Beyond the Mind: Vijnanamaya Kosha

BEYOND THE MIND: VIJNANAMAYA KOSHA In the last installment, we focused on exploring the Manomaya Kosha, or layer of thought processes. The fourth layer, Vijnanamaya Kosha, is less concrete than thought or thinking. This is the layer that allows us to observe and be the witness of our own lives. This layer is sometimes called […]

Into Bliss: Anandamaya Kosha

INTO BLISS: ANANDAMAYA KOSHA You made it! We’ve reached the fifth, and innermost layer – Anandamaya Kosha. This is the “bliss body”. It is here where the veil is finest between our individual self and the central part of us that is one with all. In this subtlest of bodies, we experience a deep connection […]

Thinking and Feeling: Manomaya Kosha

THINKING AND FEELING: MANOMAYA KOSHA While the Anamaya Kosha (physical layer) is fed by the five senses and the Pranamaya Kosha (Life Force/Subtle Body layer) is nourished with breath and light, the third layer, Manomaya Kosha, is nourished through sensory impression. Our body and life force feed what we think of as the mind with […]

The Body we Live in: Anamaya Kosha

THE BODY WE LIVE IN: ANAMAYA KOSHA The Kosha or lens we are most familiar with as human beings is the Anamaya Kosha, or Physical body. This lens is made up of matter. The Upanishads say that the Anamaya Kosha is “a material body built from the food we eat.” Within this layer of our […]

The Space Between: Pranamaya Kosha

THE SPACE BETWEEN: PRANAMAYA KOSHA In our most recent exploration of the Physical layer, or Anamaya Kosha, we discovered that over 99% of our body is actually “empty” space. Just like the rest of the world around us, we are made of atoms, and atoms are 99.99% empty. So, what is going on in all […]

Exploring the Five Koshas

EXPLORING THE FIVE KOSHAS As a yoga student and/or teacher, you’ve no doubt heard of the Subtle Body, the Nadis, and the Chakras. However, there is another system described in the ancient yogic text The Upanishads that can shed some light and insight on the way we experience ourselves and the shifts we can make […]