Exploring the koshas.

This workshop is open to all from the new yogi to the advanced practitioner. During this workshop, we learn about the layers of our being and how we use yoga to tune inwards and connect to our deeper layers. According to the Taittiriya Upanishad, there are five layers (called koshas) in our body and these five koshas all have distinct and separate qualities, yet are all inter-connected and work as one. Our yoga practice is only the beginning of a learning process that starts with the physical body and with time and practice our awareness grows more and more gradually deeper though these layers. From the yoga postures that strengthens your physical body to the breathing exercises that controls your energy and the meditation practice that quiets and clears your mind, yoga helps bring the body, breath and mind into balance.​

These koshas or layers are listed below from outside-in and how they are described in the Taittiriya Upanishad:

1. Annamaya-kosha (Physical layer, Earth element, Root chakra)
“Human beings consist of a material body built from the food they eat. Those who care for this body are nourished by the universe itself. - Taittiriya Upanishad
This layer is the physical body which is kept healthy and strong through physical movement, what we eat and body awareness.

2. Pranamaya-kosha (Energy body, Water element, Sacral chakra)
“Inside this is another body made of life energy. It fills the physical body and takes its shape. Those who treat this vital force as divine experience excellent health and longevity because this energy is the source of physical life.” - Taittiriya Upanishad
This layer is the subtle body that contains the chakras and energy channels. It governs the five pranas (the vayus) and all of their functions.

3. Manomaya-kosha (Mental / Emotional layer, Fire element, Solar Plexus)
“Within the vital force is yet another body, this one made of thought energy. It fills the two denser bodies and has the same shape. Those who understand and control the mental body are no longer afflicted by fear.” - Taittiriya Upanishad
This is the layer of being associated with the nervous system, the five senses and where we experience thoughts and feelings. When we tune our awareness inwards through self reflection and doing things like journaling we tap into our thoughts, feelings and emotions in this layer.

4. Vijnanamaya-kosha (Wisdom / Intuitive layer, Air element, Heart and Throat chakras)
“Deeper still lies another body comprised of intellect. It permeates the three denser bodies and assumes the same form. Those who establish their awareness here free themselves from unhealthy thoughts and actions, and develop the self-control necessary to achieve their goals.” - Taittiriya Upanishad
This is the layer that gives us our individuality, creativity and where we learn to listen to our intuition.

5. Anandamaya-kosha (Bliss layer, Space element, Third Eye chakra)
“Hidden inside it is yet a subtler body, composed of pure joy. It pervades the other bodies and shares the same shape. It is experienced as happiness, delight, and bliss.” - Taittiriya Upanishad
The bliss body. The 5th and final layer is our closest connection to inner peace.

Remembering that the word “yoga” translates to “yoke” or “union,” we practice yoga to experience this union or connection to ourselves and that is to experience the koshas. Starting class with a short presentation on the koshas we then explore the physical body through somatic movement to explore and feel into the body, then we explore the energetic layer through breath before directing the mind through connecting the breath and movement in a series of sun salutations as we create a moving meditation incorporating standing balances. We then begin to dive a little deeper still as we slow down the mental fluctuations and create space for intuition and greater understanding through restorative yoga postures before finding bliss in a yoga nidra journey through the koshas.

This workshop is for you to deepen your yoga practice. The information presented may or may not resonate with you however it's good to keep an open mind and be willing to learn and create your own interpretations as we learn and practice together in the dome.