Hari Aum.
It is useful to have an understanding of yogic anatomy. This helps us to better understand the rationale behind our spiritual practices, and also helps us to recognise why certain experiences may occur as we walk upon the spiritual path.
This is quite an intricate subject and I understand that there are entire books written upon this by ancient rishis. I first encountered the subject of yogic anatomy in 2006 when, as a medical student, I completed the Sivananda yoga teachers training course during my summer vacation.
In this post, I would like to share with you some of the key concepts that I learned during that course. I will discuss the three 'bodies' and five 'layers' of our material being (some of you may be familiar with this already but I will write this post anyway for those who may not be).
The yogis say we each have three aspects or 'bodies' that form the basis of our material existence (that forms the vehicle for our souls).
These are as follows:
i) Physical body: as this is nourished by food and drink and is made up of gross matter, the yogis refer to this body as the 'sthula sharira' (gross body; 'sthula' means 'gross', and 'sharira' means body in Sanskrit). This body contains the 'anna-maya kosha' (food layer; 'anna' means 'food' in Sanskrit).
ii) Subtle body: this comprises that aspect of our material being which is subtle and invisible to the eye, which cannot be touched. This includes the mind (manas), intelligence (buddhi) and prana (energy).
In Sanskrit, this body is known as 'sukshma sharira' (sukshma means 'subtle'); some also refer to this as the 'astral body'. The yogis say that when we sleep and enter the dream state (and the physical body and senses are at rest), it is the subtle body that produces the experiences that we have.
The subtle body is further divided up into three layers or 'koshas'.
These are the:
a) Prana-maya kosha: the 'prana layer'. This consists of various 'pranas' flowing through special channels known as 'nadis'. (Just as blood and lymph flow through specific vessels in the physical gross body, the energies called 'pranas' flow through specific vessels known as 'nadis' in the subtle body).
Our physical bodies contain energy (biochemical reactions at the cellular level; electricity coursing through nerves and muscles etc). There are said to be five main subtle energies within the subtle body that support the various organ systems in the physical body, e.g. circulation, respiration, digestion and so on. They are the subtle forces behind the various metabolic processes of the gross, physical body.
The Sanskrit names of these five main pranas or energies are: prana, apana, udana, vyana and samana. (Please note: apana is different from Aparna! Ages ago, someone at a local yoga centre curiously asked me why I was called 'Apana' (though I am not!) as this refers to the downward flowing prana that supports the process of elimination. They asked this because my first name is 'Aparna' and the two words sound very similar in English (they sound completely different in Sanskrit though). I explained that the 'r' makes all the difference (!)-- these two words have entirely different meanings -- one is the name of a prana, while the other refers to a form of Mother Durga).
The prana-maya kosha also contains special centres of energy known as 'chakras'. This is a very important topic in the world of yoga. Why?
Because, each chakra is associated with a particular realm of consciousness. And, when we perform spiritual practices and awaken the dormant spiritual energy within us, known as the Kundalini, it begins to move through a special channel (called 'sushumna nadi') that runs through these seven main chakras.
The Kundalini eventually ascends from the lowermost chakra (muladhara, located in the pelvic floor region) to the highest chakra (sahasrara, located at the very top of the head) and, when this occurs, the yogi experiences the bliss and wisdom of the Self, the state of God-consciousness or Self-realisation.
The seven main chakras are placed in a broadly vertical manner along our spine and have unique properties (such as size, shape, colour, sound, deity and so on). Their names (in ascending order) are muladhara, svadhishthana, manipura, anahata, vishuddha, ajna and sahasrara. These are respectively located in the perineum (pelvic floor), genital area, solar plexus, heart, throat, forehead and crown of the head.
Mediation on the higher chakras (heart chakra or anahata, and forehead chakra or ajna) is an important yogic practice that helps us to develop devotion and intuition. (The subject of chakras is very interesting and I might write an entire post only on this later).
b) Mano-maya kosha: the layer of the mind; this comprises our thoughts, feelings, emotions, habits, tendencies, character. The quality of mind depends upon various factors including habits of previous lifetimes, diet, the company we keep etc.
