Part 1: Working with the Annamaya Kosha
Rough Transcript:
Quick Review of Koshas & Tie it in
The postures of yoga are not the goal, they are the tools we use to reveal the goal. The Renaissance artist Michealangelo said of his 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.The Yogic tradition describes the layers that surround our true nature as Koshas, literally translated as sheaths, that cover our true nature. They are often depicted like a Russian doll set, or concentric circles, that show that layers of the Koshas surrounding our True Nature.
For the devoted yogi, the path becomes a process of accumulating enough energy and consciousness to surrender our attachments to the outer layers and begin moving through the deeper layers, ultimately reconnecting to
the source or Self within . The koshas are linked together, affecting each other intimately . Purifying each layer and bringing them into balance and harmony frees up energy and allows consciousness to move within . Having knowledge of the koshas provides a valuable map of how we are structured inside . As we deal with the surface layers or move into hidden and uncharted territory, this understanding can offer helpful guidance to keep us moving along the path .The inner state of the Koshas is not something we can be given, or told about, it is only the actual work of our inner practice that reveals it. In this way the practice itself is the revealer, there is no revelation without our own inner work. This is important because this is the most fundamental aspect of our work, and the reason this image, and explanation exists— to motivate your inner work, not do the work for you. As we all know, a great tool is an incredible resource in the hands of someone Who is hungry to work and grow, but that same tool can simply sit on the shelf if that individual doesn’t have the inner wish. In this way, the explanation of the koshas can motivate your work, or simply distract you from it, depending on how you use it.
Essentially, the koshas exist to help us understand the trajectory and simplicity of our work. We are always doing the same work, but at different degrees of subtlety. At first we are splitting logs, the physical kosha, and eventually we are splitting atoms at the Energetic Koshas. THe actions of the physical kosha are easier to see, bigger movements of the body and breath, but this doesn’t mean they are bigger energetically. They are the initial chunks being removed from the sculpture— broad strokes, but not necessarily the most precise. As we move towards the inner layers of our being, our tools become finer, literally and figuratively. Mantras are subtler than pranayamas and asana, and we use them in a more subtle way. The energy that is released at these levels is like that of atomic energy— a microscopic split that releases astronomical energy. At each level, though, the work is essentially your ability to surrender— to use a practice, a tool, from that level of awareness to help you turn your focus inside, and to surrender that which keeps you from letting go and being fully present.
The first layer of our work with the Koshas is the Annamaya Kosha— this is the veil of ‘food’, not just the food we eat but the organic matter that we are. This is the first and more physical of the Koshas. We work with it primarily through our asana practice, but also through lifestyle considerations such as diet, proper sleep and exercise.
You could look at this Kosha as a foundation that must be established, and maintained, so that the more subtle layers can be reached. Though Asana is the primary tool for this Kosha, the practice of asana is itself preceded by lifestyle considerations that make even asana possible to practice. Patanjali describes these attitudes and practices in his guidebook of the ‘8 limbs of Yoga’.
These 8 limbs follow the same path as the 5 Koshas, taking the practitioner from the physical to the subtle to the supreme. The 8 Limbs focus primarily on the practices themselves, rather than the Kosha’s focus on the context and tools of each layer. Seen together, they can compliment each other and help you see the whole path more clearly.
The first limbs of the 8 Limbs are the Yamas and Niyamas. The Yamas, ‘ways I work with you’, is the classic starting point of anyone looking to live according to a higher purpose: Ahimsa (Non-injury/non-violence),
Satya (Truthfulness), Asteya (Non-stealing), Brahmacharya (Divine Conduct), Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness).From here we move on to looking more closely how we work within our own sphere, through the niyamas: Shaucha (Cleanliness/purity), Santosha (Contentment), Tapas (Discipline), Svadhyaya (Self-Study), Ishwara-pranidhana (turning to the Self )
As lineage teacher Swami Rudrananda said, ‘if you can’t make your bed in the morning, you can’t start Spiritual practice,’ which means that these considerations are foundational to higher work.
These are not ‘one and done’ kind of aspirations, as they are constantly changing and evolving throughout our life, and their very definitions are tested in the arena’s of our life. You could say that all of these lifestyle considerations are assumed as aspects of the annamaya kosha, because without their presence you can’t begin your work.
The next limb up on the 8 limbs of yoga is Asana practice. This is traditionally seen as the starting point of the Koshas, as the main tool we use to work with this veiled layer of our being. But what exactly is meant by asana practice? Yes, it is is indeed the practices we do on our mat, but it is also the movements we perform during our day. If you have a 12 hour workday, and 1 hour of that is in a yoga class, that means 92% of it was not on your mat— so most of our work with the annamaya kosha is going to occur off the mat.
That’s why Patanjali’s teaching on the practice of asana are so important, as they speak to fundamental truths about movement in our body that can be sought after in any context.
2.46-48 "The seat used in meditation, as well as the physical postures of hatha yoga, should be firm, steady, and pleasant. The method for this is called effortless effort, perseverance without tension, and results in the experience of the infinite. In this way, the dualities of physical existence can be transcended.”
We see here that our work with asana is not simply posturing our body unconsciously, but rather it is using the body as a tool to cultivate inner awareness. Our asanas themselves are the chisels, not the deity within. They are what we use to find a certain level of awareness. Can you perform your asanas in a way that is firm and steady, yet pleasant? What would happen if that was your focal point? If that was the deity within the marble? Can you describe the experience of “effortless effort”, can you teach someone how to find it? What else are we here to teach?
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.
With that in mind, let’s approach a few movements and postures to bring this Philsophy into practice. Remember, only the practice itself is the revealer— there is no revealed state without your own inner work.