The koshas

What are Koshas and Why are they important to a Yoga Practitioner?

Life is a combination of the body, organs of perception and action, mind, intellect, ego and soul. The mind acts as a bridge between the body and the soul. The mind is imperceptible and intangible. The self fulfills its aspirations and pleasures through the mind acting as a mirror and the body as an instrument of enjoyment and attainment. Anything that has got to do in the external world, the infinite varieties of happenings in this world as also within this body, some sort of chaos prevails, desires, success, ego, anger, frustrations, sufferings, happiness, restlessness, haste, laziness etc. The external world is a Rat Race and humans have to exist in that world. The need of constant running, rushing, elbowing our ways out to achieve is the chaos, which causes imbalances within our mind and body. The flickering thoughts in our minds are constantly pushing us away from our 'true self', our sense of 'being'. So as a Yoga practitioner, it becomes a vital question to the self , is there a possibility that all of this phenomena is somehow orderly?

Here comes the role of The Koshas, and its importance to consider before one adopts the journey of Self Transformation through Yoga.

The ascetic yogis of the past were seeking to look beneath the gross matter into what they termed: Chit Akasha, the vision of inner space. Chit Akasha is the non-physical reality, which unlike the ever-changing phenomena of the body or nature (prakriti), is eternal or never changing. According to Vedanta philosophy, there are three frames or types of body(sarira) enveloping the soul. According to yogic philosophy, the soul is no possession, no me, no my, no I; it is unchanging. The whole practice of yoga explores the relationship between Prakriti and Parusha. (Nature and Soul). So these frames or types of sarira-s are meant to be Koshas, which can be translated to mean veil, sheath or covering and is the explanation describing the order and structure of our being. In our bodies, there are five inter-penetrating and inter-dependant sheaths/or Koshas that are present. . The three 'sarira-s are : a) sthula, which is the gross frame or the anatomical sheath, b) suksma, which is the subtle frame, consisting of the physiological, the psychological and intellectual sheaths, and c) karana, which is the so-called casual frame -the spiritual sheath.

Annamaya Kosha or Sthula sarira is the sheath of nourishment which means anything that has got to do with physical body nourishment to achieve stability, relaxation and certain level of expansion. Annamaya represents our physical body. Solidity, shape, firmness, and strength are the primary characteristics of our body. We can open the gates of our soul through the exploration of the body. In our ordinary day-to-day lives, we carry in our systems a level of subliminal stress that depletes our energy and leads to both restlessness and fatigue. With the emergence of digital age, there is no escape from more and more stress. The ancients conceived of the science of Asana as a tool to benefit this aspect of our human system. Asana practice helps to release tension and to bring us to a state that is both energized and relaxed. We work with Anamaya Kosha to build a strong container. This crucible will be capable of handling the increased energy of awakening. There can be a variety of approaches to the practice of Asana, depending on needs and interests. No matter whether we are taking a developmental, preventive, therapeutic or transcendental approach to our personal practice, it is important to remember that Asana practice is not fundamentally about the Asana-s , but about the Practitioner. The more we become reflectively self-conscious of our actual condition, the more we will be able to adapt our practices to the needs of our system. The starting point to any path of self-improvement, hence should be with increased self-awareness. Discussing Asana from a structural perspective might give the impression that Asana is fundamentally an ancient system of physical culture while it is not. Asana must harmonize all the sheaths of the body and provide integration. Awareness is the tool we use in asana to sculpt the mind. Its important to consider that the ancients regarded Asana from a much deeper perspective, as an integral part of a complex and profound science of personal transformation. It is considered that the body is made up of a system of channels, known as Nadi-s, as well as a series of reference points, known as Cakra-s. All the Cakra-s are located in the center of the main channel, known as susumna, which is located in the center of the body and supported by the spine. In an ideal situation, the flow of energy(prana) happens through these channels(nadi-s) is balanced and unobstructed, and all of the cakra-s are placed exactly where they should be. But in actuality, due to stress and other external factors, the flow of energy through channels is out of balance. Then we find the cakra-s are displaced from their locations and afflictions arise. As a tool, Asana can function at many levels of our human system. Asana can be adapted to positively influence our physical structure and not inflict harm. Hence the three aspects of physical body must be considered before adopting or challenging oneself to perform an Asana pose: the Skeletal structure awareness, the Muscular structure awareness and the neuromuscular patterning awareness. Bodily consciousness allows the mind to be alert and passive which regenerates the mind and purifies the body. Extension is from the brain and expansion is from the heart. When the two meet, this is the beginning. It is important to know where you are stretching, in your body and in the world. Extension is attention. Expansion is awareness.