Just as the physical body is fed by food, the mental body or layer is 'fed' by the senses. The five sense organs of sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing feed and influence this mental layer. The three types of influences on this layer are sattva, rajas and tamas. Sattva is that which produces harmony and health, while rajas produces agitation and tamas produces dullness and inertia.
A sattvic mind is capable of experiencing positive emotions such as compassion, empathy and so on. This aspect of the mind is capable of expressing devotion.
A mind that is predominantly rajasic or tamasic is highly materialistic in nature and is dominated by various negative qualities such as anger, pride, jealousy and so on.
c) Vijnana-maya kosha: the layer comprising the intellect. In yoga, the intellect or 'buddhi' is regarded as the main tool to control the mind, to direct it towards that which is good and helpful and to avoid that which is harmful and destructive.
It is the intellect which can develop the vital qualities of 'viveka' (ability to tell right from wrong; and the eternal from the perishable) and 'vairagya' (dispassion or a turning away from the senses in favour of the Supreme).
It is the intellect that can choose what to feed the five senses and thus the mind. It also decides what food to feed the physical body.
Thus a strong intellect is required for physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing. It enables us to plan and conduct spiritual practices to develop a quality that is even higher than itself, namely, intuition.
Intuition is that wisdom that is revealed through spiritual practice. It is wisdom and knowledge that is not based on input from our five senses or intellectual analysis. It arises from within our true being, the soul aspect of our nature which is one with God. As we walk the spiritual path, our intuition gradually develops.
iii) Causal body:
This 'body' is essentially a storehouse of our past karmas or actions. It is not destroyed when the gross and subtle bodies disintegrate and dissolve after death. It is transferred from one lifetime to another and contains our subtle tendencies, qualities and karmas.
A portion of karma from the causal body is allocated for us to experience in each lifetime. Based upon this, in accordance with the law of karma, we obtain a suitable gross and subtle body. In Sanskrit, this body is known as 'karana sharira' ('karana' means 'cause).
The causal body contains the ananda-maya kosha, which means the layer of bliss ('ananda' means 'joy' or 'bliss' in Sanskrit).
In deep sleep, it is said that we experience the peace and bliss of the ananda-maya kosha. It is this experience that the yogis say makes us feel refreshed and recharged after a good night's sleep (if we only enter the state of dreams without experiencing deep sleep, this may be less restful).
This causal body only dissolves at the time of Self realisation, when we recognise that we are Spirit not matter. All karmas dissolve upon the attainment of God, when the individual soul recognises its oneness with Him/Her/That.
The effect of mantra recitation on the three bodies:
As you will have noticed, much of this blog is centred around the practice of mantra. A mantra is said to harmonise and balance all five koshas within the three bodies. It is said to have a beneficial effect on both the gross and subtle bodies and their overall functioning.
The yogis declare that mantra recitation is vital to promote good health and ward off or reduce the impact of illness (there is increasing evidence in the world of modern medicine that mantras can help with a number of health conditions; for example, they have been shown to improve blood pressure, reduce stress and anxiety and create a feeling of physical and mental wellbeing).
From a spiritual perspective, recitation of a mantra of God cleanses the nadis, releases blockages within them and the chakras. It increases sattva in the mind, and reduces the proportion of rajas and tamas. It sharpens the intellect and renders it more subtle and more capable of grasping spiritual concepts and truths.
Furthermore, it destroys negative karmas stored within the causal body and creates new positive karma. Most of all, it helps us to transcend karma, to rise above both good and bad karma into the state beyond karma, namely the Self-realised state.
The mantra of God enables us to develop both devotion and wisdom/intuition, the two wings necessary to propel us forwards in spiritual life.
Thus, the single most effective spiritual method to ensure good health and wellbeing of all aspects of our material being, and draw closer to the recognition of our true spiritual nature, is the regular recitation of a mantra of God (any one that suits our personal taste and temperament from any spiritual tradition is fine according to the Gurus). As mentioned in previous posts, even a little bit done for a while, goes a very long way and produces very beneficial results.
As the yogis say, the name and mantra of God is none other than God Him/Herself in sound form. And as God is regarded as supremely auspicious and the giver of all good fortune and blessings, it is no wonder that coming into contact with Him/Her via recitation of divine names and mantras has an overall extremely positive effect on our lives.
Om Namo Narayanaya.
Hari Aum Tat Sat.
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