Intro to the Koshas
Intro to Koshas
Revealing the Divine: Renaissance artist and historic sculptor Michelangelo said this about his carving process— “The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.” That is how the yogic tradition looks at our practice of asana, pranayama and meditation. Our true nature is already fully formed and complete within us— we don’t need to create it or even understand it, we are it. The practices of the Yogic Tradition are the chisels we use to reveal our True Nature, much like chipping away the marble to reveal the deity within. As Sri ShambhavAnanda teaches, “The technique of meditation is a method to recognize the pure state of consciousness that already exists within you. You are not looking for something you do not already have” (SR, 13)
The 5 Koshas: The Yogic tradition describes the layers that surround our true nature as Koshas, literally translated as sheaths, that cover our true nature. These layers are often depicted like a Russian doll set, or concentric circles, that surround the experience of our True Nature. The outer most layer is that of the body, the annamaya Kosha, we work with this layer through the practice of lifestyle considerations, asana, as well as conscious movement throughout our day. Conscious work with this Kosha naturally reveals the next layer of our being, the pranayamaya Kosha. This is our breath body, the pulsating layer of awareness known as prana. As we learn to work with our breath in a surrendered and natural way, we are naturally guided towards the next layer of our being, the mind. The practices of mantra meditation quite literally allows us to work directly with Manamaya Kosha, smoothing the thought waves similar to smoothing our breath flow. When the thought waves are calm, as Patanjali’s opening verses of the Yoga Sutras teach, our true nature is revealed. This allows us to work at an even more subtle level, the wisdom body, the space of the chakras in the Vijnanamaya Kosha. And the final layer is a state of being, an immersion in the Self, described as the Bliss body, the Anandamaya Kosha.
Annamaya Kosha
First things first, asana: The layers of the koshas walk us from the most physical aspects of our being to the most subtle. The analogy of a sculptor revealing the divine image within the marble helps us visualize and understand the creative dynamism that takes place in our practice. Like a sculptor, we must start with the simpler and broader strokes, outlining the overall shapes of the deity we wish to carve. These are like the shapes of our asana practice— larger swaths of movement, physical and tactile. Many people want to skip this step in the process as they see asana practice as ‘lesser than’ the bliss they seek in meditation, but skipping this step would be like a sculptor trying to carve the eyes before the head— there will be a lot of wasted effort and frustration. Yoga and Anatomy instructor Gary Kraftsow describes health in this Kosha as “No aches and pains, a feeling of lightness, the ability to withstand change, and a sense of stability and ease”. That seems like a nice start in reaching for Patanjali’s goals— perseverance without tension.
Keep Moving through asana: On the other hand, some people forget that asana is just one step in a bigger process, and get stuck on this layer. When making art, for example, it can be hard to push oneself beyond one’s comfort zone. We might feel comfortable in our asana practice, but find pranayama and meditation difficult, and therefore not pursue them. This is the same mistake as the person trying to skip asana, just from a different vantage point. We must walk the path, step by step, but keep walking the path even when its difficult, or perhaps tedious, depending on your current condition. When one can respect the steps of a process while staying mindful of the larger goals ahead, they are on their way to the top.
