Have you ever seen or played with russian dolls? Were you ever fascinated by their seemingly endless decreasing size?
When I was studying at Paramanand Institute of yoga sciences and research in India to learn more about yoga and go beyond its strictly physical aspect, one of the things I learnt was the integration of the five bodies (koshas) & it reminded me of these world-famous russian dolls.
In the Yogic system, there are five Koshas or Sheaths. Starting on the periphery of the physical body and moving toward the core of your being as an embodied soul. Keep in mind that they are not a literal anatomical model of the body but rather identical. Lets take a look at the details of these koshas:
1) Annamaya: Physical Self - named for its quality of being nourished by food, Anna means Food and Maya means Full of. Yoga starts to happen as we begin to explore and experience the physical body in its manifold connections with the energetic, intellectual, wisdom and blissful bodies.
2) Pranamaya: Energy Sheath - connects the physical body with the other Koshas, vitalizing and holding together the body and mind. Composed of Prana, the vital life force, it pervades the whole organism, physically manifesting in the constant flow and movement of breath. Part of the subtle body, prana cannot be seen or physically touched as it moves through thousands of nadi, or energy channels, sustaining the entire physical and energetic system. In doing pranayama, we are expanding and directing this energy to cultivate a more fluid and harmonious interaction among the koshas, integrating body, mind, and spirit. Working with the breath in the physical body in exploration of asanas can expand our awareness beyond the physical body. With prana as the source and guide, we begin to discover its more subtle expressions. called prana-vayus.
3) Manomaya: Manos or Mind and the five sensory faculties, conveying the powers of thought and judgement. Associated with the brain and nervous system, manomaya kosha distinguishes humans from other living organisms. Endowed with the ability to differentiate, dream, fantasize and think. The deeper levels of this sheath holds the beliefs, opinions, and assumptions that you’ve absorbed from your family and culture and accumulated mental patterns which are called samskaras in Sanskrit. These deep thoughts in the mental body cause your perceptions of yourself and your life to run in certain fixed patterns.
4) Vijnanamaya: Composed of vijnana (Wisdom), referring to the reflective aspect of consciousness that discriminates, determines, or wills. The reflective aspect of consciousness vijnanamaya is present to our consciousness when we begin to experience deeper insight into the world and ourselves. Sometimes referred to as the "wisdom sheath," Vijnamaya is still identified with the body, subject to change, insentient, and thinking.
5) Anandamaya: From Ananda meaning Bliss, in the Upanishads, the anandamaya kosha is known as Karana Sharira, or the causal body. It is the consciousness that is always there, that always has been and always will be there, even when the mind, senses, and body are sleeping. It manifests itself by catching a reflection of the divine, which is absolute bliss, felt in moments of calm inner peace and eternal tranquility.
So, what is the role of yoga here?
Yoga enables us to integrate all the mentioned sheaths, to move from inside-out (Not from the outside-in) & slowly become friends with our ego. Eventually we create an eternal marriage among mind, body, heart & spirit.
How does this process happen?
Yoga, meditation & ayurveda increase awareness & sensitivity. By becoming sensitive and aware, we start moving intelligently, acting with awareness, gradually releasing the stagnant prana and letting the energy and breath flow in every single part of our physical bodies on a daily basis.
Is there a problem?
Unfortunately, the world is filled with movement without awareness. We get out of bed, go to the car, sit behind a desk, relax on a couch and go back to bed again. But, are we moving and acting intelligently throughout the day? are we aware of our breath? Even some teachers and students teach and practice yoga with the interest of "working out" or just getting up side down without paying attention to the other beautiful limbs of yoga.
Is there a solution?
Yes! teachers should teach in a way that practitioners become curious and they learn to infuse the movement with intelligence, transform it into real actions. In fact, action that is introduced in an asana should excite the intelligence. Creating fancy shapes with the physical body is part of the process but it is just the beginning of a beautiful journey which can lead to an awakening transformation and transcending the cycles of birth-life-death-rebirth.
If you are interested, here is a short recommended TED video on the effects of yoga on your body and brain:
https://www.ted.com/talks/krishna_sudhir_what_yoga_does_to_your_body_and_brain#t-333900
Sources & Inspiration
Hatha Yoga Pradipika introduced by Paramanand Institute of Yoga Sciences and Research, Light on yoga by B.K.S Iyengar, Yoga Sequencing by Mark Stephens