The Koshas Explained

If you have attended a yoga class or meditated, you will understand that the experience goes far beyond the physical. Many people, myself included, proclaim to have begun attending yoga classes for the possibility of physical benefits but found themselves returning again and again for the well-being and mental effects as well as the undeniable sense of peace and ease that the practice helps to cultivate both on and off the mat.

Understanding the yogic model of the Koshas helps to explain that the practice of yoga and the way we experience our lives is far more than a physical experience. In this article, I will be explaining the Koshas, or layers, of experience.

The Koshas describe a model of experiencing the world that goes far beyond the depths of the physical experience. By using the Koshas as a model, it can help you to understand yourself a little bit more deeply as well as help you to understand your experience of yoga and meditation. Understanding the Koshas helps to explain the journey of yoga and enables you to explore what the esoteric concepts of "enlightenment" and "realisation of the True Self" means for you.

The ancient yogis understood that the human experience goes deeper much than just the physical. They were aware of this physical, energetic, mental, intuitive, and spiritual experience and explained these states of consciousness or experience through the concept of the Koshas, or sheaths. In the Taittiriya Upanishad, an ancient yogic text thought to be written during the 6th century BC, a human being is described as having five Koshas (the Sanskrit word translates as layer or sheath), or five different layers or veils of consciousness. These sheaths range from the densest to the subtlest and although presented in a linear fashion, these layers are interconnected, and each subtle layer comprises and encompasses the layers denser than it.

The journey of the yogi is to explore and attain each layer of consciousness and all yogic practices facilitate this aim. The 8 Limbs of Yoga as detailed in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras demonstrates the central principles of yoga and and is a clear framework that you can return to again and again to help you experience each Kosha, or layer of consciousness.

#yoga #philosophy #yogapractice

[ailsaburns]

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[stephaniehechanova]

This is a really good explanation!! Thank you!! ❤

[isabelnunezgonzalez]

Thanks Ailsa. Beautifull and clear explanation. 🕉️

[simonavis]

This was very informative. Thankyou 🙏🏻

[anurag.social]

As a भारतीय i m proud to be part of this culture and to value the knowledge your are providing to the audience please pray for india that it's culture and heritage survive's through this decolonial era so that india helps to the world to be a better place

[anurag.social]

and also i would suggest you to use sanskrit terms to concepts that are originated in that language cause while translating this knowledge to english many concepts get distorted in india we realise that how much bad impact a distorted knowledge can cause 😅