KOSHAS Panchamayakosha Model Introduction & Overview200RYT I From the Vedic text the Taittiriya Upanishad, comes a model to describe human N beings, a tool for mapping our experience of self. The model describes five koshas, translated as “sheaths” and often referred to as “layers” or “bodies.” T • Annamaya Kosha – Food Sheath or Physical Body R • Pranamaya Kosha – Vital Sheath or Energy, Prana or Life Force Body • Manomaya Kosha – Mental Sheath or Mental & Emotional Body O • Vijnanamaya Kosha – Intellectual Sheath or Wisdom Body • Anandamaya Kosha – Bliss Sheath or Bliss Body D Annamaya We are a Composite of the Finite & Infinite U Yoga asks us to consider that we are not only solely the physical body, [and] not only the Pranamaya C thoughts and emotions we experience on a T daily basis, but a composite of the finite and the infinite, woven into the fabric of many layers of Manomaya I being. The yogis called these layers koshas. – Yoga Journal O Vijnanamaya Considered Separately But Are an N Interrelated System We describe and often work with the koshas Anandamaya separately but ultimately they are one interre- lated system that make up the whole human being. Atman – Beth Gibbs This model is often called the panchamaya kosha model: • panca = five • maya = illusion of separateness or “that which has a relative reality” • kosha = sheath, treasure or bud (as in bud of a flower) Five Dimensions in the Play of Illusion Though the soul – atman – is viewed as an unchanging witness, being human manifests through five —panca — constantly changing dimensions, which exist as parts of the illusion of separateness — maya. – Julia Romano 200RYT PHYSICAL, ASTRAL & CASUAL BODIES In addition, yogic philosophy describes three bodies—the physical, astral and causal—said to be formed by the koshas: The Physical Body • Stula sharira • Formed from the annamaya kosha (physical) The Astral Body • Sukshma sharira • Formed from these koshas: pranamaya (energy), manomaya (mental), and vijnanamaya (intellectual) The Seed or Casual Body • Karana sharira • Formed from the anandamaya kosha (bliss) 200RYT MAKING MINDFUL TEACHING When introducing philosophical topics in class, here are some considerations: • Avoid making assumptions about students’ current knowledge and their perceptions of the concept’s validity and relevance. • Consider taking time to specifically evaluate why you care about the topic, why your students might care, and how you can make it as real and as useful for them as possible. • Remember that you have the option of using yoga philosophy to guide the way you plan, sequence, speak and teach—but without directly naming or speaking to the concept itself. Perhaps you are teaching in an environment where students may be “put-off” by Sanskrit or the Vedas. You always have the option of translating yogic wisdom into language that will be most effective with your audience. • Koshas and chakras are prime examples of concepts that can help to guide your teachings and words without the need to use the word kosha or chakra. • See also: Guidelines for Teaching with Themes or Incorporating Philosophy The koshas are a metaphoric “map” of the inner landscape. The model helps to demonstrate the practice of yoga as an inner journey. Yoga therapists typically rely heavily on the kosha model as a guide to choosing yogic tools of healing for their clients. Here, a yoga therapist shares her integration of joy into her clients’ healing path: A Model That Points to Much More than Asana During my first conversation with a new yoga client I always ask – What do you enjoy doing? It is surprisingly effective in shifting people’s perspective. After talking at length about challeng- es, issues and shortcomings, if you ask a client “What do you do for fun?” many people are taken aback. As they start to reflect on things that bring them joy, they relax, soften, open up, take a step back to notice the big picture of their lives. This is an essential step in working with physical, physiological and mental-emotional issues – the ability to recognize that “I am not my condition.” – Olga Kabel 200RYT FOLLOWING THE KOSHA MAP The kosha map can be used as a guide, to creating an arc of awareness or focus for: • An entire class • A sequence • A meditation • Or even a single asana Purifying & Integrating the Levels of Our Being The human being can be compared to a precious gem with many facets, and the yoga process involves bringing awareness, purification and integration to the various facets, or levels of our being on a journey of discovery from physical to subtle. These levels of being are known as the five koshas. – Joseph & Lilian LePage The following are some considerations for incorporating the kosha model in class. Annamaya Kosha: Physical Body • An entire class • A sequence • A meditation • Or even a single asana 200RYT considerations for incorporating the kosha model in class (CONT.) Pranayama Kosha: Energy Body • Then begin to shift the