Avoid over and under stretching. In every pose there should be repose. Inhalation is tension. Exhalation is freedom. Iyengar says all movement should arise from the exhalation, the root. There is lightness in the body and a freedom in the mind, extend from the center. Think of yourself as graceful and expanding, lifting the chest and opening the mind.

The physiological or Pranamaya, the psychological or Manomaya and the intellectual or Vijnanamaya koshas/sheaths make up the subtle body or Suksma Sarira.

Pranamaya Kosha includes the respiratory, circulatory , digestive, nervous, endocrine, excretory, and genital systems. If Annamaya represents physical body, Pranamaya represents the vital body. It is the 'energy department' of our human system, in relation to which the ancients identified five aspects: prana, apana, vyana, udana, and samana:

Prana or "that which goes everywhere" is responsible for reception or input, including that of breath, food, sensory input.

Apana or "that which takes away" is responsible for elimination: what should be eliminated, what should not be eliminated, and when to eliminate.

Vyana or "that which makes things distinct" is responsible for sensation, as well as for lifting, grasping, and throwing.

Udana or "that which leads up" is responsible for our ability to speak, as well as our ability to move our bodies.

Samana or "that which takes what is required to where it is required" is responsible for distributing nourishment throughout the body.

The primary means of adapting Asana to support our needs involves appropriate selection of postures and adaptation of the breath throughout our practice. In this context, Asana can be used to support a deeper constitutional work that is achieved through the practice of Pranayama , the science of breath-work. Conscious control of the breath - Pranayama, helps us to identify subtle mechanisms of contraction in the body and mind, and to release them at their root. It is a means of purifying the subtle channels of energy underlying the physical structure of Annamaya kosha, through which flow both our awareness and our vital energy. It not only builds the breath capacity, but vitalizes and stimulates the whole system. Pranayama takes us away from the external world of AnamayaKosha. We cannot be aware of the external world and pay attention to the subtleties of the internal world. It is only through Pranayama, our sense of stillness deepens, our attention turns inward without dullness or agitation, our mind feels light and luminous, as we become ready for Meditation or Dhyana. Hence as per 8-limbs path as Patanjali mentions in Yoga Sutras, vitalizing the energy system(Pranayama) comes only after stilling the mind through the art of physical movement in Asana. Only after purification of energy system through breath regulation, comes Pratyahara or the art of controlling the mind by keeping out the senses or desires that attaches us to external world and prepare for turning inwards. Hence there is no straight road or escaping of the next stages of Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana to reach to the state of Samadhi or 'Self Realization'.

Clarity(manas), Manomaya Kosha affects the functions of awareness, feeling and motivation not derived from subjective experience. So the mind sheath or Manomaya Kosha is simply nestled inside the breath body. You cannot hope to experience inner peace and freedom without understanding the workings of the mind. Guru B.K.S Iyengar makes the point that in yogic philosophy there is a difference between the mind where incessant thoughts of life occur Manomaya Kosha and the intelligence and discernment of Vijnanamaya Kosha. In Manomaya Kosha thinking, brain, memory, ego and sensory perception work together to cause suffering, (klesha) and not cause suffering, (aklesha).

Vijnanamaya Kosha or the wisdom sheath affects the intellectual process of reasoning and judgement derived through subjective experience again.

The Karana Sarira is the sheath of joy or Anandamaya Kosha. The experience of being aware of it is felt by the Sadhaka(practitioner) when he wakes after a deep refreshing sleep and when he is totally absorbed in the object of his meditation.

In each of our bodies, it is the skin, which encloses all these sheaths/bodies. Our Skin should be firm and sensitive enough to the slightest movement . All the sheaths or Koshas are inter-mingled on their different levels from the Skin to the Self. As we act with self awareness, we increase consciousness and concentration. We can utilize consciousness to harness action. As we harness action we can undo habits (samskaras) and we can stop creating new ones that do not serve us.  With increasing focus on equanimity and awareness, meditation is possible.

Whether we describe Yoga as 'restraint of fluctuations of the mind', as Patanjali did, or use Lord Krishna's definition of 'excellence in action', above all Yoga aims to help bringing awareness to our Soul and the Koshas and show us the steps to optimize the relationship that we create with the world around us.

Note: Excerpts taken from 'Light on Yoga' and 'Light on Pranayama' by B.K.S Iyengar.

'Yoga for transformation' by Gary Kraftstow

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Yogas chitta vritti nirodha