Beyond the Physical Practice: Yoga Goes 5 Layers Deep

Consider these questions the next time you’re in an uncomfortable situation.

Karina Lambert

Articles\Mindful, Articles\Yoga

consciousness, koshas, niyamas, uncomfortable, yamas, yoga

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If you want to make your yoga practice (or any practice for that matter) a more meaningful act, take a look at what us yogis call the koshas, or five layers of our being. For each of the layers (ordered below from gross to subtle), I ask myself a few questions that ground me and ignite a process of “peeling back the onion layers,” as I like to call it.

Before we go through each of the layers, imagine a situation you might feel nervous about undertaking. Perhaps you are about to start a yoga class, interview for a new job, or have a difficult conversation with someone. Here are some questions that explore each of the layers – and are great to keep in your back pocket!

Physical body (annamaya kosha): our outermost layer related to sensations, nourishment, and touch
- What do I want to embody? Can I embody the way I want to feel? When am I most comfortable in my skin?
Energetic layer (pranamaya kosha): the oxygen we take in and carbon dioxide we release; the life force that ignites energy in our beings
- What inspires me? How do I want others to feel when I leave the room? What unhealthy behavior do I want to change in myself? Can I take three breaths in and three breaths out before engaging in it?
Emotional sheath (manomaya kosha): emotions stirred by our practice; thoughts comprised of memories, fears, impulses
- How do I want to feel? Am I surrounding myself with people and activities that balance my emotional life?
Intellectual body (vijnanamaya kosha): intellectual stimulation; the need to stretch and strengthen the brain; decisions, discernment, study, etc.
- Who am I? What is my purpose? When does my intellectual layer thrive?
Blissful layer (anandamaya kosha): spiritual aspect; most inner layer of your being; a state of alignment with your soul’s desire (the part of us that is connected to everything and everyone else in the universe)
- How am I following my bliss? How am I the hero of my own journey? What is an act of spiritual generosity that I can do for someone else?

Consider these questions the next time you’re in an uncomfortable situation – or even if you simply want to get curious about your experience and explore the niyama of svadhyaya, or self-study. Keep these questions handy, perhaps written on a tiny piece of paper you can keep in your back pocket (or, even better, written on your dominant palm!).

For further reading, I recommend these books:

Karina Lambert

Karina is a yoga teacher and folk dance instructor who, before moving to California, used to drink mate in Buenos Aires. She's an avid learner and reader of all things philosophy, psychology, yoga alignment, and normal beings who are inspirational. When she's not teaching, she practices presence with her daughter and loving partner by playing games, singing together, going on hikes, making practical jokes, traveling to new destinations, or laughing and crying while watching Queer Eye in her favorite pjs. Karina enjoys spending time with her close friends and has learned that vulnerability is courageous. She tries to develop the art of listening from a loving, nonjudgmental heart. Yoga off the mat is as valuable, or more, as on it.

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