Kośa – sheaths

«Whoever has this knowledge passes, at the moment of leaving this world, from the annamaya level to the prānamaya level, to the manomaya level, to the vijnanamaya level and finally to the ānandamaya level. He travels at his pleasure in the worlds and has power over nourishment (over matter) and forms … » (Taittirya Upanishad, 3.10.5).

Yoga has a holistic approach to the person because of the panchakośa theory: the individual consists of five sheaths ranging from the grossest (annamaya) made of flesh and bones to the most subtle (ānadamaya) made of pure spirit. In between are prānamayakośa, which could correspond to the physiology of the body, manomaya related to the emotional mind and vijnanamayakośa, the level of intellect. All of them must be fed and kept healthy. The first is easy to perceive, the last one more difficult. Yet perceiving ānandamayakośa is one of the purposes of yoga, because there happiness lies.

The year starts with a bit of nervousness, Taurus, perhaps because you would like to rest at least during the holidays and instead occasions and events call you continuously to action. It is right for you to respond on condition however that what you do serves to bring you to a different plane of existence: material, emotional or spiritual. It is up to you to understand how and where to direct all your efforts.

IN PRACTICE  

Anandabala-āsana, happy baby pose

What makes you really happy? Think of newborns exploring the body in this pose and explore yourself. Repeat it every day for at least a minute.

Awareness exercise

The effects of an action cannot be calculated with certainty. However every night think about the possible effects of what you did. Do they go in the direction you want?

Mantra of the month

«Another level».