focus to the breath as a purveyor of energy. • We can bring increasing awareness through such practices as linking breath with movement, through poses that require stamina and breath support, or through other particular breath practices. Yoga devotes an entire class of practices called pranayama to replenishing the vitality of the pranamaya kosha… In addition, getting plenty of fresh air and sunlight is essential for maintaining the health of the vital force. Yoga texts explain that the sun is the ultimate source of prana, and it is said that some advanced yogis go for years without eating; instead they simply absorb the prana radiated by the sun. For most of us, however, fresh whole foods are a major source of prana. – Linda Johnsen Manomaya Kosha: Mental & Emotional Body • Bring an increasing focus to mental & emotional activity or patterns. • Often, teachers use long-hold & hip opening poses as a place to invite this awareness. The mental body “feeds” on the sense impressions we offer it. If we supply our third sheath with a continual stream of violent TV shows and video games, for example, it begins to crave increasingly aggressive forms of stimulation, and may become more agitated and less sensitive to the suffering of others. If we “stuff” it with too much work or too much play we may experience a form of mental “indigestion,” leaving us feeling harried or exhausted. A harmonious environment, interesting professional challenges, and fun and supportive relationships offer an ideal diet for the mind. A daily session of pratyahara, or sensory withdrawal, leading into meditation provides an excellent inner tune-up. – Linda Johnsen 200RYT considerations for incorporating the kosha model in class (CONT.) Vijnanamaya Kosha: Wisdom Body • Teaching meditative awareness in the form of a witness consciousness is a powerful tool that can invite deeper insights into one’s self. • Some opportunities for this focus can be during a traditional meditation, in long-hold asana, or a restorative posture. This is the path of the intellect in which you are advised to study spiritual truths, contemplate them deeply, and finally incorporate them into the very core of your personality. – Linda Johnsen Anandamaya Kosha: Bliss Body • At some point in class, many students have a moment or more when all these previous aspects of self seemingly dissolve, and they are left with a feeling of joy, wholeness, oneness, integration or bliss. • Savasana is the classic pose for offering a time to just “be” and integrate, inviting such experiences. • Simply reminding students that they have had such moments – whether in class, in nature or elsewhere – can be a powerful teaching that brings increasing awareness of their potential, choices & priorities. We can awaken our bliss sheath through three practices. The first is seva, selfless service. This opens our heart to our innate unity with other beings. The second is bhakti yoga, devotion to God. This opens our heart to our unity with the all-pervading Divine Being. The third is samadhi, intensely focused meditation, which opens our heart to our own divine being. – Linda Johnsen 200RYT considerations for incorporating the kosha model in class (CONT.) “COMING OUT” • You may find it most pleasing to your students to gently bring them back when they have “gone deep.” • An intention can be to gently guide students back to aspects of themselves that may have receded from their awareness during practice. • To do this, employ your tools of choice for re-establishing a sense of grounding. At the end of Savasana, for instance, you might ask students to once again notice or deepen their breath, then invite them to feel specific parts of their body, where they are touch- ing the floor, etc. 200RYT YOGA NIDRA & OTHER GUIDED MEDITATIONS Another brilliant way that yoga teachers can use the kosha model with students is via Yoga Nidra or a guided meditation. • The progression of Yoga Nidra follows the kosha model of moving steadily inward through each sheath, exploring specific practices that are effective for each. • Please see Yoga Nidra for much more detailed information. If you have less time than it takes for Yoga Nidra, you can choose or design a guided meditation that uses the same idea of flow, progressing through the koshas. • Jillian Pransky is a Restoratives teacher trainer who demonstrates and teaches this concept in her trainings. She has shared the following excellent point to help increase effectiveness of meditations by following the kosha model. Once beyond the physical body and working through the deeper, subtle bodies, it’s most effective to avoid using language that requires “left-brain” activation. So, for example, once you have led a body scan to release tension and worked with the breath, the mental/emotional body and witness consciousness, consider avoiding language such as “first, second, right, left, etc.” that require the left brain to kick back in and analyze the instructions.