Transcript W.2.1 PRANA, THE KOSHAS AND VAYUS

6.1 PRANA, THE KOSHAS
UNPICKING THE LAYERS FROM
GROSS TO SUBTLE and back again
WHAT IS PRANA?
• Prana with a capital P – life force, vital force,
animating principle, without Prana there is no
life. Originates outside the body
• Gives vitality and strength
• Provides the link between the physical body and
the energetic bodies/astral body. When this link
is lost, death results
• Associated with the sun, all pervading. Exists in
both macrocosm and microcosm
• The same energy from the same force, but
manifests in different forms
MORE ABOUT PRANA
• - that which is/goes everywhere, in all
beings, in earth and rocks.
• - flows through the nadis whose gateway
is the nostrils.
• 2 main channels in yoga: Left nostril = ida
nadi and right nostril = pingala
Prana and the Breath
• Prasna Upanishad –prana “issues out of the mouth and nostrils,
resides in the eyes and ears”. In other words, it is manifest in the
breath and animates the sense organs. However it is NOT the
breath itself. The confusion arises because we need the breath to
survive and we can manipulate the Prana through pranayama.
• Desikachar in Heart of Yoga says that Prana enters the body in the
moment when there is a positive change in the mind, occurring over
a long period of time. It does not simply flow into us when we inhale.
• We cannot acquire more prana from the outside, by breathing it in,
for example. When allowed to flow correctly, then we have
conditions for optimum functioning.
• Breath is the expression of Prana, the expression of life and the
force behind it.
Drastuh
Anandamaya
Vijnanamaya
Manomaya
Pranamaya
Annamaya
THE 5 KOSHAS
• Koshas means sheath, ie something which covers
something else underneath, like a wrapping
• They help us understand who we are.
• Liable to change, flux, fragmentation but there is
something beyond that which remains unchanging,
boundless, Atman.
• Interdependence of all 5 koshas
• The pull and push of the “personality” which causes us
so much pain and torment
• Meditation enables us to peel back the layers of the
koshas and reveal the unchanging Self below (PYS I.2-3)
ANNAMAYA KOSA
• Physical body or the food sheath
• Subject to birth, growth, disease, death, decay
• Relates to food matter nature rayi (associated to the
moon), whatever possesses tangible form
• Comes into the body through the senses and nourishes
us
• Depends on gross prana in the form of water food and
air
• Comprises 5 elements : air earth water fire and ether
• How can we develop this area?
• Transition now to astral body, which is divided into 3
sheaths
Energetic Body
• Comprises the 5 subtle elements which
manifest on the physical plane : ether
akash , fire tejas (what word does this
resemble?); air vayu; water jala and earth
prithvi.
• Divided into 3 sheaths, of which the
Pranamaya Kosha is the outermost.
Pranamaya Kosha
Vital Energy Sheath
• Comprises 5 life energies or pranas,
known as the vayus
• These are subsidiaries or subdivisions of
Prana, each with responsibility for a
different function in the physical body.
• More subtle that the physical sheath but
more gross than those which follow
PRANAYAMA
• Is the way we activate the pranamaya
kosha
• Conscious and deliberate regulation of the
breath (T.K.V. Desikachar)
• Reason to practice PY is to remove the
covering of the inner light (PYS II.52)
• As if the clouds had parted and more
sunshine was coming through
• It prepares the mind for meditation
PRANAYAMA
• Conscious and deliberate regulation of the
breath (T.K.V. Desikachar)
• Reason to practice PY is to remove the
covering of the inner light (PYS II.52)
• As if the clouds had parted and more
sunshine was coming through
• It prepares the mind for meditation
PRANA = ENERGY
• Do you have enough energy to do what
you want to do?
• Do you burn out or overspend your
energy?
• Do you have strategies for conserving
energy?
MANOMAYA KOSHA
•
•
•
•
2nd of the 3 astral body layers
More subtle than pranamaya kosha
Mental sheath
Messenger bringing information, experiences and
sensations from external world to the intelligence sheath
(vijnanamaya kosha) and the influences of the more
subtle levels to the physical body
• Comprises sensory organs of perception, intellect,
integrates knowledge, comprehension, learning, images,
ideas, information, etc. The constant babble in the head.
• How do we develop this kosha?
MORE MANOMAYA KOSHA
• Mind is an excellent servant but poor
master
• Develop this kosha through meditation
• All yoga is about refining the mind
• PYS I.2 – yogaha citta vritti nirodaha
• PYS I.33 – happy for people who are more
fortunate than you are; compassionate to
those who are less fortunate; undisturbed
by errors – outcome is citta prasadanam”
mind becomes quiet
• Manomaya kosha needs to slow down and
settle to make ourselves available to the
Vijnanamaya Kosha. Level of thinking and
enquiry. Start of insight
• Referred to in Bhagavad Gita VII.2
VIJNANAMAYA KOSHA
• Sheath of discrimination or intellect;
wisdom or discrimination
• Our value system : how we as individuals
uniquely see the world.
• Clarity, realm of insight
• Also known as buddhi
• Vi means special, so special knowledge
Anandamaya kosha
• Most subtle of the 5 koshas – causal body
• Cause of both subtle and physical bodies
• Blissful state in which there is no ego, no
thoughts, dreamless sleep; in tune with
ocean of awareness
• Joy that depends on nothing but itself –
end up feeling elevated, inspired, magic
moment
• Unlimited bliss; fundamental insight;
intuition
• We could say the outcome of this kosha is
more clarity, less suffering or more stability
within the suffering, freedom within
suffering.
• Experience a link to something beyond
yourself, no matter how transitory
• A sense of spaciousness in the heart
space, more sukha less dukha.
• a sense of trust that you are held &
supported
WHAT IS LEFT? - SARVAM
• Means “all”
• BG VI.19
• Soul, Atman, Brahman, unbounded,
limitless, drastuh, purusha, unchanging,
ocean of awareness
Bibliography
• Heart of Yoga TKV Desikachar Inner traditions
International
• Yoga Anatomy Leslie Kaminoff Human Kinetics
• Yoga Book Stephen Sturgess Motilal Publ.
• Windows into the Infinite Barbara Powell Jain
Publish.
• Yoga for Body Breath & Mind AG Mohan
Shambhala Pubs
• The Upanishads, especially Prasna & Taittiriya Easwaren