Five Koshas - Pranamaya Kosha
The physical practice of yoga is frequently the first stepping stone into the magical world of yoga. Once the student is introduced to yoga some yoga students may decide to learn more about this ancient practice.
In an earlier blog, I wrote about the physical body, annamaya kosha.
In this blog, let's explore the Pranamaya Kosha.
This journey inward is not linear, it is a journey of discovery as we are drawn towards the Anandamaya kosha, the blissful layer and eventually to discover our true self.
Energy – Pranamaya Kosha
Prana means energy or life force. Prana represents the subtle part of our being related to breath. Without this life force our physical layer cannot survive.
In our current physical form we can survive for approximately 3 weeks without food, three days without water. However we cannot survive much beyond 3 minutes without taking a breath.
During meditation, we can draw our focus to the pranic body by observing our breath, this then becomes a gateway to finding a moment of stillness.
In addition to meditation, our pranayama practice draws our awareness to this layer of self.