Get to know yourself through 5 layers of your being
One of my favourite yoga poses: Ashwa Sanchalanasana.
We are energetic beings, but how is this energy represented in real life? Through our physical body, thoughts, and emotions. The idea that we are energetic beings is the cornerstone of yogic knowledge. If we think about it, it makes sense, the cells communicate with each other through chemical potential differences, and muscles work through biomechanics. Mathematically, the force is nothing else than a change in the energy state. Exciting, right?
To describe this idea, yogis had a model. There are many helpful models, however, and we will look into one of them in this post. According to his model, we consist of five layers or sheaths, the Sanscrit word for it is Koshas. These layers surround our inner Self, our essence, or, in other words, our soul.
Koshas
This system represents us as a container for life force. The layers have an impact on one another and by balancing these 5 layers we connect to our inner Self, our soul. And then live and lead life from that place.
So what are these 5 layers? Like an anion, these layers: Physical body, Vital or Fuel body, Mental body, Wisdom or Intellect body, Bliss body work like portals for our
1. Annamaya Kosha (Physical Body) - this is the outermost layer, the physical body made of food, water, and matter.
Western Biology Correspondence:
Anatomy and Physiology: The structure and function of the body, including muscles, bones, organs, skin, and systems like the circulatory, respiratory, and digestive systems.
Nutrition and Cellular Biology: The fact that our body is sustained by nutrients and cellular processes.
2. Pranamaya Kosha (Fuel Body) - this kosha represents the life force or prana, governing breath and energy flow.
Western Biology Correspondence:
Nervous System: Electrical impulses and energy transmission through the brain, spinal cord, and nerves.
Respiratory and Circulatory Systems: The breath (oxygen exchange) and blood flow that distribute energy throughout the body.
Bioelectrical Activity: The subtle electrical currents that sustain life processes, like heartbeats and cellular signaling.
3. Manomaya Kosha (Mental Body) - the layer of thoughts, emotions, our 5 senses and mental processes.
Western Biology Correspondence:
Psychology and Neuroscience: The mind, emotions, and cognitive processes governed by the brain's structure and function.
Limbic System: The area of the brain involved in emotional regulation, memory, and behavior.
Hormonal Responses: The connection between thoughts, emotions, and the endocrine system, e.g., cortisol release during stress.
4. Vijnanamaya Kosha (Wisdom/Intellect Body) - the intuitive, discerning layer of awareness and deeper understanding. Also connected to the subtle energy channels, we are said to have 72’000 nadis, here also belongs the chakra system.
Western Biology Correspondence:
Higher Cognitive Functions: Problem-solving, reasoning, insight, and decision-making, often associated with the prefrontal cortex.
Intuition and Subconscious Processing: The integration of subconscious patterns, gut instincts, and learned wisdom that guide decisions.
Meta-Cognition: The awareness of one's own mental processes and the capacity for self-reflection.
5. Anandamaya Kosha (Bliss Body) - the innermost layer, connected to joy, contentment, and unity with the universe.
Western Biology Correspondence:
States of Flow: The profound contentment and joy experienced in moments of total absorption and alignment.
Neurotransmitters: The role of dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin in creating feelings of happiness, love, and bliss.
Transpersonal Psychology: Concepts of self-transcendence, oneness, and spiritual fulfillment.
How to use this concept in your daily life?
Here is a self-coaching exercise when you long to connect deeper back to yourself. You can use it to tune into your Koshas and find a higher level of alignment. Take a pen och a piece of papper. Journal about the following:
How does your body feel?
How is your energy right now? Find at least 3 words to describe your energetic state.
What thoughts or emotions are present for you right now?
What is your intuition whispering?
What could you do today, however small, to invite more joy into your life?
To integrate this exercise, ask yourself what you learned through it and how you will use this insight into your daily life.
Take a pen and papper to reflect. It helps to slow down and go deeper into your being.
Inspiration from Poetry
Tomas Tranströmer Swedish poet and Nobel Prize winner, in a poetic way, describes a similar idea, that was conveyed by the yogic model of Koshas.
Romanesque Arches
Tourists have crowded into the half-dark of the enormous Romanesque church.
Vault opening behind vault and no perspective.
A few candle flames flickered.
An angel with no face embraced me
and his whisper went all through my body:
"Don't be ashamed to be a human being, be proud!
Inside you one vault after another opens endlessly.
You'll never be complete, and that's as it should be."
Tears blinded me
as we were herded out into the fiercely sunlit piazza,
together with Mr. and Mrs. Jones, Herr Tanaka and Signora Sabatini;
within each of them vault after vault opened endlessly.