Koshas

Mukunda, One of the students in my Tucson study group had this question - I decided to post it in its entirety.

If we follow the logic that imbalances, or dis-ease, begin in anandamaya kosha traveling down through the koshas to manifest finally on the physical level, then Mukunda’s joint-freeing series is excellent because it works on the pranic level as well as on the physical level. Interesting to me is that to work through imbalances we have to start with the lowest level of manifestation. I noticed that with the loss of the dog on tuesday, I began with prayer beads (anandamaya kosha), then went through some logical application of what I know about loss and what happens after (vijnanamaya kosha), wednesday I lost it - did a lot of crying that day (manomaya kosha), felt very tried and sluggish on thursday (pranamaya kosha), and yesterday and today I feel so physically sore in many places in ways that do not correspond to work that I have been doing - sore tight hamstrings (annamaya kosha).

So, I am wondering about manifestations now. It is wonderful that we can work with things on the physical and pranic levels. But how do we start working with things on the levels that are higher up, specifically the manomaya kosha? We would have to work with emotional release. So, for instance, if ficticious person Z (I dont know anyone named Z) were to witness an act of murder, something that would cause a dis-ease in anandamaya kosha, we know that it is going to work its way down unless Z can stop it at vijnanamaya kosha. When it gets to manomaya kosha Z will be more verbal, because Z is just that way with us, Z starts to relieve with crying. We know that there is going to be a physical manifestation - will that automatically happen in the psoas and then distribute to appropriate areas of the body? As yoga teachers/therapists (not that I call myself a therapist, but since we are working with the techniques) do we, shouldn’t we also be learning techniques for working on levels higher than annamaya and pranamaya kosha?

I am wondering how this works because I have worked with things on the physical level only to have had them come back once I began to delve into the pranic level. Obviously I believe that things go higher up and that those issues need to be dealt with, but how do you know what corresponds to what? If my SI issues are related to scoliosis then how do you deal with that when the scoliosis has been there since I was born? Do we then move into the realm of karma?

We obviously stirred the pot that is my brain and I am whirring away today. I am interested to know what you all thing about this. Maybe Mukunda has some insight or ways that he works on the higher levels. :roll: :roll:

There is only one body. The concept of the koshas is to explain our illusion that we take to be real. In actuality what we think, we feel, what we do, we experience. All are simultaneous. Where our awareness is, is what we believe to be the cause of our next experience. In truth, it is the lack of discipline in thinking and conditioning that leads to disease and troubles. My purifying the mind what is meant is not merely positive thinking but entering the subtlest state where thoughts arise and slowing down that. When we carefully read the Yoga Sutras all the methods in the latter portion of chapter 2, that is 46-55 ae about slowing down or stilling posture, breath, senses, so that attention can go to root of the mind. When that happens the conditioning reflexes are removed. One reacts to formerly triggered stimuli with sattvic peace and contentment. This is the process of knowing the Self. Health comes from being in the Self. The word for health, swastha literally means “being in the Self”. this comes from consistent practice aided by being with spiritual teacher and reflecting on a text that they choose for our upliftment. blessings. mukunda