Ever wondered what stretching has to do with a state of bliss? It’s a question I was asked recently by a student. 

Yoga beyond stretching…

Yoga is much more than just an exercise regime and some fancy stretching. It aims to go beyond our physical layer of being. In modern yoga classes in the West, so much focus is on the physical aspects of yoga, that it is a fair question to wonder what all this has to do with connecting to the self, a higher power or enlightenment. Will all that really come from stretched hamstrings?

As I pondered my answer, I reflected on how yoga became more than a physical state the more I practiced. It became more of a state of flow that seeped off the mat into other areas of my life. To be completely honest, as it was happening, I was wondering what was going on inside of me and what this had to do with the stretching based class I had signed up for. I wanted to learn about this magic, and my yoga teacher training helped provide some of the answers.

Introducing the koshas…

In yogic anatomy, practitioners believe there are a number of layers or sheaths within the body, known as the koshas. The outer layer, the physical layer is just one, layers beneath.

The five koshas consist of:

• The physical body – annamaya kosha
• The energy body – pranamaya kosha
• The mental body – manomaya kosha
• The wisdom body – vijnanamaya kosha
• The bliss body – anandamaya kosha

Physical body

Anamaya kosha is the outer layer, and is obvious to associate with the physical asana (postures) practice in yoga. It’s what we physically feel whilst we practice.

Energy body

The pranamaya kosha is the second layer, sitting beneath the physical. This is where our prana, otherwise known as our energy or life force sits. In yoga you may hear mention of the chakras or nadis and this is the layer they sit in. Both require a blog in their own right, so watch this space.

Mental body

The mental body or manomaya kosha deals with our emotions and emotions, all products of the nervous system. Yoga, breath work and meditation can all help to calm our minds, and thus our nervous system, which in turn allows us to understand the state of the mental body.

Wisdom body

The wisdom body is also referred to sometimes as the awareness body. This is the layer that houses your intuition, your inner awareness, your consciousness. This is the place we start asking the big questions, like who we are, and how we’re connected with everything around us.

Bliss body

This final sheath is the deepest, most hidden layer of our being. This is where we experience our highest self, or true self. There is a sense of peace within this layer. Many people report to access this feeling during mantra practice or meditation. 

All of these layers are separate, but are clearly interconnected with each other. 

So how is movement a spiritual practice?

I believe that through movement, we are able to go beyond the physical body, and access the subtle bodies, enabling us to go deeper within ourselves. To cancel out the noise and listen to our true self, our intuition, deep within. Physical yoga practice will not lead to ‘enlightenment’ (whatever that is) in one or even five classes. But it is, for many, the starting point for a journey into the self, that can lead to a state of inner peace, self-realisation and awareness.

More on the koshas

Yoga Journal has a great blog post on the koshas, with related exercises for each kosha – Getting to Know You: The 5 Koshas

B. K. S Iyengar has a book that delves deep into the koshas as well as numerous other things, called ‘Light on Life‘. I highly recommend that for further reading. It’s something I come back to again and again.