Moving from the Physical to the Subtle: This points to the bigger picture of why the Koshas exist to guide on a path inside. The Koshas show us the different layers of our being, but they also exist to show how those layers all relate to our True Nature. This is the dynamism at the heart of a non-dual philosophy such as Kashmir Shaivism— yes, there are separate parts and yes, those separate parts are part of a greater whole. We work with the specific techniques given to us at each layer of our being, asana with annamaya, pranayama at pranamaya, etc, but we are seeking to surrender at each layer of our being in order to keep us moving inside. Conscious work with the body through asana naturally guides the practitioner to the breath. Conscious use of the breath naturally quiets the mind, opening the door to mantra, etc. As the Vijnana Bhairava puts it, “All these energies are produced by fire– lightening, giving light, burning, heating–but these energies are undifferentiated with fire, these energies are not different from fire. [These forms of fire exist] just to enter into that state of fire, you put the tea kettle on fire in order to heat the water in it. So in the same way, the techniques of meditation exist just to enter into the state of Shiva. Although you are maintaining these techniques and processes, they are nothing. They are only the entry points we begin with.” (VB, verse 19, LMJ translation)
Splitting Logs, Splitting Atoms: The physical layer resembles the physical world, and when we apply our practice to this layer it purifies it, which is symbolized as fire in yoga. This would be like burning a log. But of course, there are even finer ways to achieve heat, such as the heat of gas on a propane stove. Its a lighter material, requiring more precise equipment to regulate, and has even more powerful results. The manamaya layer represents a shift to an even more subtle layer of reality— a cellular or atomic layer for instance. Here the tools are even more rare, and require even more focus— not only that, it requires an entire ecosystem of support, which is why having a living mantra is so important. Imagine trying to build your own nuclear reactor from scratch? These are all forms of energy, and all have corresponding technique to unlock them. One form leads to the next, and so on. The technique of course is important, but we always keep moving forward towards our real goal, an experience of our true nature, the divine image held within the granite.
Pranamaya Kosha
The Work of Pranayama: The work of the pranamaya Kosha is of course pranayama. The work of pranayama is the same as our asana practice, and yet different. It is the same because we are seeking to surrender, to apply the principles of effortless effort just like we did in asana, it is different, though, because the material we are working with is finer and more subtle. This resembles the finer tools that a sculptor would use as they move from chiseling the shape to chiseling a more precise form. The tools would be sharper, and would require a lighter touch. In this way, the practices of pranayama are different than asana, but of course in the bigger picture they are the same as we are simply practicing the art of surrender. The following quote from Babaji is about doing pranayama with surrender. In it, he teaches us to relax, and ride the breath as a vehicle, instead of direct it like a jackhammer. We are taught to seek simplicity and openness instead of complexity and doership, and that eventually this path brings us to an experience of the breath as a ceaseless flow of energy.
Shambhavananda Teaches Pranayama: “Think of the breath as a vehicle rather than a jackhammer. Often students use the breath too strongly. You will not be using the breath to cut the rock open…The breath is like a massage…When students are able to be open and simple with their breath they realize that controlling the breath is not the same as watching the breath … The pranayama within the breath is simply flowing with the breath.”
Now take a look at this same quote and substitute the word ‘yoga posture’ or ‘asana’ for the word ‘breath' and we start to see just how similar the practice of surrender is in our work with pranayama and asana.
From the perspective of Asana: “Think of the yoga posture as a vehicle rather than a jackhammer. Often students use the posture too strongly. You will not be using the posture to cut the rock open…The posture is like a massage…When students are able to be open and simple with their asana practice they realize that controlling the posture is not the same as feeling the posture … The asana within the posture is simply flowing with the asana.”
The Work of Surrender: What we see in the reading of this quote a second time, is that the practice of surrender is at the heart of our work in every layer of our sculpture. Whether we are working with the body or breath, we have to let go of our tendency towards doership, while still maintaining clear inner focus. The jack hammer effect isn’t effective, instead there is the vehicle of surrender, whether in the form of asana or pranayama, that takes us to our true destination. Flowing with the breath, and flowing with the posture, as Babaji teaches, become the ultimate expression of the pose and pranayama— the techniques do the work of shedding the discomfort, allowing our true nature to shine through. The deity is already there, we aren’t creating it with our chisel, we are revealing it— which is why the Yogic tradition has always use the term “Recognition” to describe the experience of our true nature— we are simply re-alizing it again, recognizing, like finding your lost keys— you knew they were here, but it took some time to find them. The work of pranayama teaches us the same lesson as asana, just at a more subtle layer of our being.
Balance Breathing Practice