mind
• Mental sheath

We talk about this aspect of the mind as the lower mind, but perhaps we should consider calling it the worldly mind. It is responsible for the thoughts that relate to the day-to-day activities of life, as well as managing the senses. 

It occupies about 20% of our awareness, and it pervades all the other koshas. Every Individual cell has its own intelligence. As you know, mental states influence your sense of health and vitality (think of what happens to you when you receive unexpected, good or bad news).

However, excessive mental chatter inhibits our ability to access higher koshas by keeping our awareness externalized on the world around us, or engages with thoughts about the past or future, rarely being in the present moment.

The more subtle aspect of the mind is called the “higher mind” but might be better referred to as the knowing mind.

• Vigyana = special knowledge
• Intuitive sheath

It is here that you can access intuition, wisdom, and higher knowledge-that sense of knowing-to see without judgement.

The average person may connect awareness at best about 2% of the time. This is because it is much more subtle than the chatterbox mind. To access this more fully, you must work with the other three koshas-sort of clearing the way! Many of the more subtle practices in yoga such as breathing, deep relaxation and meditation practices are designed to enhance awareness of this aspect of your being.

Like the intuitive, wisdom mine, the most subtle kosha-the spiritual aspect can only be accessed by developing the awareness of the previous four.

• Ananda = bliss
• Blissful sheath

At this deeply subtle level of consciousness, you can experience perfection and bliss that is beyond normal experience. It is at this level where the most intimate contact with our true nature occurs. It is at this point that there is an understanding of being part of a bigger whole spiritually.

But remember, first we must develop optimal health and awareness of the other koshas. 

Now I will guide you through a short meditation practice to begin this process.

PRACTICE

1. Settling into a comfortable and still position through body awareness.
2. Shifting to awareness of the breath and movement of energy in the body.
3. Becoming aware of senses and thoughts.
4. Witnessing.
5. Finish